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.

[Jaynesh]

Yeah okay il email it to you later on today.
Thanks

[EasyTarget]

I can't remember if I said it before so I'll say it again, thank you so much for all the work and support you put into this.

[Ranma2k]

when upgrdaed to 2.1.0 on vb 3.5.3
the viewing of the cat/links is very slow and it over load the server
i have about 677 categories and 6722 available entries

is there away to downgrade to 2.0.5 ?! and if posible can someone send me the files ><

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by Ranma2k

when upgrdaed to 2.1.0 on vb 3.5.3
the viewing of the cat/links is very slow and it over load the server
i have about 677 categories and 6722 available entries

is there away to downgrade to 2.0.5 ?! and if posible can someone send me the files ><

I did a quick check - on my test board 2.1.0 is slower than 2.0.5 but not badly so. I'm concerned to get to the bottom of this. Perhaps it is the large number of categories or perhaps the display of thumbnail images?

Would you be willing to send me a dump of your LDM database, so that I can sort this out - LDM/Admin/Import and Export/Export a csv, then email it to me at ad_rodin at noos.fr - or pm me with an admin username and pwd to your board so that I can take this myself.

As far as downgrading is concerned, I think this will work ok - I just tried and there doesn't seem to be a problem - but I'm not making an absolute guarantee. I attach the 2.0.5 zip file. Just use the VB Product Manager, uninstall LDM then upload the 2.0.5 code and reinstall. Uninstalling/reinstalling does not harm your database.

Keep me informed, please.

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by Ranma2k

when upgrdaed to 2.1.0 on vb 3.5.3
the viewing of the cat/links is very slow and it over load the server
i have about 677 categories and 6722 available entries

is there away to downgrade to 2.0.5 ?! and if posible can someone send me the files ><

Looking at this in more detail, I suspect that most of the problem has been created by introducing the drop-down 'category jump' menu. There is quite a performance hit in building this menu for several hundred categories. I'll add an option in the next release to disable it, similar to the VBulletin option to disable the forum jump menu.

[Ranma2k]

Originally Posted by AndrewD

Looking at this in more detail, I suspect that most of the problem has been created by introducing the drop-down 'category jump' menu. There is quite a performance hit in building this menu for several hundred categories. I'll add an option in the next release to disable it, similar to the VBulletin option to disable the forum jump menu.

Thanks i did the downgrade and it works fine

i'll be looking for your next release to see if this going to solve the problem ^_^

[AndrewD]

I am uploading the first beta of 2.1.2 into the first post in this thread for testing and comment. As always, please take a backup of your database before upgrading in case of serious bugs.

I have also created an online user manual for LDM, and have removed this from the distribution zipo file. You can access the manual at http://www.eirma.org/devel/LDM

Since the official release 2.1.0, these are the main changes and extensions:

Version 2.1.2

+ Categories can have inheritable settings defining category/link appearance
+ Email notifications available: to moderator when link submitted/to user when accepted
+ "Featured Sites" (=a selection from selected users' favourites)
+ Extensions to linkbits - new photolibrary linkbit available, option to display multiple columns across some linkbits, general tidying up and new icons
+ Thumbnail images generated whenever possible during link creation/edit, rather than on the fly. Images generated using resample algorithm to obtain better image quality
+ Admin settings page restructured into groups and new admin settings/permissions added:

Bugs fixed
- 'Report bad link' works correctly
- Phrased the admin xml file
- LDM checks for some valid mimetype information for Jukebox files
- Improved image quality of thumbnails
- 'Scan' code re-written to behave more consistently
- Improved (much faster) algorithm for building category jump menu

Version 2.1.1

+ Admin pages improved
+ Default permissions for new links taken from parent category rather than global default_forumid
+ Daily user file download and bandwidth limits available
+ File uploads retain their name when downloaded
+ New *cat_cols_display* setting controls # columns in catlist
+ New *can_save_musicbox* permission defines whether users see the open/save as hyperlink for Jukebox media files
+ QuickTime plugin included in Jukebox
+ Images can be uploaded when uploads enabled
+ 'Update to current time' checkbox added to Edit Link form
+ Uploads of thumbnail images available
+ UserProfile integration (off by default), driven by parameters in User Profile
+ Users with *can_moderate_link* can change (Ajax-enabled) name of user who submitted entry

I have promised to add 'keywords' to entries, linked to user profile searches, and I will try to provide per-category permissions, before the final beta of 2.1.2, but otherwise the functionality for this release is complete.

[drdaco]

I'm going to use this as a book review for my site (see www.advancedphysics.org)

can you give me some pointers on how I can taylor it to that? I created sub categories for types of books, but 2.1.0 doesn't inherit the view type (short) to the categories.

I also can find a way to move the picture to the far left as you have shown in your website.

Lastly, how can I force to show short version AND review stars ?

thanks for any help

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by drdaco

I'm going to use this as a book review for my site (see www.advancedphysics.org)

can you give me some pointers on how I can taylor it to that? I created sub categories for types of books, but 2.1.0 doesn't inherit the view type (short) to the categories.

I also can find a way to move the picture to the far left as you have shown in your website.

Lastly, how can I force to show short version AND review stars ?

thanks for any help

Thanks.

The new beta 2.1.2 does inherit view types down the category tree, so you can give different categories different appearances and expect that their children will keep these.

To change the appearance in the way you want, you need to modify one of the linkbit templates. These are variants on nested tables stuffed with conditional tests on what to display. It's just a matter of deciding what you want to see where. I suggest you compare the links_linkbit and link_linkbit_short templates to see what has been left out of the short template and to see how the ratings are being handled.

Am happy to help/guide - keep in touch by PM.

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by Jaynesh

Yeah okay il email it to you later on today.
Thanks

Did you send an email?