Preserved Topic: New phpbb USER

My new phbb community board is located at:
http://www.somersforum.org.

it is not ready to go yet, but i need guidance.

yes i have RTFM, but i don't seem to be able to find out how to access the source code so i can make changes.

also they say i can really upload images. want to take out the phpBB logo and put my own image in. can i?

and thanks to everyone for recommending this phpBB; it is just what i want.

thanks again.

country boy
barlow humphreys

ps: if there is advice re stuff i should/n't do please do feel free to advise.

countryboy: Good idea - restyling phpBB can be a little tricky - if people throw in tips and tricks I'll jam them all in a FAQ

___________________
Emps

FAQs: Emperor

Many thanks Emperor.

I believe you were one of the folks who helped me originally.

I respect you guys totally and do not want to be a bother.

I have gone to a lot of the phpBB help sites but i am not sure they can help out on the starter level. Everyone seems interested in only the very heavy duty stuff.

You guys definitely rule.

(maybe i should offer up one of my daughters by way of payback.....ummmm.... )

| | ;-= )

barlow

countryboy: Well this is deemed to be a tricky thing so I think it would be worthwhile getting the ideas into one thread - we are heavily promoting phpBB as a good option for most people and this is a stumbling block

quote:

---

maybe i should offer up one of my daughters by way of payback.....ummmm....

---

OK - I am pretty hungry at the moment.

___________________
Emps

FAQs: Emperor

well it looks like it has some sort of templating system.

The path to the PHPBB image is at http://www.somersforum.org/phpBB2/templates/subSilver/images/logo_phpBB.gif

it looks like you should be able to swap that out with whatever you want.

I would also browse that "subSilver" directory to see what's in there. I bet most of the stuff you need for styling this is in there.



.:[ Never resist a perfect moment ]:.

yup, most everything you need to hack the theme is in /templates/subSilver/ (the default theme), they're all .TPL files but it's they just have html and some php in them and are included so the extension could be anything, don't let that scare you.

you can of course install other themes and hack them if they are closer to what you're after but I think subSilver is by far the best template to work from for phpBB that I've seen.

you can also download the subSilver Dev Kit (SDK) at the phpbb site, it's actually just a photoshop file that is extremely handy for modifying the graphical elements of the theme. It's all layed out in one file with slices drawn and named properly so all you need to do is modify the images then save optimized in ImageReady and it kicks out all the properly optimized files, named and ready to be plunked down in the image directory to overwrite the defaults. The majority of the subSilver dev kit is based on layer styles and shape layers which makes it extremely handy and fast to make changes. Work on one button (nicely organized in folders in the layers palette if I recall) then once you have the button style as you like, you can copy the style, and paste it to all the other applicable layers.

edit: had trouble finding the sdk, it's at the bottom of the page here

Have fun.

Jason

[This message has been edited by JKMabry (edited 07-02-2003).]

That is great guys.

I had just been off line reading more manuals and found the 'logo_phpBB.gif ' too.
So I will get my own image and call it logo_phpBB.gif and layer it over.

Question:

#1 - Since my website is being hosted at my local isp i am not sure if i can get into the code so as to modify it. Or do i ask them to change it; me thinks they will not enjoy such a request.

#2 - Nobody but you guys know this is up. Are there things I should know now that the User Manual does not tell me.
I mean in setting this up what should I be prepared for? I will be the only Admin and Moderator (small town) but there must be a lot of stuff that I should be prepared for....or am I paranoid as a result of being in my cell too long.

#3 - What about php? Is this phpBB at a much higher level and there is no need for me to go down to that level...since php is java, C+, et al. hopeful I can do my stuff with out going there...

Thanks for the great help guys.

Country Boy
barlowhumphreys@yahoo.com

your ISP deosn't need to do a thing to change the site, you have access I assume, you uploaded the files right? So just take the local phpBB files on your computer, find the files you need to edit, edit them, then upload them in place/over of the old versions.

If you know html you should be able to do a fair bit of customizing without knowing any php.

As for running the board and what to expect, well, that all depends on the size of your community, you may need to bring other admins, at least moderators into the fold to help you maintain it, but if it's your only other web infatuation and the community is smallish you may be able to do it yourself.

Sounds like you're in over your head a little, but you've installed it, and it appears to work, so apparently there is no limit to what you can do with it if you set your mind to it.

Installing this means you've set up a database, hostname, user, pass, you've set permissions on a few directories and files, ran the install, then set permissions back again and deleted a few directories correct? If you could follow the manual and do all that when you didn't know how before, then ask away, you should be able to tear it up.

Jason

Jason

when you say that i:

set up a database, hostname, user, pass, you've set permissions on a few directories and files, ran the install, then set permissions back again and deleted a few directories correct?

you give me too much credit.

what i did do was to get me url registered and then set up the different threads within the www.somersforum.org.

they did the download and installation of the software.

my background is 10 yrs of web design & html but not perl, java, or anything.

what is a good place to go to see lots of other ppBB websites and templates?

many thanks,

barlow humphreys

Do you have ftp access to your website? If so, you can download all the files and modify them, then upload them again.

Sounds like however, with your comfort level here you might just want to make a graphic to replace the phpBB logo with and be done with it. If you want to keep the same layout 'feel' make youself a new logo that's 200px wide by 91px high, name it logo_phpBB.gif, then upload it to the somersforum.org/phpBB2/templates/subSilver/images/ directory on your webserver so that it overwrites the current one. If you don't have ftp access, ask your host to replace the file.

Very strange hosting arrangement you have there


As for other styles/themes/templates to look at:
http://www.phpbb.com/phpBB/catdb.php?db=2
http://www.phpbb.com/styles/downloads/
http://www.phpbb.com/styles/gallery/

other phpBB sites to look at:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=Powered+by+phpBB&btnG=Google+ Search


Jason

[This message has been edited by JKMabry (edited 07-03-2003).]

