Show Thread Enhancements - External Link Titles, retrieve descriptive titles for URLs

Keywords: SHOWTHREAD, external, link, titles, URLs, SEO

Description:
Retrieves descriptive titles for external posted links. Allows for better link recognition and, in theory, could help increase page SEO.

Details:
I recall this being requested somewhere, so I decided to take a stab at it. This is yet another feature offered in vBSEO.

For those unaware of what this actually does.. by default, when a URL is posted without a description it looks like:
http://www.vbulletin.com

With this modification enabled, it will now look like:
vBulletin.org Forum - The Official vBulletin Resource!

Nicer, eh?

[hr]-[/hr]
Installation:

1. Download and import product-linktitles.xml via the Product Manager.
2. Enable the modification via AdminCP > vBulletin Options > External Link Titles Options (it is disabled by default)
3. ???
4. Profit!

Notes:
There's really no magic here, it polls for titles using the cURL() function. If for some reason your host does not have cURL() enabled, you're out of luck.

From time to time you may notice the occasional link that does not get titled -- this is due to either the fact that the url is not active or it either timed out waiting for a response. By default, the system will wait for 5 seconds before timing out. If you wish to modify the timeout, you may do so via the AdminCP.

[hr]-[/hr]
Comments:
As with all my hacks, this modification is provided free of charge. However, if you find this product useful and have money burning a hole in your pocket, feel free to make a small donation, I won't mind.. really.

Version History:

• 1.0.0 - Initial release, here's to hoping...
• 1.1.0 - Added the ability to blacklist specific domains from having link titles retrieved (configurable via the AdminCP)
• 1.1.1 - Wrapped returned titles in html_entity_decode(); to return properly decoded HTML characters.

Currently Known Bugs:

• None

* Please note that this modification was developed on a forum with a userbase of 1 (myself). I've tested it for basic functionality but I cannot guarantee functionality or behavior on your forum. So, please -- make backups before installing this product!

[WarLion]

damm dont work for me cool idea i guess mi curl is off

[harmor19]

I experimented with the blacklist and used ".*.xenweb.net:2082" to try and prevent users posting their link to cPanel only to have it converted to "cPanel® 11" (I own a hosting site). To my surprise it worked.

Thanks for the hack.

[magnus]

Originally Posted by WarLion

damm dont work for me cool idea i guess mi curl is off

You would receive an error if cURL wasn't installed. Did you verify the mod was enabled, as it's disabled by default in the AdminCP.

[maxicep]

I have safe mode status "on".

So i getting error while i posting a new topic or reply.

Warning: curl_setopt() [function.curl-setopt]: CURLOPT_FOLLOWLOCATION cannot be activated when in safe_mode or an open_basedir is set in /includes/functions_newpost.php(360) : eval()'d code on line 56

How can fix it ?

Pls dont tell me about make safe mod : off

Can u fix this problem ?

*Now, i disabled the plugin.

[magnus]

Originally Posted by maxicep

I have safe mode status "on".

So i getting error while i posting a new topic or reply.

How can fix it ?

Pls dont tell me about make safe mod : off

Can u fix this problem ?

*Now, i disabled the plugin.

The only way around this other than disabling safe_mode is to edit both the "Retreive link titles when editing a post" and "Retreive link titles when posting a new post" hooks via the Plugin Manager and remove (or comment out) the line:

PHP Code:

curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_FOLLOWLOCATION, true); 


[maxicep]

I edited the ur plugin and

curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_FOLLOWLOCATION, true);

to

// curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_FOLLOWLOCATION, true);

So it is disabled ? Anything maybe wrong ? But Now working fine ..

[magnus]

Originally Posted by maxicep

I edited the ur plugin and

curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_FOLLOWLOCATION, true);

to

// curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_FOLLOWLOCATION, true);

So it is disabled ? Anything maybe wrong ? But Now working fine ..

Nope, that's what I said in the previous post. The only catch is that you won't get titles from pages that have redirects, you'll get the occasional title as "301 Moved Permanently". But most pages will work fine.

[maxicep]

And how can i enable that function ? do u know ?

can i enable the curl_setopt function in my server side ?

*P.S: server is mine. So i can configure it too if u know what should i edit on server side about safe mode configuration.

Thx for help

[magnus]

Originally Posted by maxicep

And how can i enable that function ? do u know ?

can i enable the curl_setopt function in my server side ?

*P.S: server is mine. So i can configure it too if u know what should i edit on server side about safe mode configuration.

Thx for help

In your global php.ini file, find the line that says:

safe_mode = On

and change it to:

safe_mode = Off

* Note: To find the location of your php.ini file, in your vBulletin AdminCP click on Maintenance -> View PHP info and look for the line Loaded Configuration File.

Once you make the change, you'll need to restart your web server. Assuming it's apache, it can be done by issuing the command "apachectl restart" (as root) from the command line.

[maxicep]

No no,

i know what u said, i know how disable the safe mode but i asked u how can i allow curl_setopt function while safe mode running. So can i configure safe mode settings like curl_setopt : on ?