Website Help

[Rostum]

Okay, so we've got the website basically done (for an FFXI linkshell) and we want the players to be able to sign up and login, and change their profile around so that it can then be viewed on a members list.

What would be the easiest way to go around doing this? XML or something?

[Shoeberto]

PHP and MySQL is the only way to go, really. I guess you could utilize CGI with some Perl scripts or something, but CGI's definately on the way out.

I'd really recommend using a message board system (PHPBB, if you're looking for free and extensible) and getting some hacks/plugins/mods/whatever they're called that allow complete site integration.

[Rostum]

Well, I wanted to keep the forum seperate from the main page. i just wanted to have the main page in the members section with a list of the members and stats (like name, race, job class, rank, etc) and they can login and edit their stats and it automatical updates the list.

So how would I use MySQL or PHP to do that? (Yes I do plan on getting a PHP forum up too)

[Samuraid]

Here is an idea of what you could do:

First, find the forums software you want to use. I would suggest using phpBB as it is the best free php forum out there. www.phpbb.com

Next, you can write some PHP scripts to use on the main page of your site that will display the user list, etc. The custom PHP scripts could show the list of users from the forums database or you could use a separate database of users.

If you want to integrate your site more fully into the forums, you should check out some of the free phpBB CMS/portals. They might be what you need.

Here are a few phpBB portals:
http://www.project-minerva.org/home/index.php
http://smartor.is-root.com/

If you need any help with setting up anything on your site or have any questions I would be glad to help out. Just drop me a PM. :)


Perl, by the way, is actually not on the way out. It shall continue to be around for quite a long time. :)

[Shoeberto]

I wasn't referring to Perl as a language with that, but rather CGI utilization in general, at least with matters like this.

Samuraid was pretty much going with what I was saying. Utilizing addon scripts would be the easiest way to go, especially if you're not too knowledgeable on the subject. The forum doesn't necessarily have to be your front page, but they can be integrated with each other. Hybridizing the two makes it a lot easier to set up custom fields for race/class/etc. and use them across both forums. It would mostly go to save you the trouble of writing out PHP scripts and managing MySQL databases manually.

Most likely, if you have something you want to do for integration, someone's written something similar for phpBB, so it'll save you a lot of work.

[Rostum]

Thanks guys, I'll try working on it today. If I have any problems I'll come back here.

PS. Oh! Do I 'have' to be on the net to set this up and make sure it's working?

[Shoeberto]

Either that, or you'll have to be running a local server with MySQL and PHP, then be able to export the MySQL tables so you can upload them to your remote server.

[Rostum]

Hmm, that might be a bit of a problem.

Well I'm waiting for my broadband to get back up, and also waiting to see if I can get the hosting space... I do have a LAN setup on my home, can I set it up on that temporarily? Or do i actually need to be connected to the world wide web?

So just to get things straight about this. Say I have the forum, and I have the main website that has a Members section. The members sign up on the forums and edit their set stat fields, and I can make certain ones show up in the members section (as a table or whatever) and have other certain ones show up on the side of their post (like a normal forum)?

It's not like I'm dumb at code or websites, I just spend more time on the graphical side of things.

[Samuraid]

Say I have the forum, and I have the main website that has a Members section. The members sign up on the forums and edit their set stat fields, and I can make certain ones show up in the members section (as a table or whatever) and have other certain ones show up on the side of their post (like a normal forum)?

Yes. You can manually add a few new columns to the user database table to hold any extra information you want to display.

[Shoeberto]

You can set it up temporarily.
http://www.easyphp.org/
That's a program I was looking for earlier. It allows you to set up an Apache server on your Windows machine with PHP, MySQL, and other stuff. That way, you can set everything up locally. When you have your host ready, you can export your local MySQL tables with PHPMyAdmin, then use PHPMyAdmin on your remote host to import them.

Good luck.

[Rostum]

You can set it up temporarily.
http://www.easyphp.org/
That's a program I was looking for earlier. It allows you to set up an Apache server on your Windows machine with PHP, MySQL, and other stuff. That way, you can set everything up locally. When you have your host ready, you can export your local MySQL tables with PHPMyAdmin, then use PHPMyAdmin on your remote host to import them.

Good luck.

Can you please, if you're not busy, give me a quick run down on what I should do? Basically I need to download a PHP forum program and use this with it so I don't have to be connected to a server?

I'm not sure.

