Article Bot

Article Bot
by velocd


Article Bot is a script that allows you to assign a user account (preferably an exclusive one) to an article bot that will post RSS feeds in select forums at designated intervals. These articles are derived from RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds.

RSS files are assigned to article bots, as well to individual forums, which in turn directs what, when and where your article bot will post.

Features

• Works with RSS versions: 0.9x, 2.0, 1.0, and Atom 0.3
• AdminCP interface for adding/modifying/deleting article bots & rss feeds
• Designate intervals (in minutes) to each RSS feed for when your article bot will post them.
• Requires only 1 file edit (admincp/index.php), allowing ease of upgrading your vBulletin
  without having to remodify files.
• Easy to install. Works best in conjunction with crontab (contab help is inside install.html)

News

• 7/25/04 - Version 1.1 Released
  • Bug Fixes
    • Replaced htmlspecialchars() with htmlentities() in articlebot.php to fully convert special entities from descriptions.
    • Added trim() to thread titles, to prevent double threads from being posted that are merely off by whitespace.
    • New table articlebot_rss_cache for storing a copy of article bot threads, for quicker checking of doubles when posting new threads.
    • Threads are checked in articlebot_rss_cache, so you can permanently remove them from the thread table (you don't have to "soft delete") without worrying about the bot replicating them.
    • Other minor bugs.
  • Features
    • New installer/upgraders for doing the SQL part automatically.
    • Added "label" field to add/modify RSS interface, that allows you to tag a label, e.g. [yahoo], to the beginning of threads, unique to each RSS feed. This might help for better distinction of RSS feeds.
    • Added an option to toggle on/off of building similar threads per RSS feed. Some RSS feeds could hault the script if the building of similar thread results for that feed takes too long (maybe the article thread title is too vague, and matches a lot of results--my guess is it's only a problem on large forums).
    • Added an option to toggle on/off skipping of articles that don't contain descriptions.
    • Regular expression search and replace for article titles and descriptions. This grants you much flexability to filter out things you don't want in your titles or descriptions (given you have some regex experience, I will try to post some patterns in due time.. feel free to add yours )
• 7/11/04 - Version 1.0 Released

Upgrading

• To upgrade, reupload the new PHP and MagpieRSS parser files to their places on your server. Upload upgrade_vx-x (replace the x's with the version you are upgrading to) to /path/to/forums/admincp/, and then execute that script.

Files

• 3 screenshots attached
• articlebot_v1.zip
  • install.html, logo.gif
  • articlebot_admin.php
  • articlebot/
    • rss_cache.inc
    • rss_fetch.inc
    • rss_parse.inc
    • rss_utils.inc
    • extlib/
      • Snoopy.class.inc

RSS Feeds

There are several in the install.html, but if you're looking for more than you could ever want, check out NewsIsFree's directory:

http://www.newsisfree.com/sources/bycat/


Remember to click install if you use this hack.

Also be sure to read through the what you haven't of the thread before asking a question, for it may have been answered.

[Layne SMith]

Originally Posted by kyouens

Is anyone else having problems with their articlebot making duplicate posts? Mine performs correctly about 99% of the time, but the last 1% of posts are re-downloaded and re-posted every time that articlebot is run. I can't see any difference in the posts or titles (e.g. obvious areas of whitespace).

Has anyone either a) succesfully dealt with this problem from the articlebot end or b) found a script to delete identical posts (even if they're in the same forum--note that the remove doubleposts function in admincp only works across forums)?

Kenny, Did you ever solve this one? I'm having the same problem.


Thanks,
Layne

[kyouens]

Originally Posted by kyouens
I just added that feed to my test installation, and it appears to work correctly on mine. I would recommend doing a fresh install of articlebot and using the updated MagpieRSS files (Which I linked to in a previous post.)
----------------------
Did this. No dice.

Well, at least once you get it fixed you'll be ready to go and have already done the upgrade.....

Originally Posted by kyouens
take a look at your template (if it's customized for your articlebot) to make sure you haven't left something out.
------------------------------
Doublechecked, looked fine. Did a copy and replace right out of instructions to be sure. Still nada.

