how to access the missing bits

how to access the missing bits

by Susan Parnaby -
Number of replies: 6

I have been trying to install Moodle 1.9.2 on Simply be Hosted using cPanel. I can see 3 things that are not right. 

1 Some pages say "Done, but with errors on the page"

2 the html editor is not visible

3 there are buttons to access the advanced editing features but they have no effect (seen in when both editing the profile and writing text pages)

I have tried adding an .htaccess file and a php.ini to the main folder but that has had no effect.

Is this the right approach?

If so what should be in these files and where should they be placed?

If NOT what else should I do?

Please explain in plain English as I have virtually no programming experience and I have been trying to teach myself as I have gone a long.

Susan

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In reply to Susan Parnaby

Re: how to access the missing bits

by Richard Enison -
SP,

Talk about missing pieces! There are lots of missing pieces of info in your post. For example:
  • You talk about the lack of html editor and advanced editing functionality. Those are things one does not expect to find during the process of installing Moodle, but after it is installed.
  • So presumably you have already done the installation. How? Did you run the install script, where you answered questions about what language you want to use, the pathnames and URL of the main folders (directories), the parameters that describe the database you created, etc., or did you manually create config.php?
  • I presume you followed the instructions, and created the data folder and database before installing Moodle.
  • You mention .htaccess. This is a file used by the web server Apache. Can we conclude that the web server you are using is Apache? See FAQ #3.
  • Whether it would do any good to put such a file, or php.ini, in the main Moodle folder depends on a couple of things:
    • whether your host (I for one am not familiar with Simply be Hosted) allows .htaccess files and what directives they support in them, as well as whether they allow custom php.ini files and the procedure they specify on how to create them; and
    • what you put in those files.
  • Can we conclude that you got all the way through the installation process successfully, so that all the database tables were created ,etc.?
  • Which pages said Done, but with errors? How did you get to them?
  • Which pages had missing html editors? Missing advanced editing? Did you get to specify your username and p/w as administrator? Were you logged in as administrator when you tried to do editing?
  • Have you seen any of the tutorials on installing Moodle with cPanel? For example,

    this one for the old cPanel
    this one for the new one
    this other one
RLE
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In reply to Richard Enison

Re: how to access the missing bits

by Susan Parnaby -

I was not sure what information was needed hence my poor start.

Story so far- I used cpanel and fantastico for one installation and then found that there were problems with it. I then used a recent zipped download of Moodle for a second installation of just Moodle and altered the config file to point to the original database. The same problems arose with this as well. At the moment it can be found at www.lilythepinkministries.co.uk/courses/moodle It works sort of but it is limited.

I then found out about the need to change a setting by using the line register_globals = off  in an htaccess file.  I tried following the instructions in the file I found in the zipped download to create this file. This did not resolve the problems either but I have no way of changing this setting other than using an htaccess file.

I have never seen the html editor anywhere and none of the buttons for advanced settings I have seen have worked. It does not matter what role I used, neither could be found. Even the page that lists the courses includes a warning triangle and a note saying done with file errors. Most of the themes I tried also came up with error warnings. I actually started using it  (with markdown) and then wondered how to insert images only to find that to do this I needed to use the non-existent html editor.

I was just thankful that it did that much because I tried one installation using cpanel and fantastico and found that it  would not even allow text pages to be started. That was deleted as it was impossible to use for anything.

 In terms of what the hosting service runs or offers I have no idea.

 Does that make any more sense?

 Susan

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In reply to Susan Parnaby

Re: how to access the missing bits

by Richard Enison -
SP,

A little.
  1. I would say your first mistake was using Fantastico. If you have been reading this forum for any length of time, you have seen my ranting and raving that it should be avoided at all costs. I would have deleted the database (db) it created as well as the directories before starting over without it. I hope you don't have a lot of data in the db you want to keep, because that would be my advice now. I wouldn't be surprised if it was not Unicode, although it is surprising that your Moodle site would work at all if that were true.
  2. "register_globals=off" definitely is required by Moodle. It is a PHP setting, but it can be put in an .htaccess file if your host supports that and if your web server is Apache. Did you use the correct form? Namely, when you put a PHP setting in an Apache file such as .htaccess or httpd.conf, if it is a Boolean (on/off) setting as this one is, the correct form is

    php_flag register_globals off

    For other types of settings (numeric and character string), you would use php_value instead of php_flag.
  3. If you want to know what your hosting service offers, ask them!
  4. I followed your link to your Moodle site. It seems to work as far as I can tell. I was able to log in as guest which means the db works well enough to look up the guest record in the user table. Obviously I couldn't log in as an administrator or teacher so I can't see your editing problem.
RLE
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In reply to Richard Enison

Re: how to access the missing bits

by Susan Parnaby -

I have tried setting up a new database and then reinstalling moodle. I set up a test course and found the message done but with errors on the page on the course outline page. I tried adding a resource and nothing happened. There was no response to clicking on either labels or text pages. There was no sign of the html editor in any of this process either. I then tried to edit my profile and where the advanced settings button should be was just a green star. If carefully positioned the mouse revealed a tooltag label saying advanced settings so I still could not check those settings. In other words it was worse than it was before.

I then had a look for the htaccess file in the lib folder renamed it by adding a dot to the front and moved it up a level to the same folder as the index.php files. I did not edit the contents in any way. This did not have any effect.

The config.php file I saved and uploaded is also in the same folder as index.php. It would not write automatically so had to be dealt with manually.

I have also checked the themes and I still got "an error has occurred on the script on this page" when I tried to view them just as I did with the fantastico installation.

sp

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In reply to Susan Parnaby

Re: how to access the missing bits

by Susan Parnaby -

A very long message to the support people quoting some of the info from the installation page led to the following response.

"I noticed a problem in the error logs with access to some of the .js scripts. i have made some changes."

I have no idea what they are talking about BUT all the things that I was concerned about are now working as they should on the new non-fantastico installation. An older version is still accessible and has still got problems. Whether it is a worse installation or whether the changes do not affect it I do not know but I now have one fully working version.

Susan

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