Links and Downloads Manager

LDM extends VBulletin to manage a library of documents, files and links to other web sites. Documents can be stored on your own web site, stored on your server separate from the web site, uploaded by your user community, or held somewhere else altogether. So you can use LDM to provide your user community with access to your own files and allow them to share files with each other.

12/08/06 - Versions that work with vb36 are available and supported in the VB36 thread. Version 2.2.1, which works with VB 3.5 but not with VB 3.6, remains available here.

Thanks to everyone who has helped with all the design, testing, etc.
Translations are provided (thanks dLutt and LeeWicked) into German, (thanks to Allan) into French, and (thanks to Hugo) into Spanish. Harry1951 has handled the Dutch translation.

Screenshots, Instructions and How to Install

Full details and instructions are available as a Wiki at http://www.eirma.org/wikis/index.php...nloads_Manager

LDM installs as a VBulletin product. There are no modifications required to standard VB code.

Basically - upload php files and run the installer through VB's Product installer. No changes needed to VB code. Remember to BACKUP YOUR DATABASE. By default, LDM prefixes its database tables 'local_'. Edit the configuration file, local_links_init.php, if you need/wish to change this.

LDM can handle an essentially unlimited number of categories and nested subcategories, and an unlimited number of entries (hyperlinks or downloadable files). Each entry can be placed in one or several categories. Categories can have styles. Descriptions and titles can optionally include BBcodes, smilies, images and html, giving the possibility to add images, colouring, etc. File types can be flagged using icons and individual entries can also have associated thumbnail images.

Standards templates are provided for libraries of links, files, documents, and photographs.

Users can offer comments and rate the links/downloads. Each user is allowed one rating and many comments per entry, and can freely edit these if they change their mind.

Permission to use specific features is established via the product's admin page, where the administrator specifies which usergroups can add and edit entries, comment and rate these entries, moderate, etc.

By default, all entries are visible to all users. You can restrict visibility/access to links and categories by using the permissions masks from your board's forums.

Moderation of new entries is available but turned off by default.

Users can report bad links to the relevant moderators/administrators.

Each user can flag links as his/her "Favourites".

Modules are provided for VBAdvanced.

Hooks are provided in suitable places in LDM and sample plugins are included in the release (see extras directory), for example to integrate with ID3 tags in mp3 files, for slideshows, to autocreate new threads in your forums, etc.

Plus much more.

[elsupremo]

My goodness Andrew, my goodness. I am d/l, and will install to test.

You are amazing. :up:

[TundraSoul]

It's always great to see another update, I enjoy testing beta products.

Let's discuss the "Integration with the User Profile system" feature. This is item 5.8 in the new LDM manual. Let me begin by apologizing if I wasn't clear when I came up with this idea. I know you're trying to work this in, which I greatly appreciate, and I applaud you for the effort. Unfortunately, IMO it's not implemented correctly and here's why.

There's no need to create additional profile fields to offer saved keyword searches. These fields will likely already exist as one of the existing vB profile fields, but if they don't, the admin can go make one in vB for use within LDM. This also keeps the members from having to fill new fields again.

Single-Line Text Box profile fields.
There should be a setup option in LDM to allow the admin to choose which profile field number LDM should use as a keyword search criteria. Let's say for instance I have the word "music" typed in my single-line text box profile field 15. I would then enter 15 as the LDM profile field choice for this saved search, and of course LDM would now know my saved search keyword is "music".


Multiple selection menu profile fields.
My personal favorite, because you could possibly search the other available keyword choices without changing your profile. Let's say I choose the vB profile field 16, which happens to be a multiple selection profile menu field. In LDM, the user could then select from any of the possible profile choices listed in the vB multiple selection menu profile field 16, and search based on those choices. Let's say those choices are types of music, like Rock, Country, Rap, and Classical. Even if the user has Country save as their saved keyword choice, they should still be allowed to search based on any of the other possible profile choices without changing their profile.

The search mechanism for this feature shouldn't be in the menu, IMO, it should be in the Advanced Search area of the LDM. If the admin is using a multiple selection profile field, you could display the profile saved keyword choices as a drop down box, similar to the category and forum jump choices.

Now for any of this to work correctly, we need the ability to associate the LDM links with the profile field choice we've setup from the users profile. If we don't do this, then all we're really doing now is saving the user from having to type in a keyword. Further, and more importantly, the search system still uses the same "Sql match" or "Sql like" system, which is often inaccurate. What I purpose is when you add or edit a link, you are offered the ability to associate the link with a already configured vB profile choice.

If I'm using field 15, the single-line text box field, I would type in music as the associated keyword for the link, assuming of course it's music. If I'm using field 16, the multiple selection menu profile, I could choose any or all of the profile choices available from profile field 16, which associates them with this link.

Ultimately what all this does is create powerful associations between the LDM links and items that are of specific interest to the user. It also solves the SQL weakness, which is my main goal with this feature.

[ConKien]

Originally Posted by AndrewD

The key display template is links_main, which is basically a set of tables:
- Category name, statistics, subcategories
- Links in category/from search, with accompanying pagenavs, sort options

You would need to reorganise this template to put the categories down one side.

You might then need to change the category creation template (links_catbit) to fit properly into the space.

Please be aware that 2.1.1 will make some changes to the category layout in order to make possible multicolumn displays.

Thanks Andrew for letting me know. I'll going to mess around to see if I could do it myself while waiting for version 2.1.1!

How long will v2.1.1 be coming out Andrew?

