Assumptions
and Comments:
While phpTopsites
was built to be as easy to use as possible, some requisite knowledge
should be possessed before attempted setup and use. As a minimum:
- You
should have a web server that parses php code. All versions of
phpTopsites after v1.1 will use the .php file extension. This
is in preparation of the coming PHP 4.0 Release which chooses *.php
as it's standard file extension.
- You should have access
to a MySQL server that
you have permission to use, and you should have full access to at least
one "database/hostname/username/password" setup. If
you are confused consult your isp or systems admin.
- You should know how to use an FTP
client or similar file transfer device.
- Setup would
probably be a lot easier if you also know how to login to your web server
or web space account with a
Telnet client.
phpTopsites has been
fully tested on most every environment that the makers of php and mysql
claim their own products will run on. Personally I have set
it up on FreeBSD and Linux both using Apache, and I set it
up on Windows 98 with the Personal Web Server, and on Windows 2000 w/ IIS 5.0,
all successfully.
It'll run most anywhere.
Surprisingly enough, very little
knowledge of php and mysql is required for setup. Explicit
instructions are given each step of the setup. If you experience
setup problems, it may be too early in your web career to be using this
script. Don't let that stop you! Visit the support
forum and ask for help. Explain what you can't get to work in
as much detail as possible and someone will respond to help... maybe...
Definition of the word "Upgrade" as quoted from my Mentor,
Friend, and Unix God, Mark Finkle:
To Upgrade...is to take out the old bugs...and put in new ones... The point?
The point is to remember this is FREE Software. It comes with
absolutely no warranty of any kind. (insert favorite disclaimer
here) If it appears broken at times, I am sorry. I'm just a
nobody who likes to program. The best thing to do is to help fix
it. Report the bug, submit the fix, etc... Everything
helps...
May the source be with you...
Instructions
for easy phpTopsites initialization:
1. Read the Security
Notes.
2. Chmod
your phpTopsites install directory as well as your chosen banner
directory so they have write permissions. This can be accomplished
on Unix systems like this:
chmod
777 /path/to/my/phpTopsites
chmod 777
/path/to/my/phpTopsites/banners
3. Edit config.php
with a regular text editor to
reflect the proper settings for your particular mysql server setup and
several other options that need to be set.
The basic syntax for connecting to a mysql server from the command line,
such as through a telnet client, is like this:
mysql -uuser -ppassword
(no spaces after -u
or -p)
If you cannot establish a connection to your system's mysql server, or
if you are unsure,
contact your system admin. [MySQL
Documentation]
4. Once connected, Create a database
called "phpTopsites". You may call your database
anything you want to, but for the purposes of the setup instructions we
will assume you named it phpTopsites.
The basic syntax for creating a new mysql database from the command line
is like this:
mysql> create database phpTopsites;
[MySQL
Documentation]
Note:
If you need to call your database something else besides
"phpTopsites", be sure and edit config.php to reflect the change.
After you attempt to
create the "phpTopsites" database, you should check yourself
by viewing the database. The basic syntax for viewing databases on
a given mysql server is like this:
mysql>
show databases;
The database you just
created should be shown like this:
+-------------+
| Database |
+-------------+
| phpTopsites |
+-------------+
1 rows in set (0.01 sec)
5. Test the connection to
your new "phpTopsites" database by clicking
here. If all goes
well you'll be back here in a few seconds going to the next step.
If not, then you probably have something wrong with config.php or
you have not properly created "phpTopsites". [MySQL
Documentation]
6. Tell the mysql server
that "phpTopsites" is the database you would like to
use. Here is the standard syntax: mysql>
use phpTopsites;
You should see the
following:
Database changed
7. Add all the tables, and
optionally, the demo data, to the phpTopsites Database that are defined in
phpTopsites.sql.txt.
The basic syntax for creating tables in a mysql database is like this:
mysql>
CREATE TABLE accounts ( );
8. Make sure and create all the tables listed in
phpTopsites.sql.txt. You should end up with
a total of (4) tables, "accounts", "admin",
"counter", and "categories". Check yourself to ensure this. The
basic syntax for viewing tables within a given database is like this:
mysql> show
tables;
You should see something
like this:
+-----------------------+
| Tables in phpTopsites |
+-----------------------+
| accounts
|
| admin
|
| categories
|
| counter
|
+-----------------------+
4 rows in set (0.01 sec)
Adding the demo data will
allow you a generic look and feel to begin with.
9. Tweak your phpTopsites out using the Look
and Feel page. Tweak the Categories here.
If all has gone ok up to this point, you should be safe to run the build.php
script.
10. You will need to
invoke cron or some other similar utility to run the reset.php script
and the build.php script however often you wish to run
them. phpTopsites is designed with the
assumption that you will want to reset all the member's hit counts every
24 hours and possibly update (rebuild) phpTopsites every 30 minutes or
so. You will also need access to a precompiled binary of php.
Here are some example
cron entries:
00 01 * * *
/usr/local/bin/php ~/admin/reset.php > /dev/null
0-59/30 * * * * /usr/local/bin/php ~/build.php > /dev/null
You will probably want to completely delete the master
reset script from your website as it is only useful in the development and demo
version of phpTopsites. You run the risk of total site erasure
otherwise.
11. Edit
mail.php. You must uncomment line 20 to send mass mail to members.
12. phpTopsites is distributed under it's own free but restricted
software license:
Do's
You may use and alter phpTopsites in
any way you wish for your own personal use.
You may attempt to make money using phpTopsites as a web application
only.
You may use the phpTopsites code for an infinite time span.
Don'ts
You may not attempt to make money redistributing copies of phpTopsites
for profit.
You may never remove the Copyright Text or deface it such that it is not
fully readable.
Please always maintain at least a simple text link to the phpTopsites homepage from your running copy of phpTopsites.
You may not claim you wrote any portion of phpTopsites.
You may not redistribute phpTopsites with any other code or software,
FREE or for profit.
You may not commercially redistribute phpTopsites under any conditions.
12. As with any good "Program", never forget the 12th and
final step :-)
Send Development Donations to:
Greg
Donald
6535 Premier Dr. Apt C-12
Nashville, TN, 37209 |
|