Getting Photopost to work in vBulletin

Mike Jordan · June 6th, 2011, 08:00 PM

I'm still trying to get Photopost 7.1 to work within vBulletin 3.8 but still keep running into the same mySQL error as I was back in April. Photopost works fine as a stand alone gallery but it won't display any images in vBulletin. I finally asked the support people at my hosting site if they had seen the mySQL error before and if it might be something missing in it's configuration. They didn't find anything wrong nor had they seen the error before (Can't connect to local MySQL server through socket '/var/lib/mysql/mysql.sock' (2)) and though they gave me some suggestion, none of them panned out. The error seems to be seen in the PHP world, but all of the people that talked about it seemed to be running Linux on their own servers and it had to do with paths and mySQL configurations.

My host support did ask about something that I didn't know the answer to. In the Photopost directory is a file called header-inc.php that one of the instruction paragraphs say:

=============
5.) vbPortal/vBulletin header-inc.php Visual Integration

If you use vbPortal or vBulletin, you can integrate your forum's look and feel into PhotoPost. The vbPortal integration displays your vbPortal top/left side, and bottom, around PhotoPost. The vBulletin integration displays your default vB header/footer templates with PhotoPost. To implement this, open header-inc.php and follow the instructions there. vbPortal users should only edit the vbPortal section (not the vBulletin section), and those who use vBulletin only should only modify the vBulletin section.
==============

I looked in the header-inc.php file and don't see anything that needs configuring. Is this file just for customizing the look in vBulletin or is there something in it that has to be configured?

Also, in the Photopost Admin menu, under Global Options, there is a place to put the path for Header, Footer and Head tags. Does the path to the header.htm, footer.htm and headtags.htm go here?

And what path is it looking for for the PHP directory? I have the path to the Photopost directory there.

If I can eliminate every thing it isn't, what's left is bound to be my problem.

Thanks

Mike

Chuck S · June 6th, 2011, 09:07 PM

Please post your actual error so we can assist. Installing Photopost Pro to integrate with your vb login and use your vb header footer style would not show anything on your forum by default.

I see alot of different thoughts above but no issue for me to assist. you should not have to do anything to do with header-inc.php or anything nor use header.htm etc in a vb integrated install. I really do not know what you mean by php directory.

Mike Jordan · June 7th, 2011, 12:02 AM

Chuck, the error message I posted above is the only error message I get when I go into vBulletin after enabling the vBulletin plug-in that does:
include('../gallery/inc_features.php');

I know that the path is correct and that I need the ../gallery to go into the Photopost directory where the inc_features.php file is. After I save the plug-in and go back and refresh my forum, I get the Can't connect to local MySQL server through socket '/var/lib/mysql/mysql.sock' (2) error message.

If I replace the inc_features.php file with a file the same name that shows html or text or anything, it is displayed in the spot on my forumhome page where the images should be.

The Global Options page has these lines:

Full path to Header Include file
To include an HTML file as the header, enter the full path.

Full path to the Footer include file
To include an HTML file as the footer, enter the full path.

Full path to HTML file containing head tags

URL to PhotoPost PHP directory

The last one wants the URL to the PhotoPost PHP directory. I'm assuming it means the Photopost main directory, which in my case is www echobouvier.com/gallery

You did assist in what I was asking in my first message, which was did I need to do anything with the header-inc.php file. Another question your comment brings up though, if I don't need the header.htm or footer.htm files, should I leave those entries blank on the Global Options page? Or will they just be ignored?

Thanks, Chuck.

Mike

Chuck S · June 7th, 2011, 07:53 AM

Mike so your talking about some hack file not the actual core photopost? Your photopost is fine then right? I do not really see a specific error posted or at least full error.

