Links and Downloads Manager

LDM extends VBulletin to manage a library of documents, files and links to other web sites. Documents can be stored on your own web site, stored on your server separate from the web site, uploaded by your user community, or held somewhere else altogether. So you can use LDM to provide your user community with access to your own files and allow them to share files with each other.

12/08/06 - Versions that work with vb36 are available and supported in the VB36 thread. Version 2.2.1, which works with VB 3.5 but not with VB 3.6, remains available here.

Thanks to everyone who has helped with all the design, testing, etc.
Translations are provided (thanks dLutt and LeeWicked) into German, (thanks to Allan) into French, and (thanks to Hugo) into Spanish. Harry1951 has handled the Dutch translation.

Screenshots, Instructions and How to Install

Full details and instructions are available as a Wiki at http://www.eirma.org/wikis/index.php...nloads_Manager

LDM installs as a VBulletin product. There are no modifications required to standard VB code.

Basically - upload php files and run the installer through VB's Product installer. No changes needed to VB code. Remember to BACKUP YOUR DATABASE. By default, LDM prefixes its database tables 'local_'. Edit the configuration file, local_links_init.php, if you need/wish to change this.

LDM can handle an essentially unlimited number of categories and nested subcategories, and an unlimited number of entries (hyperlinks or downloadable files). Each entry can be placed in one or several categories. Categories can have styles. Descriptions and titles can optionally include BBcodes, smilies, images and html, giving the possibility to add images, colouring, etc. File types can be flagged using icons and individual entries can also have associated thumbnail images.

Standards templates are provided for libraries of links, files, documents, and photographs.

Users can offer comments and rate the links/downloads. Each user is allowed one rating and many comments per entry, and can freely edit these if they change their mind.

Permission to use specific features is established via the product's admin page, where the administrator specifies which usergroups can add and edit entries, comment and rate these entries, moderate, etc.

By default, all entries are visible to all users. You can restrict visibility/access to links and categories by using the permissions masks from your board's forums.

Moderation of new entries is available but turned off by default.

Users can report bad links to the relevant moderators/administrators.

Each user can flag links as his/her "Favourites".

Modules are provided for VBAdvanced.

Hooks are provided in suitable places in LDM and sample plugins are included in the release (see extras directory), for example to integrate with ID3 tags in mp3 files, for slideshows, to autocreate new threads in your forums, etc.

Plus much more.

[Langly]

Does anyone know how to make the download page (when someone clicks to download a file) bring up another page with google ads or adbrite ads etc. on them like rapidshare.com and megaupload.com do?

[Akagi]

is this system integrated with either uCash or eBux?

[MustangLisa]

Works great and brought over all the links I had from vb 3.0.x ... thanks!

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by wdlove

Will this work with 3.5.3. Is it easy to use.

There seems to be a lot of great features that I like.

Is there a cost for this software? Willing to pay if it allows for higher quality.

There's no cost - and I hope you find it easy to use.

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by Langly

Is it possible to improve the Search function? I have almost 1000 files and if I do a Search or advanced search for something I get nothing shows up.
Example:
File Cat v1
Cat v2
Cat v3
Cat v4

If I search for 'Cat' it says I have nothing named Cat. If I search for 'Cat v1' then that file will show up, but not the other ones. It seems that you need to type the exact file name for it to show up.

Also, if you have several files with similar names, the search seems to bypass them and say you have nothing with that name.

Example:
Dogpic
Doghair
Dogdung

Typing in 'Dog' under search does not show those files unless you you type in the exact file name. I'm using v2.1.2. Any ideas?

If your example is accurate, the problem is probably with MySQL's fulltext search, which LDM uses by default. The search engine in MySQL skips short words. If you really want to find short words, then you have to use the LIKE searching method. Try setting match_using_like on the LDM admin settings page

I've been doing a lot of work on the search feature with TundraSoul - this should be ready to go live soon - and I will check that it works better with your case.

