Show Thread Enhancements - Auto Title Tag Fetcher (Title Tag as Anchor Text) for vB 4.2.5 & PHP7

This is an update for vBulletin 4.2.5 and PHP 7.1.

If any of the original coders are still active and want to update this, please do so and then this thread can be archived. However, the last login date for the most recent coder was July 2016 and I wanted to save time for others by putting the information and code modifications in one place. Full credits given below.

From the exportforce update for vBulletin 3.7 and 3.8:

If you post an URL in the Forums, this Mod just loads the <title>XXXXXX</title> out of the linked website.

The title won't be read if the following conditions occur:

• The linked page simply has no <title>-Tag
• The page is down or the <title>-Tag is not being found within the first 60 seconds
• The <title>-Tag is not being found within the first 1000 lines of code.

Installation:
If you have the previous version 1.5c, uninstall from the ACP. Then just import the new product XML via the ACP.

Uninstall:
Just uninistall it from the ACP.

Credits:

• Original by Jafo232 for vBulletin 3.5
• Updated by Jafo232 for vBulletin 3.6
• Updated and recoded by exportforce for vBulletin 3.7 and vBulletin 3.8

• Code modifications for vBulletin 4.2.5 and PHP 7.1 suggested by BirdOPrey5 and Rhodium
  
• PHP 7 requirements clarified by mdawg at Title Tag Fetcher (Auto Replace URL with Titletag) stopped working - vBulletin.org Forum

Title Tag Fetcher (Auto Replace URL with Titletag as Anchortext) for vBulletin 4.2.5 and PHP 7

Updates:

2017-07-20 Updated product xml file to display correct version and title

[Andreasmax]

thanks, great job

[final kaoss]

Is the original mod marked with reusable code? If not, then this will have to be removed.

[TheLastSuperman]

Originally Posted by final kaoss

Is the original mod marked with reusable code? If not, then this will have to be removed.

Please let us know djbaxter .

Well yes and no, we'd remove this thread and place into the modification graveyard if re-use was not granted HOWEVER djbaxter could post in one of the still active past threads i.e. one that is not in the archives such as https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthread.php?t=189658 and share the mod there, granted it would be vB3 thread with a vB4 mod attachment but the point being it could still be shared and used by all who downloaded and within the rules .

[djbaxter]

History of this mod

1. First iteration for vB 3.5

Replace Local Links With Title
Jafo232 vBulletin 3.5 22 Aug 2007 00:10

This modification is in the archives.


2. Second iteration for vB 3.6

Replaced by:
Replace URL's With Page Title
Jafo232 vBulletin 3.6 26 Mar 2013 13:08

This modification is in the archives.


3. Third iteration for vB3.7

Updated and replaced by:
Title Tag Fetcher (Auto Replace URL with Titletag)
Mod Version: 1.5c, by exportforce
vB Version: 3.7.x
Developer Last Online: Jul 2016

exportforce commented:

Since I needed a new URL Autotext Generator, I always loved the prework of Jafo232 and his Replace URL's With Page Title. I just did some modifications on this Mod and for some forseeing mistypings, I also leaned out the checking of the "www" if given.

4. Current version (this one) for vB 4.25 and compatibility with PHP7

Show Thread Enhancements - Auto Title Tag Fetcher (Title Tag as Anchor Text) for vB 4.2.5 & PHP7
Mod Version: 2.00, by djbaxter
Developer Last Online: Jul 2017
vB Version: 4.2.5

Small changes in the code to make it compatible with 4.2.5 and PHP7. Posted in the vB4 mods forum to make it easier to find.

If any of the original coders are still active and want to update this, please do so and then this thread can be archived. However, the last login date for the most recent coder was July 2016 and I wanted to save time for others by putting the information and code modifications in one place. Full credits given below.

The code was not explicitly marked as "Reusable". However:

1. the previous versions on which exportforce based his were not reusable code either and it's not clear from his mod whether he did or did not subsstantially recode the earlier versions by Jafo232
2. exportforce has not been online for a year and may not even be still using vBulletin
3. the previous mod was broken by vBulletin 4.2.5, at least running under 4.7.1
4. no mods that accomplish this task were listed in the vB4 forums
5. I made no claim to massive code changes nor to a complete code rewrite, just to minor updates to make it compatible with 4.2.5 and PHP7
6. Full credit was given to previous versions (that can be expanded further if you wish with specific links)

For all those reasons, and for the convenience of the vBulletin 4 user base, I made the decision to post it here.

I have contacted exportforce for permission to use and update his code. I await a reply from him but if he has moved on to other software or for other reasons no longer subscribes to vBulletin.org, it may take a while or I may never get a reply.

I think the issue here is what is best for the vBulletin 4 community. I didn't post this for personal reward or glory. I posted it for the convenience of the community. I already have it working on my forums so I gain nothing personally by posting it here. I don't make a living selling vBulletin mods and the few I have posted have always been free with Reusable Code. Ineed, BOP5 took one of them and improved it with my full blessing, making my original version redundant.

So I'll leave the decision to the moderator:

What is most important in an issue like this?

1. Sticking categorically to the rules about reusable code? or
2. Serving the already dwindling vBulletin community and leaving it posted here, at least until we give exportforce the opportunity to respond to my message requesting permission to reuse?

[mdawg]

I uninstalled the old version installed this one but it still shows as v 1.5c

I thought at first that you had uploaded a completely "new" version that included the PhP 7 code, but it's just the exact same mod from 2008, except with the version number updated to allow installation, with a still separate text file indicating what code to add/replace for PhP 7 compatibility.

[djbaxter]

Originally Posted by mdawg

I uninstalled the old version installed this one but it still shows as v 1.5c

Updated the product file to display the correct information.

[djbaxter]

Hold on. Messed something up. Not working now.

[djbaxter]

OK. Fixed version uploaded.

I also forgot to credit BirdOPrey5. Added.

[mdawg]

I actually installed yours, then went back and reinstalled the old one from the old thread that I manually updated the PhP 7 code for, because (and I don't even know why), whatever you had on this thread was not even working at all for me. My suggestion would be to make the default version the updated one that works with PhP 7 (I believe you have now done that), and include a text file with code to explain how to revert it for use with PhP 5.6 The way it is now, someone might still think that he needs to alter the code to make it work with PhP 7.

Actually I am not sure what you've done because I see this code in the app:

$messagetext = preg_replace_callback(
'#(^|\[/(' . $skiptaglist . ')\])(.*(\[(' . $skiptaglist . ')\]|$))#siU',
function ($matches)
{
return convert_url_to_bbcode_callback_auto_title($matches[3], $matches[1]);
},
$messagetext

Which seems to be a mixture of the old code:

$messagetext = preg_replace(
'#(^|\[/(' . $skiptaglist . ')\])(.*(\[(' . $skiptaglist . ')|$))#siUe',
"convert_url_to_bbcode_callback_auto_title('\\ 3', '\\1')",
$messagetext
);

and the new:

$messagetext = preg_replace_callback(
'#(^|\[/(' . $skiptaglist . ')\])(.*(\[(' . $skiptaglist . ')|$))#siU',
function($m) { return convert_url_to_bbcode_callback_auto_title($m[3], $m[1]); },
$messagetext
);

lol I'm a little hesitant to reinstall what ain't broke, so I'm sticking with what works that I got from the old thread and will just wait to see what happens with this new thread. Thanks!