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 midihead

For some reason, the agreement is reading:

"The material you wish to access is proprietary. Please confirm that you will not make copies or distribute it to others without permission."

I need to customize this AND the error message when someone hits the "decline" button:

"I'm sorry. You declined to accept our agreement so I cannot process your request. Please start again."

As with (I hope!) all the standard text displayed by LDM, these messages are held in phrases. Go to your VB admincp, languages and phrases, search phrases, and enter part of the text, or look for two phrases called ll_agreement and ll_agreement_delined

Originally Posted by midihead

I've added my own custom "license agreement" to the "Use Policy" field in the "Add/Edit Category" control panel, but that doesn't seem to be used by this application.

Yes it is, but it serves a different purpose. The 'Use Policy' message is displayed at the top of the Add and Edit Link forms.

These are different ways of letting people know that they should respect the contents of your database. The 'Use Policy' is a softly-softly approach that was added to LDM quite early in its development to tell people what they can add. Nothing happens if the user ignores it (except that I imagine your moderators will delete the entries). The force_accept setting asks users to accept the terms before being able to download entries.

Like so many things that grow organically, there are inconsistencies in the interface to LDM, and I appreciate that you flag this one.

[Slave]

Originally Posted by midihead

Anyone who can help me with this would save me from the horrors of the lame-ass default "license agreement" text. Please, I'm begging you.

For some reason, the agreement is reading:

"The material you wish to access is proprietary. Please confirm that you will not make copies or distribute it to others without permission."

I need to customize this AND the error message when someone hits the "decline" button:

"I'm sorry. You declined to accept our agreement so I cannot process your request. Please start again."

I've added my own custom "license agreement" to the "Use Policy" field in the "Add/Edit Category" control panel, but that doesn't seem to be used by this application. Instead, the aforementioned canned message is displayed. I very much need to be able to change this. Can anyone help me?

Thanks!

M

To change this wording you need to edit the following 2 phrases ..

"ll_ agreement" and "ll_ agreement_ declined"

The "Use Policy" entry box is different, you use that to add text to the top of the "Add Link" page.

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by shadowdancer36

Can someone tell me how I can change the index title from Links and Downloads Manager to something else?

LDM -> admin -> settings -> database_name You can call it what you want.

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by Slave

To change this wording you need to change the following 2 phrases ..

"ll_ agreement" and "ll_ agreement_ declined"

The "Use Policy" entry box is different, you use that to add text to the top of the "Add Link" page.

Snap!

[Slave]

Bah .. AndrewD beat me this time

(Only because I went to get a drink before answering ) heh

[Slave]

Originally Posted by AndrewD

Sorry if I was unclear. Currently, the main linkbit has a set of icons over the right hand side of the screen to trigger the 'add to favourites', 'edit link', 'send to friend' frunctions. I was suggesting maybe taking all these into a drop down on the link title, with the first item being the 'jump to link' and including also an 'add link'. I don't really want to add more items into the linkbit template - it's already rather cluttered.

I think I like this idea .. it would certainly clean up the linkbit ..

You could have in the drop down .. depending on the permissions ..

Goto Link
Rate Link
Add Comment
Add to My Favourites
Send to Friend
Report Bad Link
Edit Link
Delete Link
Add Link

[midihead]

Thanks for all the help, mates! I am not fully up to speed on all of V-Bulletin's hidden features. This mod is absolutely killer. A little help with the aesthetics of the download page template and it will look as nifty as it works.

Cheers,

M

[shiva]

First off, I have to say thanks to Andrew for the answers, and the main reason I choose this system over the other was the amount of support, time, and williness to be flexible to improve his product that he has put in.
Really, it would be nice to be able to do this myself, so I sure appreicate the effort, and the huge changes to the system. Great job.

I'm still learning how to use this still, but I guess that's how good this actually is.

One thing I have noticed is the field for links. It's set to default or off to look for duplicate links, and as I am putting in a lot of links based off of one particular sites page (so I don't "hotlink" to a file download at that site) is there a way to set it so I can have the system ignore duplicate entries if the admin posts them?

I usually forget to check the box.

I also noticed that after it displays the error message from a duplicate link, and refreshes back to that link, that selection to ignore duplicate threads is missing. I can use the back buttons to repost it properly, but is it a error, or something I missed the proper information on?

I know all about the time to write stuff, just the stuff I am adding now has taken days, and will add weeks to my work load.

As I learn this system more, I will more than likely ask more questions, so sorry before hand.

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by shiva

First off, I have to say thanks to Andrew for the answers, and the main reason I choose this system over the other was the amount of support, time, and williness to be flexible to improve his product that he has put in.
Really, it would be nice to be able to do this myself, so I sure appreicate the effort, and the huge changes to the system. Great job.

I'm still learning how to use this still, but I guess that's how good this actually is.

One thing I have noticed is the field for links. It's set to default or off to look for duplicate links, and as I am putting in a lot of links based off of one particular sites page (so I don't "hotlink" to a file download at that site) is there a way to set it so I can have the system ignore duplicate entries if the admin posts them?

I usually forget to check the box.

I also noticed that after it displays the error message from a duplicate link, and refreshes back to that link, that selection to ignore duplicate threads is missing. I can use the back buttons to repost it properly, but is it a error, or something I missed the proper information on?

I know all about the time to write stuff, just the stuff I am adding now has taken days, and will add weeks to my work load.

As I learn this system more, I will more than likely ask more questions, so sorry before hand.

Shiva, no need to apologise - I'm very happy to find ways to deal with constructive suggestions. I'll look at these points before we move to the official 2.1.5 version of LDM.

[Langly]

Is there any way to add this into LDM? I've been trying to make a sig out of this but can't for some reason. I just keep getting table errors.