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<b>Help pop-ups during install.</b>

Posted by Brian Moon 
<b>Help pop-ups during install.</b>
May 12, 2002 10:53PM
<HTML>Ive come up with help pop-ups for new installation script, it consists of 5 steps, and can be found in cvs.

Step 1:

First off, welcome to Phourm Installation Script. I will try guiding a novice Phorum Admin through installation. All you need to on the 1st step is to choose the language of Installation, and my language as well.

Step 2:
At the top of each installation screen you will see information on the actions that took place after you hit the button. On last step, phorum made sure that permissions of the files that phorum will write to are correct. If you see <font class='check_bad'>[BAD]</font> next to the forums.php or settings dir, you have to CHMOD it 777 or 666 (any should work, but 666 might not work on some servers). It is usually done with FTP client such as SmartFTP by right clicking on the file/dir and choosing \"File Permissions\" or \"Chmod\" command. You don't have to push \"Refresh\" button of your browser if you are sure to set correct permissions, but if you are not sure, Phorum will recheck the permissions after you refresh your browser.<br \><br \> After you fixed permissions, it is time to choose the database interface your server has. Phorum supports MySQL and PostgreSQL. MySQL is the most wide used, but I would suggest checking with your hosting provider, if you are not sure which one your server has installed.

Step 3:

Ok, here you will have to enter your database information. Different hosting companies have different setups, usually, if its virutal hosting, the Mysql/Pgsql information will be provided in their control pannel. <br \><b>Server Name</b> is the hostname or ip of the computer that has Database installed. If you couldn't find it in your control pannel or in the registration email that was sent from the host, its most likely localhost. Otherwise its going to be ip inside the host i.e 192.168.0.2. If host notified you that you have to use a port other than 3306, I reccomend that you will enter it too, such as [hostname]:[port] (Ex. 192.168.0.2:2222). <br \><b>Database</b> field tells phorum to which particular database to connect. Database usually have to be created if your host allows multiple databases, you can name it anything you want, and make sure you put exact name of that database. If your host doesn't allow multiple databases, it will most likely be ether same as your login name or same as your domain name (Ex. If your domain is aeonn.com, your database name would be aeonn_com). <br \><b>Username</b> and <b>Password</b> are usually supplied by the host, otherwise they are most likely be your ftp/control pannel user and password. <br \><b>Main Table Name</b> is the table where main phorum information is will be stored. It has to be unique (i.e. there can't other table with the same name.)<br \><b>Upgrade</b> Checkbox is required for eveyone who is upgrading from preveous installations.

Step 4:

If you got past Step 3, you are in good shape, your database is working, tables are created. In this step we will create a user who will have full access to admin features. All fields are pretty obvious. If you are upgrading from phorum with user login (3.3 +) you might want to enter your Username and Password, so phorum could check if you are the admin or not, if user you entered is in database, but not admin, Installation will make him one, if he is an admin, Installation will not worry about admins.

Step 5:

Last step before you can start adding forums/enabling features. Here, you should check if the <b>Phorum URL</b> is correct. It suppose to be the base dir of phorum (if person types it, he would get to the list of phorums or to the list of topics, if it happens to have only one forum). <br \>Then, if its new install you will need to enter <b>Admin Email Address</b> which will become default email and an e-mail address for user specified earlier. Default email Address will be shown as Admin E-mail throughout the phorum for users to have ability to e-mail you. <br \><b>Display Name</b> which is also visible only for people who are doing fresh install is the name which will be shown to public in forums and in profile (Ex.: Administrator, Your real name, your nick, etc). <br \>If it's an upgrade, you will see <b>Phorum Email Address</b> will be shown as Admin E-mail throughout the phorum for users to have ability to e-mail you. It is assumed that admin e-mail and this e-mail are the same; however, you may change it right now, and later in admin.


Any changes are welcome before we release new lang to be translated.</HTML>



Brian - Cowboy Ninja Coder - Personal Blog - Twitter
<b>Re: Help pop-ups during install.</b>
May 13, 2002 05:05AM
<HTML>great, I've just gone through an installation with these :-).

please tell in step 3 in bold, that the database and user for the database has to be created before.
there were a lot of misunderstandings in this point :-).

