Links and Files Database

The VB3.0 version is no longer supported although there have been no reported problems for some time

See here for the VB 3.6 version of this hack, which is now the supported version. This version currently also works with VB 3.5
See here for the VB 3.5 thread for this hack.

What's new in v1.60?

Option to display associated thumbnail images
Option to accept/not accept new entries if these already exists in database
Code for mass edits (accessed via admincp) tidied up
VB phrasing completed
Includes a full French and a partial German translation (thanks to cclaerhout, Allan and LeeWicKeD), handled properly by installation script.
Various bugs fixed and tested against php4 and php5:
Better database validation (on startup/in admincp: links with invalid associated forumids, categories with invalid parentids)
Alternative linkbit templates provided (default uses a fieldset, the other is the old-style table row)
Alternative category selection templates (pull down menu/list of checkboxes),
Star rating displayed using standard VB stars rather than in text form
Series of minor bug fixes
See file change.txt in zip file

What it is/does

- Provides a searchable database of weblinks and/or downloadable files, for example manuals, music files, pictures, etc.
- Integrates within VBulletin, without requiring any code changes.
- Transparently handles links and file downloads. (If you want to provide downloads from your own site, you need a separate tool to upload these files. This hack does not and will not include a file uploader.)
- Provides unlimited nested categories.
- Each link/file can be a member of multiple categories.
- Link and category title and descriptions can use all BBCODEs, giving the possibility to add images, colouring, etc, as you wish
- Viewing/access permissions controlled using VBulletin forum system
- Users can rate links, in a similar manner to VB thread rating.
- File downloads are semi-leechproof, i.e. the user does not see where the file is stored and can only access the link if she has access to the associated forum.
- Audio files playable via Windows Media Player can be offered as a jukebox .
- Tracks who downloads what
- Validates links on entry/editing, and provides admin facility to validate the entire database.

Installation/upgrading instructions

Read instructions.txt in the zip file. Installation script works out whether to install or upgrade.

To upgrade from an earlier release of this hack, simply re-run the installation script. If you modified the templates in the top styles, you will lose these modifications unless you back up and re-edit.

PLEASE BACK UP YOUR DATABASE

See also

For screen shots, see attachments.

Tested with

VBulletin 3.0 and higher
PHP 4.1.1 and 4.3.4, should work with all 4.x versions, seems ok with 5.0.4
MySQL 4.0.
Reported ok with MySQL 4.1 but not exhaustively tested

Credits

Initially inspired by drkFusion's vb2 hack "vb Link Directory" v.2 and discussion about v.3 on Vbulletin.org. This is a complete rewrite with many more features. Every credit to the VBulletin folks for providing the infrastructure and to those on vbulletin.org who have helped with testing.

Integrations/Conversions

Natch has written extensions to integrate this hack with VBindex and VBAdvanced.

For convenience, this hack includes fully integrates with, but does not install, his VBIndex hack - i.e. the required template and code are provided, and the admin panel handles the configuration settings. Please refer to his thread for instructions.

Integration with VBadvanced is described in thread 1319 at vbadvanced.com.

The zip file includes a script and instructions for converting from vbLinks v2 (see thread 44551

[ImportPassion]

what happened to the .95 version? I got an email saying you needed ppl to try it out.

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by 7thgenCivic.Com

what happened to the .95 version? I got an email saying you needed ppl to try it out.

Yes, I sent that to the people who have installed the hack. I'm looking for a few people to test before I load it onto this site, just to check the new installation process. If you want to be part of that test, just send me an email (reply to the one I sent yesterday.)

[Hoffi]

Originally Posted by AndrewD

I would love it too :ermm: but my family want me to spend more time with them than at the computer... Someday, maybe...

Ah, Family. I remember there was something in the past.

Sure.
Du you plan to build a Moderate-Queue? It's nice when Users can add Links and an Admin must moderate them.

If you chaged nothing the next week I can rebuild it with phrases.

[Natch]

Originally Posted by AndrewD

Yes, I sent that to the people who have installed the hack. I'm looking for a few people to test before I load it onto this site, just to check the new installation process. If you want to be part of that test, just send me an email (reply to the one I sent yesterday.)

Unfortunately a reply (to that email) would go to the webmaster@vbulletin.org ... how about a PM ?

[AndrewD]

Version 0.95 is now available in the first post.

The new install script handles database table creation and template import. The db part is unchanged from beta 0.3 but the template handling is new. It works fine for me on both clean and already-installed boards, but who knows what it will do on yours :devious:

Seriously, the install script scans your database for all existing templates for this hack, and it deletes them. It then installs new templates in all styles that have a parentid of -1, i.e. all the root styles but not the master style. So if you have 0.3 installed and you have modified the release templates, be careful.

Usual instructions - read instructions.txt in the zip, back up your database, and let me know how it goes.

I do not intend adding phrasing, but will investigate moderation for release 1.0. If someone wants to help me with the phrasing, I'll certainly acknowledge your work, but please don't release parallel versions, at least for the time being.

