Version 3.0 is finally here!
Thank
you very much for purchasing our product.
It has taken many hundreds of hours of work to bring this release to
you, and we hope you can have as much enjoyment using it as we did building it.
Thanks to all our friends, colleagues and customers for their help and
feedback. We encourage users of this and
other 3DeeArts products to send in feedback and feature requests so we can
improve and add to our software for future updates.
System Requirements
To install the 3DeeArts
Calendar on your web server, you must have the following:
Perl
5.004 or higher - Most web servers have
Perl installed, but check with your technical support to make sure before you
try installing. Your Perl version must
also include some standard Perl libraries like CGI.pm, flock, cwd etc. Since these are standard with all Perl
installations now, there should be no problem.
CGI Access - You must have the ability
to run CGI scripts on your web server, usually from a folder called “cgi-bin”.
FTP Access - You must have the ability
to FTP to your web server so that you can upload the necessary files, or have
direct access to your server.
sendmail for Unix, SMTP for Windows -
To utilize the email features of the 3DeeArts Calendar you must have the
standard UNIX sendmail program available. For Windows, there is now email
support for either SMTP, Net::SMTP or IO::Socket.
CRON job or task scheduler – To
make the reminders program function you need to be able to add it to a
scheduling program like CRON on Unix./Linux or task scheduler on Windows. Please check with your tech support to see if
this is available. If it is not, you can
disable the reminders options in the program.
2.0MB of disk space - The
total amount of space needed is entirely dependent upon how many people will be
using the calendar and how much information is posted but we recommend at least
2MB.
Installation
Step 1: Unpacking
After downloading the file from our server you must
first unpack the archive. The standard
programs for unpacking are “WinZip” under Windows and Gunzip and Untar under
Unix. Copy the archive file appropriate
for your operating system into the cgi-bin directory of your web server or a
temporary directory on your personal computer.
Next:
Under Unix
1. Gunzip the file. To do this type “gunzip 3dacalendar30.tar.gz”
2. Untar the file (tar is a way of keeping associations and directories intact) by typing “tar –xfv 3dacalendar30.tar”
Under Windows
1.
Double click on the archive name, or run WinZip.
2.
From WinZip open “3dacalendar30.zip” and
choose the extract action.
3.
Extract the archive to the desired location.
Now
that you have unpacked the archive, a new directory called “3deearts_calendar” will be in your directory structure. In its sub-directory “Install_files” the
files listed in ‘step 2’ should be present.
After
unpacking your files, you need to make sure that the first line in the files ‘calendar.cgi’, ‘install.cgi’ and ‘remind.pl’
is the correct path to Perl 5 on your server.
This is usually “#!/usr/bin/perl” on Unix servers. If you do not know the path to Perl on your
server, contact your host’s support and ask them. The default is usually ok.
The
files ‘calendar.cgi’ and ‘install.cgi’ may have to be changed to extensions
“.pl” if your server only supports the “.pl” extension. Some Windows NT servers run this way.
If
you need to rename the file install.cgi to install.pl open the file in a text
editor and change line 38 where it says: my $ext = 'cgi'; change it to my $ext = 'pl';
If
you are using FTP to upload files, make
sure that you upload all the files in ASCII mode when needed. This is specified in the file list
below. Most modern FTP-Clients know what
to do themselves, but it's still recommended that you check if it really
uploads everything in ASCII by setting this in your FTP program’s options.
For example: In the
program CuteFTP by GlobalSCAPE Inc, go to File
then Transfer Type and choose either
Auto, ASCII or Binary.
Step 2: Uploading
CGI-BIN Directory (All these files should be uploaded in ASCII mode). Files requiring permission changes are
highlighted in bold.
