So Confused

[Becca]

I'm sorry, but I am incredibly, terribly confused. There are several things I would like to do to customise the galleries attached to my site (PhotoParadis.net) but I have no idea where to begin. I know the FAQ would be a good place to start, and believe me I have read through the relevent sections, but I am still confused!

Things I would like to do:

1. Add a header (I know, in the FAQ but I don't understand where the coding is supposed to be found!)
2. Make it so that recent additions and random photos only show on the main page, not any of the categories or albums
3. Make it so that albums cannot be seen unless you click on the sub-category link

These are the galleries: http://www.photoparadis.net/coppermine/

I'm using a Plesk 8.0.0 but don't know much about it, as it's only just been installed.

I'm sorry to be asking so many questions, despite there being an FAQ, but I just don't understand where I'm supposed to be looking for the files.

Please help!

[Joachim Müller]

In the future, respect the "one issue per thread" policy! Don't start fresh projects with the outdated cpg1.3.3. Instead, upgrade to the most recent stable release (currently cpg1.4.8).

[Becca]

Sorry, for the multiple issues thing. How do I upgrade?

[Sami]

http://coppermine-gallery.net/demo/cpg14x/docs/index.htm#13

[Becca]

Thank you

I don't mean to be rude, but your FAQ's really do assume a lot that the person reading them knows stuff about Coppermine, not helpful for an absolute 100% beginner.

I want to say 'how?' to every single point 

[Becca]

I'm just going to have to leave it alone for now, it seems. My dad (who owns/rents the server) believes that the person who owns Interhost has to do the upgrades, as when I log into Plesk it only gives me the option to add Coppermine 1.3.3 to my domain, and that is all. I can't see how I can do anything more with it  :'(

[Joachim Müller]

Look, auto-installers like the one that resides within your copy of Plesk are just crap. They are in no way the recommended method to install coppermine in the first place. The same thing goes for other auto-installers like Fantastico. To me, it's the same as if I bought a brand new PC and the vendor would bundle it with Windows95. It's fine to use Windows95, but you can't ask the vendor to upgrade it to Windows XP for you for free if you knew in advance that it will only come with Windows95. Plesk is a good tool for the remote management of servers; it comes with extra applications like coppermine as a courtesy to users. However, you can't demand that your webhost (who offers you Plesk as a tool to administer your server) will update the value-added apps that come with it. Quite frankly: Coppermine's target audience are webmasters who know their way around in reading the docs we provide and understand it. People who don't have the skills to install nor update it in the recommended manner shouldn't use it. Sorry.

[Becca]

Right. So how is anyone ever supposed to learn, and be upto par with your target audience then?

I got Plesk for the simple reason that I wanted Coppermine, I had no idea about upgrades and was just happy to have the tool.

We did have our own server hosted with IBG, but the person who looked after our server wouldn't touch Coppermine with a barge pole, so I badgered my father into moving. Now it seems that all those efforts have gone to waste, especially if there's no way you can offer me any help to customize the version of Coppermine I have.

[Joachim Müller]

So you blame us for your decision to buy Plesk only because you wanted to have Coppermine? If you want a Goodyear tire, do you buy a Ford just because they come with this particular brand of tires? Install/upgrade the most recent stable Coppermine version as suggested in the docs - this is dead easy and can be accomplished by any newbie. If you don't understand a certain section of the upgrade instructions, then post your actual question. If you don't understand a word at all in the docs, you should review the whole idea to run Coppermine imo.

[Becca]

No, I don't blame you at all for my decision. Only for lack of clear assistance really.

I'm sorry if I sound like some sort of idiot, but when the how to upgrade FAQ says something like 'back up your database' without telling you how, I think it's a fair enough question to ask what exactly I'm supposed to do. However, the whole of the FAQ is made up for statements like that, so do you expect me to make a new thread for every single statement I come across that does not go into enough information?

[donnoman]

* I'm sorry, but I am incredibly, terribly confused.

Everybody starts somewhere; but if your confused; don't press on trying to change the world, until you understand the dirt you happen to be standing on.

* There are several things I would like to do to customise the galleries attached to my site (PhotoParadis.net) but I have no idea where to begin.

Then your not ready to press forward. Get your gallery working and content in place first. Once you have that under your belt, then pick ONE thing to learn about and change, not all three at the same time.

* I know the FAQ would be a good place to startThings I would like to do

Actually.... I'd start with the documentation, then the tutorial ( with moving pictures no less ), then install the latest Coppermine gallery without any assistance from a third party application according to the Coppermine documentation.

Create some categories, create an album or so, upload some pictures, play with the config.

Then and ONLY then would you actually pick up the FAQ to begin learning about Coppermine's advanced features.  You simply have the cart in front of the horse.  Give yourself time to experiment, fail, learn and eventually succeed.

You can't expect to buy Autocad, and be able to design a new bridge.  Nobody is prepared to learn how to operate Autocad, become a draftsman, learn to be an architect, and be a civil engineer ALL at the same time and expect that their first creation isn't a turd.

Coppermine is just a tool, to be able to trick it out is going to require knowledge of Coppermine's inner workings; if you are not prepared to install Coppermine on your own you are certainly not ready to be taught the intricacies of xhtml;css;php; and sql.  To do so would be to meet with utter and total confusion and failure.

* I'm using a Plesk 8.0.0 but don't know much about it, as it's only just been installed.

The only thing you need from Plesk in regards to Coppermine is to create the MySQL database and MySQL user and grant the user the proper rights to the database; a topic that is covered in the Coppermine documentation (not specifically using plesk)

Many beginners have successfully installed Coppermine on their own.  How are you different?

* Only for lack of clear assistance really.

There's plenty of clear assistance even for the newbie; But to be very clear, just because you happen to be able to execute Coppermine on your hosted account installed by the graces of a third party installer; doesn't entitle you to support.  This is an open source project. The developers donate time to code the solution; supporters donate their time to answer questions; Users must donate time too.  Your part of being a responsible open source user is to READ the documentation, USE the resources that have already been created for you, search the forum, and to ask intelligent INFORMED questions.  If you can't keep your end of the bargain up; you will find help being in short supply.

We know you haven't read the documentation because if you had; you'd know two out of three things you've asked about are in Coppermines configuration page as selectable options.  The third is a question that I know has been answered multiple times in the forums because I've answered it already at least once.

[Becca]

Okay, well my sincerest apologies for not reading the documentation first. I was under the impression that thr FAQ was where I needed to be, but that's totally my fault. I'm sorry if I have seemed rude in any way, I simply don't respond well when I feel like an idiot, as I like to think I am far from it having taught myself a lot over the past years to do with website design. I find it difficult to start as a complete beginner, but that's my own mental problem so again, my apologies to the team here.

I will go look through the documentation and everything, and then see what I can do. Thank you for your help.

May I suggest one thing however? Would it be possible to add a line to the beginning of the FAQ, noting that a person must read all documentation first before the FAQ? It may be on there somewhere else already, but I didn't note it anywhere.

Thank you, and my apologies again.

[Joachim Müller]

Did as suggested and added a small note to the FAQ in stable and devel branch of the svn.

[Becca]

Thank you, I'd give you karma but I haven't found out how yet, lol.  

[Sami]

you can't give him Karma but we can ++

[Becca]

Oh okay, ta!