Upon installation of form generator, I browse to the index page and get greeted with the following message:
The forms directory is not writeable.
The forms/admin directory is not writeable.
The use directory is not writeable.
The forms/admin/config.inc.php file is not writeable.
The forms/admin/data.dat file is not writeable.
The forms/form1.html file is not writeable.
The forms/process.php file is not writeable.
Now I have went through the README and cannot see what I am doing wrong (though lack of sleep might have something to do with it).
I download a phpFormGen-php-2.09c.tar and unpacked using Picozip.
Now the screen indicates 2 folders that do not exist: Admin & Use. I have manually created them as gave everything 777 permissions. but still get this error.
I thought something might be missing from the download (ie A couple of folders) as the README states "Set read+write+execute file permissions on the 'forms' directory and *everything* inside it (including all subdirectories and files)"
However I have checked the file size and it is fine.
Please can anyone highlight where I am going wrong?
You are not necessarily doing anything wrong. Sometimes when you create folders and files with different methods you get different results. When files and folders are created they need to have these minimum permissions.
HTML and graphics files: 644
php files: 755
Folders: 777
You also need to be the owner of all the files and folders. Some installations, for whatever reason, set the owner to someone other than you. This can cause allot of problems. Some installations set you as the owner but then set the permissions wrong. File and folder ownership is difficult to determine because it is something you don't normally have access to. The easiest thing to do when you suspect ownership issues is to contact your host to have this resolved. You can also delete everything and create files and folders manually (sometimes this works).
Still another problem is that every host has there own set of rules for executable files (php), and different versions of host software support and security features.
Once you have all these details worked out the form generator will perform properly and without any problems.
Now a comment on multiple forms. The generator creates forms with all the same file names. This is why each form is separated into its own folder. If you attempt to move forms into a common folder you will definitely have issues unless you take great care in renaming files to keep them unique to each form.
Each form1.html file must be unique, it must point to a unique process.php file, a unique data or mysql file, and a unique admin folder. Failure to keep this level of separation will result in unpredictable behavior.
All this said, I can help you resolve most any issue you have and help you with any customization issues. It does take some time when working through this forum but if you have some patience I'm sure we can solve you problems.
Let me know if you need further assistance.
If you would like to refer to this comment somewhere else in this project, copy and paste the following link:
No everything is fine now. Thanks for your assistance.
I did use fantastico, but I'm frustrated in the sense I have done everything manually to date, and failed at this hurdle.
I will have a challenge again shortly as I will be moving files and configuring the form to use with my already set up templates.
I don't know if you know, but it seems that you cannot modify an existing form through the GUI. Example when you set up 15 fields, you can't add another at a later date.
Also: the drop down option is limited to 5 in the GUI.
My final concern was the security, as it would seem people could fall onto the admin page and delete your form. (I think I can set up the security to tie this down)
But these were a few things I did note. Having said that it is a free program, so I'm not complaining.
I have to say though it is a great little script and hats off to the creator he has done a good job. I'm looking forward to seeing the development in v3.
If you would like to refer to this comment somewhere else in this project, copy and paste the following link:
Upon installation of form generator, I browse to the index page and get greeted with the following message:
The forms directory is not writeable.
The forms/admin directory is not writeable.
The use directory is not writeable.
The forms/admin/config.inc.php file is not writeable.
The forms/admin/data.dat file is not writeable.
The forms/form1.html file is not writeable.
The forms/process.php file is not writeable.
Now I have went through the README and cannot see what I am doing wrong (though lack of sleep might have something to do with it).
I download a phpFormGen-php-2.09c.tar and unpacked using Picozip.
Now the screen indicates 2 folders that do not exist: Admin & Use. I have manually created them as gave everything 777 permissions. but still get this error.
I thought something might be missing from the download (ie A couple of folders) as the README states "Set read+write+execute file permissions on the 'forms' directory and *everything* inside it (including all subdirectories and files)"
However I have checked the file size and it is fine.
Please can anyone highlight where I am going wrong?
It is the same error as seen on the following page:
http://phpformgen.sourceforge.net/phpform/
Thanks
Ricky
You are not necessarily doing anything wrong. Sometimes when you create folders and files with different methods you get different results. When files and folders are created they need to have these minimum permissions.
HTML and graphics files: 644
php files: 755
Folders: 777
You also need to be the owner of all the files and folders. Some installations, for whatever reason, set the owner to someone other than you. This can cause allot of problems. Some installations set you as the owner but then set the permissions wrong. File and folder ownership is difficult to determine because it is something you don't normally have access to. The easiest thing to do when you suspect ownership issues is to contact your host to have this resolved. You can also delete everything and create files and folders manually (sometimes this works).
Still another problem is that every host has there own set of rules for executable files (php), and different versions of host software support and security features.
Once you have all these details worked out the form generator will perform properly and without any problems.
Now a comment on multiple forms. The generator creates forms with all the same file names. This is why each form is separated into its own folder. If you attempt to move forms into a common folder you will definitely have issues unless you take great care in renaming files to keep them unique to each form.
Each form1.html file must be unique, it must point to a unique process.php file, a unique data or mysql file, and a unique admin folder. Failure to keep this level of separation will result in unpredictable behavior.
All this said, I can help you resolve most any issue you have and help you with any customization issues. It does take some time when working through this forum but if you have some patience I'm sure we can solve you problems.
Let me know if you need further assistance.
Thanks for the reply.
Still had no joy.
Went over it after a good nights sleep and still couldn't work out the problem.
Looks like I am the owner and I gave all files and folders maximum permissions of 777 to ensure there wasn't any security issues, or minimise them.
In the end, I installed using fantastico, which my web host provides. I read there was some issues installing this way, but I had no choice.
At least it is up and running!
If any does have this issue and resolves it, then I would love to know what they did to do so.
Thanks for your help.
I used Fantastico to install my form generator so it can work. Are you still having issues that you need help with?
No everything is fine now. Thanks for your assistance.
I did use fantastico, but I'm frustrated in the sense I have done everything manually to date, and failed at this hurdle.
I will have a challenge again shortly as I will be moving files and configuring the form to use with my already set up templates.
I don't know if you know, but it seems that you cannot modify an existing form through the GUI. Example when you set up 15 fields, you can't add another at a later date.
Also: the drop down option is limited to 5 in the GUI.
My final concern was the security, as it would seem people could fall onto the admin page and delete your form. (I think I can set up the security to tie this down)
But these were a few things I did note. Having said that it is a free program, so I'm not complaining.
I have to say though it is a great little script and hats off to the creator he has done a good job. I'm looking forward to seeing the development in v3.