Help getting my IPS working...

Johnny Doomo · April 9th, 2006, 12:39 AM

I don't really know what I should change the settings to. Right now it's the defaults:

Default PATH setting: /home2/user/public_html/images/data/
Default URL setting: http://www.domain.com/images/data

Is what I want to do is make it so that the images are protected above the web root.

Question 1: So for "Default PATH setting" I would change it to "/home2/user/images/" right?

Question 2: What do I change the "Default URL setting" to?

Question 3: How do I get all the images already in the database that are in the default spot to the new spot above the web root?

Question 4: Are images that are located above the web root automatically protected from bandwidth leeching AND if not is it just a htaccess that's needed?

Question 5: What the difference between "Edit data .htaccess" and the "Edit fullsized .htaccess" links in the IPS? It appears they edit the same .htaccess file?

Thank you for your help.

Chuck S · April 9th, 2006, 10:27 AM

The default url remains the same

The default path I would suggest a path BELOW YOUR WEBROOT. Make this directory and CHMOD to 777 and then use IPS to move the images.

No images within the webroot are protected from bandwidth leeching thats why you use an htaccess file

In admin editing the different htaccess files works only if you have a different server path to the large images. This will work once you move your images to another server path from the default.

Johnny Doomo · April 10th, 2006, 10:24 AM

So changing the "PATH setting" after I've already created the directory on the server and CHMODed it to 777 and clicking the button it will automatically move all my large images and create the directory structure in the proper directory that I just created above the webroot?

Chuck S · April 10th, 2006, 12:36 PM

It will create the categories and move the medium and large images to the server path you specify that is 777 chmod yes

Johnny Doomo · April 10th, 2006, 01:24 PM

medium? I thought Photopost couldn't protect medium size images from hotlinking? But I thought above the webroot meant they were protected? I thought that's what I was told in this thread: Help on protecting my images.

Now I'm confused.

Question 1: Using IPS to move images above webroot moves fullsize(native) and the medium size images?

Question 2: Moving images above webroot protects them from hotlinking?

Question 3: If I use the IPS and move the images to above the webroot, they are protected and only the thumbsnails won't be protected unless they have a htaccess file? (I don't want thumbnails protected just full, and medium if possible.)

Chuck S · April 10th, 2006, 01:25 PM

Moving images above the webroot protects them from hotlinking

Yes this is what I have told you. I beleive I brought up the idea of using IPS to you a while back.

Johnny Doomo · April 10th, 2006, 02:53 PM

you said this here:

"as far as protecting medium images and still allowing thumbs you would need to place an htaccess in every medium directory and leave the main data directory open"

anyways that's in the past. I think it was just miscommunication. I think photopost.com needs better descriptions of what IPS is, does and what it can and cannot protect. This seems to be a very important feature not mentioned or pushed enough. I will go a head and try using the IPS and begin playing around with what is and isn't protected.

Chuck S · April 10th, 2006, 02:59 PM

I beleive my comments where based on something else you where trying to do not using IPS but yes miscommunication it would seem

Johnny Doomo · April 10th, 2006, 04:32 PM

OK I tested the IPS after images were moved above the webroot and guess what. Hotlinking still works on both medium and FULL size images. What gives? Are there other settings I have to set? I noticed the images wouldn't show at all until I turned on the watermark.php processing. I was never told I needed that on to use IPS nor did I see it mentioned anywhere. Not that I mind it since it hides the path to the images, but the image url with the "watermark.php?file=125" is still hotlinkable. How do I get IPS to stop hotlinking?

If it's suppose to work, maybe through out a page to me where I can grab an image off your server and see if I can hotlink to it when I'm not suppose to?

Chuck S · April 10th, 2006, 04:35 PM

You can not use a script link on an external site. it simply does not work. That I am sure of. Since the files exist above the webroot there is no way to direct link them either so I dont know where your coming from on this. Go ahead and place a link here and see if it works.

Johnny Doomo · April 10th, 2006, 05:01 PM

No is what I was saying is if you have a test board that has this above webroot post a link to the page, and I will post that url on my forum and test it and then I will link you to the forum thread that will be hotlinking your image.

Can you do that? I'm trying to keep my domain as hush hush as possible for the time being.

I saw it work on my forum, I made sure I had a htaccess in the directory that is above webroot and it pulled the images and showed them on my other site with no problem what so ever. Like the htaccess file wasn't even there. I even tried viewing the forum page in another browser incase it was cookies or from the cache in the same browser and the other browser showed the images as well. Can you post a url for a test image that I can test this on?

