Zikula Community

I have been playing with PostNuke, PHP and mysql on my pc. Everything is configured and working properly.

I am a little confused about how I am to get everything to my host provider. I have a dsl connection.

Do I use ftp or is there another way to get everything there? I find it hard to believe that after a simple ftp everything will work. I am basing that on the fact that everything is based on my c: drive and not a server.

There are 3 components as I see it:

1) SQL - I have configured SQL on my host provider through their web site. I see how I can export Phoenix from mysqladmin. How do I import it into mysql on my host provider?

2) I have made modification to PHP files. I have been having trouble following the logic of all the PHP, HTML files and the index file. It is clear to me that there are some HTML from PostNuke that are required as well as all the files under the specific theme directory I have made changes in. How do I know what files to move to make the site work?

3)PostNuke - How can I use PostNuke? Do you actually load PostNuke on your host provider and access your site using your isp? I don't know if that is possible. I would think that for any changes to PostNuke, PHP or SQL you should be making those changes on your pc and migrating them to your host provider.

I am a little confused on how to get the new site to my host provider and what is the best way to administer it. I can see myself add modules like phpbb, etc and will have to understand how to get this to my host provider.

I know this is alot. I feel once I get everything set up and understand how it works I can admin it sucessfully.

Thanks so much for your help.

OK, I'm a pretty non-technical person, but here's what I understand:

I think of an isp (Internet Service Provider) as how I access the internet. And I think of a host OS the server where my site and related information like the MySQL tables are stored. In your case they may be the same entities, however.

I found early on that I had trouble loading files on my host server using Dreamweaver, and I now use SmartFTP for that purpose. It's free for personal, non-commercial use and available here: http://www.superftp.com. Others speak of using filezilla, but I have no experience with it.

Using a program like SmartFTP you can upload all the files (wheterh you've changed them or not) into the root directory of your site host server easily as a complete directory. Check with your host to make sure exactly what the root directory is for your host's installation. Follow the instructions for installing PostNuke (which will create the tables in your database on your host) and then use the CHMOD command in SmartFTP (right click on the file or directory to change and choose CHMOD from the choices provided) to change the directory/file permissions as required and instructed in the docs.

If you have entered data or have made other changes in your MySQL tables, use phpMyAdmin (ask your host to make sure they have it nad how to access it) to load the revised tables into the database on your host.

Now, I heartily recommend you get Kevin Hatch's new book here: http://www.amazon.co…12-7888929?v=glance for better instructions and ideas on installing and using PostNuke. I am by no means an expert in this, and spend most of my time here learning. But if someone like me who knows nothing about coding can do it, you can certainly do it. You are far ahead of me in modifying the files, something I'd do only with very explicit instructions (put this there, etc.).

Good Luck!

Aww, geez, my brain's fried, that should be http://www.smartftp.com/ and NOT SmartFTP.

Sorry.

You are correct. It was my mistake. I meant host provider not ISP.

If I am understanding your answer then you are suggesting that I can install PostNuke on my host provider and run it there. That would mean that any changes I make would be right in production. I was half hoping that I could develop on my pc and then ftp the changes to my host provider. It isn't always clear when making a change to your site in PostNuke just what files be it HTML or PHP type that are being modified. They could be within the PostNuke or theme directories. Plus I don't want to ftp PostNuke in its entirity everytime I make one change like adding a story. That doesn't make sense to me.

You also mentioned something about importing my database using phpMyAdmin. I am able to export using that tool but I don't see anywhere within that tool to import a database. I was assuming that I will have to learn how to manually import using mysql commands. If you know something about this by all means please expand on it.

Lastly, I am a Dreamweaver user as well. I was hoping to modify a theme using this tool but am unable to very cleanly.

jen1,

What I meant is that you can ftp entire directories or individual files as needed.

But I also assumed you were making code-level changes. Any of the setup you do within PostNuke after installation and set-up should be made on the site itself. Code-level changes you should make on your machine and upload the file changed only.

I have not tried making any changes to a theme to date, although that will occur very soon. I have been told that Notepad++ is a good tool for code changes, and I have downloaded and installed and used it for some very specific changes others on this fourm have recommended, and it worked well for me in that very limited use. Some of the pro's here have recommended packages such as Zend Studio, but when I saw the price tag, it was well beyond this poor amateur's budget.

As for phpMyAdmin, in the documentation at http://www.phpmyadmi…mentation/#faqusing it says:

I didn't search this documentation very thoroughly, however.

And there's also a tutorial here on phpMyAdmin that I found useful: http://www.devshed.c…-phpMyAdmin-Part-1/

Good luck and have fun!

== Cliff

I just reread my response. It seems that after I look at what I've written, it doesn't always make sense, even to me. Let me try to say this clearer.

If you don't know which files the changes are being made to, they probably aren't made to the files, but to the database tables that PostNuke uses to deliver the content of the site. Many changes ot PostNuke can be made this way. If you open a specific file in an editor like Dreamweaver or Notebook++ and make changes, you will know the files changed and you can replace just that file on your site.

You can use siteaid to edit your PHP code. It is shareware. I also use Dreamweaver.

Let me see if I have this straight then!

I am to install PostNuke at my host provider. I will make all my PostNuke related changes right on my server. I will have to figure that out. Specifically how to get PostNuke to recognize where mysql database is on my host provider.

Any PHP file changes I make on my pc I can just ftp those to my host provider.

You'll have to tell PostNuke during setup and install. There's a difference if you have permission to set up a database, or if, like my host does, your host sets up the database and PostNuke only builds the tables in it.

Otherwise everything's correct.

Hmmm. . . I'll have to look up siteaid.

Pretty smart guy even though you are from Minnesota. Just kidding! I am from the Twin Cities!

I will give it a try the next couple of days and update you on the progress.

Hehe, well I work in Duluth, but I live on Chub Lake about 25 miles West of there.

Around here we say the cold keeps the crazies in California. Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to be working so well lately.

I grew up in Superior and Duluth was my old stopping grounds. Small world.

Another question. My host provider has a directory structure where PHP only works in the directory called HTML. I don't know if that is normal.

Should I install PostNuke inside this directory then?

I have exported the phoenix database into both a csv and SQL type of export. I created a new database called phoenixa. This database does not have any tables in it. I was using phpMyAdmin in these attempts.

I got this error when trying to import either of the two files:

Error
SQL-query :
"pn_lid"
MySQL said:
#1064 - You have an error in your SQL syntax. Check the manual that corresponds to your MySQL server version for the right syntax to use near '"pn_lid"' at line 1

Can anyone help?

mysql - 4.0.21
phpMyAdmin - 2.5.6
PHP - 4.3.9

actually you don't need the Phoenix database. Create your own Database and leave it empty.During the instalation process of PostNuke, you put the name of the database, database user & password in the required fields.