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

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by 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!

Have you turned on moderation? By default it's turned off - have a look in the admin page - set the moderation value to 1.

[offlead]

Originally Posted by AndrewD

Have you turned on moderation? By default it's turned off - have a look in the admin page - set the moderation value to 1.

*smacks self in head* Thanks Andrew. That was indeed the trouble, and I think I just need more sleep or more coffee. I musta looked at that 30 times without actually SEEING it.

We tested out a non-admin member adding both a link and a category. The link test ran perfectly, no issues that I could see. Adding a category however had one glitch that I could see. In a level 2 subcat, there was an existing level 3 subcat when the member added another. While the new subcat was held in moderation, NO subcats showed up when viewing that level 2 page. The existing links in that section showed up fine, just not the existing subcat.

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by offlead

*smacks self in head* Thanks Andrew. That was indeed the trouble, and I think I just need more sleep or more coffee. I musta looked at that 30 times without actually SEEING it.

We tested out a non-admin member adding both a link and a category. The link test ran perfectly, no issues that I could see. Adding a category however had one glitch that I could see. In a level 2 subcat, there was an existing level 3 subcat when the member added another. While the new subcat was held in moderation, NO subcats showed up when viewing that level 2 page. The existing links in that section showed up fine, just not the existing subcat.

Sorry, line 610 in local_links.php reads

PHP Code:

if ($thiscat['catmoderate'] and $bbuserinfo['userid'] != $thiscat['catuserid']) break; 


The "break" should read "continue".

Will fix in the morning.

[offlead]

Thanks again, Andrew! Works now.

[offlead]

Andrew, thought you might like to see what I did with this. I did some tweaking of the layouts, and also added some instructions for our users, with the Categories and with the Links. There are also submission instructions/guidelines on the addlink and addcat sections, which of course you can't see without being a member. It's integrated into our forum index using forum set up as a forwarding link (under the Around the Corner section of the index).

http://www.sunshineband.org/forums/f...splay.php?f=16

Lovely hack!

[Skyline_GT]

hm.. darn didn't fix the status bar?
for downloading file..

also I don't know why the permission stuff doesn't work..
Even I set the default_forumid to a forum that guest can't download files, but they still can...

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by Skyline_GT

hm.. darn didn't fix the status bar?
for downloading file.....

Not "didnt fix" but apparantly can't fix. IE, Mozilla, Opera + Acrobat + etc + etc are seriously inconsistent and I need to live my real life too. This hack works the way that VBulletin works. You can switch it to an alternative (force the open/save as dialogue) - look at line 93 of local_links.php and follow the instructions. I make no guarantee that this will work in all situations - it messed up for us with certain combinations of IE + Adobe Acrobat.

also I don't know why the permission stuff doesn't work..
Even I set the default_forumid to a forum that guest can't download files, but they still can...

Works fine for me - how are you setting this up? If a user can see a forum in VB, then this hack will let her see links associated with that forum.

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by bitg

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.

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.

added to version 1.21, directly accessible via admin page and with a new search (see instructions.txt, local_links.php&action=show&user=nn)

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

not yet done

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

not yet done

[chrisvonc]

I used the vb Link Directory 2.0 hack on my 2.3 forums however, I am going to be upgrading my production forum to vB3.0.1 soon and wanted to know if there is a way to retain all the exisiting links in my DB and have them show up under this version? I really dont want to re-enter all the links and descriptions again but this portion is holding up the production side's upgrade and really would like to go live with the new version.

Thanks in advance!

Chris

[Pitman]

What about an A-Z search kinda like the member list where it shows A, B, C... at the top of the catagories?