Download Thread

This hacks allows you to download a thread into your computer (desktop etc.) as a text file with one click.

The hack adds a "DOWNLOAD THREAD" link next to "Subscribe to this Thread" and when clicked entire thread is downloaded. (See Screenshot)

It's useful when:
a) You want to archive and save the thread,
b) Want to read it offline,
c) It's a long thread and you want to browse it faster as a text file, use better searching features of your text editor. For example wouldnt it be nice to download and search a keyword in the text file in, say, Lesene's Store Hack Thread which has 921 replies?

Anyway the hack works with ALL vb versions and very easy to apply (2 steps/ 2 minutes..). If you install it, please click INSTALL, thank you.

Note : Download function is tested with IE v.6.0 and Netscape v.4.7 and it's working in both browsers. I dont know other browsers or older versions though

Note : For Italian Translation (and instructions) of the hack, see this post. Thanks to Geminy.


UPDATE AT 13.OCTOBER.2002 : Due to a small bug, I updated the hack code. If you are downloading now, the code you dowload is already updated. If you installed the hack prior to 13.October.2002, you may want to reapply STEP 2, if you encounter problems.

Enjoy the hack.
Logician

[Boofo]

I'm sorry. I didn't mean for that to sound in a negative way. I meant that by you being busy, it helped me to force myself to try and figure it out on my own, which is always better for learning. Sorry, if it sounded like something else.

[Geminy]

This is the Italian translate of the hack

Questa ? la traduzione in Italiano dell'Hack.

Thanks to LOGICIAN to have I date the licence to translate this Hack .

Grazie a LOGICIAN per aver dato il permesso di tradurre questo Hack.

[cirisme]

Excellent hack!

(thumbs up)

[tmapm]

You should ass Boofo's update to the hack ANyways this hack works great. Thanks!

[Giveit2u43]

Well, I love this hack it`s a great idea but the users where complaining about the different tags showing up in the downloaded messages, I added the following to remove them.. (don`t know if this is the best way of doing this, but it works and for the users that`s all that counts)

add:

$dlt = $post[pagetext];
 $dlt = htmlspecialchars($dlt); 
 $dlt = preg_replace("/(\[quote])/siU", "\r\n******************************************************************************\r\n", $dlt);
 $dlt = preg_replace("/(\[\/quote])/siU", "\r\n******************************************************************************", $dlt);
 $dlt = preg_replace("/(\[)(.*)(\])/siU", "", $dlt);
 $dlt = preg_replace("/(\[\/)(.*)(\])/siU", "", $dlt);
 $dlt = preg_replace("/(\[\*\])/siU", "", $dlt);

after:

 while ($post=$DB_site->fetch_array($post_db)) 
 {

and change:

 print ("\r\n$post[pagetext]\r\n\r\n");

to:

 print ("\r\n$dlt\r\n\r\n");

[Logician]

thx for sharing.. not the best way to handle it as bbcode can change from board to board but still very useful for boards which are in English language and using default bbcodes.

[Giveit2u43]

Yep, you where right.. actually, after I thought about this a little more I realised that if I stripped everything between the [ ]'s that`ll work too.. So I`ve updated the original post with a much simpilier way of doing this that should be more suitable for those not using standard bbcodes or english ones

[Logician]

Today at 10:56 PM Giveit2u43 said this in Post #77
Yep, you where right.. actually, after I thought about this a little more I realised that if I stripped everything between the [ ]'s that`ll work too.. So I`ve updated the original post with a much simpilier way of doing this that should be more suitable for those not using standard bbcodes or english ones

As a matter of fact I believe that the other code was better and more flexible for customization. Arent this code not only removing bbcode but also any texts that appears in [ ] but not a bbcode?

[Giveit2u43]

Well the other code was more flexible for customization as it removed each code seperately, but I found it did add quite a bit to the creation time for the download page, doing it with less preg_replaces is quicker (at least in my tests)

And yes that code will remove EVERYTHING in [ ]'s BBCode or Otherwise, and I`ve made a point of adding a notice to the post pages informing all users that text in [ ]'s is stripped from the downloaded thread's so they shouldn`t be used... (not that they have ever been used for anything but bbcodes, but well now people know *g*)

I`m really just a beginner and wanted something effective that would stop users from complaining, this worked and in my test the only ill effect is that URL`s are stripped so if a URL is posted in a thread it`ll just display the name that was used not the URL, and I haven`t quite found a workaround for that which looks okay.. I can get it to display:

http://www.domain.com]Link Name

but can`t replace that ] with a space or a : to make the layout nicer.. maybe a better answer will come as I continue to investigate the PHP stripping, trimming, replacing functions..

Thanks for your comments..

[MindTrix]

Cudnt get the hack to work, kept gettin sent bck to the same page, then realised i hadnt re-uploaded the php file **dumbass** works brilliant thanks a bunch :>