Problems discovered in the 16/2 upload, 17/2/04: now corrected in the attached zip file

1) The code degraded poorly when there are several thousand links in the database. The main change required was to add another index on one of the tables (local_linksltoc ADD INDEX ( linkid ))

2) The installation script assumed that you are using RC4. THis has been corrected.

3) The instructions omitted to tell you to upload the local_links_templates.xml file into your forum, otherwise the installation will fail.

4) The code to change to using the standard table prefix is now back in the correct place.

[tomshawk]

Originally Posted by AndrewD

Here is version 0.95. I deliberately bury it down here until a couple of you have tried this out. Then I will move it to the first post.

The new install script handles database table creation and template import. The db part is unchanged from beta 0.3 but the template handling is new. It works fine for me on both clean and already-installed boards, but who knows what it will do on yours :devious:

Seriously, the install script scans your database for all existing templates for this hack, and it deletes them. It then installs new templates in all styles that have a parentid of -1, i.e. all the root styles but not the master style. So if you have 0.3 installed and you have modified the release templates, be careful.

Usual instructions - read instructions.txt in the zip, back up your database, and let me know how it goes.

I do not intend adding phrasing, but will investigate moderation for release 1.0. If someone wants to help me with the phrasing, I'll certainly acknowledge your work, but please don't release parallel versions, at least for the time being.

Problems discovered:

1) The code degrades poorly when there are several thousand links in the database, so some optimisation is needed for the final release 1.0. This is one of the required changes (which is not in the 0.95 script):

ALTER TABLE local_linksltoc ADD INDEX ( linkid )

2) The installation script assumes that you are using RC4. If you are running RC1-RC3, you can fix this by editing local_links_install.php as follows:

At line 300, replace

PHP Code:

        xml_import_style($xml, $styleid); 


with

PHP Code:

        xml_import_style($xml, $styleid, -1, '', 1); 


I've found one problem.

when editing a catagory, I get a no permission error then, I go back and the catagory is gone from the list, but when I go to create a new link or catagory, The catagory that is missing is there to be used as a parent catagory.

any ideas?

[Tradjick]

...installing 0.95...

1) Your install instructions don't mention to upload the template.xml
That's what confused me a little on Step 2.

2) When editing a category it says that I don't have the permissions, although I didn't change permissions and am logged in as admin.
->when this happens, the category is deleted
->but still appears in the link statistics

[tomshawk]

Originally Posted by Tradjick

...installing 0.95...

1) Your install instructions don't mention to upload the template.xml
That's what confused me a little on Step 2.

2) When editing a category it says that I don't have the permissions, although I didn't change permissions and am logged in as admin.
->when this happens, the category is deleted
->but still appears in the link statistics

I see i'm not the only one

I forgot the mention the xml file, thanks for remembering, but even after uploading it, it failed, because it is newer then my VB3 RC3, so I manually installed it, over-writing the one there and telling it, to ignore the vBulletin version.

Any ideas AndrewD on the permissions problem. I tryed setting for -999 as well as setting it for an actual forumid for permisions

[ImportPassion]

working great. inserted into all my skins great. Love that feature!

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by tomshawk

I see i'm not the only one

I forgot the mention the xml file, thanks for remembering, but even after uploading it, it failed, because it is newer then my VB3 RC3, so I manually installed it, over-writing the one there and telling it, to ignore the vBulletin version.

Any ideas AndrewD on the permissions problem. I tryed setting for -999 as well as setting it for an actual forumid for permisions

Sorry about omitting to say "upload the templates" in the instructions.

I have difficulty with understanding your error messages concerning editing categories. If the templates are correctly installed, the menus, etc should not even give you the chance to do something that the admin has forbidden.

My guess is that, because of the missing instruction to upload the templates, you have got a mismatch between the templates and the software.

So I strongly recommend that you actually do upload the templates into your forum directory, then rerun the installation script from step 1, rather than manually installing the templates via the vb admincp. The installation script does a certain amount of tidying up.

Please let me know if, having done this, you still have the same problem.


I should explain the permissions system:

There are two completely separate types of permission, which may be confusing:

- There is a series of "permissions to do something" (can_add_link, can_edit_category, etc.) These are set per usergroupid in the links admin page. These are initialised the first time you visit the admin page. By default, all the permisssion are turned on for the admin group only. You have to decide who else should be able to do things.

- The hack connects to the standard forum permissions system to define who can see what.

a) If you set default_forumid to a negative value (any negative value), this part of the system is turned off, and all users see all categories and entries.

b) If you set default_forumid to the id of a real forum (you can get these id numbers by hovering the mouse over a forum link - it's the number N in the links f=N), then - by default - new links and categories will be created with the same viewing permissions as that forum. In other words, if a user can visit forum N, she can see the links that have been created. If she cant visit forum N, the links/categories will be invisible.

c) Regardless of the seeting of default_forumid, if you turn on can_set_permissions for a particular usergroup, then users in that group can over-ride the default_forumid and choose another forum setting instead.

Confused or clear?