AutoRank PHP v1.0.x Installation

Unix/Linux Installation Instructions

If you need assistance with this software you must use the resources in the CGI Works owners lounge. See the bottom of this file for more details on obtaining technical support.
  1. At this point it is assumed you have extracted the archive containing AutoRank PHP. If you have not yet done so, you should do that now.

    You should also have the following information on hand:

    - The name of the mySQL database which you will be using to store the data*
    - The username which you use to access the mySQL database
    - The password which you use to access the mySQL database

    If you do not have this information, contact your server administrator to get it.

    * This name is not something you can just make up. The database must be created by your server administrator in order for you to use it. If you don't know the name of a database which you are allowed to use, contact your server administrator to get that information or to have them create a database for you.

  2. You will now need to login to your server and create some directories for AutoRank PHP. First off, decide where you want the .php files installed. On most servers they can go in any directory except the cgi-bin. Inside the directory you have decided on, you will need to create 4 subdirectories; name them templates, data, inc, and admin. Note: The only files you should place in these directories are the ones indicated in this documentation. Uploading other files can and will cause problems.

    Now, you need to decide where you want the HTML files written to. This can be in the same directory as the .php files if you wish, but we recommend placing them in a seperate directory.

    Example Directory Structure:

    /home/username/php/toplist location of ar.php and in.php files
    /home/username/php/toplist/admin location of admin.php and setup.php files
    /home/username/php/toplist/data location of script data files
    /home/username/php/toplist/templates location of all template files
    /home/username/php/toplist/inc location of all .inc files
    /home/username/toplist where the main HTML files will be generated


  3. Next you need to edit the ar.php file in a text editor. Four variables need to be set in this file.

    $user = 'devel';
    $pass = 'devel';
    $db = 'devel';
    $host = 'localhost';

    These variables tell the software the name of the database you are using, the username/password combination to access the database server, and the hostname of the server where the database is located. In most cases, you do not need to change the $host variable - if you do not know what to use in this field, contact your server administrator for assistance.

    The remaining variables are straightforward. $db is the name of the mySQL database you will be using to store the data. If a database has not yet been created, contact your server administrator to have them create one for you. The $user variable is the username you use to login to the mySQL server, and the $pass variable is the password you use to login to the mySQL server.

    Once you have made the changes, save the file and continue with the next step.

  4. You now need to edit the .htaccess file from the admin directory of the archive. This is the file that will enable the password protection of the admin directory once it is on your server. A description of what needs to be edited and how to do it can be found in the .htaccess file. This file should be edited in a text editor.

  5. Now you are ready to begin uploading the files to your server. On most servers it is not necessary to upload the files in ASCII mode, however we recommend that you do so anyway.

    Below is a table of where each file should be uploaded, using the example directory structure above:

    /php/toplist
    accounts.php
    ar.php
    comments.php
    http.php
    image.php
    in.php
    init.php
    mysql.php
    out.php
    phpworks.php
    proxy.sql
    quick.php
    random.php
    rate.php
    search.php
    sort.php

    Do not upload cleanup.php unless you are removing the software from your
    server or have been instructed to by the CGI Works tech support staff.

    /php/toplist/admin
    .htaccess
    admin.php
    help.php
    setup.php

    /php/toplist/data
    .htaccess
    def.html
    errors.php

    /php/toplist/inc
    .htaccess
    All .inc files

    /php/toplist/templates
    All .htmlt, .etmpl, and .phpt files

  6. Next, you will need to set permissions on the directories and files that AutoRank PHP will be using. If you are not sure how to set permissions, consult the documentation for your FTP client and/or contact your server administrator for more information. Below is a table containing the permissions you will need to set on each directory or file. If you do not see a file or directory listed, you do not need to change the permissions on it.

    File or Directory Permissions
    Directory Containing the .php files 711
    inc Directory 711
    templates Directory 711
    data Directory 777
    admin Directory 777
    Directory where HTML files will be written 777
    All .htmlt & .etmpl Files 666

    These are only the recommended file permissions, and may need to be altered depending on your server configuration. Once you have all permissions set, continue to the next step.

