Sample|Download|Installation Process

Sample

Click here to see a sample of comGuestBook:

Download

Installation process

How to install

Congratulations, you’ve just downloaded the comGuestBook.zip file, which contains a sample set of files that will allow you to quickly set up your own Menu Bar on your server and web pages.
This process will detail the steps needed to install and use comGuestBook on your web server.

The comGuestBook.zip file contains the following files:

• install.php: This is the script that will help you to install the component on the server, whether you choose a file based configuration or a Database based configuration, run this script first in order to proceed.
• comGuestBook.php: this is the main script, it will allow you to run the component,
• login.php: This script allow the admin to login as it has been configured during the installation process (only available for database configurations).
• comGuestBookAdmin: this script allows the logged user to remove undesired information from the database (only available for database configurations).
• logged.php: this script supports the user login facility (only available for database configurations).
• stylesheet.css: contains the definitions for all the other scripts, allowing user to adapt easily to their own webpage design.

Once the comGuestBook.zip downloaded into your computer, you should unpack the content into a folder, or into HTDOCS folder if you have a localhost server. Note that the original hierarchy will have to be maintained; all scripts should be copied into a comGuestBook folder.

If you have a localhost folder you can try to install the component locally by running the install script (http://locahost/…/comGuestBook/install.php). If not, FTP all scripts to your web server, respecting the folder hierarchy. At this point, the installation procedure should work the same way (http://yoursite/…/comGuestBook/install.php) (note that on Unix based servers, the respect of capital letter is important).

The install.php script should be the first one to be ran since the other scripts are not supposed to work without a proper installation.

You will choose between 2 possible configurations:

• File configuration

With this configuration, your guest book file will be written into a file that the installation process will previously create on your server in a specific folder.
To perform this installation configuration simply check the “File” radio button, and fill the folder name and file name information, then press the Install button.

This action will perform 3 steps on the server:

• inside the comGuestBook folder, it will create a new folder, with the name you’ve just filled in,
• inside this new folder, it will create a new file, with the name you’ve just filled in,
• finally, inside the comGuestBook folder, it will create a config.php file that will store your configuration.

Please note the following:

• If successfully executed, you will need to check the guest book file attribute and eventually change them to allow WRITE/READ capabilities,
• Due to level of security on the server you use, you might not be able to create a file or a folder by script. At this point you have 2 solutions:
  • Install the component on your local server first then upload your files, or
  • Try to perform the installation on your remote server, if it fails to create some components, the install.php process will help guide you to the solution.
    

• Mysql configuration

With this configuration, your guest book data will be stored into the database you’ve chosen in the installation process.
To perform this installation configuration simply check the “MySql” radio button, and fill the following fields with the accurate data:

• Name of the host (ex.: localhost),
• Name of the database,
• Name of the admin user of the database,
• Password of the admin user of the database,
• Prefix of the table name of the component (ex.: “GuestBook_”),
• Name of the admin user of the comGuestBook component,
• Password of the admin user of the comGuestBook component,
  

This action will perform 2 steps on the server:

• It will create 2 new tables in the database, you’ve just specified:
  • Prefix + “auth”: to store information about the administrator of the component,
  • Prefix + “book”: to store information that user will fill.
• inside the comGuestBook folder, it will create a config.php file that will store your configuration.

Please note the following:

• Due to level of security on the server you use, you might not be able to create a file or a folder by script. At this point you have 2 solutions:
  • Install the component on your local server first then upload your files, or
  • Try to perform the installation on your remote server, if it fails to create some components, the install.php process will help guide you to the solution.

How to re-install.

To re-install the component on your server, the first step to perform is to remove the components of the previous installation. This has to be done manually.
Then run install.php again and it will make a fresh installation of the component. Please note that your previous data will not be taken care of, unless you migrate them manually into the new structure.

Improving the Design

The component has been not been designed so it could stay the most general possible, allowing the user to easily apply its own design. A css file (stylesheet.css) has been however created and it can be also changed easily.