1
calendar - Root Directory (rwxr-xr-x) (755)
1
contacts - Sub-directory
(rwxrwxrwx) (777 - full access)
2
.htaccess (644) (don’t change permission)
2
counter.dat (rw-rw-rw-)
(666 - full access)
2
groups.txt (rw-rw-rw-)
(666 - full access)
1
data - Sub-directory (rwxr-xr-x) (755)
2
.htaccess (644) (don’t change permission)
2
categories.txt
(rw-rw-rw-) (666 - full access)
2
flood.txt (rw-rw-rw-)
(666 - full access)
2
groups.txt (rw-rw-rw-)
(666 - full access)
2
icons.txt (rw-rw-rw-)
(666 - full access)
2
installer.txt (rw-rw-rw-)
(666 - full access)
2
language.txt (rw-rw-rw-)
(666 - full access)
2
news.txt (rw-rw-rw-)
(666 - full access)
2
settings.pl (rw-rw-rw-)
(666 - full access)
2
stats.txt (rw-rw-rw-)
(666 - full access)
2
style.txt (rw-rw-rw-)
(666 - full access)
1
databases -
Sub-directory (rwxrwxrwx) (777 - full access)
2
.htaccess (644) (don’t change permission)
2
counter.dat (rw-rw-rw-)
(666 - full access)
1
languages - Sub-directory (rwxr-xr-x) (755)
2
.htaccess (644) (don’t change permission)
2
English.lng (644) (don’t change permission)
1
library – Sub-directory (rwxr-xr-x) (755)
2
.htaccess (644) (don’t change permission)
2
admin.pm (644) (don’t change permission)
2
backup.pm (644) (don’t change permission)
2
colors.pm (644) (don’t change permission)
2
contact.pm (644) (don’t change permission)
2
date.pm (644) (don’t change permission)
2
decode.pm (644) (don’t change permission)
2
direct.pm (644) (don’t change permission)
2
event.pm (644) (don’t change permission)
2
login.pm (644) (don’t change permission)
2
mail.pm (644) (don’t change permission)
2
members.pm (644) (don’t change permission)
2
options.pm (644) (don’t change permission)
2
search.pm (644) (don’t change permission)
2
select.pm (644) (don’t change permission)
2
setup.pl (644) (don’t change permission)
2
smilies.pm (644) (don’t change permission)
2
subs.pm (644) (don’t change permission)
2
views.pm (644) (don’t change permission)
1
logs –
Sub-directory (rwxr-xr-x) (755)
2
.htaccess (644)
(don’t change permission)
2
ip_log.txt (rw-rw-rw-) (666 - full access)
2
remind_log.txt
(rw-rw-rw-) (666 - full access)
2
reminders.txt
(rw-rw-rw-) (666 - full access)
1
templates – Sub-directory (rwxr-xr-x) (755)
2
.htaccess (644)
(don’t change permission)
2
template.html (644) (don’t change permission)
1
users – Sub-directory (rwxrwxrwx) (777 - full
access)
2
.htaccess (644) (don’t change permission)
2
admin.dat (rw-rw-rw-) (666 - full access)
2
altusers.db (rw-rw-rw-)
(666 - full access)
2
users.db (rw-rw-rw-) (666 - full access)
2
calendar.cgi (or
calendar.pl) (rwxr-xr-x) (755)
2
index.html (644) (don’t change permission)
2
install.cgi (or
install.pl) (rwxr-xr-x) (755)
2
remind.pl (rwxr-xr-x)
(755)
HTML Directory (no need to explicitly set permissions for any of these
files, leave as default) (upload type of Binary or ASCII is noted beside each
file type)
1
calendar - Root HTML
Directory
1
help - Sub-directory
1
images - Sub-directory
2
All .gif and .jpg image files (upload in BINARY)
2
index.html (upload in ASCII)
2
All .html files (upload in ASCII)
1
Images and all sub folders (admin, icons, level, menu,
smilies)
2
All .gif and .jpg image files (upload in BINARY)
2
index.html (upload in ASCII)
The
files and folders in the HTML directory in the above directory tree are meant
to be put outside of your cgi-bin directory.
It is recommended to create a directory in your main web directory
called “calendar” as it is above. In this directory there will be the two
sub-directories called “help” and “images” as above. Do not change the names of “help” or
“images”. Transfer all the files into
their associated directories on your server keeping the structure the same. Remember where you put them.
Step 3: Permissions
Setting Permissions in Unix/Linux
You
need to set permissions manually using an FTP program, and it is quite
easy. The file permissions that need to
be set for each file are listed above to the right of each directory or file
name in the directory structure list, under “CGI-BIN Directory” All files listed as “(Do not change permission)”
should be left as the default setting your server uses when you upload
them. To set permissions manually, here
are some images from a Windows FTP program for quick reference with their
associated number values. Some FTP
programs allow to directly input number values as well.
