Links and Downloads Manager

LDM extends VBulletin to manage a library of documents, files and links to other web sites. Documents can be stored on your own web site, stored on your server separate from the web site, uploaded by your user community, or held somewhere else altogether. So you can use LDM to provide your user community with access to your own files and allow them to share files with each other.

12/08/06 - Versions that work with vb36 are available and supported in the VB36 thread. Version 2.2.1, which works with VB 3.5 but not with VB 3.6, remains available here.

Thanks to everyone who has helped with all the design, testing, etc.
Translations are provided (thanks dLutt and LeeWicked) into German, (thanks to Allan) into French, and (thanks to Hugo) into Spanish. Harry1951 has handled the Dutch translation.

Screenshots, Instructions and How to Install

Full details and instructions are available as a Wiki at http://www.eirma.org/wikis/index.php...nloads_Manager

LDM installs as a VBulletin product. There are no modifications required to standard VB code.

Basically - upload php files and run the installer through VB's Product installer. No changes needed to VB code. Remember to BACKUP YOUR DATABASE. By default, LDM prefixes its database tables 'local_'. Edit the configuration file, local_links_init.php, if you need/wish to change this.

LDM can handle an essentially unlimited number of categories and nested subcategories, and an unlimited number of entries (hyperlinks or downloadable files). Each entry can be placed in one or several categories. Categories can have styles. Descriptions and titles can optionally include BBcodes, smilies, images and html, giving the possibility to add images, colouring, etc. File types can be flagged using icons and individual entries can also have associated thumbnail images.

Standards templates are provided for libraries of links, files, documents, and photographs.

Users can offer comments and rate the links/downloads. Each user is allowed one rating and many comments per entry, and can freely edit these if they change their mind.

Permission to use specific features is established via the product's admin page, where the administrator specifies which usergroups can add and edit entries, comment and rate these entries, moderate, etc.

By default, all entries are visible to all users. You can restrict visibility/access to links and categories by using the permissions masks from your board's forums.

Moderation of new entries is available but turned off by default.

Users can report bad links to the relevant moderators/administrators.

Each user can flag links as his/her "Favourites".

Modules are provided for VBAdvanced.

Hooks are provided in suitable places in LDM and sample plugins are included in the release (see extras directory), for example to integrate with ID3 tags in mp3 files, for slideshows, to autocreate new threads in your forums, etc.

Plus much more.

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by Meltingfire

Edit: I see now that the timestamp for when it was posted is updated when you Edit a file, dont think that is necessary or is it?

This was a point of discussion way back, when the general view was that the date stamp should be updated when the entry was edited. I don't feel strongly one way or the other.

Easiest solution is to add an additional configuration parameter so that the code does or does not make this adjustment during an edit.

[Meltingfire]

Originally Posted by AndrewD

This was a point of discussion way back, when the general view was that the date stamp should be updated when the entry was edited. I don't feel strongly one way or the other.

Easiest solution is to add an additional configuration parameter so that the code does or does not make this adjustment during an edit.

Best case whould be to see the date in a text-field with the "current (first)" date, then you could either change it manually, or have a radiobutton/checkbox to choose "Set to todays date"

or maybe even to fields, one for added date and one for last edited...

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by Meltingfire

Best case whould be to see the date in a text-field with the "current (first)" date, then you could either change it manually, or have a radiobutton/checkbox to choose "Set to todays date"

or maybe even to fields, one for added date and one for last edited...

OK, will ponder. Thanks

[AndrewD]

I have uploaded version 2.0.5 as the new supported release, tested with VB 3.5.0 Gold. This has some minor changes to the beta version uploaded a few days ago.

Grateful for reports, as always.

