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

Is there any possibility to integrate this in vbAdvanced as with vBindex?

Im currently running vBindex together with links on the 3.0.x but want to upgrade to 3.5 as soon as possible.

The version 3.0 code did intergrate with vbadvanced, as far as I know. When I have a chance to look, I'll test it out.

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by Viperlx

How do I set the directory? Nothing is working.

If your site is 'Broken Surf Forums', it looks as if everything is installed properly - what's the problem?

[GrendelKhan{TSU]

Originally Posted by AndrewD

I'm prepared to rethink that decision with vb 3.5, but it's a matter of finding the time to code and test. Let me check it out.

As for the layout of new links/hot links, that's probably straightforward to address. Again, I'll take a look.

that would be awesome if you could. I know its a huge investment of time ...but I still got my fingers crossed.

I'm not terribly interested in getting into a 'feature' race with another hack - I'd rather that this one does what it claims to do and is reliable.

fair enough. that's not really what I wanted to imply either. both are great hacks.

just as a "consumer"... its such a waste to have to use both hacks to get to use features that are wanted/needed. it still comes down to a person's personal preference, I'm just saying, I'd choose this hack definitively if those two things alone where a part of the hack (and I'll assert that other people would as well).

NOT trying to breed competittion... just being selfish and saying what I love if you could throw in. heehee.

in any case, thanks for the all the help and this awesome hack. I'll keep checking in and reporting any bugs or whatever if I find em. :nervous:

[Viperlx]

Originally Posted by AndrewD

If your site is 'Broken Surf Forums', it looks as if everything is installed properly - what's the problem?

are you going to the map downloads section? Thats edownloads but with yours I can't set a directory.

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by Viperlx

are you going to the map downloads section? Thats edownloads but with yours I can't set a directory.

No, I went to http://brokensurf.com/forums/local_links.php, where I can see an empty installation.

I'm not sure I understand 'can't set a directory' - do you mean you can't set a value for monitor_dir? PM me with an admin account + more details, and I'll gladly take a look.

[Viperlx]

I need to set the local_file_root and monitor_dir but i am not sure how.

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by Viperlx

I need to set the local_file_root and monitor_dir but i am not sure how.

Logged on as an admin, you either go to local_links.php and select Admin/Settings and Permissions, or you go directly to local_links_admin.php. You'll find the whole set of permissions/settings there.

You set local_file_root either to 0 or 1. If you set it to zero, then any subsequent download file which is identified using a local directory/file name (e.g. /dir/file.pdf) is assumed to sit at http://yoursite/dir.pdf. If you set it to 1, then it is actually assumed to be /dir/file.pdf in terms of the web server's file system.

Advantage of using 1 is to hide files from prying eyes, but you then need to be careful who has permission to set up new downloads, so that they don't start linking to systems files you want to keep private.

Depending on how you set local_file_root, you might also want to set local_file_root_prefix. This is simply a string that gets added to the front of all local directory/files, e.g. if you set it to /dir2, then the previous example will automatically map to /dir2/dir/file.pdf

You can set monitor_dir on the same page, or on the admin/import & export page. It holds one or a comma separated list of directories, any of which can end with a wild card *., e.g. /dir1 or /dir1/* It defines the directory(ies) which are searched during an Admin/Import & Export/Scan for new files

[Boofo]

AndrewD, was version 2.0.5 going to be released anytime soon? Just checking, sir.

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by Boofo

AndrewD, was version 2.0.5 going to be released anytime soon? Just checking, sir.

It's sitting live on my site, but I'd held off because the changes are deep in the guts and I want to be sure that there are no new bugs. I also thought I'd deal with the questions about VbAdvanced and a prettier 'front page', see a few posts back. Perhaps this weekend.

[Boofo]

Originally Posted by AndrewD

It's sitting live on my site, but I'd held off because the changes are deep in the guts and I want to be sure that there are no new bugs. I also thought I'd deal with the questions about VbAdvanced and a prettier 'front page', see a few posts back. Perhaps this weekend.

Ok, just checking, sir.

If you need any help testing, let me know.