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Submitter

Michael
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File Information

Submitted: Jun 22 2006 06:42 PM
Last Updated: Aug 31 2006 08:40 PM
File Size: 47.29K
Views: 13769
Downloads: 2,688

Download [Unsupported] (FSY21) Universal Mod Installer v1.3.2

5 Votes

What is it?
The Universal Mod Installer is a script designed to let you quickly and easily install or uninstall any mods that are designed to be compatible with it. Using this script, you can have one secure place to perform (nearly) all of the steps involved in adding or removing modifications to your v2.1.x Invision Power Board.

What can it do?
The script reads the XML file that will come with the mods you want to install and use this information to build a task list of steps that it must perform. This task list will be dynamically generated based on the content of the XML, and it will use that same info to construct a list of uninstallation tasks if you ever want to uninstall a mod using the script. The following is a list of what things the script is capable of doing/creating:

ACP Setting Groups
ACP Settings
Components
Language Strings
Skin Templates
Tasks
Database Tables
Database Columns
Database Rows
Database Updates
Custom Scripts (mod makers can write PHP files with custom mod installation instructions not covered above)
Rebuild IPB Caches (Rebuilds the Components, Forums, Groups & Settings caches)
Rebuild Skin Caches

What can't it do?
The script is very powerful, but it won't do all of the work for all mod installations. It cannot perform file edits (with the exception of the Language and Skin files), those will still need to be done manually. The only other limitation I am currently aware of is that the code to allow Database Tables to be created is supported in MySQL only, not in MSSQL or Oracle. MySQL is far and away the most commonly used database driver, though, so this should not be a problem for most users. And of course it is only going to work with mods designed to use this script; mod makers would need to create their XMLs in a very specific structure to take advantage of this.

Benefits
So what exactly are some of the benefits to using this script?

Security - When you first access the script, you are prompted for your forum user name and password. The script validates that you are a registered forum user and that you have administrative access to the board. These permissions are continually checked throughout the execution process. Only members with administrative access will be able to do anything with the script.
Convenience - You now just need to know one URL to go to (you can even just bookmark that URL) to perform an installation or uninstallation of any mod this script supports. No more worrying about whether or not you typed in the correct URL to the installer, and no more asking the mod maker for uninstallation instructions.
Thoroughness - The feature set of this mod is second to none, it can perform a wide variety of different tasks, and the ability to add custom PHP scripts into it just increases the flexibility of potential uses of this script.

Compatible Mods
These are the mods that have been written to use this system. Mod makers, let me know when you make a mod compatible with this system and I'll add you to the list!