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

[hopester]

Originally Posted by AndrewD

I've released (see first post) a new beta version fixing/dealing with several requests in this thread:

- snip
- progress information for downloads of local files

Did you ever get this feature working Andrew as I've never seen it work on mine or anyone elses site?

Thanks

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by hopester

Did you ever get this feature working Andrew as I've never seen it work on mine or anyone elses site?

Thanks

Yes, I'm not sure what's going on for you guys. This works fine for me.

Our downloads are all pdfs. Clicking on an entry in the links/files database on our site opens the standard Internet Explorer "save as" dialogue, then gives a progress bar as the file is downloaded, indicating size and estimated time remaining.

Exactly the same thing happens with Mozilla Firefox - Save As dialogue, then progress bar.

Any more information that might be helpful in tracking this down?

[hopester]

I just checked your site, the one thing that jumped out at me was the file sizes shown, in my version no file sizes are shown. I'll pm you a link.

Thanks for your help

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by hopester

I just checked your site, the one thing that jumped out at me was the file sizes shown, in my version no file sizes are shown. I'll pm you a link.

Thanks for your help

Tell me - have you set you your links as relative or absolute urls? I suspect you've entered full urls in the form http://www.site.com/directory/file. When you use that format, the code bypasses the file size check (because it assumes that it will have to read the entire file to find out how big it is - it's not smart enough to recognise that the file is on the local file system).

If you use a relative url, e.g /directory/file, then the code simply checks the file size and reports it to the user. THis also makes it possible to give the proper progress bar during the download.

[hopester]

It still fails both ways but using relative it also fails the link test as well. I'll pm you an admin login so you can see the link types.

[Highlander]

can i user also external link ?
or only own uploads?
so it would be able to post drivers with 20MB and more.. wich isnt posoble in mysql

and how about the file system?
is there no matter how i save attachments?
files ode rdatabase ?

greets

[Sam FT]

Well I am having this problem when I go to add links. First of all I install the LInks/Files database hack with no problem. Nothing was changed in the templates.

Anyway I create a Sub-category without any problems. So I at the window, Add/Edit Link, adding in the info Title, URL, etc. When I get to the Categories part it is already highlighted the category I already want and in. So when I click submit button I am taking back to that sub directory and the link that I just created isn't there. So I go the the Administrator Links or Link Administration and I see the # flagged links available and click on available link. Which gives me a list of all the links I have created plus the link I just created. So I click on the edit link next to that new link and sure enough is doesn't have a Category highlight even thou I had highlighted the first time.

So am I doing something wrong...why isn't it when I create a link the link doesn't assoisate itself with the category I pick when I do so to begin with.

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by hopester

It still fails both ways but using relative it also fails the link test as well. I'll pm you an admin login so you can see the link types.

I've logged in and fixed all your links. These now show the size and you (or at least I) get a progress bar when downloading.

Local downloadable files (i.e. those with recognised mimetypes) are specified starting at the web root, i.e. /file is expected to be in the top directory (not your forum directory), /dir/file should be in the "dir" subdirectory of your top directory. The current code is not happy to be given filenames which use ".." type directories - I may change that with the next release.

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by Sam FT

Well I am having this problem when I go to add links. First of all I install the LInks/Files database hack with no problem. Nothing was changed in the templates.

Anyway I create a Sub-category without any problems. So I at the window, Add/Edit Link, adding in the info Title, URL, etc. When I get to the Categories part it is already highlighted the category I already want and in. So when I click submit button I am taking back to that sub directory and the link that I just created isn't there. So I go the the Administrator Links or Link Administration and I see the # flagged links available and click on available link. Which gives me a list of all the links I have created plus the link I just created. So I click on the edit link next to that new link and sure enough is doesn't have a Category highlight even thou I had highlighted the first time.

So am I doing something wrong...why isn't it when I create a link the link doesn't assoisate itself with the category I pick when I do so to begin with.

Not sure what your problem is - I had a look at your site and I can see a number of links that seem to work ok.

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by Highlander

can i user also external link ?
or only own uploads?
so it would be able to post drivers with 20MB and more.. wich isnt posoble in mysql

and how about the file system?
is there no matter how i save attachments?
files ode rdatabase ?

greets

You can use this hack to provide links to files on any machine that is accessible via the internet. They do not need to be uploaded onto your own site. The normal approach would be to provide a link to a file held within the file system of the target host, so indeed you can provide entries to large drivers.

This hack does not provide any facility to upload the files - you have to do that another way. It also does not store the files in the database - it simply stores the information on the file.

The only comment on this is that the facility to report file sizes and track download progress is *not* available if you identify the file using a ful url, i.e. http://site/directory/file. This facility only works if the file is held on your own host and is identified using a local file name.

[Sam FT]

Originally Posted by AndrewD

Not sure what your problem is - I had a look at your site and I can see a number of links that seem to work ok.

Well that is after I have reassicate the links to the proper sub directories. If I gave you access could you take a look at it?

Just email me......admin at full-throttle.us

Thanks

[Seany]

Sorry, but I don't have the time to look through the whole 26 pages for my answer. :P

My question is are the downloads directly linked to link on the downloads page, or can you have the links lead to a page where there is editable information about the download, like download info or special instructions of the kind?

Thanks!

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by Seany

Sorry, but I don't have the time to look through the whole 26 pages for my answer. :P

My question is are the downloads directly linked to link on the downloads page, or can you have the links lead to a page where there is editable information about the download, like download info or special instructions of the kind?

Thanks!

Well, maybe I don't have time either!

Each link has a name and associated information (each of which can contain standard vbulletin bbcodes), can be associated with one or many categories and can be protected by being associated with a forum. All of this can be edited.

You could have found that out without reading 26 pages.

[Seany]

Thanks... I installed it and got it working perfectly, and it does exactly what I want it to be able to do. Thanks!

/me clicks Install

[baqai]

love the hack, only problem is that is there any way to show it on the nav bar on top?