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]

** Edited, 1/11 - attachment removed - see second beta in a following post

I attach version 2.0.7 for beta test. I think that this fixes the problems that have been reported with 2.0.6 and earlier, and add some new features. I will welcome reports, as always.

New Features

+ Add/edit link includes option to set a different date/time
+ Streamer handles Real Player as well as Windows Media Player and looks nicer
+ 'Sort links by rating' included
+ Searches are paginated and the advanced search offers a 'sort by' option
+ Mass edit has a 'mass delete links' option
+ Link and category urls can be presented in search engine friendly form
+ A simplified url mod_rewrite functionality is available, see below
+ VBAdvanced interface jumps to link description rather than straight to link
+ By setting *show_hit_parade*=2, a list of most popular hits appears in each category

Bugs Fixed

> syntax of filetype searches clarified/made more flexible
> catbit respects displayorder
> hitparade and vba modules respect the *can_access_link* and *protected_link* settings
> normal forumjumps are hidden if site has turned them off
> *sortby* request works with subcategories as well as links
> installer catches attempts to upgrade before new code has been uploaded
> works correctly when the main files have been renamed

As usual, I recommend that you read instructions.txt and take a database backup before installing or upgrading, just to be on the safe side. Upload the contents of the release/forums directory, then use VB/plugins/products to install the product file in the release directory.

A few remarks:

The *mod_rewrite* functionality is intended to provide the basis for some advanced features, which are only starting to be identified. The first is to deal with Tradjick's request for showthread navbars that look like LDM navbars. Another is to deal with dkpm's request for an Amazon affiliate id rewrite. I have not thought through all the details for Amazon - if someone wants to help me by listing all the urls that Amazon uses, that would be very helpful.

Although I am hoping someday to live a real life (), there are a series of ideas that have been suggested for LDM, and I will think about these. I've included a file wishlist.txt in the release - please use this as the basis for any further ideas. Basically, this is what I think you have suggested:

Wish List

+ Provide download limits
- daily bandwidth per user / expressed per usergroup
- or through points generated via UCash mod
- or through points bought from Paypal, etc
- or through points earned by uploading

+ Allow multiple hit parades (e.g. per day, week, month)

+ Allow the admin to limit the forum-based protection mechanism
to a few forums instead of none, one or all

+ Provide some form of keyword association
- perhaps linked to user profile

+ Allow meta-data (i.e. other fields)
- Auto-generate those data from the link when possible

+ XML-based import and export
- Allow category imports to work into an existing database

+ Upgrade the entry forms to WYSIWIG

+ Provide mod_rewrite rules for Amazon affiliates

[Benj]

2.0.7 looks wkd to me one more small request maybe a "uploading please wait" when a file is being uploaded cheers

[Marv]

Originally Posted by AndrewD

I attach version 2.0.7 for beta test. I think that this fixes the problems that have been reported with 2.0.6 and earlier, and add some new features. I will welcome reports, as always.

Sounds great, Andrew.
Is there a german language file available ?

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by Marv

Sounds great, Andrew.
Is there a german language file available ?

Indeed, it's provided both as an installer and as an additional language. Thanks to LeeWicKeD for all the hard work in translating.

[Vtec44]

Andrew, is it possible to modify the template and add category icons? That way, it will be less confusing when categories and links are displaying together.

[Vtec44]

Nevermind, I modified the links_catbit template and added a couple of icons.

[Benj]

umm andew after looking deeper into 2.0.7 relised that your hit parade thing is cool but not what i ment when i PM'd you to clarifyi kinda ment

sort by hits

overal
hits today
hits this week
hits this month

on a category basis

the hit parade is still cool tho

just thought id clarify that

cheers for all the hard work

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by Vtec44

Nevermind, I modified the links_catbit template and added a couple of icons.

Looks good - Mind if I pick this up for the general release?

[Vtec44]

Not at all!

[kadafi_alive]

I like the new update.

I have tested the realplayer function and it works, however, when a media is playing, it plays for the first 5 sec, then it reloads and plays again.