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 joeychgo

Ok, I uploaded the 3 files --

I turned my browser to local_links_install.php, then local_links.php?action=admin then local_links.php?action=links each time I got a blank white page --- ??? Now what? nothing else happened.

Also, there is a Templates directory in the zip file, what is that for?

The templates directory is simply a set of text files containing the individual templates in the .xml file. You can ignore it unless you're interested.

The local_links_install.php should certainly not have given you a blank page. Are you sure you've put the three files into your forum directory?

It should take you through a series of installation steps, starting with table creation.

[joeychgo]

I copied all 3 --- but got no installation sequence.



I installed the navbar link -- but when I click on it I get an error message which says :

Database error in vBulletin 3.0.0 Release Candidate 4:

Invalid SQL: SELECT * FROM local_linksadmin
mysql error: Table 'lincol14_forums.local_linksadmin' doesn't exist

mysql error number: 1146

Date: Wednesday 10th of March 2004 12:37:13 AM
Script: http://www.lincolnvscadillac.com/local_links.php?
Referer: http://www.lincolnvscadillac.com/
Username: Joeychgo
IP Address: 24.14.128.110

[Morrus]

Originally Posted by AndrewD

As you say, strange. The links are certainly valid.

There can be problems with bad DNS connections. When you do the revalidate, does it immediately tell you that it can't find each link, or does it sit there for quite some seconds thinking about it?

It's immediate. I barely had time to hit the "Print Screen" button to take that screenshot!

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by Morrus

It's immediate. I barely had time to hit the "Print Screen" button to take that screenshot!

OK, I'll think about it this evening. There's certainly a quick workaround, but I'd like to get to the bottom of this.

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by joeychgo

I copied all 3 --- but got no installation sequence.

I installed the navbar link -- but when I click on it I get an error message which says :

Database error in vBulletin 3.0.0 Release Candidate 4:

Invalid SQL: SELECT * FROM local_linksadmin
mysql error: Table 'lincol14_forums.local_linksadmin' doesn't exist

Yes, this means that the install script hasn't been run, because the required tables don't exist. Just to be absolutely clear, have you pointed your browser at local_links_install.php?

If you want, create me an admin account and PM me the details.

[Morrus]

Originally Posted by AndrewD

OK, I'll think about it this evening. There's certainly a quick workaround, but I'd like to get to the bottom of this.

No problem - I can manage without for a day or so.

[Natch]

joeychgo: you have to do more than just point your browser at the script local_links_install.php - you have to complete all the steps ...

[joeychgo]

Thanks for all the help andrew. works great....

question -- is there a way to increase the font sizes?

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by joeychgo

Thanks for all the help andrew. works great....


question -- is there a way to increase the font sizes?

Just take a look in the links_linkbit and links_catbit templates. Change "smallfont" to "normalfont" wherever you want to have things a bit bigger (or go into your main admin CP and redefine the smallfont style - green, flashing, 26point Comic Sans perhaps?!)

[joeychgo]

lol tried the 26 in the smallfont...... no good.. made lots of things real big, but not the navbar links lol

[Natch]

This is a hack dealing with the links and so on ... if you want to change the size of the navbar links, then change the CSS relating to the navbar links ... check out Style Manager, Main CSS

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by Morrus

No problem - I can manage without for a day or so.

ok, Morrus, can you try two things for me.

First, go into your admincp, go to Import and Maintenance, View PHP Info.
Tell me the version of php that you are running and tell me the two values given for the variable allow_url_fopen (should be quite close to the top of the section labelled PHP Core.

If allow_url_fopen is off, then we have the immediate answer to your problem. You need to check with your ISP to get this reconfigured as "on" in php.ini.

[edited out - this seems to have been the problem]

[Morrus]

Originally Posted by AndrewD

ok, Morrus, can you try two things for me.

First, go into your admincp, go to Import and Maintenance, View PHP Info.
Tell me the version of php that you are running and tell me the two values given for the variable allow_url_fopen (should be quite close to the top of the section labelled PHP Core.

If allow_url_fopen is off, then we have the immediate answer to your problem. You need to check with your ISP to get this reconfigured as "on" in php.ini.

Then, upload the attached (debug) version of local_links.php. Go into its admin page and revalidate. It will create a file debug.html in your main forum directory. I'd like a copy of that file (you can email it to ad_rodin@noos.fr)

Everyone else - please do not use this version of local_links - it is not intended for production use.

Okey dokey! Thanks so much for your help!

PHP version 2.3.4

allow_url_fopen is off in both columns, so it looks like we have found our problem. Weird, though - does this mean it turned itself off spontaneously, as the links were working previously.

I have a co-location server, so I'm going to need to make that php.ini change myself - is it something easy to to do?

Oh, and do you still need a copy of debug.html, now we've found this?

[refertech]

Originally Posted by Natch

I stop visiting the board for 3 days and I'm in hiding ?

The problem you are having (unless I'm mistaken) is assocaited with the links not pointing to files that exist ...

I didnt mean to be rude. Sorry if thats how it came out.

Mark

[swanienufan]

Originally Posted by AndrewD

Thanks. You're right.

Currently, the categories and the links are pulled out of the database in alphabetical order. There's no facility yet to change that. (There's no code yet, either, to break up the lists into pages.)

What sort options would you like to see? These haven't been priorities for me, and the risk is always that extensions introduce new bugs, but I'm happy to think about the problem.

I like the way VB handles the display order for forums. It can be a little time consuming for large numbers of forums but it makes it very user configurable. I know in PhotoPost when you move a category up in the list it automatically renumbers all categories below it, it would be nice if it could do that, but not necessary.

I also like your idea about breaking up the lists into several pages, your program has huge potential, keep up the good work on this.