Article Bot

Article Bot
by velocd


Article Bot is a script that allows you to assign a user account (preferably an exclusive one) to an article bot that will post RSS feeds in select forums at designated intervals. These articles are derived from RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds.

RSS files are assigned to article bots, as well to individual forums, which in turn directs what, when and where your article bot will post.

Features

• Works with RSS versions: 0.9x, 2.0, 1.0, and Atom 0.3
• AdminCP interface for adding/modifying/deleting article bots & rss feeds
• Designate intervals (in minutes) to each RSS feed for when your article bot will post them.
• Requires only 1 file edit (admincp/index.php), allowing ease of upgrading your vBulletin
  without having to remodify files.
• Easy to install. Works best in conjunction with crontab (contab help is inside install.html)

News

• 7/25/04 - Version 1.1 Released
  • Bug Fixes
    • Replaced htmlspecialchars() with htmlentities() in articlebot.php to fully convert special entities from descriptions.
    • Added trim() to thread titles, to prevent double threads from being posted that are merely off by whitespace.
    • New table articlebot_rss_cache for storing a copy of article bot threads, for quicker checking of doubles when posting new threads.
    • Threads are checked in articlebot_rss_cache, so you can permanently remove them from the thread table (you don't have to "soft delete") without worrying about the bot replicating them.
    • Other minor bugs.
  • Features
    • New installer/upgraders for doing the SQL part automatically.
    • Added "label" field to add/modify RSS interface, that allows you to tag a label, e.g. [yahoo], to the beginning of threads, unique to each RSS feed. This might help for better distinction of RSS feeds.
    • Added an option to toggle on/off of building similar threads per RSS feed. Some RSS feeds could hault the script if the building of similar thread results for that feed takes too long (maybe the article thread title is too vague, and matches a lot of results--my guess is it's only a problem on large forums).
    • Added an option to toggle on/off skipping of articles that don't contain descriptions.
    • Regular expression search and replace for article titles and descriptions. This grants you much flexability to filter out things you don't want in your titles or descriptions (given you have some regex experience, I will try to post some patterns in due time.. feel free to add yours )
• 7/11/04 - Version 1.0 Released

Upgrading

• To upgrade, reupload the new PHP and MagpieRSS parser files to their places on your server. Upload upgrade_vx-x (replace the x's with the version you are upgrading to) to /path/to/forums/admincp/, and then execute that script.

Files

• 3 screenshots attached
• articlebot_v1.zip
  • install.html, logo.gif
  • articlebot_admin.php
  • articlebot/
    • rss_cache.inc
    • rss_fetch.inc
    • rss_parse.inc
    • rss_utils.inc
    • extlib/
      • Snoopy.class.inc

RSS Feeds

There are several in the install.html, but if you're looking for more than you could ever want, check out NewsIsFree's directory:

http://www.newsisfree.com/sources/bycat/


Remember to click install if you use this hack.

Also be sure to read through the what you haven't of the thread before asking a question, for it may have been answered.

[memobug]

Originally Posted by School-Help

Someone please help! I get a blank news post with only the title when my bot posts. It is not the feed because i am using bbc and yahoo feeds. Someone help!

I documented a cpanel cron setup and a working feed back on this page:
https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showpost....&postcount=441

I'd suggest that if you are having problems, you get it working with that feed and those particulars defined in that post. If it's not working then describe the problem. It is really too much to try to address every possible variable at once.

Regards,

Matt

[tanyeri24]

memobug that was what ı'm searching. thx for usefull link.

[huss]

Originally Posted by tanyeri24

memobug that was what ı'm searching. thx for usefull link.

This is just a great hack. One of the most useful ever, that will really build traffic and loyalty. Thanks.

[Turboface]

As you can see here - http://www.entertainmentedition.com/...splay.php?f=71 - the posts have a title, but no message.

Any ideas on what might be the problem here?

:surprised:

[iamboard]

I would like to post news headlines on a particular subject. I'd like to supply the key words (only once) and have the news headlines for those stories automatically appear on my site along with a link to those articles. I would like those headline with links to those stories to appear automatically without my intervention. Will your .... allow me to do that and how would I do it?

[School-Help]

Originally Posted by Turboface

As you can see here - http://www.entertainmentedition.com/...splay.php?f=71 - the posts have a title, but no message.

Any ideas on what might be the problem here?

:surprised:

I have the same problem a reply which i have tried countless of times? Any support?

[havefun]

thank u for your hack

[toolblast]

Maybe you've meantioned about it before,

I have an rss feed from a site called lockergnome.

EXAMPLE: http://feeds.lockergnome.com/rss/web.xml

Problem is, they take all their forum posts and put them into the RSS feed.

That is ok, but then the ArticleBot starts from the BOTTOM and works its way to the TOP. Meaning that the posts will be out of order.

The articlebot posts the LAST message in the forum, and then gets to the first later on... so some people on my forum are sitting there reading this post that doesnt make sense cause it isnt the starting thread...



HOW CAN I MAKE IT SO IT READS THE FIRST POST IN THE RSS, THEN WORKS ITS WAY DOWN INSTEAD OF UP?


Thanks in advance! Great hack!

[havefun]

some members where bored to see the RSS-posts (threads)
after using "new posts". if you don't like see that posts there
follow the steps below...

so i modified the links in "navbar"

important:
65 & 66 are my forum ids where the rss-feeds are postet.
so you have to change them (it).

find 3 times:

PHP Code:

search.php?$session[sessionurl]do=getnew 


and change it to:

PHP Code:

search.php?$session[sessionurl]do=getnew&exclude=65,66 


if you have only one forum for RSS than it has to be like this:

PHP Code:

search.php?$session[sessionurl]do=getnew&exclude=65 


and if you have more forums:

PHP Code:

search.php?$session[sessionurl]do=getnew&exclude=65,66,67,68 


_______
demo for 3.0.7:
http://www.acnw.de/board/forumdisplay.php?f=65

[jbear6]

Great hack Velocd,
Thanks! you're work is very much appreciated

Thanks to memobug also

Regards,
Jbear6