NNTP Gateway for Usenet ( Newsgroups ), Mailing Lists

The latest version: V2.3.2 (31 Oct 2004)

What is it?

This hack provides a gateway from vBulletin forums to the USENET. It allows forum members to read newsgroup messages as well as to send posts to the newsgroups. In a nutshell, it turns vBulletin forums into a basic function news reader.

For an added bonus, this package also supports mailing list archive and forum to mailing list gateway. The software retrieves messages from a pop3 account and import them into the forums threaded. It also allows a forums user to send messages to the mailing list by the forum posting interface.

Why?

The gateway will be appreciated by forum members who do not know how to set up a news reader, or people who do not have port 119 open in their network. A forum interface to read and post news are often considered to be better than a news reader.

The gateway adds more contents to your forums and allows the members to interact with wider audience. It is common to see new users signing up to use this feature.

History

This hack is basically a hacked vB2 NNTP gateway written by Gilby to work with vB3. The original hack can be found here:

https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthrea...7&page=1&pp=15


Features

Some of the features and improvement include:

• Handles both newsgroup posts and mailing lists.
• Handles MIME encoded messages and attachment.
• Handles UUEncoded messages.
• Two Admin Control Panels for all settings.
• Automated installation.
• Correct thread implementation. All imported messages and posts sent to newsgroups will be threaded correctly according to References and Message-ID headers.
• Optional setting to thread by subject for mailing lists that strip references header.
• Supports TABLE_PREFIX.
• Imported messages will be searchable just like normal forum posts.
• Similar threads are built when the messages are imported if the system setting is on.
• Multiple attachments importing.
• Save attachment to database or file according to vB setting.
• Thumbnail created while importing image files.
• Multiple attachment post to newsgroup is also supported.
• Selectable X-No-Archive header honouring system.
• Light on system resources.
• Global Killfile to filter out unwanted messages. Killfiles can have OR and AND effectiveness.
• Strip footer by setting for incoming messages. Strips out repeated message footers.
• Built options to disable signatures and footers for out going messages.

Future development

• AdminCP interfaces. (completed)
• Installation/upgrade script. (completed, coded into AdminCP)
• Traditional "> " lead posting interface.

What do you need and do not need?

You do not need to edit vB php files if you use two bookmarks
You need to edit one vB php file to insert two lines of code if you want direct click links within AdminCP.
No need to run SQL.

Installation

Basically the AdminCP interfaces take care of installation as well as upgrade in the background. Back up your database first. The scripts can modify your database without alerting you!

Please follow the instructions in the readme.txt file for more details.

Support

Please post your support questions to this thread. Please check the FAQ in the third post within this thread first.

================== UPDATES ======================
Jul 31 2004 (release version 2.2.0)

• Provided option of not importing attachments
• Provided option of pause between messages
• Provided option of not sending messages to USENET
• Provided mechanism to skip importing a message if it was crashed on it
• Provided "Default Footer" option
• Provided strip_footer function for mailing lists
  (written originally by KevinM)
• Provided Killfile functions with Header/Body/AND/OR settings
• Provided ability to thread messages by subject for mailing lists
• Provided ability to use a single POP3 account for different mailing lists
  (use prefix)
• Merged KevinM's attachment routine, save thumbnail to hard drive
  as vB3.0.3
• Official support to have the script run by Scheduled Tasks
• Many bug fixes

Please note, when you manually run the script, you must turn on the debug mode. Otherwise nothing will be displayed on the screen.

To run as debug mode: http://forums.yourdomain.com/gateway.php?debug=1

25 Oct 2004

• Provided the option of sending posts using the real email address
• Provided the option of sending posts using a fixed email address for
  each group.
• Posts are now held back if they are in the moderating queue
• Scheduled task log is now working
• Provided the option of sending the debug messages to the vB3 cron log
• Bug fixes

31 Oct 2004

Fixed bugs running the gateway by the vB3 Scheduled Tasks

1 March 2004

Uploaded the new zip file. It contains one or two bug fixes.

[trackpads]

Originally Posted by lierduh

This is a good idea. Will include this in the next version.

Thanks!! You have one hell of an addon going here!

Here are two more conundrums for you-

1. For some reason I am having an attachment problem. Here is an example post-

http://www.trackpads.com/forum/showt...189#post776189

Everything looks fine, the pics are there but when I click on one I just get a blank page. I looked in the admin panel and it has the right sizes for each picture but I cannot see them?