I would suggest you follow the instructions in the mod to make that work in vb. Like I said that is not part of the program by default. You need to actually do a vb mod or plugin to show that on your forum.

http://www.photopost.com/forum/1144406-post1.html

Follow the links they explicitly talk about in bold that if your PP and VB are in separate databases that you need to uncomment and fill out with the proper information the database info asked in inc_features.php

Mike Jordan · June 7th, 2011, 07:22 PM

Chuck, no, no hack file. Everything I'm using I either got out of the Photopost 7.1 zip file or downloaded from here, like the xml file in your link. I used the xml file to create the plug-in in my vBulletin 3.8. I've also followed the instructions for integrating into VB. I have both PP and VB in the same database and I used the default pp_ prefix to the PP tables. I've tried to stay as close to default as I could, just to make it as easy as possible. I don't know what or why my environment is different than all of the other people that have pretty much dropped it in place and had it running, but something is different. I run almost a completely default VB forum with no other hacks or programs than what came with VB. I had hoped that would make installing PP that much easier, but it didn't work out that way.

I'll delete my PP plug-in from VB and re-install it from the xml link you provided above, just in case. Thanks, Chuck.

Mike

Chuck S · June 8th, 2011, 07:14 AM

Mike that XML is a hack or MOD as you call it as noted about where it is posted under the mod forums.

If you follow that hacks instructions things should work as your issue is as noted in my last reply.

Mike Jordan · June 8th, 2011, 11:25 AM

Thanks, Chuck. I'll go back over the integration instructions again.

Mike

Chuck S · June 8th, 2011, 12:00 PM

Yeah if you look at the inc_features.php file you will see the commented out database lines. You simply uncomment them by removing the // in front of the line and fill out the proper database information from host username password and database names.

Mike Jordan · June 11th, 2011, 02:32 PM

Well, Chuck. I think I give up. The closest I've come to getting it to work was I started tracing through the inc_features.php file and put stops at different points to see when I got the error message. I get it when it gets to:

// First part is for the featured photos
// $photopostfeature not holds the Featured Photos box and $photopostcats (set below) holds the
// gallery list

$photopostfeature = <<<PPPRINT

If I deleted some of the code above it, I can actually get the Featured Photo title bar to show on my forum. I didn't really expect to find anything, since I can't step through the code like I can with un-compiled source code, but I was hoping it would give me a clue as to what was keeping my gallery images from coming up in my vBulletin forum.

When I first started trying to get this to work, I figured it was just something that I was overlooking or putting in wrong in one of the required fields. But after all of the things I have tried and gone over, I'm becoming more convinced that something with my hosting environment is different in some way from what most of the successful installs have to work with. My hosting site has a lot of features and they were good at working with me for a few days to see if they could find anything, but they didn't see anything either with my database or directory paths. I've worked in a Unix environment for years and have a pretty good understanding of paths and permissions and scripting and I know I can over look something as easy as anyone... It usually doesn't take me to long though to find where the problem is though. Photopost seems to work just fine as a stand alone program and my vBulletin forum has been running just fine for a number of years without issues, so I just don't know.

One last thing I may try and that is to see if I can find someone that has vBulletin and Photopost working successfully and run it on a hosting site that isn't to expensive. If I can find that, I'll sign up for 30 days and install a non-accessible version to see if it work the way I've been installing it based on all of the instructions I've read and your suggestions, Chuck. If it does, then I'll know it's something with my environment and not me. If it doesn't, then I'll know it's just me.

Thanks for your help, Chuck.

Mike

Chuck S · June 11th, 2011, 03:57 PM

Quote:

Can't connect to local MySQL server through socket '/var/lib/mysql/mysql.sock

Mike the error you posted has nothing to do with a bad server environment. You only get that error by not inputting the correct database information where asked in the inc_features.php file. It only happens when your database for photopost is different than vbulletins. As per the instructions in bold in the initial instructions the xml posted here is based on you need to uncomment and fill out the lines below with the proper info. You remove the // and put in the info

Code:

Content visible to verified customers only.

dont forget the end of the file to go back to vbulletin also

Code:

Content visible to verified customers only.

This is also explained right in the inc_features.php file also. If you do this to the file your block will work no errors.

