Reliable way to add an attachment to a PM?

[rcane]

It seems to be a unicorn over in the mod db...

[shadav]

https://custom.simplemachines.org/mods/index.php?mod=1974

and then this is a nice one to go with it
https://custom.simplemachines.org/mods/index.php?mod=3770

[rcane]

oh nice.   very clever.

[GigaWatt]

I would advise you NOT to implement a mod with which you have no control over attachments. Users can spam/flood the forum with unwanted attachments... for fun, or out of spite... who knows. In the end, it doesn't even matter, the size of the forum could start growing rapidly without you knowing why this is happening. It's hard going back from a mess like that.

This is the main reason why most forum software solutions, commercial and free, don't implement this feature by default.

[shadav]

while that is a good point....you can turn on reporting of pms as well as don't allow specific membergroups or postgroups to use the pms....I don't allow anyone below 10 posts to be able to use pms and anyone under 20 posts has to pass verification to use pm and is limited to only 20 a day (I might lower that)

[Aleksi "Lex" Kilpinen]

There's also potential legal problems with that. You host the attachments, so you could basically be held responsible should someone decide to distribute something illegal through your forum.
Now, sure if you use the attachment system built in to SMF, then you do basically have the tools to screen them periodically - but then again, should you if they were part of a private conversation that you don't have access to?
That's a whole can of worms - without very good answers in my opinion.

[rcane]

All very good points.

[GigaWatt]

I don't allow anyone below 10 posts to be able to use pms and anyone under 20 posts has to pass verification to use pm and is limited to only 20 a day (I might lower that)

I've seen long time members get p*ssed off for one reason or another and start deleting their posts or editing them to just three dots. If they wanted, they could just create a new account and start sending spamming messages with random files in attachments to that account.

There's also potential legal problems with that. You host the attachments, so you could basically be held responsible should someone decide to distribute something illegal through your forum.

Another concern... which really doesn't concern me as a forum owner, but still, it's a valid point.