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.

[mcncyo]

Originally Posted by w0z

Sowwy my n00b question, but is anyone using this Hack in vB 3.0.4 ?

I have this currently installed on my production vB 3.0.3, is there anything I should pay attention when I upgrade vB to 3.0.4, do I have to do any additional steps after upgrading to ensure this Hack will continue to work? O_o

Cheers,
w0z

I am going to find out myself? I am going to be edditing the files in the next few mins. I will tell you if i find any problems.

[eXtremeTim]

The script does not import the attachments. The attachment stats page in the acp lists them all and says 0 bytes I can click on the link for each and it goes to a page not found. Is there something I missed?

[mcncyo]

It seems to work fine with vb3.0.4 EXtremeTim I don't use attachments on my message board, so i coundn't tell you why it doesn't work or if it should work.

[pgrote]

Is there a way to import emails into a specific thread?

I can import into specific forums or subforums, but that is all I have as an option from the drop-down box in the Admin CP when specifying NNTP Newsgroups. I see no place where I can enter in a specific URL or already established thread...Is this possible?

[eXtremeTim]

Originally Posted by pgrote

Is there a way to import emails into a specific thread?

I can import into specific forums or subforums, but that is all I have as an option from the drop-down box in the Admin CP when specifying NNTP Newsgroups. I see no place where I can enter in a specific URL or already established thread...Is this possible?

Currently with this hack there is no option for this. It wouldn't be a bad idea though and really shouldn't be to hard to pull off with how this hack is coded.

[eXtremeTim]

heres the error this script is spitting my way from the attachments

[sql]
Database error in vBulletin 3.0.3:

Invalid SQL: INSERT INTO attachment SET dateline = '1104692910',
filename = 'blackbar654.gif',
filedata = 'GIF89a?
\0?\0\0\0\0\0?\0\0\0?\0??\0\0\0??\0?\0?? ???????\0\0\0?\0??\0\0\0??\0?\0?????,\0\0\0\0?
\0 \0?I??8?ͻ?`(?di?h??l??p,?h\0;', visible = 1,
thumbnail = '',
thumbnail_dateline = ,
thumbnail_filesize = ,
filesize = 0,
postid = 82250
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 '
thumbnail_filesize = ,
filesize = 0,
po

mysql error number: 1064[/sql]

I will look at it latter tonight when I am done with my clients work and see if I can figure it out. But if anybody has any ideas for right now please let me know.

[eXtremeTim]

I did make one change to this script just a second ago so that I can now load in more than one newsgroup at a time. It was taking to long to load in all the messages of multiple groups and I didnt want to start with messages from that point only. Right now I am using my change to safely load in 4 newsgroups at a time which is my servers connection limit.

[trackpads]

Lierduh, totally forgot to request this. Is there a way to block messages by their usenet username? For example it would be an extra way to block annoying messages by usenet denizens who like to OT to death certain forums under the same name.

When I try to prune in vb by using that name it never finds them either in the by name or by subject field.

Thanks again!

-Jason

[Andy R]

Originally Posted by James T Brock

Go into your admin panel and check the usergroup manager. Edit the usergroup for guests and change the name to whatever you want.

Do you mean the Tile or User Title? Under the usergroup guest by default the title is "Guest - Unregistered / Not Logged In" and I have set the User Title to "Usenet Poster" how do I update all the old usenet posts to reflect the new user name?

[trackpads]

Update Counters I think has a function to update names.