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

[Holidazed]

Originally Posted by AndrewD

Sorry if that was unclear.

You do not need to uninstall. Simply re-run the installation - it will work out what to do - step 1 checks the database, step 2 deals with the templates. You will lose any modifications you have made to this hack's templates, so it's a good idea to keep a record of these..

Thank you AndrewD. I will do this when I get to the office today.

[offlead]

I'm installing this tonight for a client running vb. He's very excited to have a link script that integrates with the forum. I just noticed, however, that the search looks for strings, rather than keywords. Is there any way to change this? It's quite different than we've trained our users to look for information. It's taken me years to get my own users good at keyword searches to find what they're looking for.

[MaxScript]

ya i mod a little of the code

http://batalk.com/local_links.php?action=links

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by offlead

I'm installing this tonight for a client running vb. He's very excited to have a link script that integrates with the forum. I just noticed, however, that the search looks for strings, rather than keywords. Is there any way to change this? It's quite different than we've trained our users to look for information. It's taken me years to get my own users good at keyword searches to find what they're looking for.

I'll check - the current string search is a trivial SQL query to the database whereas I think keyword searching will require more effort - e.g. VB's own keyword search requires maintaining extra tables and quite a chunk of code, which other users also find does not meet their requirements.

[AndrewD]

Version 1.22 is now the supported release. Minor bug fixes/modifications since 1.21, primarily to do with handling pagination. There is also a conversion utility to ugrade from VBLinks 2 thread 44551

[chrisvonc]

The conversion utility and new version works like a charm on an upgraded vb 2.3.2 to vB 3.0.1 forum. Importing the old vB Links Directory data into the new Link and Files DB was a snap with the upgrade script!

Thank you Andrew!

[chrisvonc]

One quick question. I have the ratings disabled but as the admin, I clicked to rate a link and now have it showing up under the one link. Is there a way to reset that rating so it is back to 0 or if not, can I remove something so the rating wont show up?

Thanks!

Chris

[cinq]

Hi, any way to sort order of categories and/or order of links/files ?

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by cinq

Hi, any way to sort order of categories and/or order of links/files ?

Only by the way you name these - I haven't yet included any sorting code in the display routines, so these will always appear alphabetically.

One for the wish list, I imagine.

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by chrisvonc

One quick question. I have the ratings disabled but as the admin, I clicked to rate a link and now have it showing up under the one link. Is there a way to reset that rating so it is back to 0 or if not, can I remove something so the rating wont show up?

Thanks!

Chris

Two ways, depending on what you feel comfortable with. Either use phpmyadmin (or something similar), open the table *_linksrate and delete the records in that table.

Or edit the template links_ratebit - if you change this to an empty template the ratings will never appear.

I'll add this to the wishlist.