Desperately seeking help

[esm]

Hi Y'all,

I have installed XAMPP so I can work offline with an osCommerce-based website. I have ftp'ed the website from the server into a 'catalog' folder in the XAMPP folder but I have no idea how to open and modify the website. Can someone help?

Thanks,

Ed

[deepsurfer]

copy the backup of extern-server into e.g. \xampp\htdocs\mypage
then you can open it with http://localhost/mypage

[esm]

Sorry, but I don't understand that, maybe I'm just stupid.

I have created a "mypage" folder inside the "htdocs" folder and I have copied the ftp'd version of my osCommerce website into the "mypage" folder, exactly as you suggested. Now what?

[cj_nza]

esm, I don't think it is clear what you are asking. From your posts thus far I believe that you copied a pre build application from a production website into your new XAMPP development setup.

What is it that you want to know now. Is the app not working or is it working but you would like to modify it and don't know how?

[esm]

Yes,

You are correct! I have ftp'd a production website that incorporates osCommerce. I am tasked with modifying this website but I can not get it to run under my XAMPP server application on my PC and I am trying to find out how to do that.

I would really appreciate all the help I can get.

Thanks,

Ed

[cj_nza]

As you would expect it is almost imposible to even try and diagnose the problem without knowing what error messages you are receiving. That would be a good start for any request for help. Out of couriosity I downloaded the latest version of osCommerce (2-2ms2) and installed it on my XAMPP (1.4.15) installation, followed the installation instructions and are up and running after about 2 minutes (had to set REGISTER_GLOBALS to ON and restart Apache.) So there soes not appear to be anything special to do with regards to default XAMPP installation (bar Register Globals).

[esm]

Let me tell you first that I am totally new to XAMPP and osCommerce and I need to learn fast! I may ask dumb questions.

Here's were I am:

1 I have installed XAMPP and it seems to work because I can get to the phpAdmin page on my localhost.

2 I have ftp'd a production website that I am supposed to modify and copied it into a folder called "catalog" inside the XAMPP folder.

That is were I'm stuck. I don't know how to call pages of the production website that need to be altered/modified. Somehow I have not grasped the relationship/connection between XAMPP, osCommerce and the website. I know that XAMPP acts as a server on my PC and I'm supposed to be able to run the entire website on my PC but I have not yet figured out how.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Ed

[cj_nza]

OK,

Firstly osCommerse use a mySQL database backend. That means that in addition to having the web pages FTP'ed to your site, you would also need to create the database (which I don't know if you have already done).

In order to get to your local running site you would put into your browser either "http://localhost/catalog" or "127.0.0.1/catalog". That should get you to the index.php file of the website.

You mention that you were 'tasked' with updating the site (does this mean you are expected to change some of the products that you offer or are you supposed to make code changes to the site.) If the former, somebody else should be able to give you an environment where you could do that (eg the people maintaing the production site) if the latter than this is likely not the most appropriate forum and you should be best served through a forum that deals with the specific application.

[esm]

I have created a database in the phpAdmin window. The next step would be to download the backup of the database, which I can not find. I was under the impression that the database would be somewhere in the ftp'd folders but that does not seem to be the case.

As to the updating, I am tasked with modifying the html part, which is not the problem and I am also asked to bypass the registration process in osCommerce, which I have found a solution for in the osCommerce forum.

My only current problem is to get the downloaded production website running under XAMPP. If you can help me with that, I'd be very grateful.

[esm]

Any help available here, please?

[esm]

Hi Guys,

I finally managed to backup the database and import it into XAMPP. Now I am wondering how to open all those php files that I am supposed to modify. Right now, when I click on one, it opens in notepad, which is very likely not correct. Any ideas here?

Thanks,

esm

[esm]

Hi Guys,

I have installed a php editor (Rapid PHP 2005) and I am trying to get the preview going. Their mapping expects to find the php pages that I need to modify in the apache/htdocs folder, which does not seem to exist. There is an XAMPP/htdocs folder. Does that mean that I have to copy my entire production website into that htdocs folder?

Thanks,

esm

[winkman]

Hi esm,
Obviously, your a bit new to the XAMPP system...
It's not a very difficult thing to grasp...

The stand-alone Apache server, (which you have as a package with XAMPP) has a folder in it, called htdocs... This is a folder that is accessable by anyone... (providing that they have the permissions/passwords if required)
Xampp has this folder too, and yes, it usually will be located at:

C:/apachefriends/xampp/htdocs

In there there will be your folder, catalog.
(This is where you should have ftp'd your OScommerce template/system...)
In your webbrowser, you should point it to http://localhost/catalog/
if a list of folders opens, click on the file that says something similar to index.php... (sorry i don't have OScommerce, so i don't know what it's called...) If it has been installed properly, a website should open, usually with configuration instructions... You SHOULD be able to handle it from there...

If not, open the original download file from the OScommerce website,
and try and find a folder called docs, documentation, instructions, or help.
There should be some very basic installation files in there, and you can start again properly...
Hopefully this will help... maybe not...

Once I was told (by a bunch of people on a dodgy forum) that if you can't install it, it's probably too far out of your league, this might be right, but things can't be that hard to install... Ever...

Hope this helps, and I hope that things install/configure properly...
God Bless,
Mitch

[winkman]

BTW,
If your PHP files open in Notepad,
that's a good thing... (or any other text editor)
(except MS Word... that's too dodgy for PHP/html editing...)
If you want to VIEW the page (so it doesn't look like mumble-jumble code) you need to open it THROUGH your web browser...
(via something like http://localhost/mypage.php)
If it still looks like mumble-jumble php code in your web-browser,
you've obiously configured something wrongly on your server... (XAMPP)

Check it out...
God Bless,
Mitch

[esm]

Hey winkman,

Thanks for the help. I can open the index.php in my browser but I still see the source (mumble-jumble code) so, apparently there's something configured wrongly, I just can't figure out what.

esm