Image Cache

Y2K Software Image Cache

Compatible at least with vBulletin 3.5.4 and 3.6.4

Please click here for the product Import External Images for vBulletin 4

This product caches images from external sites to a local board folder (including signatures) located at:

http://www.domain.tld/[forum/]imgcache

Installation

1. Please create at your vBulletin board directory a folder called: imgcache and give it the following access rights: CHMOD 777 (read/write/modify to all users)
2. Create an empty index.html file in this folder to avoid file exploring and direct download on some systems.
3. Copy the y2kswimgcache.php file to your vBulletin board (forum home) directory.
4. Close your forum temporarily to the public.
5. Install the product product-y2kswimagecache.xml to your board (allow overwrite if already present).
   The installer will add a table called '[prefix]y2ksw_imgcache' with one field (int ID AUTOINCREMENT) to your board database.
   Please note: Although the uninstaller is provided, it is commented out. By removing the table, and reinstalling the plugin later, the cached images would be overwritten, because of the field counter restarting from 1.
   By leaving the table in your database, you may reinstall the plugin later without collision problems.
6. Test the product: New thread, reply, edit. If errors occur (or white pages), make sure your imgcache/ folder has the required access rights.
7. Reopen your forum to the public.
8. DONE!

How it works

When a board user opens a new thread or message, or edits an existing one (all advanced, quick-reply and ajax), and pastes an image from all but the local cache directory (or by copy and paste, or by specifying [IMG] tags), upon submission the image is read from the external url and written to the local (server) image cache folder.
This avoids to show a placeholder image when the source link is dead or temporarily unavailable.

The link to the image is accordingly replaced.

The script scans first all image references and creates a table of unique images in the current message. It creates a new database table entry in y2ksw_imgcache for each image, reads the new ID and creates a sequence of new images for each url it happens to be readable, and creates for each successful read an imgcache/<id>.png file.

After this sequence, the files are cached locally and may disappear from their sources without leaving an unreferenced image pointer at the local board.

Known bugs

When an image link contains dynamic data, vBulletin would show the image in preview, but change also the IMG tags to URL.
This causes to loose the reference and the plugin will not attempt to recover. A possible solution is to allow dynamic contents for IMG tags on your board.

Version history

1.0.3.0 2007-08-19 Repaired browser (IE 7) issue for images of a different file extension than the officially recognized types. For this issue, newly cached files have now the *.png extension.
1.0.2.0 2006-08-27 Image caching of signatures ([IMG] tags for signatures must be enabled); added a donation button inside readme.htm for specific user requests, which will help us to keep this product always up-to-date.
1.0.1.2 2006-08-07 Release changes for vbulletin.org
1.0.1.1 2006-08-06 Image size verification to avoid caching of invalid images
1.0.1.0 2006-07-17 Collision-free unique cache ID's
1.0.0.0 2006-07-17 Product creation

[home9000]

Thanks y2ksw
one more question, The hack will be work for the new post . I want to include the old post is there any way like Update Counters

[y2ksw]

Not yet, sorry. Also this feature was asked in the past, but I'm unable to concentrate on addons and changes, since busy in real life

If you know a little PHP you may create a new cron-job and parse the messages one by one (or a small number of messages) at each interval. It is not a huge deal with an additional table where you keep trace of the messages you already parsed, or an additional field in the post table (which I discourage).

The 'update counters' isn't a great idea on large boards, because you need to take care about script timeouts. When you time out, you have to reload the page manually. On certain systems, the timeout can be disabled for cron-jobs, and most of all, they run in the background without the need of a human clicking for hours on a stupid button

[home9000]

Thanks y2ksw

Is it possible to let each month picture have a different folder in this way the number of files not going to effect the performance and it's easy to delete the old files.

my second suggestions and it's good for next release to keep in database the old picture url and you can just replace the url if the picture missing only so the bandwidth not effect in this way

[home9000]

I have problem right now to add any new post because its take time .Maby the problem because all image save in one folder
I have to stop the product right now and I hope we can get fix

[ChurchMedia]

Any chance on a port to 3.6.8? It stopped working for me a couple of revs back.

[y2ksw]

Originally Posted by ChurchMedia

Any chance on a port to 3.6.8? It stopped working for me a couple of revs back.

I check what's going on ... probably a hook location which has been changed

Thanks for feedback

[ChurchMedia]

Originally Posted by y2ksw

I check what's going on ... probably a hook location which has been changed

Thanks for feedback

Actually it was because my imgcache folder wasn't chmod to 777. My bad. Sorry!

[y2ksw]

No problem ... there was also an issue on IE7 which may not allow to show correctly *.imgcache images. New files are named *.png now and everything works

[KingPin6]

hello y2ksw thank you for the update, it was always a bit slow with this mod when making posts with pictures but now after this update I cant make posts at all if it contain a few pictures, I see the pictures in the imgcache folder but the post never gets made, I just waited almost 5 minutes and then just canceled, disabled addon and retried, the post was made in a few seconds. any tips would be much appreciated.

[y2ksw]

Originally Posted by KingPin6

hello y2ksw thank you for the update, it was always a bit slow with this mod when making posts with pictures but now after this update I cant make posts at all if it contain a few pictures, I see the pictures in the imgcache folder but the post never gets made, I just waited almost 5 minutes and then just canceled, disabled addon and retried, the post was made in a few seconds. any tips would be much appreciated.

Strange ... anyway 17 seconds for a message is long. I'll upload the previous version (1.0.2.0) to allow reverting.

The changes I've made should actually use much less memory, specifically when there are more images in a message, at a single time.