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 EasyTarget

1280 x 1024

I realised I forced all the table cells to have a fixed width except the right hand cell, so it gets squeezed. Will fix

[TundraSoul]

If a member doesn't have access to view/download a link, the URL is currently absent. The user is shown the title of the link but don't understand why they cannot download it. This is confusing to members, because they don't understand why they cannot view/download the link. I propose you change this so the link is present, but the user is shown an customizable error message template instead. This will allow the admin to illustrate why the user cannot download the link and remove any confusion.

[Harry72]

Keep up the good work Andrew !

Upgraded within 3 Minutes from 1.60c to 2.0.7rc (vB 3.0.7 - 3.5.1).
The best Links-/Database i've ever seen !

THX A LOT !!! :nervous:

bye
Harry

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by TundraSoul

If a member doesn't have access to view/download a link, the URL is currently absent. The user is shown the title of the link but don't understand why they cannot download it. This is confusing to members, because they don't understand why they cannot view/download the link. I propose you change this so the link is present, but the user is shown an customizable error message template instead. This will allow the admin to illustrate why the user cannot download the link and remove any confusion.

Thanks - this behaviour was introduced in response to another request. It depends on the value of *protected_link* on the admin/settings page:

0: no hyperlink shown
1: normal link, generates a 'no permission' + login template if no access available
2: link jumps to registration dialogue

The default value is 0.

I can add another option to offer a custom template (message + login + register?) if you think this is necessary.

[Benj]

hey andrew... just wondering if this is possible. xml feeds ... mainly i would like one for a users favorites page but for otherpages would be cool 2.

cheers mate

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by benj

hey andrew... just wondering if this is possible. xml feeds ... mainly i would like one for a users favorites page but for otherpages would be cool 2.


cheers mate

Feeds from somewhere else into LDM or feeds to somewhere else from LDM?

[TundraSoul]

I think a custom message template is always better than vBulletins default error template. Users may see the default error, and often still don't understand why they cannot download the file/link. Further, if they register, as the vB error template suggests, and then still cannot download the file/link, they don't understand why they don't have permission.

Originally Posted by AndrewD

Thanks - this behaviour was introduced in response to another request. It depends on the value of *protected_link* on the admin/settings page:

0: no hyperlink shown
1: normal link, generates a 'no permission' + login template if no access available
2: link jumps to registration dialogue

The default value is 0.

I can add another option to offer a custom template (message + login + register?) if you think this is necessary.

[Benj]

Originally Posted by AndrewD

Feeds from somewhere else into LDM or feeds to somewhere else from LDM?

from LDM

[Allan]

Andrew, how to put the last entries on the forumhome as well as the number please ?

[AndrewD]

* edited* 2.1.0 now the official release

I had promised that the release candidate of 2.0.7 would go final but people keep asking for more and more and more...

Attached is the release candidate for 2.1.0 (version number increased because more requests have been addressed). Please - Slave, Benj, Allan and others - can you test this out.

Since 2.0.7, the main changes have been made:

(for EasyTarget) The abbreviated/full linkbits have become available as user option, with a collapse bit on the links display
(for me) The admin category mass edit features have been extended considerably
(for Slave) Admin 'can_view_names' permission is distinguished from 'can_view_hits'
(for Allan) A new plugin patches the forumhome display so that latest link info appears for any forums which are actually category links
A Spanish translation is included (thanks Hugo)
(for BenJ) The release/add-in directory contains sample code for driving an XML feed to an external page
(for TundraSoul) 'No Permission' errors on link access are now handled via an LDM template and phrases

Bugs fixed:
> Category selector omits categories that current user cannot visit
> local_resize no longer glitches on remote files
> Empty upload filetype lists handled correctly
> Includes thumbnails in linkbit_table; image urls in thumbnails behave according to template
> SQL queries consistent across all functions (fixes search bugs reported by Slave)
> Category collapse state remembered correctly
> Various items tidied up a la Slave

Thanks - I'm hoping we're nearly there.