2. Another idea for the script. Would it be possible to add the username of the USENET poster to the killfile? There are quite a few I would like to stop from getting through. The problem is that VB wont let me prune them based on their usernames.

Thanks again!!!!!

-Jason

[Rob Eh]

Is there a way to specify the time zone used in the control panel for this?

It uses the server time and not the time set by vB in the control panel.

Thanks,

[xb_]

Warning: array_merge() [function.array-merge]: Argument #2 is not an array in <path-to-vbb>/includes/init.php on line 517
Warning: Invalid argument supplied for foreach() in <path-to-vbb>/includes/sessions.php on line 270

vbb 3.0.3 on apache 2.0.50 + php5 has that effect when opening gateway.php.
Also, ever since last version of this hack, and running it on vbb 3.0.1 + apache 2.0.49 + php 4.3.8 really messed up the attachements in a mailinglist setup.

/me clicks uninstall (it was fun while it worked)

[lierduh]

I have uploaded a new NNTP gateway version. V2.2.0 is now available.

Some of the improvements include:

Provided option of not importing attachments
Provided option of pause between messages
Provided option of not sending messages to USENET
Provided mechanism to skip importing a message if it was crashed on it
Provided "Default Footer" option
Provided strip_footer function for mailing lists
(written originally by KevinM)
Provided Killfile functions with Header/Body/AND/OR settings
Provided ability to thread messages by subject for mailing lists
Provided ability to use a single POP3 account for different mailing lists
(use prefix)
Merged KevinM's attachment routine, save thumbnail to hard drive
as vB3.0.3
Official support to have the script run by Scheduled Tasks
Many bug fixes

To upgrade, you only need to open the AdminCP NNTP Settings page. The
upgrade will be carried out automatically in the background.

To run the script manually, you must turn on the debug mode now:

http://forums.yourdomain.com/gateway.php?debug=1

Enjoy...

[lierduh]

Originally Posted by xb_

Warning: array_merge() [function.array-merge]: Argument #2 is not an array in <path-to-vB>/includes/init.php on line 517
Warning: Invalid argument supplied for foreach() in <path-to-vB>/includes/sessions.php on line 270

vB 3.0.3 on apache 2.0.50 + php5 has that effect when opening gateway.php.
Also, ever since last version of this hack, and running it on vB 3.0.1 + apache 2.0.49 + php 4.3.8 really messed up the attachements in a mailinglist setup.

[high]* xb_ clicks uninstall (it was fun while it worked)[/high]

You have a very wierd problem there. sessions.php is not involved with the gateway.php, how can you have error message associated with it?

[lierduh]

Originally Posted by Rob Eh

Is there a way to specify the time zone used in the control panel for this?

It uses the server time and not the time set by vB in the control panel.

Thanks,

Please use the new version.

[lierduh]

Originally Posted by trackpads

Thanks!! You have one hell of an addon going here!

Here are two more conundrums for you-

1. For some reason I am having an attachment problem. Here is an example post-

http://www.trackpads.com/forum/showt...189#post776189

Everything looks fine, the pics are there but when I click on one I just get a blank page. I looked in the admin panel and it has the right sizes for each picture but I cannot see them?

2. Another idea for the script. Would it be possible to add the username of the USENET poster to the killfile? There are quite a few I would like to stop from getting through. The problem is that VB wont let me prune them based on their usernames.

Thanks again!!!!!

-Jason

Both problems have been addressed in the new version.

vB3.0.3 changed the way the thumbnail is saved, hence the problem.

[lierduh]

Originally Posted by john_rsd

Sorry, I made small error on username

Details fixed and send by PM

Usually MS server uses the full email address as the user name.

Could you 'put' some emails in the box. I will see if I can find anything. It is empty now.

[Reeve of shinra]

It also allows a forums user to send messages to the mailing list by the forum posting interface.

I was thinking of using this with a yahoo group but its
moderated so if my members sent replies via this hack, it would have to use thier email address. Is that possible? Thanks!

[fonzerelli_79]

great script

got it working no problem

i got thousands of posts downloaded into my forums using gateway.php

problem is most of them have no content - is this because im using a free server and ive reached my limit. If my limit was reached would posts still be downloaded but would they just be blank?