Article Bot

Article Bot
by velocd


Article Bot is a script that allows you to assign a user account (preferably an exclusive one) to an article bot that will post RSS feeds in select forums at designated intervals. These articles are derived from RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds.

RSS files are assigned to article bots, as well to individual forums, which in turn directs what, when and where your article bot will post.

Features

• Works with RSS versions: 0.9x, 2.0, 1.0, and Atom 0.3
• AdminCP interface for adding/modifying/deleting article bots & rss feeds
• Designate intervals (in minutes) to each RSS feed for when your article bot will post them.
• Requires only 1 file edit (admincp/index.php), allowing ease of upgrading your vBulletin
  without having to remodify files.
• Easy to install. Works best in conjunction with crontab (contab help is inside install.html)

News

• 7/25/04 - Version 1.1 Released
  • Bug Fixes
    • Replaced htmlspecialchars() with htmlentities() in articlebot.php to fully convert special entities from descriptions.
    • Added trim() to thread titles, to prevent double threads from being posted that are merely off by whitespace.
    • New table articlebot_rss_cache for storing a copy of article bot threads, for quicker checking of doubles when posting new threads.
    • Threads are checked in articlebot_rss_cache, so you can permanently remove them from the thread table (you don't have to "soft delete") without worrying about the bot replicating them.
    • Other minor bugs.
  • Features
    • New installer/upgraders for doing the SQL part automatically.
    • Added "label" field to add/modify RSS interface, that allows you to tag a label, e.g. [yahoo], to the beginning of threads, unique to each RSS feed. This might help for better distinction of RSS feeds.
    • Added an option to toggle on/off of building similar threads per RSS feed. Some RSS feeds could hault the script if the building of similar thread results for that feed takes too long (maybe the article thread title is too vague, and matches a lot of results--my guess is it's only a problem on large forums).
    • Added an option to toggle on/off skipping of articles that don't contain descriptions.
    • Regular expression search and replace for article titles and descriptions. This grants you much flexability to filter out things you don't want in your titles or descriptions (given you have some regex experience, I will try to post some patterns in due time.. feel free to add yours )
• 7/11/04 - Version 1.0 Released

Upgrading

• To upgrade, reupload the new PHP and MagpieRSS parser files to their places on your server. Upload upgrade_vx-x (replace the x's with the version you are upgrading to) to /path/to/forums/admincp/, and then execute that script.

Files

• 3 screenshots attached
• articlebot_v1.zip
  • install.html, logo.gif
  • articlebot_admin.php
  • articlebot/
    • rss_cache.inc
    • rss_fetch.inc
    • rss_parse.inc
    • rss_utils.inc
    • extlib/
      • Snoopy.class.inc

RSS Feeds

There are several in the install.html, but if you're looking for more than you could ever want, check out NewsIsFree's directory:

http://www.newsisfree.com/sources/bycat/


Remember to click install if you use this hack.

Also be sure to read through the what you haven't of the thread before asking a question, for it may have been answered.

[Zoints]

Fixed. NM

[Megareus Rex]

** uninstalls **

The support for this hack is crap. Pure, utter crap. The damn thing STILL refuses to even let me set RSS feeds to the bots.

[venomx]

Works great here just one small problem thats really not wortth uninstalling.

[Natch]

I just love the reaction of these people who suffer from PICNIC issues, and then compain that it's an issue related to the coder, not the user ...

[Maikeru]

Warning: MagpieRSS: Failed to parse RSS file. (junk after document element at line 88, column 6) in /home/maikeru/public_html/forums/articlebot/rss_fetch.inc on line 230

Warning: array_reverse(): The argument should be an array in /home/maikeru/public_html/forums/articlebot/articlebot.php on line 136

Warning: Invalid argument supplied for foreach() in /home/maikeru/public_html/forums/articlebot/articlebot.php on line 140

i got rid of all the yahoo rss feeds, which was the problem i thought, and i got this.

i'm pretty sure velocd isnt giving support for the hack, so someone else please help.

[venomx]

PICNIC issues?


Also I use this feed...
http://rss.news.yahoo.com/rss/topstories

Works wonders. Just wish the forumhome updated right

[Natch]

PICNIC, probelm in chair, not in computer.

FYI: I have this working, no problems with Slashdot feeds, and the AListApart feed... I have disabled the finding of the feed items in the search cos my members were getting annoyed at having to browse thru News items to find posts, and they don't appear on my portal for the same reason, but this is be my choice.

I haven't had a problem with this - if there is a problem with a particular type of feed, then mayube it's a feed unsupported by Magpie (as outlined by VeloCD earlier in the thread)...

Additionally, it's useful if anyone is going to support this if they can be told what feeds are and are not working ...

venomx - what problems are you having with it?

[venomx]

I have it set to check every 7 hours for new news. Then post a max of 5 of them.

It posts show up like this when I open that forum....
[Yahoo] Kerry Acts to Refocus Iraq Debate (washingtonpost.com)
[Yahoo] Bush Plan Draws on Advice of 9/11 Panel (washingtonpost.com)
[Yahoo] U.S. Hid Dozens of Iraqi Prisoners, Investigators Say (Reuters)
[Yahoo] U.S. Forces on Offensive in Iraq, Taunted by Al Qaeda (Reuters)

When I view the homepage it says
[Yahoo] U.S. Forces on Offensive in Iraq, Taunted by Al Qaeda (Reuters)
was the last post made when it wasnt... The Kerry one was the last post...
Nothing major really...

[Natch]

I tried to look into your website, but it linked to a search page - can you link me to the site so I can see the issue ?

[venomx]

I PM'ed the link to you so you can look. The site is way from being done and I am trying to keep people from visiting it.