Items filtered by date: December 2014

This is a really frustrating issue that took me ages to figure out. I am running xampp on a windows PC and not matter what type password I used I could not get it to authenticate a user so I ended up using the root account.

Solution

xampp does not like the %, you must use localhost when adding a user in phpMyAdmin

This is a growing area of Joomla, Content Construction Kit. There are many CCKs out there but some are dead projects, some are very limited and some use Joomla's article system. There are no real outstanding CCK yet but I am hoping there will be soon.

I imagine a CCK would allow me to build a asimple directory of any type and if need can be expanded to have a more complex role.

I am going to list here all the CCKs I have looked at.

• Joomla com_content
  • Articles can only be in 1 category
  • Custom Fields
  • Nested Permissions
  • SEF works great
  • Highly compatible with all components, plugins and modules
  • No WYSIWUG
  • Must always have a content filed
  • Can change all layouts with standard Joomla layout overrides
  • Has smart search
  • Can have multiple search plugins with category filter
• Mosets
  • dated admin + code
  • no smart search
  • no support
  • Bug fixes are a luxury, even with a subscription
  • does not support permissions
  • Can run multiple projects
  • can use joomla content plugins
  • Custom Fields
• Zoo
  • Dated admin
  • has a lot of support from other software creators
  • Very expensive
  • Custom Fields
• K2
  • UI is OK
  • SEF contrial is bvasic and does not seem to work correctly.
  • ok for articles and article based Knowledge Bases, but not suitable for directories or other data stores.
  • Can only run 1 database/project
  • Has smart search
  • Can have multiple search plugins with category filter
  • Does support permissions
  • Articles can only be in a single category
  • can use joomla content plugins
  • Popular
  • Not updated often but still alive.
• King Content
  • SEF sucks
  • dated admin
  • seems like mosets tree
  • no support
  • Dead project, author cannot be contacted and site is infested with spam
  • Custom Fields
• Seblod
  • stupid
  • not what I want
• Sobipro
  • expensive
  • difficult to configure or template
  • Custom Fields
• Fabric
  • database driven
  • not what I want
• FLEXIcontent
  • well supported
  • uses joomlas articles and categories - This could be a downside
  • popular
  • uses Joomla's core articles and extends them
  • Articles can be in multiple categories
  • Can use most Joomla com_content moduels and plugins
  • Updated often
• Ekerlabs Power Content
  • The one to watch. I am waiting until a few key features have been added to migrate to it. Author is passionate and the code is clean
  • Manages its own themes by creating override templates in your joomla template for each PC Theme you create.
  • Does not support permissions
  • Admin Layout is not bad and easy to use
  • Articles can be in multiple categories
  • Custom Fields
• Content Builder
  • Not tried
• OrdaSoft CCK
  • Not Tried

This is a very simple to use application from Micropsft to capture your screen. It is getting a bit dated though.

• The free version of Microsoft  is limited to 10 minutes. You need to register/pay for 'Microsoft Expression Encoder 4' to make it pro, and once this is activated/upgraded the 10 minute limit is removed on 'Microsoft Expression Encoder 4 Screen Capture'.
• You can only encode to wma without the proffessional version? and then you only have mp4 after this. so screen captureing is capture-->encode to wma--> convert to somthign useful.
• you can select the record area and whther you capture the mouse, you can use the webcam or just use it as an overlay.
• it has some timeline editing stuff, but i have not used it.

The free version is crippled but the paid version is not bad.

Links

• Microsoft Screen Capture Settings De-Mystified w/ BONUS PRO KEY!! (PRO KEY IN DESCRIPTION!) - YouTube - Godd video on how to use Expressions
• How to upload Microsoft Expression Encoder 4 to YouTube + BONUS KEY!! KEY IN DESCRIPTION!!! - YouTube

This is my research on how the K2 attachments work and where it uploads the files.

When simple attaching

• attachemnts are stored here /public_html/media/k2/attachments/
• all in one folder
• there is a php download link betweeen you and the file, however it probabaly could be guessed if the file name is known

When attaching a file already on the server

• it adds using a root based url  -  /images/kb/2016/home-xxxxx-grid/Home-xxxxx-Grid-Icons.zip
• relative links seem to work images/kb/2016/home-feature-grid/Home-xxxxx-Grid-Icons.zip
• when you delete a manually added file it leave it on the server
• when manually adding a file you must make sure you give it a title otherwise you will not get a download link
  when you insert an attachment that is already on the server, k2 copies it to the attachment folder.

Both

• you cannot alter the titles after inserting the file

A thought exercise for me to compare Joomla against Wordpress

• ajax backend
• easier work flow in backed
• get wooecommersec for joomla
• a native application layer to aloow the running of wordpress extensions
• a native ajax content builder
• API (is coming)
• sort the url thing out to remove numbers
• a lot of CCK appas are dated and dont work properly. wittle down to one
• a databse CCK that is widley supported and free
• streamline the low quality extensions on exetensions.joomla.org as there is a lot of junk
• templates.joomla.org
• add a templates framework section to either extensions. or tempaltes. (including kunena). list free, paid and template - companies. must have demos
• Joomla.org should be using kunena, the only native joomla forum
• inbuilt site map
• pinogmatic
• ability to import module and layout configurations (not tempalte dependanet) ie install this and your website will look like that
• improve frontend editing - customers need to edit everythign on their pages but never need to touchj the backend. the 2 should be completely seperate

Wordpress Better?

