paFileDB Script

paFileDB is designed to allow webmasters have a
database of files for download on their site. To add a download, all you do
is upload the file using FTP or whatever method you use, log into paFileDB's
admin center, and fill out a form to add a file. paFileDB lets you edit and
delete the files too. No more messing with a bunch of HTML pages for a file
database on your site! Using speedy MySQL for storing data, and powerful PHP
for processing everything, paFileDB is one of the best and easiest ways to manage
files!

Server Requirements

-PHP 4.0.3 or higher

-MySQL database access

-Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2k/XP, or one of the many types of Linux or Unix

Review:

Early in December 2003 I decided I would like to
host videos of 4x4's and off-road events. I didn't want the download section

of the site to be static, it had to be easily updated and maintained. Another
requirement I had was that I needed to keep track

of downloads, and also display more than just a filename for my visitors. I
needed to tell my visitors a little bit about the videos

as well as update spelling errors and typos on the fly. (Before I continue you
must note that pafiledb is not only for videos, it is for

downloading any type of file.) So my search started for a script that could
perform all of these functions, I tried about 5 different

scripts all claiming to do what I needed. The scripts I tried were either a
royal pain to install or after installing I found out they indeed

did not have what I needed. Finally after hours of working with prior scripts
I found pafiledb. The script installed easily, and only

took a few minutes to setup the configuration file. If you note on my site I
use a heavily modified template to display the results

of pafiledb. This is simply HTML and you can edit it yourself too. I edited
the pafiledb template to match my website.

Once you have pafiledb installed, and the template
looking how you want it's time to add some files. Adding files is simple, and

the task can be completed through the administration area. In the admin area
you can add categories, add files, add team members,

add licenses, add extra fields, alter settings as well as BACKUP the database
and resotore it. paFileDB puts all the great features in the admin area

so that you do not have to keep logging into your mysql database to modify the
database, create users and scripts. One of the nicest features is the ability
to create extra fields. I use 3 extra fields myself, one for file size, one
for file type, and one for movie length. This really helps my visitors, and
lets them know how long to expect the download to take.

When adding a file you can type in a title, short
description and long description. This is great for files which need a lot of
explaining. For my sites I normally just do a title and short description, the
script works fine without fields filled in. There is also options to enter the
author, screenshots, documentation links, and more. When selecting where to
place the file you also have the option to "pin it" to the top of
that category as well as add "cool" icons next to the file name.

paFileDB is easy to work with, and makes
maintaing my video site a breeze. I reccomend it to anyone with a large or even
small download site. Currently I run 150 videos or so on the site, and have
almost reached 500k downloads.