stargate-portal.com

Updates in lue of mod validation...
A block can be assigned visibility on a page basis, that is, you can decide which blocks appear on which pages...
You must of course still assign a block to the left, right and centre columns...

Changes in the ACP:

Stuff on my to do list...

• Fix truncate message... limit announcements and news post without stopping the bbcodes...
• Detail what is required to update to version 2 of the portal...

Preparing for Updating:
If you require help upgrading to Stargate Portal version 2, please ensure you:

1. Update phpBB3 to latest version (3.0.7PL1).
2. Update AutoMod to latest version (this will also update UMIL).

Version 2 is not just a few improvements, it's much faster, more compatible with other mods and generally a better product...
Version 2 is also the version I have submitted to phpBB's mod team for acceptance...

Basic Procedure:
You should backup your database, then using the new portal removal code, remove the portal database entries... (See note 1)
Remove all previous portal edits from phpBB core file. (see Note 2)
Delete all portal files from your site prior to uploading the new versions (only necessary for files in the include folders)...

Please note, removing the previous portal edits and the portal database removal will allow you to operate your site normally...
Both steps should be complete before proceeding...

Download version 2 and install normally...

Notes:

1. I will supply all phpBB core files for 3.0.7PL1 with the correct files structure (no mods installed), this will allow you to compare your copy and remove old portal code...
   These files are clean, that is they contains no mod edits so remember to allow for your mods edits and do not remove these...

   phpbb_no_edits.zip

   All phpBB core file 3.0.7PL1 (no mods)

   (2.15 MiB) Downloaded 74 times

2. You can use the back up to rebuild most of the portal tables if you have modified the default tables... Check with me before doing this as some tables have small changes...

Version 2 onward:
As and from version 2, updates will be automatic... (AutoMod update script / Portals own updater).

SVN - Subversion (software), a revision (or version) control system...

First thing to do is download TortoiseSVN
http://tortoisesvn.net/downloads
you can use any SVN software I use Tortoise

Next step, request the Log in info from Mike Via PM

After you install TortoiseSVN make a directory on you hard drive I call mine
1StargateSVN ( so its first on the list of directory's )

Right click on the directory pick create repository here (other programs might word it different)
Pick SVN Checkout fill in Log in info and when requested your password.


To update the SVN on you computer
go into your SVN directory you created on your Computer, there should be a directory
called stargate-portal.com with a green check mark on the Left.

You can't use the files like it is , you need to export them.
Go into the directory and look for the directory builds in that directory is the latest SVN
for Stargate Portal 307-001

Version control for Stargate Portal:
We now use a build number to identify progress... It's fairly simple... phpBB version number followed by the portal build number as in 307-001 (current)...
Introduced this for 3.0.6... saves having to keep updating the portal number, now at 1.0.7...

To setup a local server for testing see the How-To Forum

Before you install any mod, you should ask yourself the following questions.

1: Are there real benefits to installing the mod:?
Never take a mod at face value... always confirm that the benefits claimed are real...
Check with the experts, see if these benefits can be achieved without resorting to complicated mods...

2: Will installing the mod make future update of the phpBB core difficult:?
Before you apply any edits, examine the installs xml in your browser, paying specific attention to how much the mod will modify the core file...
Several of the larger mods will actually kill phpBB's automatic update procedure. You will have to resort to manual updates of the effected files...

3: If the mod screws up, can I disable or uninstall it without difficulty:?
I am not aware of any other mod that can be disabled via the ACP but I am guessing some do exist...
If they can't be disabled, can you easily undo the edits should you wish to remove the the mod for any reason...

4: Does the mod contain functionality that already exists:?
Several mods add unnecessary functionality that may already exist, either in the core or another mod... This will lead to conflicts down the road...

Going overboard:
As many of you are aware, I test the more popular mods to ensure they work with the portal, and I can say in all honesty, there are a few I would never install...
One of my pet hates is the inclusion of unnecessary or duplicated functionality, which invariably leads to degradation of the phpBB core files during the install process...
I want a mod to do what its suppose to do and nothing more...

Duplicated functionality:
Three of the mods I installed had additional code to resize images... as a result I removed all of them.

Just my thought but I do have some experience...