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.

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by Boofo

One question ... is there a way to only allow links to sites added and not downloads?

Currently, this choice is not available, but it would be easy to add - up to a point.

The code works out if the entry is a 'link' or a 'download' by checking the VB attachment info to look for a mimetype that corresponds to the file suffix. If there's mimetype info available, then it's handled as a download. It would be easy enough to accept only entries that *do* or *do not* have mimetypes available. I'm not sure if that is sufficient.

[Boofo]

Originally Posted by AndrewD

Currently, this choice is not available, but it would be easy to add - up to a point.

The code works out if the entry is a 'link' or a 'download' by checking the VB attachment info to look for a mimetype that corresponds to the file suffix. If there's mimetype info available, then it's handled as a download. It would be easy enough to accept only entries that *do* or *do not* have mimetypes available. I'm not sure if that is sufficient.

I'm using this on my new site which is a Fathers' Rights site and all I want is links to law and informational Fathers' Rights sites. I know sooner or later someone will try to link a file or something.

If you could maybe have a setting for this then that would be great!

Excellent job, by the way. It was almost TOO easy to install.

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by Boofo

I'm using this on my new site which is a Fathers' Rights site and all I want is links to law and informational Fathers' Rights sites. I know sooner or later someone will try to link a file or something.

If you could maybe have a setting for this then that would be great!

Excellent job, by the way. It was almost TOO easy to install.

Thx, will give this some thought.

It's going to get even easier to install - I've got the product management install/uninstall script written - I like the system they've introduced for this.

[Boofo]

Originally Posted by AndrewD

Thx, will give this some thought.

It's going to get even easier to install - I've got the product management install/uninstall script written - I like the system they've introduced for this.

I love the product management system! I ran 3.0 RC 1 (with all security updates through the 3.0 releases) and never upgraded because my board was too heeavily hacked and I really didn't want to have to re-do everythiing every time a new version came out. Now upgrading is a snap. A few template changes and we're back in business.

Let me know if you need any testing done with the links as only links.

[AndrewD]

Uploaded the first official release of the Links and Downloads Manager.

New features:
- Uses VB's product installer
- Includes user comments on links/files
- Categories can be given different styles
- Bad links can be reported

Grateful for reports.

[Boofo]

Do we need to re-run the install file or anything to upgrade?

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by Boofo

Do we need to re-run the install file or anything to upgrade?

This version uses the VB product installer - it no longer has a separate installation script. All you need to do is upload the five php files, then install the product.

[Boofo]

Works great!

There is one small thing I noticed ... If you set this up as a forum link, when you first go into it, the Administer link is not clickable. If you click the Moderate link, then it becomes clickable. It only seems to happen if it opens in a new window.

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by Boofo

Works great!

There is one small thing I noticed ... If you set this up as a forum link, when you first go into it, the Administer link is not clickable. If you click the Moderate link, then it becomes clickable. It only seems to happen if it opens in a new window.

Are you running this on a board that you have upgraded from VB3.0? I had a similar problem at first, because my board also included edits to some of the standard VB templates (header, for example). Suggest you take a look at the main VB admin page -> Styles and Templates -> Find Updated Templates. You may need to 'revert' some of the standard templates, because they've changed the way they handle drop downs.

If you're running this on a clean new VB3.5 install, I can't reproduce it.

[Boofo]

Nope, running a clean 3.5.

The link is there it just isn't active until I click the Moderate link.