Re: [phpesp-general] parse & fatal error on new installation v 1.6

[James E. F. <jf...@ac...>]

On Tue, 22 Jan 2002, retrieverguide wrote:

> Hi List,
>
> I just installed v 1.6 2002/01/16 (or rather I'm in the process of wrapping
> up the install!)
> http://66.78.15.118/lib/php/contrib/phpESP/admin/

Let's see here. Firstly, you didn't install v1.6. That must
be the revision number on one file (each file has one). The
version of phpESP is in the name of the tarbal you
downloaded (hopefully v1.3, as in "phpESP-1.3.tar.gz").

> I'm getting the following parse error and fatal error when I try to open my
> admin page (for the first time) in my browser:
>
> Parse error: parse error, expecting `')'' in
> /home/retrieve/public_html/lib/php/contrib/phpESP/admin/phpESP.ini on line
> 68
>
> Fatal error: Call to undefined function: esp_where() in
> /home/retrieve/public_html/lib/php/contrib/phpESP/admin/manage.php on line
> 73
>
> Line 68 on phpESP.ini is the database value:
> 'db_host' => 'localhost',
>
> Here's the snippet around it:
> // database connection info
> 'db_host' => 'localhost',
> 'db_user' => 'myuser',
> 'db_pass' => 'mypassword',
> 'db_name' => 'retrieve_phpesp',
>
> As far as line 73 on manage.php:
> include(esp_where($where));

This probably is happening because there is an error in
"phpESP.ini" *above* line 68. PHP is not especially good at
locating errors; it is probably expecting a ")" on line 68,
because it got confused by something on line 66 or 67. Make
sure you have matching quotes and such on the lines before
68. (You have two single quotes on line 65 where there
should be one.)

> This is the first time I've initialized a database in SSH (I'm very new to
> this).  But after I put in the command line for it, I brought up the db to
> make sure it exists and showed the tables, which were there.  So I'm
> assuming I initialized it properly.
>
> I used the same paths as suggested in the install readme, but had to change
> the usr,etc. portion of the existing path to home, etc. -- I may as well
> have simplified it since I had to change it anyway, but I had already
> created the directories.

Well, I'd have to agree with you, you should change the
path again. The main point is that by putting the files in
/usr/local/lib is that they are *not* in a subdirectory of
"htdocs" or "public_html". It is a Bad Thing to have them
in a subdirectory of either "htdocs" or "public_html"! If
they are, then chances are very high that someone can very
easily read the database host/user/password just by
downloading "phpESP.ini". For example, I would bet that
from the info you gave in your email, I could use this
url:
  http://66.78.15.118/lib/php/contrib/phpESP/admin/phpESP.ini
and read your database password. Please move the files to:
  ~/lib/php/contrib/phpESP (or something)
and just copy the "manage.php" to some place in
"public_html" (and edit the paths once again). After you
have done that, please change the password on the database.

> Any ideas?  Thanks for your help.  This looks like a great program.  Can't
> wait to use it.
>
> -kristie

Take it easy,
-James