Originally Posted by Langly

BTW, is there a way to have it make a link to display the newest 10 files uploaded? Or perhaps a link to a page showing them or even showing the top 10 downloaded files, etc.?

Cheers

This is more or less what the LDM modules for vbAdvanced do.

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by elsupremo

Andrew,
The new version is looking fantastic. It had been a couple of betas since I last upgraded, but with all of the new stuff in this one I had to upgrade and it worked flawlessly. Fantastic job.

With that said, I have a question and a couple comments:
1. [EDIT: I answered my own question and implemented this myself] In the photo linkbit - is it possible to have it so when you click the thumbnail, it directly opens the main picture, instead of going to the entry? But, if you click the text (the name of the pic) under the thumbnail, it still goes to the entry.
2. [EDIT: This is not a bug, I see how the Scan function works now. The placement of the category jump menu is confusing because it is so close to the directory selectmen drop-down, and they look related]Possible bug: When you are using the "Scan" function, when you select the category in the drop-down list, it sends you automatically to the category page you chose, instead of simply selecting the category and allowing you to scan. So when you select category currently, you immediately have to press back to stay on the same page.
3. Thumbnails: I struggled to get the "thumbnail caching" feature to work. However, I realized that I need to write the correct permission for the "thumbs_dir" folder, and then it worked perfectly. You should remind people that they need to "777" the thumbs directory.

Noted - thanks

Originally Posted by elsupremo

4. Recent comments: I still think it would be a very nice idea to have the option of having the last 2-3 comments visible inside each entry table. I'm not a graphic artist either, but I think it would be possible to create a subtable inside each entry box underneath the descriptions area that says "Recent Comments" at the top, with a very basic display of the last 2-3 comments inside, and has the "Add Comment/View Rating" link to the main comments entry screen at the bottom.

Thanks Andrew.

I've thought about this and am considering a javascript 'pop up' when you hover over the 'ratings/comments'. There are two things I have to look out for - first, screen space, and second, keeping the sql efficient. Building the linkbit is already rather hairy - it requires a 'Join' on about five tables and I'm concerned that adding another join may slow things down badly. But if we handled this with a pop up, then we could keep the sql efficient.

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by Langly

Something I've been pondering over is if this can be made into a credit system for a forum. Each user gets "X" amount of download credits to spend. They can get more credits if they upload files, post in the forums, or even get double credits if they click on a banner ads (this would be limited to given once per day per user though). Would something like this be able to done?

Cheers

I think this would be fairly easy to code, however it's not on my list of things to do!!

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by bchawla

Any way to disable the link checking? It always seems to fail for me.

There will be a setting for this in the next release - but can you take a look at the listing at the bottom left of your LDM admin page and report what it says - basically, is allow_url_fopen on and is curl available?

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by kontrabass

Great hack, installed.

Couple concerns: It appears that when a non-mod/non-admin submits a link, he's able to choose the "When Submitted" date. IMO this shouldn't be allowed - anyway to disable it? Same goes with the "Review Frequency". I don't want me reg users to decide how often their link needs moderating... And also the display order can be chosen? Am I missing a setting or something?

TIA.

Good point - these need a permission check - will add.

Display order already has one - - can_set_display_order

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by Fusion.nl

I'm pretty sure this hack will get my vote over ecdownloads. This one looks way nicer and seems to have much more functionality. One question though:

Is it possible to extract some variables that displays download stats? Smth like this:



I'm pretty sure that total files, downloads (hits) and catagories arent much of a problem, since I've seen screens that display them. Its the total traffic I'm mostly interested in. :cheeky: And will I then be able to display those stats on any page? Preferably the front page of a vbadvanced portal.

Thnx in advance for answering this.

Yes, this is an easy module for the vbadvanced plugin. Will you be happy with total traffic, etc, in the last 30 days? The information you want comes from a table that keep track of people's accesses to LDM - and the admin is able to prune that table to keep it small, so I'd recommend a time limit