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Article Bot · **Released**: 07-10-2004

Article Bot
by velocd

Article Bot is a script that allows you to assign a user account (preferably an exclusive one) to an article bot that will post RSS feeds in select forums at designated intervals. These articles are derived from RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds.

RSS files are assigned to article bots, as well to individual forums, which in turn directs what, when and where your article bot will post.

Features

Works with RSS versions: 0.9x, 2.0, 1.0, and Atom 0.3
AdminCP interface for adding/modifying/deleting article bots & rss feeds
Designate intervals (in minutes) to each RSS feed for when your article bot will post them.
Requires only 1 file edit (admincp/index.php), allowing ease of upgrading your vBulletin
without having to remodify files.
Easy to install. Works best in conjunction with crontab (contab help is inside install.html)

News

7/25/04 - Version 1.1 Released
- Bug Fixes
  - Replaced htmlspecialchars() with htmlentities() in articlebot.php to fully convert special entities from descriptions.
  - Added trim() to thread titles, to prevent double threads from being posted that are merely off by whitespace.
  - New table articlebot_rss_cache for storing a copy of article bot threads, for quicker checking of doubles when posting new threads.
  - Threads are checked in articlebot_rss_cache, so you can permanently remove them from the thread table (you don't have to "soft delete") without worrying about the bot replicating them.
  - Other minor bugs.
- Features
  - New installer/upgraders for doing the SQL part automatically.
  - Added "label" field to add/modify RSS interface, that allows you to tag a label, e.g. [yahoo], to the beginning of threads, unique to each RSS feed. This might help for better distinction of RSS feeds.
  - Added an option to toggle on/off of building similar threads per RSS feed. Some RSS feeds could hault the script if the building of similar thread results for that feed takes too long (maybe the article thread title is too vague, and matches a lot of results--my guess is it's only a problem on large forums).
  - Added an option to toggle on/off skipping of articles that don't contain descriptions.
  - Regular expression search and replace for article titles and descriptions. This grants you much flexability to filter out things you don't want in your titles or descriptions (given you have some regex experience, I will try to post some patterns in due time.. feel free to add yours )
7/11/04 - Version 1.0 Released

Upgrading

To upgrade, reupload the new PHP and MagpieRSS parser files to their places on your server. Upload upgrade_vx-x (replace the x's with the version you are upgrading to) to /path/to/forums/admincp/, and then execute that script.

Files

3 screenshots attached
articlebot_v1.zip
- install.html, logo.gif
- articlebot_admin.php
- articlebot/
  - rss_cache.inc
  - rss_fetch.inc
  - rss_parse.inc
  - rss_utils.inc
  - extlib/
    - Snoopy.class.inc

RSS Feeds

There are several in the install.html, but if you're looking for more than you could ever want, check out NewsIsFree's directory:

http://www.newsisfree.com/sources/bycat/

Remember to click install if you use this hack.

Also be sure to read through the what you haven't of the thread before asking a question, for it may have been answered.

memobug · #**632** 05-10-2005, 07:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MarcoH64

Are you running PHP5?

I have PHP Version 4.3.11

Regards,

Matt

Marco van Herwaarden · #**633** 05-10-2005, 08:28 AM

memobug
I don't have this installed so it would be a bit difficult to bugfix. So could you please temporary do the follwoing edit.

Find:

PHP Code:


			
                $DB_site->query("

                    UPDATE ".TABLE_PREFIX."user

                    SET posts = posts + $user_posts

                    WHERE userid = $userid

                ");

Add before:

PHP Code:


			
                                if ('debug' == 'debug')

                                {

                                    echo "<br />Users: <pre>";print_r($users);echo "</pre>";

                                    echo "<br />Userid: $userid - user_posts: <pre>";print_r($user_posts);echo "</pre>";

                                }

Then let the bot make a post and check these debug echo's.
Remove these lines after you have the info and post it here.

KevinL · #**634** 05-10-2005, 10:42 AM

memobug,

I got that when I used the other option and not the server cron job. As soon as I set up a cron job I havent seen it again.

Dont know if that really helps though.

NewOrder · #**635** 05-15-2005, 12:46 PM

does it have to link to a .rss

or is linking it to http://blogs.msdn.com fine?

mine are linked to things like the above link but im getting no news displayed?

also when i goto articlebot.php i get the following

Warning: chdir(): No such file or directory (errno 2) in /home2/tek/public_html/articlebot.php on line 42

memobug · #**636** 05-16-2005, 01:44 AM

1. No it doesn't need to have an .rss extension. It could be .xml or .cgi or most anything but it needs to be a valid rss feed. Try a search on RSS FEED VALIDATOR on Google - then submit your feed

2. You apparently have a path problem as your server is trying to tell you. Did you make the required change in articlebot.php?

Regards,

Matt

kylek · #**637** 05-17-2005, 02:37 AM

Help please,

My host doesn't allow cpanel access for security reasons so I am running Article Bots with the include method and it works. Would like to find out how to set it up as a scheduled task and scanned the 43 pages but cannot see how to do it.

Could someone please explain in step by step instructions how to do this. much thanks in advance!!!

greenhybrid · #**638** 05-17-2005, 02:43 AM

In the vBulletin control panel, at the bottom you can set up a Scheduled Task. Just fill out the form and point to the correct script.

cPanel access for your own shared account doesn't pose a security issue.

kylek · #**639** 05-17-2005, 02:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by greenhybrid

In the vBulletin control panel, at the bottom you can set up a Scheduled Task. Just fill out the form and point to the correct script.

cPanel access for your own shared account doesn't pose a security issue.

That is what they told me when I asked, oh well,
I know how to fill out the task except for the bottom box called file name. All my other various tasks have ./includes/cron/ and then whatever file you are pointing to, so would I need to have ./includes/cron/articlebot.php?

And what do I need to put in articlebot.php for the forum server path?

I appreciate the help as a newbie still but trying to learn.

NewOrder · #**640** 05-17-2005, 04:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by memobug

1. No it doesn't need to have an .rss extension. It could be .xml or .cgi or most anything but it needs to be a valid rss feed. Try a search on RSS FEED VALIDATOR on Google - then submit your feed

2. You apparently have a path problem as your server is trying to tell you. Did you make the required change in articlebot.php?

Regards,

Matt

sorry what recriured change?

kylek · #**641** 05-17-2005, 04:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NewOrder

sorry what recriured change?

If you are using crontab check step 7 for required change to articlebot.php,
not using crontab check step 8 for required change to articlebot.php

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