Well, it seems like the posts are getting where they need to be, but for some reason the descriptions in particular are being neglected, and the template still seems like the best lead. Here is the contents of my articlebot_post template:

$article[description]

[b][url="$article[link]"]View Reference[/url][/b]

One possibility--make sure that you've placed the articlebot_post template into a style that you're actually using, i.e. your default style, or make sure that your style is a "child" style of the one with the articlebot_post template.
If your template was somehow not getting accessed, you would see exactly what you're describing--everything works except the post itself. Also, check the spelling of the template name and make sure you haven't botched that accidentally.

Here's where we have a lead. When I use phpMyAdmin to check the contents of articlebot_rss_cache the last thing in the table says...

rsschacheid=91
title=...And We're Back
dateline=1114918800

That's it. I see no descriptions.

This looks fishy.

No dice on this one, because the purpose of the articlebot_rss_cache is, I think, to keep track of already-posted articles, i.e. to avoid doubleposts.

The database error you saw when you tried to reinstall occurred because your old articlebot tables were still on your database. I should have mentioned that you need to drop those tables before reinstalling. However, if you're not that familiar with phpyadmin or MYsql, I would be careful and be sure to make a backup of your DB before you "fix" it

Anyway, I still think the best lead may be the template. Let me know if you get it.

Kenny

[kyouens]

Originally Posted by Layne SMith

Kenny, Did you ever solve this one? I'm having the same problem.


Thanks,
Layne

No, I never fixed the double posting problem. I haven't given up, though. I am afraid it may be due to a problem with the feed itself, though. For example, if the feed puts a different spacing in the article title, it will be treated like a new article.

For the time being, I'm hand-deleting, which sucks big time. I'm looking for (At least) a piece of code that can delete identical posts, but ideally I'd like to work out this crappy doubleposting problem.

PS I checked out your page. Your work is outstanding.

[Layne SMith]

Originally Posted by kyouens

Also, check the spelling of the template name and make sure you haven't botched that accidentally.

YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME! You mean the template I called "article_post"? The one I should've called "articlebot_post"!!! Well double-damn!!!

Originally Posted by kyouens

The database error you saw when you tried to reinstall occurred because your old articlebot tables were still on your database. I should have mentioned that you need to drop those tables before reinstalling. However, if you're not that familiar with phpyadmin or MYsql, I would be careful and be sure to make a backup of your DB before you "fix" it

Okay, well since when I tried to reinsttall I may have done more harm than good, I need to rectify this table already exists stuff.

In phpMyAdmin, I see three tables clearly labeled articlebot.

1. articlebot
2. articlebot_rss
3. articlebot_rss_cache

Are these the ones to delete?

I'm going to back up my databases now ...

Originally Posted by kyouens

PS I checked out your page. Your work is outstanding.

Thanks fella. Appreciate that. But not half as much as I appreciate your help here!

[kyouens]

Originally Posted by Layne SMith

YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME! You mean the template I called "article_post"? The one I should've called "articlebot_post"!!! Well double-damn!!!



Okay, well since when I tried to reinsttall I may have done more harm than good, I need to rectify this table already exists stuff.

In phpMyAdmin, I see three tables clearly labeled articlebot.

1. articlebot
2. articlebot_rss
3. articlebot_rss_cache

Are these the ones to delete?

I'm going to back up my databases now ...

Thanks fella. Appreciate that. But not half as much as I appreciate your help here!

I don't think you'll necessarily need to reinstall. From the SQL output you posted, it looks like it may have just barfed on the error and not changed your DB. But, if you want to delete them, the three called / prefixed with articlebot are the ones to amputate.

Glad to have been of help with the post trouble. Now, if I could only get one of these PHP geniuses around here to do some work for me . . . .

[Layne SMith]

Kenny! My man, Kenny!

Hot Damn! Look what just started working! My feeds are coming in loud and proud. Apparently the reinstall did enough without having to monkey with the database.

For you people having problems out there, MAKE SURE YOU NAME YOUR STUFF EXACTLY AS THE INSTRUCTIONS TELL YOU! That's right I yelled it.

Thanks again Kenny!

[greenhybrid]

I just want to check... does this work with 3.0.7? If so, I'll install. But, it hasn't been updated in months.

[kyouens]

I just want to check... does this work with 3.0.7? If so, I'll install. But, it hasn't been updated in months.

Yep.

[Layne SMith]

Originally Posted by greenhybrid

I just want to check... does this work with 3.0.7? If so, I'll install. But, it hasn't been updated in months.

I'm running 3.0.7 right now. Just got it up and running.

[greenhybrid]

Can I see? I don't see a demo anywhere. Thanks.