VBSyndicate Hack V1

Synopsis

This hack allows webmaster to provide syndicated VB content to other webmasters such as Latest topics, Latest Polls or calendar entries to other webmasters for inclusion on their websites. The webmasters using the feeds do NOT need PHP, PERL, MYSQL, ASP just a javascript enabled browser.

Requirements

* Crontab
* The ability to run PHP via the command line

Example

http://cpfc.org/news/newsfeed.html

Please note the documentation is sketchy and if your aren't savvy with hacking code yourself then maybe you should wait until the documentation is up to speed.

[Steve Machol]

If anyone wants to see this in action, here's a site using my news feed:

http://www.iooi.co.uk/otherforums.php

I have one that I made that is connected to the submit button, instead of cronjob - basically rebuilds the text file that the syndication comes off of everytime that a new thread is posted in the particular forum that I have syndicated.

Output is in rss and a couple of different formats for some scrollers. If there is interest I will look back and post the code - actually uses very little code.

[Steve Machol]

With absolutely no changes on my end, this just stopped working. I'm getting the error:

'Expected hexadecimal digit'

Any idea what caused this? Could it be a certain character in one of the thread titles?

Edit: Never mind - I found the problem! Someone had put a \ in one of the thread titles. Can this problem be accounted for and fixed?

[Scott MacVicar]

$title=$latest["title"];

change to

$title=addslashes($latest["title"]);

[Steve Machol]

Excellent! Works like a charm. Thanks!

[Lionel]

I tried to install activefeed.php and used the dump command with lynx with telnet. Nothing happenned. I tried newsfeed.php and when running from the browser, it writes on the .js file.

But I need to feed only certain forums (possible with activefeed but not with newsfeed)

[Lionel]

Originally posted by Zecherieh
I have one that I made that is connected to the submit button, instead of cronjob - basically rebuilds the text file that the syndication comes off of everytime that a new thread is posted in the particular forum that I have syndicated.

Output is in rss and a couple of different formats for some scrollers. If there is interest I will look back and post the code - actually uses very little code.

how did you do that?

[Lionel]

can't access start file http://sitename/newsfeed.php

[Gutspiller]

If my forumz isn't on a dedicated server, will I still be able to use a cronjob?

[Kriek]

Perchance this may facilitate your tasks ? Fake Cron
Subsequently an external alternative ? Cronservice