I will go for the german translation this evening.

Perhaps an idea ... if the popup-window is still open, why not automatically load the information for the next step in it? so not only if you click on help again.</HTML>

<b>Re: Help pop-ups during install.</b>
May 14, 2002 03:46PM
<HTML>you keep complicating it arent u? ill see what i can do :)</HTML>



Brian - Cowboy Ninja Coder - Personal Blog - Twitter
<b>Re: Help pop-ups during install.</b>
May 14, 2002 05:15PM
<HTML>just an idea. no big problem if its to complicated :-) ... I just thought if we are on our way ... ;-).</HTML>

Re: &lt;b&gt;Help pop-ups during install.&lt;/b&gt;
July 12, 2002 11:21PM
so i take it that its is perfect? cool



Brian - Cowboy Ninja Coder - Personal Blog - Twitter

This so called pop-up guide seems like a supplement to my proposed "Phorum Installation Plan". My draft plan did not put details in the part 2 "Phorum Installation Stage" and part 3 "Phorum Configuration Stage". However, my draft has more information on the "preparation stage" including how to have administrator set up a MySQL account. Once your thread is fully discussed and furbished, would you mind I include or refer your thread in my draft installation plan?

Now back to your thread's openning post,

Quote on step 1: "All you need to on the 1st step is to choose the language of Installation, and my language as well."

Q: In the SNAPSHOT, "Language" option is in the "Create New Forum" admin screen. Are you starting this pop-up help from "Create New Forum" screen by claiming it is the first step? Why not start your help from the first step such as "Admin Login" or "Main Admin" screens? Or, maybe your "language of installation" means something else??

Quota on step 2: ...If you see <font class='check_bad'>[BAD]</font> next to the forums.php or settings dir, you have to CHMOD it 777 or 666 (any should work, but 666 might not work on some servers).

Q: What this error message <font class='check_bad'>[BAD]</font> has any connection to a file access error? Shouldn't you get something like "unable or do not have the privilege to write to ***"? You have mentioned once that this file protection settings is important because it will allow web server to write to it. If you set chmod to '777', it will allow everyone to write and delete this phorums.php file. Why do you want to do this?

Quote on step 3: ...Database usually have to be created if your host allows multiple databases, you can name it anything you want, and make sure you put exact name of that database. If your host doesn't allow multiple databases, it will most likely be ether same as your login name or same as your domain name

Q: You have me lost in the galaxy IV.

1. Which screen are you referring to at this step? Are you referring to the Database Configuring/settings screen?

2. When you are using the Phorum's PHP Admin 'Database Settings' screen to configure your Phorum, does this screen create a new MySQL database for you on the fly, or it just connect to a database that had already been created? This answer will affect the procedure of the preparation stage in my installation plan.

3. How about if your administrator did not grant you privilege to create a database? Can you still use 'Database Settings' screen's php script to create or connect a database? What order should you give to your administrator so that he can create a database with a username or more users coupled with proper privileges for you? (refer to my installation plan's step A and step B-1)

Quote on Step 4: ..If you got past Step 3, you are in good shape, your database is working, tables are created. In this step we will create a user who will have full access to admin features.

Q: You have me in disoriented space again.
What screens have been configured so far? If your step 3 was dealing with the 'Database Settings' screen, then didn't you just enter a 'User name' in that screen? What is this 'we will create a user who will have full access to admin features' at step 4 means??

Let's just get the above questions clarified first, please.

Thanks and regards,

Dan Chang
Re: &lt;b&gt;Help pop-ups during install.&lt;/b&gt;
July 28, 2002 09:46PM
A1: No, it will select the language of installation, we will include different languages, so people would understand the installation help better, in their naitive language.
A2: Its a notice to a user that he has to change file permittions before it actually has to write anything to that file.
A3: You described the proccess of database creation for a private server with an admin, i describe it for people who PAY for their hosting which includes php and mysql support.
A4: in step 3 you enter database settings, which usually includes a database user, in step 4 you create a user for phorum, that will have admin privilegies.



Brian - Cowboy Ninja Coder - Personal Blog - Twitter
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