Chuck S · April 10th, 2006, 05:27 PM

Of course you can show the image on your site if the user authenticates.

You dont use htaccess for images above the webroot as there is no need since they can not be direct linked and are serves by a script which can not be hotlinked.. If you try and post an image here you will see if does not work is what I am saying.

Chuck S · April 10th, 2006, 05:32 PM

I tried linking one of my images here it simply does not work

Johnny Doomo · April 10th, 2006, 05:52 PM

I don't know what you are talking about.

scenario 1: I post just the url straight to the image and I click it and it opens a download window to download the image. You click save, it saves it and shows the image. HENCE it completely bypasses anybody viewing my site, but still grabbing the image.

scenario 2: I take the medium size or the large image size url: http://www.domain.com/images/waterma...ile=126&size=1 and I put it on my forum using my bbcode [ss][/ss] which does this html:

Code:

Content visible to verified customers only.

and it shows the image RIGHT IN MY FORUM completely bypassing my image site again.

SOOO, how is IPS suppose to work because right now it isn't protecting anything I have. This is why I was hoping you could post the link here so I could grab it and test it with MY forum. I don't care how Photopost.com's forum is setup, I care how my forum is setup. If a forum only has to have some simple feature turned on to leech my image bandwidth that doesn't say much about IPS. I just wanted to test it on my stuff and not with your stuff. Is that possible? Does MPs viper car site use IPS? Could I grab one of his images and see if it works? My images are in the webroot, I deleted the ones that weren't, yet my forum can still hotlink to the images so it would HAVE TO pull it from the above webroot.

Ideas?

Chuck S · April 10th, 2006, 08:33 PM

A URL Link has nothing to do with hotlinking so we are not talking the same thing. Hotlinking is where your image is shown directly on a site. If your using IPS that can not be done. Also you can not get the image by a direct watermark link either.

If you post a url link to an image on my site it is not downloaded someone goes to my site example below

http://www.reeftalk.com/gallery/show...php?photo=1096

If I post a watermark script url you cant get the image either

http://www.reeftalk.com/gallery/wate...le=1096&size=1

You have to remember your logged in so of course you can download the image bet you cant get mine cause your not logged into my site. I know I tried. The only people who would ever be able to do that would be people who have access to view the images as in they are logged in.

Johnny Doomo · April 11th, 2006, 01:48 AM

Even when I logout of my PP powered site I can still view the images on my forum when I show them straight on the forum page. Even holding control in IE to not use cache they still show up.

Any ideas? They are on two different sites, but are on the same box. That shouldn't make a difference should it?

I don't understand why IPS seems to work really well on your site and on mine it seems like it's not even there. Any ideas on things I can check?

Chuck S · April 11th, 2006, 07:10 AM

I suggest you do a true test. Try posting a link here and view it when logged out

You are talking about hotlinking so try posting a link on another site outside your system

Johnny Doomo · April 11th, 2006, 10:24 AM

Before I do that I have a question. On your site the first link I click it says "You must be a registered user to view images!" The second link I can't see because I'm not logged in. So maybe I'm starting to understand IPS now.

Is all "IPS" does is move the images so that people have to go through a login system to view images? Like I said I allow ALL people to VIEW my images. So you are saying that if you were to turn on all people to view your images that IPS doesn't work?

That's what it's starting to seem like. I don't even want a site that forces people to register to have to view images. Hell, I have it so unregistered users can even upload.

Does IPS even work at all if you have images viewable to all and not restricted to only those that register?

EDIT: Just what I was affraid of. I turn on "Require users to be registered to view images?" and now it works just like yours. So how do I get it to work if I don't want to MAKE people register to view images?

And on another note... why isn't this "requirement" mentioned anywhere in the IPS page?

Please let me know if there is anyway to use IPS without using this "Require users to be registered to view images?" setting. Thank you.

Chuck S · April 11th, 2006, 01:10 PM

Quote:

The second link I can't see because I'm not logged in. So maybe I'm starting to understand IPS now.

Remember its all permissions related. If someone has permission to view images on your site they will be able to view them period.

Johnny Doomo · April 11th, 2006, 04:30 PM

Well I'm trying to PREVENT THAT.

How do you suggest I prevent hotlinking to full and medium sizes while keeping thumbs linkable AND without making people register just to view a frickin image?