NNTP Gateway for Usenet ( Newsgroups ), Mailing Lists

The latest version: V3.5.0Alpha 1 (21 Jul 2005)

What is it?

This hack provides a gateway from vBulletin forums to the USENET. It allows forum members to read newsgroup messages as well as to send posts to the newsgroups. In a nutshell, it turns vBulletin forums into a basic function news reader.

For an added bonus, this package also supports mailing list archive and forum to mailing list gateway. The software retrieves messages from a pop3 account and import them into the forums threaded. It also allows a forums user to send messages to the mailing list by the forum posting interface.

Why?

The gateway will be appreciated by forum members who do not know how to set up a news reader, or people who do not have port 119 open in their network. A forum interface to read and post news are often considered to be better than a news reader.

The gateway adds more contents to your forums and allows the members to interact with wider audience. It is common to see new users signing up to use this feature.

History

This hack was originally coded by Gilby for vB2. I modified the hack to work with vB3 and have been maintaining and improving the hack. I have now done the modification for this to work with vB3.5.

The very original hack by Gilby can be found here:

https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthrea...7&page=1&pp=15

The vB3 version can be found here:

https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthread.php?t=65152

Features

Some of the features and improvement include:

• Handles both newsgroup posts and mailing lists.
• Handles MIME encoded messages and attachment.
• Handles UUEncoded messages.
• Two Admin Control Panels for all settings.
• Automated installation.
• Correct thread implementation. All imported messages and posts sent to newsgroups will be threaded correctly according to References and Message-ID headers.
• Optional setting to thread by subject for mailing lists that strip references header.
• Imported messages will be searchable just like normal forum posts.
• Similar threads are built when the messages are imported if the system setting is on.
• Multiple attachments importing.
• Save attachment to database or file according to vB setting.
• Thumbnail created while importing image files.
• Multiple attachment post to newsgroup is also supported.
• Selectable X-No-Archive header honouring system.
• Light on system resources.
• Global Killfile to filter out unwanted messages. Killfiles can have OR and AND effectiveness.
• Strip footer by setting for incoming messages. Strips out repeated message footers.
• Built options to disable signatures and footers for out going messages.

Future development

• Traditional "> " lead posting interface.

What do you need and do not need?

You do not need to edit vB php files.
No need to manually run SQL.

Installation

Basically the AdminCP interfaces take care of installation as well as upgrade in the background. Back up your database first. The scripts can modify your database without alerting you!

Please follow the instructions in the readme.txt file for more details.

It is not a must to click "INSTALL" for this hack if you use it, I do try better answering the questions from people who do.

Support

Please post your support questions to this thread. Please check the FAQ in the second post within this thread first. It may be surprising, but it is possible your question is answered in the adminCP NNTP settings.

Please always provide more details about your problem. Examples and debug messages will certainly help. Well, if you don't even try to have some effort to compose your question, the answer you get may also not include much effort.

================== UPDATES ======================
Jul 21 2005 (release version 3.5.0 Alpha 1)

AdminCP xml file is written by Kadence.

• Ported to work with vB3.5.
• Existing bug fixes.
• Debug message can be sent by email or logged in vB Tast Scheduler.
• Known problem: image attachment thumb nail creation still needs work.
• Needs to be done: Documentation.

Quick installation instruction:
1) Upload files to their correct directory
2) Enter AdminCP, click on NNTP Settings once to install/upgrade. Change settings to your like.
3) Click on NNTP Groups once to install/upgrade.
3a) For new install. Run once
http://www.yourdomain.com/setlastmsg.php

Delete this file afterwards.
If you are upgrading from an older version. There is no need to upload this file. Actually this file should not be there except brand new install.

4)
Manually run in debug mode: http://forums.yourdomain.com/gateway.php?debug=1

[silverslik1]

Has anyone gotten this pluggin to work where it actually allows users to send replies back to the newsgroup?

I cant seem to get that to work? Should I try a reinstall. Much appreciated if someone can help me get this to work

[Simon Lloyd]

It works out of the box for me on 3.8.3 (although i paid someone to change some deprocated code).....search these forums for another version of this that has in brackets (mailing lists) i think!, don't forget that port 119 needs to be open on your server!

[toibs]

Oki,

Any highlighted in "blue" text is a quote from one of the previous messages in the thread. Has anyone any idea how to automatically remove this?

Thx
Paul

[Simon Lloyd]

i think its in the mime or pop files!

[hmspain]

I have everything working except for attachments coming from NNTP to the vBulletin system. Somehow, my installation is missing the /includes/functions_image.php file :-?.

Could someone share the file with me or point me in the right direction? I thought that it might have be renamed to class_image.php but I don't think so :-).

Please help!

Harrison Spain
spain@ugs.com

[Rik Brown]

Once anyone using this mod gets hold of the vBulletin 4.0 beta, it would be great to hear whether or not it works with the mod or if any revisions will be required.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that since the mod works at the backend level, it should work with 4.0 with little or no changes.

Cheers! -- Rik

[Nacman]

How many of us running this MOD still have the problem of only the first attachment from a LOCAL post going to usenet showing up on usenet as a link.

My example - I use this MOD to post to a TEXT only usenet group, so any attachments my forum users attach in the forums get sent up as links to the usenet posting. If it is only one attachment all is well, but if it is 2 or more only 1 gets made into a link.

Anyone?

[Rik Brown]

I've started trying to move this mod to a brand new vb 4.0 beta installation.

First thing I've found is that I had to create the left-side menu options in the admincp by creating a file named cpnav_nntp_gateway.xml in the root/includes/xml directory with the following code:

PHP Code:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?>

<navgroups product="vbulletin">

    <navgroup text="NNTP Gateway Options" hr="true">
        <navoption>
            <text>NNTP Gateway Settings</text>
            <link>nntp_settings.php</link>
        </navoption>
        <navoption>
            <text>NNTP Gateway Newsgroups</text>
            <link>nntp_groups.php</link>
        </navoption>
    </navgroup>
</navgroups>

The permissions on the xml file should be 755. When you reload the root/admincp/index.php file, the menu options created above should appear.

Now, I haven't gone any further than this so far so I'm afraid I can't be of further assistance until I've taken a few more steps.

-- Rik

EDIT: Well, I see the ZIP file includes a similar XML file as I made above so you probably should use that.

[Nacman]

Originally Posted by Rik Brown

I've started trying to move this mod to a brand new vb 4.0 beta installation.

First thing I've found is that I had to create the left-side menu options in the admincp by creating a file named cpnav_nntp_gateway.xml in the root/includes/xml directory with the following code:

Now, I haven't gone any further than this so far so I'm afraid I can't be of further assistance until I've taken a few more steps.

-- Rik

Thanks for picking up the ball. I have incorporated many of the mods to this, and even done a few of my own. I am a just above a noob with php, but learning more and more each day. If I can help I will.
Nacman

[alis]

The script run in vb 4.0 beta 4, but with the Automatic Similar Thread Search activated i get this error:
Fatal error: Call to undefined function fetch_similar_threads() in gateway.php on line 547

Here below the line 547 or gateway.php

require_once(MY_DIR . '/includes/functions_search.php');
$similarthreads = fetch_similar_threads($subject);

Function fetch_similar_threads isn't included or has changed in the 4.0 vb version of /includes/functions_search.php

Please can someone tell how to correct this error?