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

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by Goodspeed

Great hack!

But there is one important question: is it possible to convert pafiledb database into this hack?

Thank you!

I'm sure it's possible - but I've never used pafiledb.

a) Can you code in php? If so, you could use the source code in the subdirectory upgrade_vblinks (see the release zip file) as a template
b) can pafiledb export its contents in some readable format? If so, we could probably tweak that format to be imported here.

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by Slave

Cool

One other thing while you're there ..

Any chance you could make it that we can pick a vB style per category? or the same style as the forum I link the category to?

Will have a look - second option is probably the easier

[Arial]

Hi

Can you tell me how I can allow somebody to use the 'ADD LINK' function if they are not a admin on the forum, can it be done via groups somehow?

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by Arial

Hi

Can you tell me how I can allow somebody to use the 'ADD LINK' function if they are not a admin on the forum, can it be done via groups somehow?

Straightforward - select links/administration/permissions and settings and specify the user groups who should have this (or any other) privilege.

The code works on VBulletin extended user groups so anybody who is either a primary or secondary member of the specified groups gains the right to add links.

[wattieuk]

Installed this but there was no facility to add links. Checked the permissions and reinstalled the hack but still no joy. Gave me the admin page, just no way at all of ading categories and links. Therefore it proved uselss for me, but must have being doing something wrong although I followed the steps to the letter.

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by wattieuk

Installed this but there was no facility to add links. Checked the permissions and reinstalled the hack but still no joy. Gave me the admin page, just no way at all of ading categories and links. Therefore it proved uselss for me, but must have being doing something wrong although I followed the steps to the letter.

Have you created a category? Until you do so, there is nowhere to put any links. The 'add link' command is only visible when you are in a place where the links can be stored, i.e. withi categories. This is the only thing I can think of.

[wattieuk]

thanks for the reply but there was no way to add a category either. :disappointed:

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by wattieuk

thanks for the reply but there was no way to add a category either. :disappointed:

Then something must have been missed out during the installation - can you pm me details of your board and ideally an admin username and pwd so I can take a look.

[rmorley]

I installed v1.60, and set the Moderate_links setting to 1. I then created a catagory, and added a couple of links via an admin user. These instantly appears, since I was the admin. That's OK. I then went to the website agian on another computer, did not log into the Vbulletin software, created another link, and it too showed up, even though I was not logged in.

It looks as though I am doing someting wrong because I cannot get the moderation to kick in for non-administrators. I double checked the permissions, and administrators are the only group set to handle the moderation of new links.

Any ideas?

Thanks
Rob

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by rmorley

I installed v1.60, and set the Moderate_links setting to 1. I then created a catagory, and added a couple of links via an admin user. These instantly appears, since I was the admin. That's OK. I then went to the website agian on another computer, did not log into the Vbulletin software, created another link, and it too showed up, even though I was not logged in.

It looks as though I am doing someting wrong because I cannot get the moderation to kick in for non-administrators. I double checked the permissions, and administrators are the only group set to handle the moderation of new links.

Any ideas?

Thanks
Rob

If a link is created by a user who is authorised to moderate links, then the link is immediately accepted. Moderation only applies to links created by users who are not authorised to moderate. I suspect that is what you are seeing.

The separate question is how to create links that can only be viewed by certain users. You do this by associating the link with a VB forum which has the required viewing permissions.