Key features of the vBulletin attachment functionality include the following:
- Multiple attachments can be associated with a single reply.
- Multiple attachments can be uploaded in a single operation.
- Attachments can have smaller, thumbnail versions.
- Attachments can be moderated.
- You have full administrative control over file type, file size, and image dimension.
- You can search and sort attachments in the Admin CP.
- You can store attachments in either the database or the file system.
- Users can manage their own attachments from their User CP.
You can set attachment permissions at the usergroup level. For example, vBulletin allows you to limit the total size of all of a user's attachments at the usergroup level. This is useful in preventing a single user from taking up too much storage space.
You can store attachments in either the database or the file system attached to your web server. Both methods have advantages and disadvantages. The database is more efficient with storage space and is easier to back up than individual files. However, attachments served up from the database take additional time and resources. Other considerations include how you want to restrict access to attachments and whether you want to use the vBulletin permission system or directory permissions like htaccess.
vBulletin attachment options allow you to specify a maximum filesize for each type of file you allow in your system. This capability is useful in restricting the size of larger files like videos and images.
The vBulletin attachment system supports thumbnails. For example, you can configure vBulletin to generate a miniature version of the image (called a thumbnail) that is linked to the larger version. This capability is useful in preventing large inline image attachments from stretching your site layout.
If you are using the ImageMagick library, you might be able to create thumbnails from additional image types, for example BMP, TIF, PSD, and PDF. Be sure to install the latest version of ImageMagick if you intend to allow thumbnail PDF files.