666: 
777:
755:
Note
Not
setting permissions correctly is the NUMBER
ONE reason that users have problems during or after installation. Please take extra care to make sure all the
files have the correct permissions.
Setting Permissions in Windows
Windows NT/2000
servers do not allow users to change permissions remotely through FTP. Windows
permissions can be set only at the console, so the administrator must
physically sit down in front of the computer and use the Explorer interface to
click on the desired directories and set the desired permissions.
Customers of web hosts
If you
are not the administrator of your Windows server, the only way to have
permissions changed for you is to contact your technical support. Here is a
sample e-mail that you can modify and use for that purpose:
|
Dear Support Staff: To complete the installation of a Perl software
package |
* Also include your host server number, site
user name and any other information you think they might need to complete these
changes.
If you are the administrator
If you
administer your own server, set permissions using the Windows explorer
interface according to the instructions above in the file structure listing. At
minimum, you should make all files marked “full access” above have full access
(ie. give "Full Control" access to "Everyone" in those
directories or you can also choose to set them to “Change”). The following
screen shot demonstrates the setting of permissions on Windows NT:
Step 4: Running the Installer
After your calendar files are
installed you will need to complete the setup by running the installer
program. Type the URL to the installer
in your internet browser.
For example: “http://www.mysite.com/cgi-bin/calendar/install.cgi”
The installer welcome screen will
appear. Just follow the step by step instructions and input the correct
information until the installer is complete.
After the install is a success use the temporary administration User ID
and Password to log into the calendar:
·
User ID – “admin”
·
Password – “admin”
To set up your calendars’ settings
go to the “admin” menu option at the top of the screen and from there go to
“calendar settings” and you see a large list of settings for you to modify if
you choose. It would be wise to add a
new User ID and Password for administration, or at least change the password
for the ‘admin’ account right away, using the change password boxes under My
Profile in the menu. Congratulations,
you now have completed your calendar setup.
Start scheduling!
Extras: Installing reminders
To
take advantage of the reminders functionality of the calendar software you need
the ability to set a cron job on your server if it is a Unix/Linux server or
schedule the program in the task manager or any other method you know of in
Windows. What is a cron job? A cron job is a method of making a program
run by itself at a certain time interval.
So you can make the program remind.pl run every hour by itself with no
user input. This is how reminders
work. The program runs by itself and
looks for events coming up that need reminders sent. If it finds them, it sends out an email to
each user in the list. To correctly
install the program “remind.pl”, your server must have or give you the ability
to edit a file that does this automated program running. Ask your technical support what to do as
every server can be different in this department and some may not allow you to
use this functionality.
To
make it work in Unix/Linux you need to add a line to the cron tab that looks
like this:
0 * * * * (cd /”path to calendar folder”
&& ./remind.pl)
where
“path to calendar folder” is the path from the root to your calendar directory
that the file remind.pl is located in.
This configuration will run the program once an hour, which is exactly
what we want.
NOTE:
It is important to run the program only once an hour, or your
users will receive multiple reminders for the same event.
We
recommend you save this line to an empty text file. It does not matter what you call the file.
You should name it something so you remember what the file is (eg: mycrontabfile).
Upload
the file to your server as an ASCII file.
Remember where you put it.
telnet
into your server using a program like PuTTY
and run the crontab file by going to the directory containing the crontab file and
type the following:
·
cd /path/to/mycrontabfile/directory
·
crontab mycrontabfile
Additional Resources
Online Help
For
installation tips or troubleshooting please visit the support and forum
sections of our web site at: http://www.3deearts.com
Support Email
To contact us by email, please send
inquiries to: help@3deearts.com
Programming Credits
Lead Programmer/Developer/Designer/Project Manager:
Darrell
Andersen
documentation and site design:
Darrell
Andersen
3deearts support staff:
Adam Steffanick
Darrell Andersen
additional Acknowledgements:
Thank you to all of the people who
helped and supported us during the development of this project. Thank you to current users of the 3DeeArts
Calendar for your support.