Changes from 2.0.4 (those marked * are changes from beta 2.0.5):

+ rating/comments system extended to allow users to make multiple comments (one rating)
+ option included to update existing permissions when *default_forumid* is changed on admin page
+ users with *can_set_display_order* permission see the display orders in the linkbit
+ category forum links to work both ways category<=>forum
+ 'advanced search' added, e.g. to limit searches to certain categories
* option in edit link to retain or update the original timestamp
+ interface provided for vbAdvanced 2.0
= layout of category home page modified to provide better overview
= admin/settings and admin/permissions split into two pages
= various bugs fixed
changes to default sort order work properly
another attempt to deal correctly with changes to category forum links
another attempt to deal correctly with category display orders
cached missing template (styleselect)
phrasing tidied up
- removed support for obsolete vbindex interface

[PtP]

In the vbAdvanced modules the header of the module has an incorect link to local_links.php, look below to fix.


ldm-new.php
Line 91

change this

$hottitle = '<a href="'.$vbulletin->options['homeurl'].'/'.LINKS_SCRIPT.'.php">'.'New Links'.'</a>';

to this

$hottitle = '<a href="'.$vbulletin->options['bburl'].'/'.LINKS_SCRIPT.'.php">'.'New Links'.'</a>';

================================================== ========================

ldm-hot.php

Line 91

change this

$hottitle = '<a href="'.$vbulletin->options['homeurl'].'/'.LINKS_SCRIPT.'.php">'.'Hot Links'.'</a>';

to this

$hottitle = '<a href="'.$vbulletin->options['bburl'].'/'.LINKS_SCRIPT.'.php">'.'Hot Links'.'</a>';

Also was there a reason you changed the links_hotlinks template in your 2.05 beta to this version

From this

 <tr> 
<td class="alt1"><span class="smallfont">
<a href="$vboptions[bburl]/local_links.php?action=jump&amp;id=$linkid" target="_blank">$linkname</a>
</span>
</td>
<td class="alt2">
<span class="smallfont">$linkhits</span>
</td>
</tr>

To this

<a href="$vboptions[bburl]/local_links.php?action=jump&amp;id=$linkid" target="_blank">$linkname</a> ($linkhits)<br />

As it makes the vbAdvanced module look very bland and boring.

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by PtP

In the vbAdvanced modules the header of the module has an incorect link to local_links.php, look below to fix.

thanks

Also was there a reason you changed the links_hotlinks template in your 2.05 beta to this version as it makes the vbAdvanced module look very bland and boring.

I thought it was an improvement - but as I don't use vbAdvanced (yet) I'm not really the best judge.

Will revert to the beta layout if you think this is better.

[PtP]

I started to wonder if I was just being opinionated in my comment of the template, I have attached the old (beta template) and the new template for your own opinion, I honestly think the old beta one looks classier. See what you think.

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by PtP

I started to wonder if I was just being opinionated in my comment of the template, I have attached the old (beta template) and the new template for your own opinion, I honestly think the old beta one looks classier. See what you think.

I think what was bugging me about the first try was 'too much line spacing' - I switched over to putting everything in one table row, with line breaks. I agree with you that the two-column style is better than the one column parenthesised version, but still wonder about the table length. What do you think?

[Meltingfire]

Originally Posted by AndrewD

I think what was bugging me about the first try was 'too much line spacing' - I switched over to putting everything in one table row, with line breaks. I agree with you that the two-column style is better than the one column parenthesised version, but still wonder about the table length. What do you think?

How do you successfully upgrade?
Is the uninstall/install better or should i use install and use overwrite / no overwrite?

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by Meltingfire

How do you successfully upgrade?
Is the uninstall/install better or should i use install and use overwrite / no overwrite?

Either approach will work, - install/overwrite or uninstall/reinstall - the uninstall does not harm the LDM database tables.

The only tricky situation with the new VB system is when an install only partly completes, and VB thinks it has finished the job. This is because installation code is only executed when the VB installer thinks it is installing a higher version. So if , e.g. (for any reason) you have part-installed version 2.0.5, then to complete the job you have to uninstall and start again.