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 Ophelia

I'm assuming you are asking for the version we are using? We are using 2.1.3. If this isn't what you were asking for, let me know please

No, I'm not asking that.

Your users may be using download managers on their PCs, e.g. products like FlashGet, which take over control of the download from their browser. That's what I was asking. If they are just using a browser, then which one? Can we pin down the problem.

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by Slave

Just found a small bug in 2.1.0 AndrewD .. worth checking in 2.1.3

When looking at who's online while someone is looking at LDM it comes up as "Viewing Links and Downloads Manager" even though I've changed the name to just "Links" .. so it's not picking up the name change.

Also .. I've noticed that when they are looking at a cat, the cat's name shows up as the link. That's fine. But when they are looking at the Home Cat it comes up as "Home Page" .. this is a little confusing, perhaps have the name of the LDM instead as per the settings?

Thanks - this is probably still the case and I need to fix it. I am still working on consistent phrasing for the 'add ins'

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by kompakt

Oh there is a bug I've discoverd as well. This applies to 2.1.2, I havent tested on 2.1.3. But when you create a new category, it doesn not assign it the new icon you give it. You'll have to edit the category after creating it to assign an icon.

OK, thanks

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by Langly

I thought 2.1.3b2 uploads retained the orginal file name instead of changing the upload name to a string of numbers.

They should. When an uploaded file is stored on your server, its name is just a sequence of digits- this is to stop people bypassing LDM - but the filename is restored when it is downloaded. Is this not working for you?

[Langly]

Ahh, ok. I was just looking at the file directories.

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by kompakt

Oh there is a bug I've discoverd as well. This applies to 2.1.2, I havent tested on 2.1.3. But when you create a new category, it doesn not assign it the new icon you give it. You'll have to edit the category after creating it to assign an icon.

I am not able to reproduce this with 2.1.3. Have you set a value for cat_icon_new as well as cat_icon?

[AndrewD]

Unfortunately the new beta killed Internet Explorer so has been withdrawn. As usual it works fine with Firefox and Opera and passes the validation tests at w3.org, so I wonder who is to blame...

I have uploaded a new beta into the first post. This fixes (I hope) the reported bugs in the first beta, and also adds some requested new features.

Please note - if you have already installed the first beta of 2.1.3, you will have to 'uninstall' before installing, to force the VBulletin product installer to run the installation code. This does not harm your database.

Ratings/comments
The main linkbit now offers a popup showing most recent comments and ratings

Keywords
When a category listing includes entries with associated keywords, a 'filter by keyword' dropdown is available

Administration
Settings added for open local/remote links in new or current window

Bugs fixed
- Category menu displays correctly with forum permissions in add link, etc
- vbAdvanced ldm_tot module fixed when *days_seen_on_portal*=0
- admin buttons work correctly with Internet Explorer
- forumhome plugin uses $stylevar settings for buttons directory
- forum title_clean set during create linked forum
- file sizes for remote urls provided curl library is available, means that http 206 handling works for these files
- 'Show Random Links' displays correct number of entries when keywords enabled
- 'Who's Online' text uses LDM database name if set

As always, backup before upgrading and let me know how it goes.

[Slave]

Still getting that ..

forumid=-999 (Forum does not exist)

.. error when a cat doesn't have a parent forum on the Category Structure admin page .. by design or bug?

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by Slave

Still getting that ..

forumid=-999 (Forum does not exist)

.. error when a cat doesn't have a parent forum on the Category Structure admin page .. by design or bug?

So which version of php are you on now?

[Slave]

hmm .. this is with 2.1.3b3

As you know AndrewD I'm still on an old version of PHP but I still like to install the latest version on my test forum .. so not sure if this is just my server playing up or a bug ..

After I add a comment/rating to a link when I go to the cat page showing that link I get an IE error ..

Internet Explorer cannot open the Internet site http://test.test.com/local_links.php?catid=34

Operation aborted

I'll PM you the URL so you can have a look ..