Using Contribs???

[WebMistress]

Greetings all.

Bad news here, I am a complete and utter newb when it comes to the entire setup with PHP and CSS and all the other fun stuff that goes with the OSC. I literally have never used any of these things before.

My problem is that it seems my setup of OSC is a bit different than the contrib that I got to add category descriptions. I cannot find half the lines in there, and I am not even entirely sure what build it is, since there is one button install on my host to have it added in.

I read through it, and it says I need to edit the database as well, and again, complete newb with SQL. I looked at my database through my admin tool on my host, and hrm. I don't get a damn word of it

:sigh:
Im almost wondering if I am going to have to tell my client that I wont get all this done before Nov. 3...

I guess the main question is, what do you do when you get a contrib, and it doesn't match with the build you have as far as inserting the code "about two lines above this command", and I cannot FIND it?

Also, how do you add stuff to the database if you have never been into it? Is that Access Hosts?

BLAH
I feel like a complete moron... I am SO not used to having to ask for help on things. I normally just keep banging on it until I get it to do what I want it to. Stubborness is a wonderful trait sometimes.
BUT. When I have no frigging clue what I am doing as far as deep edits... then I feel pretty much out of my element.

I have some basic stuff changed, like colors and such but that was easy to do! The rest????? bleh.


Any help would SO be appreciated highly and with much enthuasium..

[Arpit]

Well lets see what I can do to help ya out..

What snaphot of OSC are you using?
What contribution are you trying to use?

There are only few things different between MS1 and MS2 but yes, it can be real frustrating to figure them out if you're new to the OSC structure.

As far as the database management is concerned, PhpMyadmin is a very easy to use web-interface tool. See if your host provides that or any other equivalent service (they should).

[michael_s]

You have a few options.

1. you can just use MS2-MAX as it has category descriptions already built in (if you are doing a new installation)

2. You can get a file comparison utility like 'Beyond Compare' and merge the 2 files, so that everything works. This takes some know-how.

3. You can manually hack the code of the contrib to work with your existing version.

I recommend #1 and 2 if you dont know PHP very well.

To edit the database, you need to use a tool that helps like phpmyadmin, mysqlyog, or some other tool. If you dont know what these are or how to use them, time to start doing a little research...

[WebMistress]

Well, this is all I can find right now for it, and I hope it helps.
(2.2 MS2)

I cannot find anything about category descriptions in any area. I need to have that simply because I need to add in different info for different sets of products that really would be redundant to put on the same info for each item description.

The contrib I am using is <was gonna link, but its telling me the DB is down> Category Descriptions contribution for osCommerce 2.2 in the Contrib section.

I found a kind of mini-contrib that I printed out, actually from this site and had the same problem with that. All the editing was done on lines that I could not find in my own setup.

Number one, everything keeps calling for default.php
I dont even have that file that I can find. I can only assume they are referring to index?

As far as adding or changing the setup, I believe all of that is handled by my client's host, and with the one button install, making it a lot easier. Unless it IS easier to just install what I want/need with the latest snapshot, and just leave it at that with whatever changes I already made carried over? Would that work if basically the only things I have done is to get the stylesheet updated to choice of colors, and to get the products into the db?



<EDIT>Oh, and these are the scripts that I can get one button install for my site.
Portals
PHP-Nuke
Post-Nuke
phpWebsite
Xoops

Blogs
b2
pMachine Free

Customer Relationship
CS Live Help
PHP Support Tickets
Support Services Manager

Discussion Boards
phpBB2
Invision Board

Other Scripts
OS Commerce
4images Gallery
PHPauction
PHProjekt
phpLinks
Moodle
Noahs Classifieds
PHPlist
WebCalendar
</EDIT>

[WebMistress]

Anyone got any ideas yet??

Help :<

[michael_s]

So, I am assuming you are using a 1 click install version of oscommerce?

If it is a stock MS2 installation then it should be easy to add the contribution that you are looking for, but you need the one specifically for MS2, and you installed one that is for Pre-MS2 versions. You can tell that becuase it references default.php which was only used Pre-MS2.

So, you need to start over. Remove all the changes you added trying to get the mod installed. Then download the correct mod:


http://www.oscommerce.com/community/...ns,1373/page,4

Download the version:

Categories Description MS2 1.5 by Juan Henriquez

That is the one you need.

[WebMistress]

::whews very largely::

I haven't installed anything yet. Just dled the contrib and looked at it, didnt understand squat, and asked for help

So, I am getting this new one now. I will take a look at it and see if I understand it enough to GET it installed :>

Thanks Dearheart.
I will let you know if I am still clueless...

well I will still be clueless but I will let you know if I need more help :>

Darn these new to me languages..

[WebMistress]

::shakes head and sighs::

Ok
other computer had...problems and I had to switch to a different one temporarily. Now I have a completely different problem.

I believe I got all the edits done in that contrib to make it work, but now I cant LOG INTO the admin section beyond the first page!!

