Links and Files Database

The VB3.0 version is no longer supported although there have been no reported problems for some time

See here for the VB 3.6 version of this hack, which is now the supported version. This version currently also works with VB 3.5
See here for the VB 3.5 thread for this hack.

What's new in v1.60?

Option to display associated thumbnail images
Option to accept/not accept new entries if these already exists in database
Code for mass edits (accessed via admincp) tidied up
VB phrasing completed
Includes a full French and a partial German translation (thanks to cclaerhout, Allan and LeeWicKeD), handled properly by installation script.
Various bugs fixed and tested against php4 and php5:
Better database validation (on startup/in admincp: links with invalid associated forumids, categories with invalid parentids)
Alternative linkbit templates provided (default uses a fieldset, the other is the old-style table row)
Alternative category selection templates (pull down menu/list of checkboxes),
Star rating displayed using standard VB stars rather than in text form
Series of minor bug fixes
See file change.txt in zip file

What it is/does

- Provides a searchable database of weblinks and/or downloadable files, for example manuals, music files, pictures, etc.
- Integrates within VBulletin, without requiring any code changes.
- Transparently handles links and file downloads. (If you want to provide downloads from your own site, you need a separate tool to upload these files. This hack does not and will not include a file uploader.)
- Provides unlimited nested categories.
- Each link/file can be a member of multiple categories.
- Link and category title and descriptions can use all BBCODEs, giving the possibility to add images, colouring, etc, as you wish
- Viewing/access permissions controlled using VBulletin forum system
- Users can rate links, in a similar manner to VB thread rating.
- File downloads are semi-leechproof, i.e. the user does not see where the file is stored and can only access the link if she has access to the associated forum.
- Audio files playable via Windows Media Player can be offered as a jukebox .
- Tracks who downloads what
- Validates links on entry/editing, and provides admin facility to validate the entire database.

Installation/upgrading instructions

Read instructions.txt in the zip file. Installation script works out whether to install or upgrade.

To upgrade from an earlier release of this hack, simply re-run the installation script. If you modified the templates in the top styles, you will lose these modifications unless you back up and re-edit.

PLEASE BACK UP YOUR DATABASE

See also

For screen shots, see attachments.

Tested with

VBulletin 3.0 and higher
PHP 4.1.1 and 4.3.4, should work with all 4.x versions, seems ok with 5.0.4
MySQL 4.0.
Reported ok with MySQL 4.1 but not exhaustively tested

Credits

Initially inspired by drkFusion's vb2 hack "vb Link Directory" v.2 and discussion about v.3 on Vbulletin.org. This is a complete rewrite with many more features. Every credit to the VBulletin folks for providing the infrastructure and to those on vbulletin.org who have helped with testing.

Integrations/Conversions

Natch has written extensions to integrate this hack with VBindex and VBAdvanced.

For convenience, this hack includes fully integrates with, but does not install, his VBIndex hack - i.e. the required template and code are provided, and the admin panel handles the configuration settings. Please refer to his thread for instructions.

Integration with VBadvanced is described in thread 1319 at vbadvanced.com.

The zip file includes a script and instructions for converting from vbLinks v2 (see thread 44551

[dirtymerc]

I did a small file edit to put the search in the main page, check it out, if your interested to know how i did it, ill post it up here:

http://www.offthetopic.com/forums/lo...p?action=links

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by swanienufan

First off, I want to say GREAT hack, super easy installation worked great!

Is there a way to set the display order of the categories or links? Didn't know if I was missing something. I went back and looked through most of the messages and couldn't find anything on this. If not available now, is this something that might be added in future releases?

Thanks for your work on this.

G

Thanks. You're right.

Currently, the categories and the links are pulled out of the database in alphabetical order. There's no facility yet to change that. (There's no code yet, either, to break up the lists into pages.)

What sort options would you like to see? These haven't been priorities for me, and the risk is always that extensions introduce new bugs, but I'm happy to think about the problem.

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by dirtymerc

I did a small file edit to put the search in the main page, check it out, if your interested to know how i did it, ill post it up here:

http://www.offthetopic.com/forums/lo...p?action=links

Looks nice - just interested to know, why do you prefer having the search box visible rather than just using the drop down from the links menu bar? Or are you using a browser that doesn't handle the pop up correctly? (Or maybe I screwed up the coding for your browser :tired: - the pop up works find for me on your site with IE6 and Mozilla Firefox)

[joeychgo]

IM thinking about installing this --- but I have a few questions first.. (im a 10 day old newbie so please be gentle)

First this part in the instructions confused me:

Integrating with your board

Use these links:

local_links.php?action=links : Browse the database at top level

local_links.php?action=links&catid=nn : Browse the database starting at category nn
local_links.php?action=search : Set up a search

local_links.php?action=jump&id=nn : Anti-leech jump to link/file nn, incrementing hit counter

local_links.php?action=admin : Admin control, including links validation (normally admins only)
local_links.php?action=logjumps&start=yyyy-mm-dd&end=yyyy-mm-dd : Admin access to
see who downloaded/jumped to what
local_links.php?action=cleanjumps&start=yyyy-mm-dd&end=yyyy-mm-dd : Admin access to
clear out log of who downloaded/jumped to what

local_links.php?action=show&forum=nn : Display entries associated with forum nn
local_links.php?action=show&check=0 : Display entries that failed the latest site validation
local_links.php?action=show&check=1 : Display entries that passed the latest site validation
local_links.php?action=show&check=-1 : Display those entries that are invalid


WHat am I suppose to do here?

Second, how do I get this to add a option to the navbar?

Third, is there a way to add the banner for the link?

Again, im new, I dont know html, and am just muddling my way along... thanks!

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by joeychgo

IM thinking about installing this --- but I have a few questions first.. (im a 10 day old newbie so please be gentle)

First this part in the instructions confused me:

Integrating with your board

Use these links:
etc
WHat am I suppose to do here?

Second, how do I get this to add a option to the navbar?

Third, is there a way to add the banner for the link?

Again, im new, I dont know html, and am just muddling my way along... thanks!

I'm as gentle as they come - I also do a good job removing teeth :devious:

Basically, you only need to add one link to your navbar template to get access to this hack.

Go into the admincp, styles and templates, edit templates. Edit the navbar template.

Look for a line

PHP Code:

<td class="vbmenu_control"><a href="faq.php?$session[sessionurl]">$vbphrase[faq]</a></td> 


Add the following line immediately afterwards

PHP Code:

<td class="vbmenu_control"><a href="local_links.php?$session[sessionurl]">Links</a></td> 


Save. that should add a new item on your navbar that takes you straight into this hack. The other items I explain in the instructions give direct links to individual functions, but you can get at these via this link.

Adding a banner - I imagine you want an image to show up? What you have to do is work out where the image is stored. If you go into a site and right click on an image, then choose Properties, it will give you the full url. Simply put a standard IMG VBulletin BBCode into your link description pointing to that url.

[joeychgo]

what about the first question?

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by joeychgo

what about the first question?

You don't need to do anything about the first question unless you you want direct access to individual functions. The answer to the second question effectively answere the first. Try it and see!

[Morrus]

Originally Posted by AndrewD

Have you just done a revalidation via the admin page, or is this spontaneous? And are your links on or off your site?

The "validate" procedure tries to open a connection to all your links. If the call fails (timeout, etc), then the link is flagged as unavailable.

Perhaps you could pm me or post one of the apparently bad links? I'll try to see iof anything obvious is going on.

Yep, I did a revalidation.

There are 217 links on there right now (including my own site, which is definately available, otherwise I wouldn't be able to see the links page! )

I've checked the links maually - they all work OK. Here are a couple of examples which are marked as unavailable, but this is applying to all 217 of the links:

http://www.enworld.org (my own site, currently marked unavailable)
http://www.americanfolklore.net/
http://www.seankreynolds.com

It was odd. I revalidated, and it suddenly marked every single one as unavailable (came up as "failed" on the revalidation page). I've attached a screenshot.

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by Morrus

Yep, I did a revalidation.

There are 217 links on there right now (including my own site, which is definately available, otherwise I wouldn't be able to see the links page! )

I've checked the links maually - they all work OK. Here are a couple of examples which are marked as unavailable, but this is applying to all 217 of the links:

http://www.enworld.org (my own site, currently marked unavailable)
http://www.americanfolklore.net/
http://www.seankreynolds.com

It was odd. I revalidated, and it suddenly marked every single one as unavailable (came up as "failed" on the revalidation page). I've attached a screenshot.

As you say, strange. The links are certainly valid.

There can be problems with bad DNS connections. When you do the revalidate, does it immediately tell you that it can't find each link, or does it sit there for quite some seconds thinking about it?

[joeychgo]

Ok, I uploaded the 3 files --

I turned my browser to local_links_install.php, then local_links.php?action=admin then local_links.php?action=links each time I got a blank white page --- ??? Now what? nothing else happened.

Also, there is a Templates directory in the zip file, what is that for?

Addemdum.... I installed the navbar link -- but when I click on it I get an error message which says :

Database error in vBulletin 3.0.0 Release Candidate 4:

Invalid SQL: SELECT * FROM local_linksadmin
mysql error: Table 'lincol14_forums.local_linksadmin' doesn't exist

mysql error number: 1146

Date: Wednesday 10th of March 2004 12:37:13 AM
Script: http://www.lincolnvscadillac.com/local_links.php?
Referer: http://www.lincolnvscadillac.com/
Username: Joeychgo
IP Address: 24.14.128.110