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.

[bhxtyrant]

Originally Posted by AndrewD

You're the first who has asked this - I don't think this would be difficult to add as all the relevant data (who's accessing what and how much traffic that creates) is already being captured - what do other's think?

I love this idea as well,I was just actually thinking about it yesterday matter in fact.It would be awsome so be able to set limits by usergroups.For example usergroups 1 can download (this many files per day) while user group 2 can download (this many per day) while admins can download (unlimited) would be very handy for sites like mine which have alot of downloads but may require restrictions to save bandwidth.

[Benj]

Originally Posted by AndrewD

You're the first who has asked this - I don't think this would be difficult to add as all the relevant data (who's accessing what and how much traffic that creates) is already being captured - what do other's think?

sounds cool

[PtP]

Possible bug in 2.06 or me missing something new.

The catagories in the main catagory view are not showing by order I have given them in the "display order"

I just found that /local_links_admin.php?action=admin&set=categories is showing them in correct order though, Am I missing another setting

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by PtP

Possible bug in 2.06 or me missing something new.

The catagories in the main catagory view are not showing by order I have given them in the "display order"

I just found that /local_links_admin.php?action=admin&set=categories is showing them in correct order though, Am I missing another setting

Confirmed bug, introduced in 2.0.6 in fixing another bug. Order of subcategories should match order of links (by title, date, etc), but a specified displayorder should always trump anything else.

Fix is to edit local_links_include.php, line 519

function catcmp($a, $b) {
	global $holdsort, $holdcat;

	switch ($holdsort) {

Before the switch statement, insert these two lines so that the code reads as follows:

function catcmp($a, $b) {
	global $holdsort, $holdcat;

// Display orders always over-ride the rest
	if ($holdcat[$a]['displayorder'] < $holdcat[$b]['displayorder']) return(-1);
	if ($holdcat[$a]['displayorder'] > $holdcat[$b]['displayorder']) return( 1);

	switch ($holdsort) {

[PtP]

Fixed

[TundraSoul]

<i>v2.0.6, very nice, good job!</i>

Here are a couple of suggestions I think would improve usability. I noticed the links are no longer accessible if you don't have permission to view/download them. You should do the same thing with the Most Popular Entry links on the home category.

The most popular entries looks a little weird centered there in the middle of the home category. Even the entries are centered. Please allow us to enable or disable the most popular entries box.
In Advanced Search, people really don't know what to type in as the file type. Should it be for instance, *.doc or just doc or .doc? Perhaps a few examples in the template is all that's needed to clear up any confusion.

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by TundraSoul

v2.0.6, very nice, good job!

Thanks

Originally Posted by TundraSoul

Here are a couple of suggestions I think would improve usability. I noticed the links are no longer accessible if you don't have permission to view/download them. You should do the same thing with the Most Popular Entry links on the home category.

Yes, I agree.

Originally Posted by TundraSoul

The most popular entries looks a little weird centered there in the middle of the home category. Even the entries are centered. Please allow us to enable or disable the most popular entries box.

Yes, I agree. The layout can be improved. btw, you can switch the whole welcome box off with the show_hit_parade setting (admin page).

Originally Posted by TundraSoul

In Advanced Search, people really don't know what to type in as the file type. Should it be for instance, *.doc or just doc or .doc? Perhaps a few examples in the template is all that's needed to clear up any confusion.

Yes, I agree.


I'm impressed - you've really dug into this!

[LeeWicKeD]

Ok, finished German translation...I hope it's understandable for the German-Users...some phrases we're difficult to translate

@AndrewD: is this xml-file the file i can post at vbhacks-germany for the translated version, or do you import this to your 2.0.6-zipfile?


Have fun,

Cheers

Lee

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by LeeWicKeD

Ok, finished German translation...I hope it's understandable for the German-Users...some phrases we're difficult to translate

@AndrewD: is this xml-file the file i can post at vbhacks-germany for the translated version, or do you import this to your 2.0.6-zipfile?


Have fun,

Cheers

Lee

Thanks, Lee - I'll include in the next upload of 2.0.6 and I'll check it with 2.0.5 to give you a proper answer for vbhacks-germany.

[AndrewD]

I've moved the beta 2.0.6 into the first post in this thread and fixed the bugs/suggestions reported so far.

Both the zips in the first post (2.0.5 and 2.0.6) also contain the complete German translation that LeeWicked has provided - thanks

Further reports please, particularly about uploading, which is the main new feature.