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 Natch

Email on it's way...

Not yet arrived, but I see at least one problem...

If you clear all the permission boxes, you end up with the database entries set to -1 (this is a bug which I will sort out this evening). I don't know if you have done this explicitly - the first time the admin script runs, it should set the permission settings to group 6, which is the default administrator group (or maybe it isnt??). So simply select which user groups are to be given permission to do the various things and everything should work ok.

If this doesn't work, then we have a different problem. !!

[Natch]

My bad - I'm sorry - I had made some bad edits in the admin_oneperms template ...

Working great thanks my users love it

[Tradjick]

I run Release4 and got this when executing the script:



---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Creating local_linksadmin if it does not exist

Creating local_linksdownloads if it does not exist

Creating local_linkscat if it does not exist

Creating local_linkslink if it does not exist

Modifying local_linkslink if necessary

Creating local_linksltoc if it does not exist

Creating local_linksrate if it does not exist

Database modifications complete

step 2 goto VB AdminCP to set up templates

step 3 goto Links/Files AdminCP to initialise permissions

step 4 goto Links/Files main page

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


When running /forum/local_links.php?action=admin:


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Warning - Ask administrator to initialise database
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------




And when running the last link i get this:



---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Database error in vBulletin 3.0.0 Release Candidate 4:

Invalid SQL:
SELECT link.linkid AS linkid, link.linkname AS linkname, link.linkuserid AS linkuserid,
link.linkusername AS linkusername, link.linkurl AS linkurl, link.linkdesc AS linkdesc,
link.linkhits AS linkhits, link.linkstatus AS linkstatus, link.linkdate AS linkdate
FROM local_linkslink AS link
LEFT JOIN local_linksltoc AS ltoc
ON link.linkid = ltoc.linkid

WHERE
ltoc.catid = -1
AND link.linkforum NOT IN (0,)

ORDER BY linkname

mysql error: You have an error in your SQL syntax. Check the manual that corresponds to your MySQL server version for the right syntax to use near ')

ORDER BY linkname' at line 10

mysql error number: 1064

Date: Monday 09th of February 2004 06:02:09 PM
Script: http://localhost/forum/local_links.php?action=links
Referer: http://localhost/forum/local_links_install.php
Username: Abrel_Knezquawr
IP Address: 127.0.0.1

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Do you have any ideas? Or is that just because the hack isn't meant to use with R4?

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by Tradjick

I run Release4 and got this when executing the script:



---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Creating local_linksadmin if it does not exist

Creating local_linksdownloads if it does not exist

Creating local_linkscat if it does not exist

Creating local_linkslink if it does not exist

Modifying local_linkslink if necessary

Creating local_linksltoc if it does not exist

Creating local_linksrate if it does not exist

Database modifications complete

step 2 goto VB AdminCP to set up templates

step 3 goto Links/Files AdminCP to initialise permissions

step 4 goto Links/Files main page

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


When running /forum/local_links.php?action=admin:


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Warning - Ask administrator to initialise database
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------




And when running the last link i get this:



---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Database error in vBulletin 3.0.0 Release Candidate 4:

Invalid SQL:
SELECT link.linkid AS linkid, link.linkname AS linkname, link.linkuserid AS linkuserid,
link.linkusername AS linkusername, link.linkurl AS linkurl, link.linkdesc AS linkdesc,
link.linkhits AS linkhits, link.linkstatus AS linkstatus, link.linkdate AS linkdate
FROM local_linkslink AS link
LEFT JOIN local_linksltoc AS ltoc
ON link.linkid = ltoc.linkid

WHERE
ltoc.catid = -1
AND link.linkforum NOT IN (0,)

ORDER BY linkname

mysql error: You have an error in your SQL syntax. Check the manual that corresponds to your MySQL server version for the right syntax to use near ')

ORDER BY linkname' at line 10

mysql error number: 1064

Date: Monday 09th of February 2004 06:02:09 PM
Script: http://localhost/forum/local_links.php?action=links
Referer: http://localhost/forum/local_links_install.php
Username: Abrel_Knezquawr
IP Address: 127.0.0.1

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Do you have any ideas? Or is that just because the hack isn't meant to use with R4?

All those messages are correct, up to the last SQL error. Did you carry out steps 2 and 3 as instructed - i.e. in step 3 did you enter a valid forum id into the box halfway down the page? I know that the code should not fall over if you forget - I shall fix that - but it looks to me as if you haven't initalised the database tables correctly. Try looking at step 3 again.

[Tradjick]

Shame on me! I dindnt select the right styleid. :nervous:

[Tradjick]

It works fine!

Could you just tell me please what to write into the vbindex_customblock_1 template in order to show the links?

[13th_Disciple]

just put links to your links catagory ID's in the vbindex_customblock_1 in the content area of the custom block.. then select which side and where on the side you want it..

[gmarik]

So I need to link to files or I can upload them as attachments?

[Tradjick]

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" class="tborder" width="100%">
<tr>
<td>
<table cellpadding="$stylevar[cellpadding]" cellspacing="$stylevar[cellspacing]" border="0" width="100%">
<tr>
<td class="tcat" style="text-align: center">
<a style="float:$stylevar[right]" href="#top" onclick="return toggle_collapse('vbindex_customblock$box')"><img id="collapseimg_vbindex_customblock$box" src="$stylevar[imgdir_button]/collapse_tcat$collapseimg_vbindex_customblock.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a>
<strong>Custom Block $box</strong>
</td>
</tr>
<tbody id="collapseobj_vbindex_customblock$box" style="$collapseobj_vbindex_customblock">
<tr>
<td class="alt1">
<div class="smallfont">Block $box Content</div>


<?php
chdir ("./forums");
error_reporting)E_ALL & ~E_NOTICE);
$globaltemplates = array(
'links_main'
);
require once ("./global.php")
eval ('print_output("' . fetch template('links_main') . ");');
?>


</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
<br />

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Blame me but I still got no idea how to do that.

[13th_Disciple]

Originally Posted by gmarik

So I need to link to files or I can upload them as attachments?

just create a link to the file in the admin section of the links directory..