Then as stated after you install the xml file with proper path you edit the forumhome template and under $navbar you place $photopostfeature.

A block will appear on your forum.

Mike Jordan · June 11th, 2011, 04:06 PM

Chuck, I know what you are saying, but my Photopost database is inside the same database as my vBulletin database. In fact, it's the only database installed in the mySQL on my site. I did a default install using the pp_ prefix of the tables. When I look at the tables in the database, I have the vBulletin tables and in the middle are all of the pp_ Potopost tables.

Are you saying that even though it is all in one database that Photopost doesn't see it that way and I still need to uncomment out those lines and put the same information there as I have for the database in vBulletin? I'll give that a try as it is something I have not tried since all of the instructions have said it wasn't necessary.

Mike

Mike Jordan · June 11th, 2011, 04:37 PM

Yea! it worked, Chuck. Thank you very much for all of the help.

Now, why do the instructions not work the way they say they are suppose to? I do only have one single database created in mySQL and that is where vBulletin and Photopost are installed in. I know I should just be glad that it is working, but after spending the better part of a month, it just aggravates me that after it didn't work and you kept saying to following the instructions, that when I did, that was why it didn't work.

// If you have placed PhotoPost into a seperate database, you will need to
// uncomment these lines to connect to the PhotoPost database. It is suggested
// that you install PP into the same database as vB for better performance.
//
// If you use the same userid/password to access both databases, you don't need to
// uncomment the mysql_connect - this is only if you require different ids to access
// the PhotoPost database.

Anyway, thanks a bunch Chuck. I really do appreciate it.

Mike

Chuck S · June 11th, 2011, 05:45 PM

You could be using other hacks that might mess with things. I cant say but as I stated as long as you explicitly follow the instructions as far as uncommenting and filling in the database info it would work. Your error told me that was your issue.

Mike Jordan · June 11th, 2011, 05:58 PM

LOL! I did follow the instructions and that was the problem. I don't have any other mods, hacks or additions to my out of the box install of vBulletin. Putting in Photopost has been the first thing I've added to it since I first installed it several years ago.

Mike

Chuck S · June 12th, 2011, 07:55 AM

well what I stated to do on June 8th was right on target.

Database errors they are rather easy to solve as its an explicit error meaning it can only be what is being told. Your error said if could not connect to mysql therefore resolution fill out the proper database info.

Mike Jordan · June 12th, 2011, 07:33 PM

Now that it's showing the images, I'm working on getting it looking the way I'd like. After I click an image and it takes me to the gallery itself, there isn't a link to click on to go directly back to my forum. Which one of the templates do I edit that has the line on it with the following?

My Photos · My Albums · My Favorites · no messages Admin · Home · Search · Profile · Upload Photos

I want to add a link to go back to the forum on it. Or is that not one of the templates that is in the Photopost Admin section?

Thanks, Chuck.

Mike

Chuck S · June 12th, 2011, 09:06 PM

If you click an image it should take you to the gallery. If you want to add a link to your forum you could do that by adding one to your vbulletin navbar template just like you added a gallery link. Your using the vb3 header footer over our app right?

Mike Jordan · June 12th, 2011, 09:34 PM

Yes, I'm using the VB3 header/footer in Photopost. I just realized that my forum title (which shows at the top of all pagaes) is a link back to the forum home page. It's not obvious and I'd forgotten it was set up like that but if I click it, it goes to the forum home page. So it looks like that part is working like it's suppose to as well so I think I'm ready to make the announcement that the gallery is available... although then my images won't be the most viewed or the most popular like they are now since they are the only ones in the gallery.

Thanks again, Chuck.

Mike

Chuck S · June 13th, 2011, 08:12 AM

Yes your forum header is always a link thats standard in vbulletin. As stated if you want an extra link back to your forum thats easy just add one in your vb navbar just like you did for your gallery. That is I am assuming you made a link to your gallery as I have not personally seen your site. Thats what most people do.