I get the popup asking for info and get into the main screeen in admin, but anything else beyond that makes me nuts because it says that Authorization Required.

This is what it reads.

This server could not verify that you are authorized to access the document requested. Either you supplied the wrong credentials (e.g., bad password), or your browser doesn't understand how to supply the credentials required.

I have tried three different browsers with it now, and I cant get anything to load beyond the first page. And it, for some reason, is not just the site I am currently working on. It is doing the same thing with a previous site I built as well on the same server.

And having one more problem.
But I think I need to put it in a different area because it is a CSS issue/if I can find an area for that.

So, anyway...
What the HECK??

[michael_s]

If you are using MS2, there is no login. You should be able to access the admin directly. If it is an apache .htaccess authentication box, just delete the .htaccess file from the admin directory.

[WebMistress]

But if it won't let me into EITHER sites, wouldn't that be something on My end? Im on the same network, but just a different machine.

What the heck would be possible for not letting me into either site?

I can access the CPanel setup, just nothing beyond the first page of the admin module for the OSC.

I have tried changing cookies, clearing cache, and just about everything else I can think of.
I have the login box with name and pass for both, but once I get in, I cant do anything else on the first site, and the second wont even let me log in without showing me that error.
Is it possible it is a browser issue with cache probs????

~~~EDIT~~~

ALRIGHT!!
I got in, had to totally change browser away from IE to Netscape, but I got in!!
Now..
I have yet another problem lol

Getting an error when I go into the Catalog area in the admin that says Parse error: parse error in /home/mysite/public_html/shop/admin/categories.php on line 112

Now, according to the contrib info, I was only to add the
}
before these lines already there
break;
case 'delete_category_confirm':

And that is all | did.


Here is the full section, lines 100 through 115 that were modified


tep_db_query("update " . TABLE_CATEGORIES . " set categories_image = '" . tep_db_input($categories_image->filename) . "' where categories_id = '" . (int)$categories_id . "'");
}
}

if (USE_CACHE == 'true') {
tep_reset_cache_block('categories');
tep_reset_cache_block('also_purchased');
}

tep_redirect(tep_href_link(FILENAME_CATEGORIES, 'cPath=' . $cPath . '&cID=' . $categories_id));
}
break;
case 'delete_category_confirm':
if (isset($HTTP_POST_VARS['categories_id'])) {
$categories_id = tep_db_prepare_input($HTTP_POST_VARS['categories_id']);


And here are the original lines, same code, lines 76-94

tep_db_perform(TABLE_CATEGORIES_DESCRIPTION, $sql_data_array, 'update', "categories_id = '" . (int)$categories_id . "' and language_id = '" . (int)$languages[$i]['id'] . "'");
}
}

if ($categories_image = new upload('categories_image', DIR_FS_CATALOG_IMAGES)) {
tep_db_query("update " . TABLE_CATEGORIES . " set categories_image = '" . tep_db_input($categories_image->filename) . "' where categories_id = '" . (int)$categories_id . "'");
}

if (USE_CACHE == 'true') {
tep_reset_cache_block('categories');
tep_reset_cache_block('also_purchased');
}

tep_redirect(tep_href_link(FILENAME_CATEGORIES, 'cPath=' . $cPath . '&cID=' . $categories_id));
break;
case 'delete_category_confirm':
if (isset($HTTP_POST_VARS['categories_id'])) {
$categories_id = tep_db_prepare_input($HTTP_POST_VARS['categories_id']);



And the editing is due to the directions in the contrib as folows

7) Locate the following 7 lines (approximately line 97):
if ($categories_image = new upload('categories_image', DIR_FS_CATALOG_IMAGES)) {
tep_db_query("update " . TABLE_CATEGORIES . " set categories_image = '" . tep_db_input($categories_image->filename) . "' where categories_id = '" . (int)$categories_id . "'");
}


***New Change from 1.4**** REPLACE those 7 lines with the following 11 lines:
if (ALLOW_CATEGORY_DESCRIPTIONS == 'true') {
tep_db_query("update " . TABLE_CATEGORIES . " set categories_image = '" . $HTTP_POST_VARS['categories_image'] . "' where categories_id = '" . tep_db_input($categories_id) . "'");
$categories_image = '';
} else {
if ($categories_image = new upload('categories_image', DIR_FS_CATALOG_IMAGES)) {
tep_db_query("update " . TABLE_CATEGORIES . " set categories_image = '" . tep_db_input($categories_image->filename) . "' where categories_id = '" . (int)$categories_id . "'");
}
}


Locate the two lines that read (approximately line 103):
break;
case 'delete_category_confirm':

Add the following 1 line BEFORE the line that reads "break;":
}


Can someone please tell me what the heck I am missing?
I followed step by step, very carefully, and apparently missed something somewhere that was obviously very important.
::watches the time tick;tick;ticking away::

Bleh.