NNTP Gateway for Usenet ( Newsgroups ), Mailing Lists

The latest version: V2.3.2 (31 Oct 2004)

What is it?

This hack provides a gateway from vBulletin forums to the USENET. It allows forum members to read newsgroup messages as well as to send posts to the newsgroups. In a nutshell, it turns vBulletin forums into a basic function news reader.

For an added bonus, this package also supports mailing list archive and forum to mailing list gateway. The software retrieves messages from a pop3 account and import them into the forums threaded. It also allows a forums user to send messages to the mailing list by the forum posting interface.

Why?

The gateway will be appreciated by forum members who do not know how to set up a news reader, or people who do not have port 119 open in their network. A forum interface to read and post news are often considered to be better than a news reader.

The gateway adds more contents to your forums and allows the members to interact with wider audience. It is common to see new users signing up to use this feature.

History

This hack is basically a hacked vB2 NNTP gateway written by Gilby to work with vB3. The original hack can be found here:

https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthrea...7&page=1&pp=15


Features

Some of the features and improvement include:

• Handles both newsgroup posts and mailing lists.
• Handles MIME encoded messages and attachment.
• Handles UUEncoded messages.
• Two Admin Control Panels for all settings.
• Automated installation.
• Correct thread implementation. All imported messages and posts sent to newsgroups will be threaded correctly according to References and Message-ID headers.
• Optional setting to thread by subject for mailing lists that strip references header.
• Supports TABLE_PREFIX.
• Imported messages will be searchable just like normal forum posts.
• Similar threads are built when the messages are imported if the system setting is on.
• Multiple attachments importing.
• Save attachment to database or file according to vB setting.
• Thumbnail created while importing image files.
• Multiple attachment post to newsgroup is also supported.
• Selectable X-No-Archive header honouring system.
• Light on system resources.
• Global Killfile to filter out unwanted messages. Killfiles can have OR and AND effectiveness.
• Strip footer by setting for incoming messages. Strips out repeated message footers.
• Built options to disable signatures and footers for out going messages.

Future development

• AdminCP interfaces. (completed)
• Installation/upgrade script. (completed, coded into AdminCP)
• Traditional "> " lead posting interface.

What do you need and do not need?

You do not need to edit vB php files if you use two bookmarks
You need to edit one vB php file to insert two lines of code if you want direct click links within AdminCP.
No need to run SQL.

Installation

Basically the AdminCP interfaces take care of installation as well as upgrade in the background. Back up your database first. The scripts can modify your database without alerting you!

Please follow the instructions in the readme.txt file for more details.

Support

Please post your support questions to this thread. Please check the FAQ in the third post within this thread first.

================== UPDATES ======================
Jul 31 2004 (release version 2.2.0)

• Provided option of not importing attachments
• Provided option of pause between messages
• Provided option of not sending messages to USENET
• Provided mechanism to skip importing a message if it was crashed on it
• Provided "Default Footer" option
• Provided strip_footer function for mailing lists
  (written originally by KevinM)
• Provided Killfile functions with Header/Body/AND/OR settings
• Provided ability to thread messages by subject for mailing lists
• Provided ability to use a single POP3 account for different mailing lists
  (use prefix)
• Merged KevinM's attachment routine, save thumbnail to hard drive
  as vB3.0.3
• Official support to have the script run by Scheduled Tasks
• Many bug fixes

Please note, when you manually run the script, you must turn on the debug mode. Otherwise nothing will be displayed on the screen.

To run as debug mode: http://forums.yourdomain.com/gateway.php?debug=1

25 Oct 2004

• Provided the option of sending posts using the real email address
• Provided the option of sending posts using a fixed email address for
  each group.
• Posts are now held back if they are in the moderating queue
• Scheduled task log is now working
• Provided the option of sending the debug messages to the vB3 cron log
• Bug fixes

31 Oct 2004

Fixed bugs running the gateway by the vB3 Scheduled Tasks

1 March 2004

Uploaded the new zip file. It contains one or two bug fixes.

[lierduh]

Originally Posted by MovieMaster

It also doesnt care for multipart messages (attachments in parts) see it fails on those as well. Is that the case, or is it just me?

Binary attachment spanning through multiple messages is not supported. I think a lot of the news reader do not even support that.

[lierduh]

Originally Posted by MovieMaster

Any plans to add YENC decoding of attachments? As it stands now, this wont cut it with those, which is rapidly becoming the post method of choice for attachments.

Will consider to add the support for this, excluding multipart yEncoded binaries.

[Andy R]

I am changing newsgroup providers from Newsfeeds.com to Giganews.com and it looks like the message numbers might be different? Are message numbers the typically the same between different newsgroup providers? Can I assume it is safe to just "plugin" the new server info and messages will be brought in properly?

If the message numbers are different, then does the system link new posts via this number or does it use another way of referencing posts to threads?

Thanks for your help!

[Electronic Punk]

Originally Posted by lierduh

1. Are you saying you do not want to modify the template but you don't mind modifying the php script? It is possible, but I don't see the point.

2. Please go through the settings, you will find the answer there.

1. Basically yes - it is really down to aesthetics.
2. Thanks, I'll have a good look through! Edit: Found it

[Torqued]

Originally Posted by lierduh

Will consider to add the support for this, excluding multipart yEncoded binaries.

When importing mail, would it be possible to add support for the following:

1: Specify a user ID to import the mail as - I have several users configured as "newsbots", and it would be nice to be able to associate the imported posts to their profiles.
2: Specify which post icon to use

[MovieMaster]

Originally Posted by lierduh

Binary attachment spanning through multiple messages is not supported. I think a lot of the news reader do not even support that.

Most every major nntp client supports multi thread attachments, and its the common standard in posting of large binary files.

[kkiely]

If posts to USETNET are moderated then do they get sent out after they get approved or not? I think I have the 3.0 version of this hack installed.

[kkiely]

a few other questions:

1. when a user named JohnCates posts to USENET their username is printed with a random set of letts at the end. JohnCates comes out like
JohnCates.1hfjsc@domain.com

instead of:

JohnCates@domain.com


2. I use giganews but they told me that the news feed is for personal use only. Is there anyone here who knows of any news feeds that are commerical.

3. I had someone post spam onto USENET through my site. Previously I wasn't moderating the posts to USENET but now I am. Is there any other way to make sure people don't spam - other than moderating the posts that get sent to USENET?

[lierduh]

Originally Posted by kkiely

If posts to USETNET are moderated then do they get sent out after they get approved or not? I think I have the 3.0 version of this hack installed.

I would think so.

Not sure which version you are talking about. The most recent version is 2.3.2.

[lierduh]

Originally Posted by kkiely

a few other questions:

1. when a user named JohnCates posts to USENET their username is printed with a random set of letts at the end. JohnCates comes out like
JohnCates.1hfjsc@domain.com

instead of:

JohnCates@domain.com

You will find the answer in the group settings.