Edit: What I want to do is just make a forum with some mods (you know, just extra stuff that might interest the members) and then just change the graphics around to what I've made so that I can get the look I want (which is fine)... Do I need to know a lot about coding this thing? I just want to upload all this with the main website once I get the hosting.

[Samuraid]

You first need webserver software on your local machine. You can either download apache from apache.org, or (if you have XP Pro) you can use the built-in Microsoft IIS server.

After your webserver software is in place, you need to download the latest PHP 4 (not 5) installer from php.net and install and configure it with your server sortware you installed in the previous step.

After you get you basic webspace up and running on your local machine, you should download and install mysql for Windows. It should also be configured into your webserver. http://dev.mysql.com/get/Downloads/MySQL-4.1/mysql-essential-4.1.11-win32.msi/from/pick#mirrors

Next, get phpMyAdmin ( http://www.phpmyadmin.net/home_page/downloads.php ) to allow you to manipulate your mysql databases via a web interface. (install this into your webspace)

Lastly, get phpbb from phpbb.com and install it into your webspace.

There...that is how you would manually install everything for a basic test server. I'm sure there may be an easier way...

[Rostum]

You first need webserver software on your local machine. You can either download apache from apache.org, or (if you have XP Pro) you can use the built-in Microsoft IIS server.

After your webserver software is in place, you need to download the latest PHP 4 (not 5) installer from php.net and install and configure it with your server sortware you installed in the previous step.

After you get you basic webspace up and running on your local machine, you should download and install mysql for Windows. It should also be configured into your webserver. http://dev.mysql.com/get/Downloads/MySQL-4.1/mysql-essential-4.1.11-win32.msi/from/pick#mirrors

Next, get phpMyAdmin ( http://www.phpmyadmin.net/home_page/downloads.php ) to allow you to manipulate your mysql databases via a web interface. (install this into your webspace)

Lastly, get phpbb from phpbb.com and install it into your webspace.

There...that is how you would manually install everything for a basic test server. I'm sure there may be an easier way...

I'm really sorry for being a newb.

How do I start up the built-in Microsoft IIS server?
I downloaded the PHP version4 from PHP.net, how do you configure it with the Microsoft ISS server?
How do you configure MySQL with the server?
How do I then install things into my webspace?

Sorry if these are stupid questions and take away your time, once I get it rolling I usualy learn pretty fast.

[Sepho]

For local development, <a href="http://www.hotscripts.com/Detailed/34121.html">give this a looksie</a>. Wamp server installs and automatically configures Apache, PHP, and mySQL to run on your machine. It sure beats messing around in the Apache INI file.

Working on your own computer is so much easier than constantly uploading to a web server to see your own script.


How do I then install things into my webspace?

If your hosting server has PHP etc. installed, you just upload the PHP scripts. As for actually installing PHP and whatnot on your server, that has to do with your host. Purchase a hosting plan that offers PHP and mySQL. Virtually all paid hosting plans offer this package these days.

[Rostum]

Thank you Sepho. <3 I will have a look at this too. =D

Edit: Okay so I downloaded it and installed everything (except phpMyAdmin, I don't know where to put that?) Once I restart my computer and everything, I should get phpbb and what do I do with that?

I'm a real nub at phpbb, I just want to make a forum in which I can maybe add a few hacks for some uniqueness and add my own graphics.

Edit2: I found this one instead: http://www.apachefriends.org/en/xampp-windows.html#641 Looks to be fairly good.

[Samuraid]

Ah, a package like that should make installing everything a lot easier. :D

After you install phpBB, you can use the admin control panel to create new styles for your forum and edit font colors and faces.

You can replace or edit images on the forum and you can create or update the html template files. phpBB Olympus (3.0), the next version of phpBB that is coming out soon will have a built-in visual editor that allows you to change HTML and CSS on the forum and create new skins/styles to use.

[Rostum]

You guys are so damn cool! Any ideas on when PHPBB Olympus comes out? I'll just muck around with PHPBB and try to make something decent. =)

Just one last TINY question, once I download phpbb, it's only a folder, so where do I put that folder? Into the MyAdminControl?

[Samuraid]

You need to put the folder in your webspace, in the apache htdocs or public_html folder.

phpBB Olympus should be out within the next month...there is no definitive release date however.

[Rostum]

I put it into the htdocs folder but I still can't open the install.php file in my browser?

[Samuraid]

Can you open any other html pages on your local server?

[Rostum]

Thank you I got it to work, I just put in the wrong address in the browser. =x I was just meant to put in http://localhost/phpbb2.

Thank you for all your help. =D