Thank you Jason.

I am working away at it.......

Will advise when I have worked with what you have pointed out to me.

Have a great 4th!

barlow

yeah, rather odd hosting arrangement..

I'm running phpbb too.. heavily modified and integrated into the rest of my site. have a look for some ideas..

I think that with your webdesign and html experience, it would be a good idea to get into the other areas like javascript and server side stuff like php, mysql databases, and perhaps some more of the ins and outs of unix systems and web servers.

Hey Wheels

Nice forum; quick, intuitive, clean...very clean; like.

Thanks,

Barlow

Folks

i have searched through my phpBB directory and find no place with source code.

yes i looked at the index files but i can only find the source code when i am not the net and then do a pull down of View on my IE.

i have set up websites; i know what code looks like but i just can't find it.

i know it sounds ignorant; but if i can't find it i can't

hoping for direction

barlow

Well, the most important question of all seems to be unanswered still - do you have FTP access to your site?

You're not going to find the PHP code via a web browser....

Yup, php code will not show up when you "view source" on a page in a the browser using http.

PHP is code that it run on the server before it's sent to your browser, it assembles pages based on *things* that can only happen on the server (database queries for example), then send the results of those *things* to you via http for your browser to see in a lnaguage that it can understand (html).

There's roughly 300 files assicated wih a base installation of phpBB, 90% or better you cannot get to with a web browser/http. Most of the directories that have files/code in them are covered with a generic, blank, white index.html coverpage that won't let you past that point,l so if you try to surf driectories through a browser, you'll see nothing.

Do you have ftp access to the server? that is the question...

Jason

Jason

Thank you for your patience.

Yes I have ftp and yes I downloaded the files of the phpbb directory from my isp.

Having done so I looked for a directory called templates but I could not find it.

How come on my IE browser i can look at the Source code but i can't find it in the directories.

Yes i have RTFM at least three times but it doesn't explain how to access the code.

No i do not know php; it looks difficult.

Can you give me some help?

barlow

Because you are not looking at the phpBB source code, you are looking at it's output, as explained earlier.

What do you mean when you say you downloaded the files from your ISP? What did you do?



.:[ Never resist a perfect moment ]:.

bitdamaged

i just used cuteftp to download a copy of the phpbb directory into a directory on my own computer.

i thought i could then study the contents of phpbb more effectively.

still can not see the code.

barlow

The more I read, the more confused I get here...

When you say you "can't see the code"...what are doing to *try* seeing the code?

What files are you opening to look at, and with what program?

.

When you 'view source' in a browser, you are seeing what the PHP has output. When you open a PHP file, yo are going to see the PHP that generates that output....

DL-44

i want to make 1 or more modifications to my forum
http://www.somersforum.org.

to do that i believe i need to find the appropriate files, so:

1-i take my cuteftp and down load a copy of the phpbb from my isp and try to study the code.

2-i use my notepad text editor to view the different file

3-i find the template.php file, open it, and find the code that seems a mix of java, c+, et. al.

4-i would like to be able to change things in the format of my file but the code seems so confusing i know i would mess stuff up.

5-is there some way to view this and other files in a format i can understand? (i don't know unix, linux, java, c+)

6-thanks for your patience.

barlow
im: bhumphreys5b

thanks as always

aahhh...the Read Me html file now that is definitely discernable.....

so if i make changes to this file how are they uploaded thru my ftp to the currently active file @ my isp?

slowly some of the mist is lifting.....

barlow

the language is what it is man, it's PHP which is embedable in HTML (so you'll see a mix of each in a php file, maybe, unless it's pure PHP function or something). It will be MUCH easier for you to understand if you look at it in an editor besides notepad, one that has syntax highlighting for PHP available.

template.php? you got that from the /includes directory(folder) right? That has no HTML in in that you can edit to cange the appearance of your board. Very inimidating file to look at first

the files you want to look at for modifying will be in the /phpBB/templates/subSilver/ directory and they have he .tpl file extension. Open /phpBB/templates/subSilver/overall_header.tpl and somewhere around line 220 or so you'll see the html body tag that begins the document's layout/html.

Jason

so i just downloaded html-kit and gave a look at: template.php


i am having trouble opening what you suggested at:

/phpBB/templates/subSilver/overall_header.tpl

since when i use html-kit and it asks for file type there is no chance to open a file with a .tpl extension. so i type in all files and it comes up all .phps.

suggestions?

barlow

you're referring to the lack of color coding? Yeah, that will happen with silly file extensions like that, rename the file extension as .php then open it, edit it as you can, then save it. And dun forget to change it back to tpl when you're done.

Jason

any chance someone could IM me at:

bhumphreys5b

hoping

barlow

I've emailed you twice at 2 different email addresses, once when you first inquired, and then a few days ago, both have gone unanswered. And to top that, I have no idea what messaging app you use =) I can speak YIM, MSNM and Q, what that be there^?

Jason

Jason

Many apologies for my ineptitude. I have written you back @ 919disk.com. Hope it gets thru.

My IM is AIM bhumphreys5b
also:
barlowhumphreys@hotmail.com
barlowhumphreys@yahoo.com

as always most grateful.

barlow

you inept bastard!

*chops countryboy's head off*

There, now we can proceed

Jason

Just a followup note to Everyone to advise the totally obvious fact that Jason has patiently and politely perservered and help me to work through my directory problems with phpbb.

The dude is the best and i shall FOREVER be in his debt for his guidance!

countryboy
barlow humphreys

you grew another head then. alrighty, so you're a freak, I can deal with that.

Jason