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.

[Alfa1]

I have used the search function for this, but could not find an answers:

I want to display the total LDM as a block in vBadvanced. How do I do that. Is there a plug in or module for this?

Another question: I use the LDM_new.php module. How can I make it display icons as well?

[redlabour]

Will it work in the Future with vBulletin 3.6 ?

[sonicBeagle]

Will Links and Downloads Manager improve download stability?

By this I mean that many of my users report aborted and incomplete downloads when trying to pull 100Mb attachments from posts in my forums. The folks at vBulletin have suggested that their product was never intended for that purpose, and who am I to argue with them? All I know is that I need to be able to reliably download large files from my forums.

If LDM is not the answer, and anyone knows what is, I would greatly appreciate some guidance. Money is not the issue here - reliable downloading is the issue and I can pay for a solution.

Mike

[GrendelKhan{TSU]

couldn't find this answe in the admin options or in this massive thread (don't kill me!!)...
--------------

is it possible to have people ONLY be able to open the jukebox, but NOT launch the Visit/Download link via the title link and thumbnail? (enable/disalbe for each category individuslly.)

almost no one clicks the launch icon (as first instinct) and keep clicking the thumbnail or link... after a delay this launches either embedded QTime in the same window or launches standonline real player (on my system and few others). so its really confusing what's goign on for people. esp if they WANT to launch the jukebox but accidently/naturally go for the link or thumbnail first.

is this normal behavior? I figured it was supposed to launch a download file thingy (like right click).

if this is normal, I want to be able to disable the view/download for some of the categories and have them only be able to right-click download or luanch the Jukebox.

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by lexx27

Another thing I noticed is that a file had 30 downloads yesterday (webalizer report), and only 2 hits inside the manager???

The code checks for multiple clicks in close succession from a given user, and reports them once, since it usually means that the user is mouse-happy. Furthermore, it only records the hit when the download is complete. 30 compared to 2 seems a bit extreme, so it suggests that the transfer had problems going through to completion.

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by lexx27

do you know anything about this

I'm sorry - are you asking a question or telling me that something doesn't work?

There is an 'extra' (id3_handles) available with LDM, which autocreate thumbnails for mp3 files from the file's tag information.

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by Alfa1

I have used the search function for this, but could not find an answers:

I want to display the total LDM as a block in vBadvanced. How do I do that. Is there a plug in or module for this?

Sorry, I don't understand the question. What do you want the vba module to do?

Originally Posted by Alfa1

Another question: I use the LDM_new.php module. How can I make it display icons as well?

Currently, this needs a few changes in the code as well as in a template. I attach a file containing a modified version of the function get_link2(), which you can find in local_links_include.php. With that change, the following version of the links_vbalinks template will do the trick:

<tr>
<td class="alt1">
<div style="float:right"><span class="smallfont">$linkhits</span></div>
<span class="smallfont">$linktypebit<if condition="$linkstatus<=0">$linkname<else />$linkurllink</if></span>
</td>
</tr>

I will include the code change in the next upload of LDM, version 2.2.2, when this goes live.

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by redlabour

Will it work in the Future with vBulletin 3.6 ?

There is no reason why not, but I have not yet tested it. I will give an answer as soon as possible. If changes are needed, they will be made available.

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by sonicBeagle

Will Links and Downloads Manager improve download stability?

By this I mean that many of my users report aborted and incomplete downloads when trying to pull 100Mb attachments from posts in my forums. The folks at vBulletin have suggested that their product was never intended for that purpose, and who am I to argue with them? All I know is that I need to be able to reliably download large files from my forums.

If LDM is not the answer, and anyone knows what is, I would greatly appreciate some guidance. Money is not the issue here - reliable downloading is the issue and I can pay for a solution.

Mike

LDM is only part of the answer. The problem with very large downloads is really on the client side - the user's browser can drop the connection. This is one reason for using a download manager on the user's machine.

LDM supports what is called 'partial file transfer'. Client-side download managers tend to use this mechanism to speed up downloads and to recover from dropped connections.

I have tested LDM with a couple of download managers and it works fine. I can't guarantee that it will work with them all. I tested, for example, flashget and Download Accelerator Plus.

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by GrendelKhan{TSU

couldn't find this answe in the admin options or in this massive thread (don't kill me!!)...
--------------

is it possible to have people ONLY be able to open the jukebox, but NOT launch the Visit/Download link via the title link and thumbnail? (enable/disalbe for each category individuslly.)

almost no one clicks the launch icon (as first instinct) and keep clicking the thumbnail or link... after a delay this launches either embedded QTime in the same window or launches standonline real player (on my system and few others). so its really confusing what's goign on for people. esp if they WANT to launch the jukebox but accidently/naturally go for the link or thumbnail first.

is this normal behavior? I figured it was supposed to launch a download file thingy (like right click).

if this is normal, I want to be able to disable the view/download for some of the categories and have them only be able to right-click download or luanch the Jukebox.

If you set the *can_play_musicbox* permission but unset the *can_save_musicbox* permission for usergroup (LDM/admin/permissions), then both the icon and the title become urls to the jukebox.

Currently, this is an all or nothing setting - it applies to all musicbox entries in all categories. It is easy enough to make available on a a per-category basis, if this has any value to you.