[TundraSoul]

Here's a couple of small suggestions.

The phrase ll_profile_showhits appears to be an option, but it's not shown in the administration / settings menu. Further if you set the profile_integration to 0, the LDM downloads will still show up in the users profle. Oddly enough I couldn't find the phrase "My Recent LDM Hits:" or "My LDM Search:" using the phrases or templates seach.

The Daily Downloads allowances table appears to be messed up a little. The various usergroups scroll to the right, instread of down the page.

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by ConKien

Thanks Andrew for letting me know. I'll going to mess around to see if I could do it myself while waiting for version 2.1.1!

How long will v2.1.1 be coming out Andrew?

Just so that I'm clear - 2.1.1. does not do what you are wanting, but does make possible some other changes to the category display so that this can be laid out in multiple columns. The first beta for 2.1.1 is already available here

[AndrewD]

Originally Posted by TundraSoul

Let's discuss the "Integration with the User Profile system" feature. This is item 5.8 in the new LDM manual. Let me begin by apologizing if I wasn't clear when I came up with this idea. I know you're trying to work this in, which I greatly appreciate, and I applaud you for the effort. Unfortunately, IMO it's not implemented correctly and here's why.

I had a very strong suspicion you would say this. I'm glad you've given a clear description.

Originally Posted by TundraSoul

There's no need to create additional profile fields to offer saved keyword searches. These fields will likely already exist as one of the existing vB profile fields, but if they don't, the admin can go make one in vB for use within LDM. This also keeps the members from having to fill new fields again.

I wondered about this - fortunately most of the coding is independent of whether its a new or existing profile field

Originally Posted by TundraSoul

Single-Line Text Box profile fields.
There should be a setup option in LDM to allow the admin to choose which profile field number LDM should use as a keyword search criteria. Let's say for instance I have the word "music" typed in my single-line text box profile field 15. I would then enter 15 as the LDM profile field choice for this saved search, and of course LDM would now know my saved search keyword is "music".

Trivial to implement

Originally Posted by TundraSoul

Multiple selection menu profile fields.
My personal favorite, because you could possibly search the other available keyword choices without changing your profile. Let's say I choose the vB profile field 16, which happens to be a multiple selection profile menu field. In LDM, the user could then select from any of the possible profile choices listed in the vB multiple selection menu profile field 16, and search based on those choices. Let's say those choices are types of music, like Rock, Country, Rap, and Classical. Even if the user has Country save as their saved keyword choice, they should still be allowed to search based on any of the other possible profile choices without changing their profile.

Also pretty trivial to implement

Originally Posted by TundraSoul

The search mechanism for this feature shouldn't be in the menu, IMO, it should be in the Advanced Search area of the LDM. If the admin is using a multiple selection profile field, you could display the profile saved keyword choices as a drop down box, similar to the category and forum jump choices.

My long term plan is to be able to establish multiple pre-cooked but tailored searches, which would be available to different users. I wondered about where these should be accessed. The problem with using Advanced Search is that that is another step away from the casual user, who wants things cheap, free and now.

Originally Posted by TundraSoul

Now for any of this to work correctly, we need the ability to associate the LDM links with the profile field choice we've setup from the users profile. If we don't do this, then all we're really doing now is saving the user from having to type in a keyword. Further, and more importantly, the search system still uses the same "Sql match" or "Sql like" system, which is often inaccurate. What I purpose is when you add or edit a link, you are offered the ability to associate the link with a already configured vB profile choice.

If I'm using field 15, the single-line text box field, I would type in music as the associated keyword for the link, assuming of course it's music. If I'm using field 16, the multiple selection menu profile, I could choose any or all of the profile choices available from profile field 16, which associates them with this link.

Yes indeed, we discussed this a few weeks back. What shall we do about entries that have not been keyworded? Are they invisible to the profile search or not?

[Synth]

Tiny issue. I have a link that was put up as an upload. When I go into edit it and put the actual link to the site it just says "Uploaded File" and wont let me change it. Can someone help me out please?

EDIT - got the above sorted but now my image wont show when i provide a link to my server

EDIT AGAIN - Everything is sorted...umm...just thought I'd say HI!

[TundraSoul]

Originally Posted by AndrewD

My long term plan is to be able to establish multiple pre-cooked but tailored searches, which would be available to different users. I wondered about where these should be accessed. The problem with using Advanced Search is that that is another step away from the casual user, who wants things cheap, free and now.

Yes indeed, we discussed this a few weeks back. What shall we do about entries that have not been keyworded? Are they invisible to the profile search or not?

Logically I think you could cram the option into the category / mass edit menu. If you want to save space, for instance change the wording (Open Access) and stauts to icons or just re-arrange the template a little.

[NuclioN]

Don't know if this is suggested already but it would be nice when there's a list-category on forumhome that shows the latest link submissions

[TundraSoul]

Originally Posted by AndrewD

My long term plan is to be able to establish multiple pre-cooked but tailored searches, which would be available to different users. I wondered about where these should be accessed. The problem with using Advanced Search is that that is another step away from the casual user, who wants things cheap, free and now.

I was thinking a while about this one. Agreed the user would have to click on the search menu item, then select Advanced Search to open the menu. You could simply add it underneath the menu search item. For instance we would see Search and perhaps Keyword Search as a menu item choice. The keyword search could in theory be a pull down list of possible keywords from my example with profile 16, the Multiple selection menu profile fields. This option of course could be disabled by the adimin in case they'e not using keywords.