vBulletin Google Site Map

There are a few vBulletin Google Site maps around, but none as comprehensive as this that I have seen. This vBulletin Google site map is based on Kalius's work on discussed on his site and at Digitalpoint

FYI, the vBulletin Google Site Map modification contains at least one potential remote file include exploit. You are hereby notified that you should uninstall this modification, including the removal of the vBulletin Google Site Map PHP files from your server. The author of the modification has been notified, and the vBulletin Google Site Map thread has been moved to the Modification Graveyard forum.

Best,
vBorg Staff

vBulletin Google site map
with ability to add extra urls
(c) by T2DMan - Michael Brandon

8Nov05+13hrsGMT - update. Added support for Yahoo Sitemap & bug fix
7Nov05+13hrsGMT - update. Thanks for your help.

I have attached 1 version with 2 different preset configs for your convenience. vBSEO and non vBSEO configs.

Configure in the vbgsitemap-config.php file.
$base=""; // "" if in root, $base="forum/"; //if in the subdirectory forum

It now works well with forum permissions, and the vBulletin's scheduled task system. I have personally installed the reviewed vBGSiteMap on a site with over 200,000 urls. Copes with the large number of urls with no problems.

The vBGSiteMap works well with vbSEO, and it lists all the old url's to allow Google to spider the old url's and so find the 301 redirects to the new, and so delete the old url's from its index.

Compared to the previous versions

• Sitemap files now written into their own directory - means this can be safely chmod 777 - thanks Sarah King
• config and class files separated out
• new help file written
• many corrections made to the code - amazing what sitting on a piece of code can do, and amazing what you can learn from personally installing on many different servers.
• Can now work on mysql versions from 3.23.58 to 5+
  

Specifications

• works with v3.03 - 3.5
• access to this file is password protected

the same password as the database via the vBulletin includes/config.php file

• creates an index file and multiple gzipped site maps to less than the maximum permitted by Google (I have in fact restricted it to 3k url's, rather than 50k as my browser takes a while to process the file when checking it)
• creates a gzipped file containing the urls for Yahoo Sitemap

• the site map files are created in the /vbgsitemap/files directory which needs to be chmod to 777

adds

• forums - with paginations of forums (excluding redirects and password protected forums)
• threads - with pagination of threads (excluding invisible threads=soft deleted, and threads inside password protected forums)
• archive forum pages with paginations
• archive versions of threads with paginations
• members

extra

• extra urls from other program types
• add a new url per line onto file.txt, and a gzipped file will be created for it, and added to the site index file.

How to install

• unzip the files
• copy the vbgsitemap folder to your root directory
• chmod the vbgsitemap/files directory to 777
• copy vbgsitemap.php to your root directory
• copy the includes/cron/vbgsitemap-cron.php file to your vbulletin includes/cron/ directory
• look over the configuration options on the /vbgsitemap/vbgsitemap-config.php file
  • $base="" or "forum/" - if your forum is the actual root, or in the forum directory etc.
  • $addthreadarchive=false; - whether you want the archive version of the threads to be added or not.
  • the rest should not need to be changed
  • change to $xtrafile="file.txt"; if you have additional urls that you want included from another package, get a list of those url's and add them to file.txt.
• Then access the /vbgsitemap/index.php file in your browser to get things happening.
• The username/password is the username/password of your database.
• Add the resulting one index file to Google sitemaps: http://www.yourdomain.com/vbgsitemap.php
• Add the other file to Yahoo sitemaps
  http://www.yourdomain.com/vbgsitemap/files/urllist.gz
• A cron job can be setup in the vbulletin scheduled tasks
  
  
  • ./includes/cron/vbgsitemap-cron.php
  • depending on the number of posts/new threads to your forum, set to run daily or weekly etc. The cron will automatically ping Google and return success/failure into the cron log.

[eXtremeTim]

This hacks code was horrible on the back end. Google would not even follow the sitemap index file becuase of problems with it. Variables werent set to global where needed. Plus various other things everywhere.

[2shae]

it wont work if database name and username is the same on login :|

[dutchbb]

Originally Posted by T2DMan

Per the check boxes this is not a plugin. It is an external program that you define parameters on the files then run via your browser.

Why did you post it in the plugin forum then?

[michaelbenson]

Whenever i try and input my database accounts details it keeps on insisting that they are incorrect even though i have quadruplally checked and rechecked them with those stored in my ./config.php file. Do i need to CHMOD some files or something like that to allow the Sitemap Creator to correctly identity what my account details are?

[JJR512]

Just want to confirm something:

Once I have generated the sitemaps with this hack, do I just need to submit the sitemap_vb_index.xml file to Google Sitemaps, or should I also submit one or all of the individual sitemapX.xml.gz files?

[eXtremeTim]

I wouldnt use the sitemap index file. With the problem it has google wont follow it. I redid this and got it all cleaned up and once I did and google grabbed the new sitemap file they wont leave my site alone now.

[JJR512]

So should I give Google the sitemap1.xml.gz, or sitemap2.xml.gz, or sitemap0.xml.gz? All three were created when I first ran this hack (just installed this morning and only run once). Actually, now that I look at it, the 0 file only seems to contain a URL to the home page, and the 2 file comes up as not being found, even though it's really there. So maybe I'll give it just the 1 file? Does it hurt to submit more than one, does it hurt if it can't find or access one of the submitted sitemaps if another works fine? Why are there multiple files, anyway?

[eXtremeTim]

You either have to use the index or submit every file that it makes.

[Moparx]

Originally Posted by eXtremeTim

This hacks code was horrible on the back end. Google would not even follow the sitemap index file becuase of problems with it. Variables werent set to global where needed. Plus various other things everywhere.

could you be more specific? my generated sitemap and index look identical to the examples given by google.

[michaelbenson]

Originally Posted by michaelbenson

Whenever i try and input my database accounts details it keeps on insisting that they are incorrect even though i have quadruplally checked and rechecked them with those stored in my ./config.php file. Do i need to CHMOD some files or something like that to allow the Sitemap Creator to correctly identity what my account details are?

Anyone mind helping me out?