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

[offlead]

Great! Yeah, letting others use your work tends to bring little except more work! I do appreciate it. I'll be taking what we've got so far live today, and I'll just tend it myself until we get the secondary usergroup and moderation set up. They can always suggest categories in one of the forums.

This is great, because this is one of the last functionalities we wanted for the site, and once I have it set up on my own hobby site, I'll be setting it up for on of my clients as well.

[Holidazed]

Originally Posted by AndrewD

Access to files/links and categories is controlled by assigning them to a forum. So if you want only some usergroups to see certain links, you assign these links (or their category) to a forum that has the same usergroup permissions. The association between link and forum or category and forum can be changed by anyone who has can_edit_link and/or can_edit_category access to the links database (set via the link_admin page).

AndrewD, The links thing installed flawlessly.

Question, when 1st installed, I can create a sub-category. Should it not be called a "Category" and then have "Sub-Categories" underneath the "Category"??

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by bitg

AndrewD, The links thing installed flawlessly.

Question, when 1st installed, I can create a sub-category. Should it not be called a "Category" and then have "Sub-Categories" underneath the "Category"??

Thanks.

You're right - I think they should all be called categories and they will be in version 1.2.

[Holidazed]

I just thought it was odd. Main Categories and Sub-Categories seems the right way to go. BTW, thanks for the hack. It is quite awesome.

BTW, any idea of how long the wait for 1.2 will be?

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by bitg

BTW, any idea of how long the wait for 1.2 will be?

Only a couple of days! :squareeyed: I had it ready until I learned I'd missed a feature... :knockedout:

[Holidazed]

Sweet!! Please consider the following suggestions.

Add something that displays the username of the person you submitted the link.
Give a count of how many links that user has submitted.
Have these two options editable by any usergroup that has permission to edit a link.
If a link owner (the person who submitted it) changes, have it change the count of total links that user has submitted.

[offlead]

Quick question. When viewing the main links index, it lists out the categories, and for each displays the number of sub-cats within, as well as the number of links. This link number does not include links which are in the sub-cats. So where we've set up some categories which will probably not have any links, but only sub-cats, it displays zero links. This is accurate, but I'd rather (on my forum) have that number reflect the total of links plus the links within the sub-categories. What would I need to change?

Did that make any sense?

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by offlead

Quick question. When viewing the main links index, it lists out the categories, and for each displays the number of sub-cats within, as well as the number of links. This link number does not include links which are in the sub-cats. So where we've set up some categories which will probably not have any links, but only sub-cats, it displays zero links. This is accurate, but I'd rather (on my forum) have that number reflect the total of links plus the links within the sub-categories. What would I need to change?

Did that make any sense?

It makes sense but was discussed a few weeks ago (go back a few dozen posts) when this feature was added - the consensus at the time was that people preferred only seeing the count going down one level. Let me think about this.

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by bitg

Sweet!! Please consider the following suggestions..

1. Add something that displays the username of the person you submitted the link.

this is easy - just edit the links_linkbit template and include the variable $linkusername somewhere sensible.

2. Give a count of how many links that user has submitted.

if you want this to appear in the main display, it will require a new database table, to avoid having to read the entire links table each time round

3. Have these two options editable by any usergroup that has permission to edit a link.

how about "change owner to editor" - I don't think an editor should be able to assign the link to anyone?

4. If a link owner (the person who submitted it) changes, have it change the count of total links that user has submitted]

yes but see (2)

views?

[AndrewD]

Beta version of 1.20 released, including moderation of new links/categories. See first post in this thread.

Moderation is turned on/off via the admin page, including specifying which user groups can moderate (and therefore are exempt from having their own posts moderated).

Appreciate feedback.

[offlead]

Originally Posted by AndrewD

Beta version of 1.20 released, including moderation of new links/categories. See first post in this thread.

Moderation is turned on/off via the admin page, including specifying which user groups can moderate (and therefore are exempt from having their own posts moderated).

Appreciate feedback.

Ahhh, sneaky! You got the upgrade finished while I edited all my templates! I'm going to upgrade, and then double back to make the template changes again. Most is just things specific to how I prefer things laid out, but did you really mean to put the forumjump into the header? Shouldn't it be in the footer, like the rest of vb pages?

Thanks for all your work, Andrew. I'll let you know how it works on my end.

[Natch]

As I mentioned in my PM - very cool new changes AndrewD and thanks for the integration!

[offlead]

Originally Posted by AndrewD

It makes sense but was discussed a few weeks ago (go back a few dozen posts) when this feature was added - the consensus at the time was that people preferred only seeing the count going down one level. Let me think about this.

I can see why most folks would want it to list only the links within the category, and not within nested sub-cats. In fact I have another site using different software that is set up just the opposite, and it isn't appropriate for that site. In this one situation, however, I'd prefer to be able to switch it 'round for my forum only. Most of our main cats aren't going to have their own links, just sub-cats, so I want people to be able to tell that there ARE links in there, even if down a level or two. I'll see if I can figure it out.

[offlead]

Andrew, got the upgrade run, and the secondary usergroup permissions appears to work just great. I'm logged in as my regular self, and can access the admin stuff, even though admin is my secondary ug. Thanks!! Just what we needed!

Having trouble with the moderation however. Perhaps I'm missing something. I have a regular user who has submitted a test link for me. But the link becomes immediately available and viewable, even to someone not logged in at all.

Great work though. Thanks!

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by offlead

Ahhh, sneaky! You got the upgrade finished while I edited all my templates! I'm going to upgrade, and then double back to make the template changes again. Most is just things specific to how I prefer things laid out, but did you really mean to put the forumjump into the header? Shouldn't it be in the footer, like the rest of vb pages?

Thanks for all your work, Andrew. I'll let you know how it works on my end.

thanks..

I put the forumjump in the header as we'd redesigned our site this way - people were missing the box when it was in the footer.