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

[joeychgo]

Andrew, I have a suggestion -

Many sites do recripocal links. Ettiquite is when requesting a link, you place the other site's link first, then request.

What I have always found troublesome is verifying that the recripocal link actually gets placed -

Is there a way you can incorporate a way to remind the site admin that they are waiting on a link so they know to check and make sure a link got placed?

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by joeychgo

Andrew, I have a suggestion -

Many sites do recripocal links. Ettiquite is when requesting a link, you place the other site's link first, then request.

What I have always found troublesome is verifying that the recripocal link actually gets placed -

Is there a way you can incorporate a way to remind the site admin that they are waiting on a link so they know to check and make sure a link got placed?

I'll have a look - may take a while as I'm going to be travelling soon,

[Spinball]

Bad timing, possibly. Something to think about, perhaps, while you are away.
How about a 'your favourites' category?
A category which is created by default upon installation with an admin option to use it or not. It's display order is at the top by default. (Which as an aside makes me think that maybe categories should have a display order also).
If enabled, every link in the database has an 'add to favourites' link which adds that link to the favourites list for that member. That link is then displayed in the 'your favourites' category.
Each link displayed in the 'your favourites' category has a 'remove from favourites' link against it for obvious reasons.

I thought that maybe this functionality is duplicating your browser favourites list, but the advantage in using the forum links database is that we validate the links regularly and maintain each user's list irrespective of which browser they use (some use several).

[greywolff]

I am haveing one tiny problem

the hit counter is not working ? it stays at 0 ?

what did i miss ?

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by greywolff

I am haveing one tiny problem

the hit counter is not working ? it stays at 0 ?

what did i miss ?

I need a bit more information. I registered at your site and didn't see any hits counters displayed at all. Have you turned off the hits display using the links admin page? When you say the counter stays at 0, I assume that is what is being displayed - could you checked the database (table local_linkslink, column linkhits)? Have you edited the templates at all?

[Blam Forumz]

You just got yourself an install

[Lionel]

I plan to add an "extended description" in the add_link. How would I go, if there are no links, instead of displaying the error to display that?

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by Lionel

I plan to add an "extended description" in the add_link. How would I go, if there are no links, instead of displaying the error to display that?

Sorry, I'm not sure I quite understand.

You want to add an extra field in the links table which contains extended text concerning the link?

And you want this field to be displayed if the link is missing/invalid/?

Adding an extra field to the database is quite easy - although you will mess up any upgrade path that I offer - but you will have to make quite a few changes to avoid the error checking for valid/invalid/missing links.

Maybe you could explain what you try to do - there may be an easier approach.

[Lionel]

Thanks for your reply. I am using this to display references: pdf, mp3, external pages etc... and it is working great for me. I'd like to be able also to display biographies. For that I thought of using the description field only, but if there are nothing in the url field, I get an error message.

What would be awesome would have been for the description box to have the same features than vbulletin newpost.php with attachment etc... but I'll be content with the ability to bypass the url field.

[Blam Forumz]

anyway to make user add files, but need an admin to validate them?