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.

[Benj]

Originally Posted by benj

i like this template its cool

Lovin this product man......

any idea about puttin so called template conditionals in this template to show if any paticualar download has moved up or down the chart. sorry im kinda drunk.

the idea i have is to show like an upward (or downwards) image showin if the paticualar download has moved up or down the hits list regarding its previous position.

for example if download a had 19 hits and b had 17 on day 1
and then
on day to a had 19 and b had 21 then b would have an upward image next to it showing it had gained a place in the hits list


hopes this is reomotly clear as i said im kinda drunk

if its not possible or requires lots more "hard" sql then dw just a drunken idea



cheeers

Benj

any thoughts on my drunked thoughts andrew :P

cheers :P

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by benj

any thoughts on my drunked thoughts andrew :P

cheers :P

Yeah, Benj, I've got a full time job of work to do - hang in there man...

[Benj]

hahaha ok sorry im an student with to much time on my hands :P all good dw thought you missed it thats all

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by NuclioN

That's ok, check PM. I also see database errors linked to 'image.pm' but this maybe something else

OK, take a look at your World of Art. I've added images to all your links - three as image urls, one as an upload. I've also uploaded a pdf document.

In order to make things work like this, I had to make two changes to your configuration:

a) change the linkbit - that table linkbit does not show images
b) change your VB attachment size limit for pdfs - it was limited to 20K bytes

I hope everything is self-explanatory

A

[NuclioN]

Woow big tnx AndrewD Great job.

[EasyTarget]

Originally Posted by AndrewD

The xml is a single template, a replacement for the link_listbit template. Just use VB admincp to update the template with these new contents. You can always 'revert' it again later

thanks, tested it out and that's pretty cool, I wish that ability to hide and show was in a lot of other places in the forum

but what I'm actually trying to explain is that when someone is on the link_listbit page when they click on what is now the download/follow link part of it that instead of going to the site or downloading the file it would go to another page in the the LDM which has more information about the file, possibly more pictures, instructions, etc. And on that page is where they can follow a link to download the file/visit the site.

Basically for links I like the way it is now. I can show a small thumbnail and short description then they can click on the link to visit the site and find out more. But for files I'd like it so that when they click on the link they go to a page where I can explain more about the file and offer any support there. This would keep the link_listbit page nice and organized/uncluttered and still allow me to go into more detail about the file.

sorry if I don't make any sense.. I have a hard time explaining what's in my head sometimes

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by EasyTarget

thanks, tested it out and that's pretty cool, I wish that ability to hide and show was in a lot of other places in the forum

but what I'm actually trying to explain is that when someone is on the link_listbit page when they click on what is now the download/follow link part of it that instead of going to the site or downloading the file it would go to another page in the the LDM which has more information about the file, possibly more pictures, instructions, etc. And on that page is where they can follow a link to download the file/visit the site.

Basically for links I like the way it is now. I can show a small thumbnail and short description then they can click on the link to visit the site and find out more. But for files I'd like it so that when they click on the link they go to a page where I can explain more about the file and offer any support there. This would keep the link_listbit page nice and organized/uncluttered and still allow me to go into more detail about the file.

sorry if I don't make any sense.. I have a hard time explaining what's in my head sometimes

I think I understand. You're really looking for being able to attach a whole load more 'meta' information about the file. I did this a simple way with categories - you can have the brief and the extended link. I'd prefer not to add an 'ad hoc' solution to this - let me think about the problem for a while, because there's something general to sort out - for example, if the file was an mp3, then you'd like it to read the ID3 tags, if its a picture, maybe the EXIF data, if its a Word document or a pdf, then the document properties, and so on.

[EasyTarget]

I'm just looking to be able to choose whether they can download the file or visit the link straight from the link_listbit template or whether the entries on the link_listbit would link the user to another page in the LDM with more information about the file.

-link_listbit
-->live link + brief description/thumbnail
-->live link + brief description/thumbnail
-->live link + brief description/thumbnail
-alt_link_listbit
-->brief description/thumbnail
--->extensive description/thumbnails + live download link
-->brief description/thumbnail
--->extensive description/thumbnails + live download link

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by EasyTarget

I'm just looking to be able to choose whether they can download the file or visit the link straight from the link_listbit template or whether the entries on the link_listbit would link the user to another page in the LDM with more information about the file.

Yes, I understand that - but can you already enter the 'more information' that will appear on another page, or is it something more extended? In other words, are you happy with a main display which does not give all the text, image, etc, that is currently entered - just the title? I'm sorry if I'm missing the point.

[EasyTarget]

ok, sorry, edited my post above.

yes, I can enter all the information I want into the link_listbit setup now, but then the page looks really unorganized because there's no consistency (some have brief descriptions and some have long ones).

here's an example of what I mean using another downloads script (it doesn't have the other features, but is just an example of a template list that links to a file description/download link instead of right to the file).
http://www.troc.us/forum/downloads.php?do=cat&id=11

that's like the link_listbit template but if you click on a file name it doesn't start the download, it goes to a page with more info about the file.