Custom Avatars as Files (updated for vBulletin 2.2.2)

Updated for vBulletin 2.2.2, 5th February 2002

Since there has been so much demand for this, I wrote a hack that will allow you to store all your custom avatars as files, rather than in the mySQL database.



Doing this will have the following benefits:

• Avatars folder can be protected by .htaccess (Apache only) to prevent bandwidth stealing
• No SQL queries or PHP code required to display custom avatars - server load decreases
• No cacheing issues with Internet Explorer 5.5, so server bandwidth use should decrease

The install script will make the necessary modifications to your database, install a control panel option to switch the file-based avatars on, and convert your existing custom avatars from the database into files.

All avatar options that are present when using the standard mySQL avatar system are still present, and users will not notice a difference in the interface.

Full instructions for altering your PHP files are included in the zip file.

Once you have made the necessary modifications to the PHP scripts, you should run the enclosed install_favatar.php script from your admin/ folder.

[newvbuser]

If I install this hack, what happens to the 20 or so users who are already using custom avatars and those are all stored in the dbase? Do I have to redo each of them? Thx !!

[Jawelin]

Originally posted by Erwin Loh
Another note: Jawelin, your fix for the Welcome Panel and the User Profile does not help - avatar.php is still being used to display the avatars.

Mine isn't a 'fix', but a variation... as I used a parameter to setup the custom avatar directories.

If you always see the avatar.php? link instead of the image directly on the server, most probably your code doesn't enter the main if clause to that url.
Are all the settings correct ?

[Erwin]

I only see the avatar.php in the instances that I listed out. In all other cases (eg. in the postbit), I see the avatar on the server.

[Jawelin]

I think that was exactly the goal the author of this hack would reach: obtain a sensitive decrease of db queries to show avatars.

[Erwin]

I understand.

Thanks! The goal was reached admirably by the talented author.

[newvbuser]

This hack creates mod to the database. When and if we upgrade to 3.x or something in between 2.2.2 and 3.x, would it affect the upgrade or would we hvae to manually drop the tables or it'll just ignore the extra tables?

[newvbuser]

Yes I installed this hack and it works great (PM's and messages show filed avatars). clicking on Profile still shows avatars via database so I'm not sure what'll happen when a new custom avatar is added.

My question is how to make sure the database will work with the new version when it is released?

Thanks kier for the great hack!

[Wolf42]

Thanks for this hack Kier, works perfectly!

[X-Fan]

Works great, Kier, thanks!!!!

I didn't see any mention in the readme of where to create the custom_avatars folder or that it had to be chmod set to 777, but managed to glean that from posts in the thread. Still, should be something included in the readme.

Just my 2c Australian, +GST

[Jawelin]

Kier, excuse if I'm still here.... :greedy:
Well. As I often said, your hack v2.2.2 works very well....

But, alone... :china: I tried installing other hacks like welcome panel and generally those which use getavatarurl() function to retrieve the name...
As already said, I even tried to modify myself that function you seem having forgotten in readme.htm.
Also tried to use the Bira's upgrade to 2.2.1 some posts above.

But still I see some image holes linking :
http://forumurl/images/avatars/custom/avatar1_0.gif
if I have a standard forum avatar and not a custom one....
(I'm UserId=1 and, remember, I changed the default directory, but it's seen correctly and this isn't the problem)...

It means that somehow the above fuction doesn't recognize I have a standard avatar and not a custom one....
Instead, in postbit and elsewhere (where the function isn't called), the right standard avatar is displayed linking to the image and not to the avatar.php? script, correctly as your hack makes it.

Are you planning to modify - also standing on all the above difficulties users found - that function too ?
Why not ???
:noid:

Thanks