UPLOAD INSTRUCTIONS INFO MISSING
4 posts by 2 authors in: Forums > CMS Builder
Last Post: July 6, 2012 (RSS)
By zaba - July 6, 2012
Hi I have recently bought yet another copy of your excellent CMS Builder software, however in this version, there is no file called upload instructions (as per previous) instead we have howtoinstall.txt. This is okay but there is a vital piece of information missing from this and that's the bit about setting permissions, which I refer to always when doing a fresh installation. Is there any reason why you have removed this info?
the bit missing is:
5) SET FILE PERMISSIONS
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you are using a Unix-based Server, you will now need to set file permissions
on some of the files and directories you uploaded. Most FTP clients have the
ability to change file permissions. Unix-based servers also include Linux,
Solaris, BSD, etc. For windows users, appropriate permissions may already be
set.
(a) Set the following directories and files to be "writable" (chmod 777 on unix)
[web root]/[cmsAdmin]/data/ (set permissions on this folder)
[web root]/[cmsAdmin]/data/settings.dat.php.default
[web root]/[cmsAdmin]/data/backups/ (set permissions on this folder)
[web root]/[cmsAdmin]/data/schema/ (set permissions on this folder)
[web root]/[cmsAdmin]/data/schema/*.* (all files in folder)
[web root]/[cmsAdmin]/data/schemaPresets/ (set permissions on this folder)
[web root]/[cmsAdmin]/data/schemaPresets/*.* (all files in folder)
[web root]/[cmsAdmin]/uploads/ (set permissions on this folder)
[web root]/[cmsAdmin]/uploads/thumb/ (set permissions on this folder)
[web root]/[cmsAdmin]/uploads/thumb2/ (set permissions on this folder)
[web root]/[cmsAdmin]/uploads/thumb3/ (set permissions on this folder)
[web root]/[cmsAdmin]/uploads/thumb4/ (set permissions on this folder)
the bit missing is:
5) SET FILE PERMISSIONS
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you are using a Unix-based Server, you will now need to set file permissions
on some of the files and directories you uploaded. Most FTP clients have the
ability to change file permissions. Unix-based servers also include Linux,
Solaris, BSD, etc. For windows users, appropriate permissions may already be
set.
(a) Set the following directories and files to be "writable" (chmod 777 on unix)
[web root]/[cmsAdmin]/data/ (set permissions on this folder)
[web root]/[cmsAdmin]/data/settings.dat.php.default
[web root]/[cmsAdmin]/data/backups/ (set permissions on this folder)
[web root]/[cmsAdmin]/data/schema/ (set permissions on this folder)
[web root]/[cmsAdmin]/data/schema/*.* (all files in folder)
[web root]/[cmsAdmin]/data/schemaPresets/ (set permissions on this folder)
[web root]/[cmsAdmin]/data/schemaPresets/*.* (all files in folder)
[web root]/[cmsAdmin]/uploads/ (set permissions on this folder)
[web root]/[cmsAdmin]/uploads/thumb/ (set permissions on this folder)
[web root]/[cmsAdmin]/uploads/thumb2/ (set permissions on this folder)
[web root]/[cmsAdmin]/uploads/thumb3/ (set permissions on this folder)
[web root]/[cmsAdmin]/uploads/thumb4/ (set permissions on this folder)
Re: [zaba] UPLOAD INSTRUCTIONS INFO MISSING
By Dave - July 6, 2012
Hi Zaba,
Thanks for noticing that. It's actually a feature we added, not a bug. ;)
We changed the last line of the instructions now say "The program will take you through the final steps of the installation...".
And we updated the CMSB to automatically scan the files on install and alert you if any files need permissions to be changed. Not all servers need the permissions changed, but if they do, CMSB will tell you on install.
It just makes for one less thing to remember.
Hope that helps!
Thanks for noticing that. It's actually a feature we added, not a bug. ;)
We changed the last line of the instructions now say "The program will take you through the final steps of the installation...".
And we updated the CMSB to automatically scan the files on install and alert you if any files need permissions to be changed. Not all servers need the permissions changed, but if they do, CMSB will tell you on install.
It just makes for one less thing to remember.
Hope that helps!
Dave Edis - Senior Developer
interactivetools.com
interactivetools.com
Re: [Dave] UPLOAD INSTRUCTIONS INFO MISSING
By zaba - July 6, 2012
Dave,
Running the ....../cmsAdmin/admin.php file, it did indeed alert me of permission settings on a file by file basis (correct one then continue etc..) well thats what it did for me. Which can be repetitive and confusing for people who are more designers than developers. I suggest that instead of just relying on that if a permissions problem is detected you pull back a specific formatted page telling you how to set permissions and what they should be for your installation. Then when you run it a second time, it should not appear (assuming you have set them properly). I use the permissions settings list to quickly set permissions correctly after upload.
I also think you should keep the permission settings file with the installation as its a good fall back if things like uploads stop working due to permission problems or at least have a sticky post in the forum with them posted there. I don't know, just rambling on a bit now, any one else get any thoughts or is it okay as it is?
Running the ....../cmsAdmin/admin.php file, it did indeed alert me of permission settings on a file by file basis (correct one then continue etc..) well thats what it did for me. Which can be repetitive and confusing for people who are more designers than developers. I suggest that instead of just relying on that if a permissions problem is detected you pull back a specific formatted page telling you how to set permissions and what they should be for your installation. Then when you run it a second time, it should not appear (assuming you have set them properly). I use the permissions settings list to quickly set permissions correctly after upload.
I also think you should keep the permission settings file with the installation as its a good fall back if things like uploads stop working due to permission problems or at least have a sticky post in the forum with them posted there. I don't know, just rambling on a bit now, any one else get any thoughts or is it okay as it is?
Re: [zaba] UPLOAD INSTRUCTIONS INFO MISSING
By Dave - July 6, 2012
Hi zaba,
The issue is that servers are all configured differently. On some servers PHP runs as the same users as FTP does (so PHP has read/write access to any files you upload) and on other servers it runs as a "nobody" user account with no access to anything, which is why you need to change permissions.
With the generic instructions some people were making the security more lax than it needed to be. The new instructions only tell you to set permissions if you need to, and tell you to start with the highest security then work your way down until it works (755, then 775, then 777).
But I agree it shouldn't reload for each file. You might currently be getting two sets of errors, one for the list of files (data, etc) and one for the upload folders. We should list them all on one page if possible to make it easy.
Anyways, try it for a few installs, and if you find it more hassle then the old way let us know and we'll look for further improvements.
Thanks for your feedback!
The issue is that servers are all configured differently. On some servers PHP runs as the same users as FTP does (so PHP has read/write access to any files you upload) and on other servers it runs as a "nobody" user account with no access to anything, which is why you need to change permissions.
With the generic instructions some people were making the security more lax than it needed to be. The new instructions only tell you to set permissions if you need to, and tell you to start with the highest security then work your way down until it works (755, then 775, then 777).
But I agree it shouldn't reload for each file. You might currently be getting two sets of errors, one for the list of files (data, etc) and one for the upload folders. We should list them all on one page if possible to make it easy.
Anyways, try it for a few installs, and if you find it more hassle then the old way let us know and we'll look for further improvements.
Thanks for your feedback!
Dave Edis - Senior Developer
interactivetools.com
interactivetools.com