  7. You are now ready to begin the WWW based portion of the setup. In your browser, type in the full URL to the init.php file on your server. This will initialize the installation, and prepare the administrative directory. Once you have run init.php, and received a message indicating you may proceed, you can bring up setup.php in your browser. It is also now safe to remove the init.php file from your server - it is no longer needed. The default login info to access the password protected administrative area is:

    Username: admin
    Password: admin

    You will then be presented with a page where you will fill in variables and options for the software. After you have set all of the variables, click the button near the bottom of the page. If everything went well, you will be presented with a page telling you that the variables have been recorded, and some self tests will be done by the script. If all the tests pass, you are ready to go on. If any of them fail, you will need to check file permissions and directory settings. If you get any error messages after you press the button, you most likely have either a permissions setting wrong or one of the variables in arp.php is incorrectly set.

  8. You should now be ready to begin using the software. The first thing you will want to do is point your browser to admin.php. Use the same login information as is listed above.

    Once inside the admin script you can start exploring the features, but make sure that you change the username/password combination soon after your initial installation. This can be done by selecting the Change Admin Password function from the first pull down menu. Make sure you use a password that contains a combination of letters, numbers, and symbols so that it is very difficult to guess.

    In the administrative script, you will find links to "help" near the bottom of each page. Clicking on that help link will bring up a description of the function you are working with.

  9. Help Prevent Software Piracy

    If you have uploaded the AutoRank PHP zip (or tar or tar.gz) file to your server, remove it now. Leaving it on your server provides a chance for other users to steal it from your web space. Make sure you never leave a copy of the software where other people can access it.

    Never share your software with anyone. The license you purchased is for your use only - you may not give the software to anyone under any circumstances. If you are caught doing this, you will be charged with software piracy and face fines up to $100,000.

    Never share your owners lounge username or password with anyone. Again, that is for your use only. We will never ask for you to send your password to us, so if you ever get an e-mail requesting it you should not send it.

    Do not upload the software documentation to your server or share it with anyone. We keep the documentation in the owners lounge so only legitimate customers can access it. This makes it much more difficult for users of pirated software to figure out how to use it.

    If you ever find a site that is offering our software for download, please contact us immediately so we can have the site shut down. Every time our software is pirated instead of purchased, it means less money for us to continue the development of that and future software.

After Installation is Complete

Once you have completed the installation you will want to get your ranking page setup and ready to accept new members. Here we will outline the steps you will want to take immediately following the installation. You should also begin reading the overview.html documentation file so you can get an understanding of how the software works.

  1. The first thing you will want to do is setup the HTML for each of your ranking pages. This is done through the administrative script. Complete details on setting up your HTML can be found in the HTML.html documentation file.

  2. After HTML is setup for all of your ranking pages, you can use the Rerank the List function. This is the first option available in the first pull down menu of the administrative interface. Note that you should always let the script create the html files. If they already exist on the server, you should delete them before reranking the list for the first time. Once you have successfully reranked the list, you can view the output on the HTML files you selected to have the rankings written to - there is a link on your administrative page to the main ranking page.

  3. The next thing you will probably want to do is edit the templates for the accounts.php, comments.php, and rate.php scripts. These can all be edited by using the built in template editor in the administrative interface. Complete descriptions of each of the templates can be found on templates.html which is available from the owners lounge.
Getting Tech Support For Your Software

Where To Get Tech Support

If you need any assistance with this software, you must use the resources in the CGI Works owners lounge. This is the only way to contact the tech support department. Use the following URL, and the login information you selected when you purchased the software:

http://www.jmbsoft.com/owners/

Important Tech Support Notes:

If you edit the scripts in any way other than described above, you will no longer be eligible for technical support. We absolutely cannot provide support for edited copies of our software.

The only way we provide support for our commercial scripts is through the owners lounge. We do it this way to make sure we are providing support only to those who have paid for the scripts and deserve it. If you post a message at the Freeware Help Board it will be deleted - you must post on the Owners Lounge board. Also, sending a plain e-mail to us will be ignored, you must use the tech support request form in the Owners Lounge.

These methods also help to ensure that we are not wasting our time providing support for illegal copies of our software, and will result in faster responses to legitimate owners questions.

Thank You, and enjoy your new software!