• wordpress has 1 shopping cart
• more extensions
• yoast SEO extension
• divi builder
• content builders

Imageshow sometimes will show this error

Error loading images. One or more images were not found.

Cause

When you change an image in a slideshow via ftp, Imageshow's cache will not updated and will still use the old version of the file and there is no way to refresh the cache via joomla or Imageshow.

This issue does not occur if you elect to use the original image or if you upload an imagewith a different name, it only happens when you overwrite an existing image.

It is mainly thumbs that are affected and some types of slider, other wise full image is used.

You have to manually delete the cache

Imageshow does not register it's cache in Joomla's cache manager so is very difficult to clear the cache of imageshow. You have to delete the files manually via ftp so the changes are refelcted and It stores them here:

images/jsn_is_thumbs/images/modules/member-of/test-image.png
images/jsn_is_thumbs/images/modules/main-slider/
images/jsn_is_thumbs/images/pages/building-and-property-maintenance/gallery/

You can remove and then re-add the image which would have the same effect.

I installed Roksproket on my test server and when I had finished I exported the database. I then tried to install the database on my clients live web server and it failed. This is my investigation.

Cause

• Roksproket database on my test server was installed as ENGINE=Aria
• On new versions of cPanel and Xampp MariaDB is now the default database engine and Roksproket must just of used the default engine because it does not specify which one to use. This is a common thing.
• The Client's server was not using an upto date cPanel install that supports MariaDB

Solution

solution is to import into xampp and then export. this seems to cure it. just keep an eye out for ut8mb4 issues

Notes

The application could not be instigate was basically just database issues, in my case xampp (more like Windows) had changed the prefix from uppercase to lowercase.

This is the code/file locations for using Joomlashine Tempalte Styling within JCE Editor.

Dont forget the commas.

Uses $template instead of the explicit template name

templates/$template/css/template.css,
templates/$template/css/template_pro.css,
templates/$template/css/colors/blue.css,
templates/$template/css/styles/business.css, (or custom.css for those google fonts/ custom font setting)
templates/$template/css/lancastrian.css

Template name explicitly used.

templates/jsn_epic_pro/css/template.css,
templates/jsn_epic_pro/css/template_pro.css,
templates/jsn_epic_pro/css/colors/blue.css,
templates/jsn_epic_pro/css/styles/business.css,  (or custom.css for those google fonts/ custom font setting)
templates/jsn_epic_pro/css/lancastrian.css

This is the default editor file for JCE. This is just incase there are any conflicts you will know where to look.

components/com_jce/editor/tiny_mce/themes/advanced/skins/default/content.css

The key features required

• automatic admin login
• restrict all of the menus
• automatic mysql refresh

I had this odd issue from a client who has an office with 3 or 4 HP Inkjets all the same model. She started having an issue where one printer will intermittently print pages completely blurred.

The client did the following to try and resolve the issue.

• Tried a known good printer on the PC with the dodgy printouts. The new printer now suffered from intermittently blurred printing.
• The suspect printer was tried on another computer and there waws no issue.

My Contribution

This completely points to the driver, however her IT Technician refutes this and said she should buy another printer. The points below are my argument that it is not the printer and give possible solutions.

As discussed I believe it to be the PC at fault and not the printer because:

• The issue only ever occurs on the one PC and this happens with different printers on that same PC
• The faulty printing does not happen all the time but randomly meaning it cannot be the printer as a printer with such a fault will do it all the time
• The “dodgy printer” works fine on other members of staff PC with no issue.

Also It is not compatible cartridges that is causing the issue because:

• Josie does not use them
• The fault, if caused by a dodgy cartridge would happen all the time

What is like causing the fault is the driver because:

• Without seeing the printing error it sounds like the print image is not being correctly converted into a bitmap or not being uncompressed at the printer if using a proprietary format. The settings in the printer driver are irrelevant because it works sometimes and then not others and there is not a setting for blurred image printing
• Stretching it here, that it could be the USB cable not properly handling a USB 2.0 signal and as such the images is not uncompressed at the printer properly because of bandwidth (longshot)
• Sometimes AV can interfere but with only one PC having the issue I am not convinced about it being the cause here..

How to fix this

• Uninstall the printer drivers and re-install the printer (with a reboot in between)
• Uninstall all of the HP printer driver files using the HP printer removal tool (with a reboot in between)
• Try a new USB cable
• Also make sure all windows updates are applied.

Solution

I am not sure what the exact fix was because I did not perform it. However the client said he swapped the USB cable and this fixed it. I suspect there was more to this fix or it was the fact that the printer was re-installed