Unable to log in [Archive] - Pixelpost Forum

pdx_photoman

06-17-2005, 01:00 AM

I have installed PixelPost on my website with the files as shown and permissions as indicated. MySQL is installed. I went to admin/index.php and answered the questions. A group of tables was installed and there were two tests that I passed.

I then was presented with a login screen. I interested the username and password that I had previously entered in the program. (I know that it's correct, because I use it all this combination all the time and it is automatically recorded in a sign-in database I use.)

Instead of signing in, the screen reloads with the "Welcome to Pixelpost Admin - You need to login." message (and below that, "Login sets a cookie".

I am unable to get past this screen. What am I doing wrong? (Windows XP Pro).

pdx_photoman

06-17-2005, 01:04 AM

To test the reaction I am getting, I entered a faulty username and password (same on in caps) and got the error message: "Username or Password Incorrect."

I do not get this error message when entering the correct one, so that is not the problem. It is simply not letting me go any further.

pdx_photoman

06-17-2005, 03:33 AM

Can anyone provide any suggestions on how to proceed?

Joe[y]

06-17-2005, 09:48 AM

do you have cookies enabled?

raminia

06-17-2005, 07:52 PM

check pixelpost.php in include folder if it has any additional spaces before and after <?php and ?> tags. Check every file you edited. check if they are saved as ANSI not unicode.

pdx_photoman

06-18-2005, 07:32 PM

A "?> tags" string does not appear in my pixelpost.php file. (The string "tags" does not occur.)

I am wondering if I correctly installed this. The installation instructions seem to have changed from one version to the next, and I may not have followed the latest. For example, reference is made to a /www file, but no such file was formed when I unzippped.

It seems to me that the program should reference one of the template files, and that that template file should have been moved somewhere. I found no instructions on how to go about that.

Here are the steps I followed:

(1.) Removed the /doc file.
(2.) Set up MySQL.
(3.) Edited both pixelpost.php files, the one in the root directory and in /includes.
(4.) Created a directory on my website called /pixelpost and uploaded remainder of files (all except /doc) to it.
(5.) Wtihin /pixelpost, created /image and /thumbnails.
(6.) Set permissions as indicated.
(7.) Connected to www.jimlewis.info/pixelpost/admin/install.php
(8.) Followed instructions, saw tables created and checked, got the sign-on screen
(9.) Entered username and password.
(10.) Cannot get past it.

Clearly, I'm omitted something v. important, but instructions do not indicate what that might be. Appreciate any help I can get.

Connie

06-18-2005, 07:46 PM

James,

you don't tell us which PixelPost Version you installed
is it 1.4.1?

is there a directory /doc in your structure??

James, why there are two pixelpost.php-files?
We only have one

could it be that you copied the files of a new version over an existing version???

Please, delete all pixelpost-files at your server
take care to use the newest version of Pixelpost, best would be to unzip the ZIP again and look into the readme.txt
it should say:
Welcome to the PixelPost Version 1.4.1!

then follow the upload- and -install-instructions in /doc/ReadMe_install.txt

and everything will be ok!
I suggest to use a new-table-prefix in /include/pixelpost.php

Connie

06-18-2005, 07:51 PM

if you have two pixelpost.phps for sure the instructions don't indicate what might be wrong as we don't have these...

for sure there is no string "tags" in pixelpost.php as a "tag" is a name for something...

if Ramin says "<? and ?>" tags, he means
<? and ?>

pdx_photoman

06-18-2005, 10:21 PM

Connie,

Thanks for trying to be helpful. I have done everything you suggested. (Started by moving 'thumbnails' and 'images' out of the subdirectory on the server, killing the subdirectory, unzipping the latest version of Pixelpost, editing the php file in /includes, establishing it on the server, then moving 'thumbnails' and 'images' into the new directory I created.

I attempt to log on and get the same result: The entry form simply reloads.

Jim Lewis, Lake Oswego, Oregon, USA

Connie

06-18-2005, 10:26 PM

Jim,

please check if you enabled cookies in your browser, that is necessary!
As the login does use a cookie, your browser must accept that!

hope that helps,
Connie

pdx_photoman

06-18-2005, 10:43 PM

Yes, it does. I had thought of that, too.

pdx_photoman

06-18-2005, 10:46 PM

IE is set to accept them as part of its privacy profile. I just turned on the "accept cookie" override to double-check. No joy, I'm afraid.

Jim Lewis
Lake Oswego, OR

jak

08-19-2005, 06:44 AM

Hi,

I am experiencing the same issue as decribed by pdx_photoman in the first post in this thread. I have yet to find a solution despite trying the suggestions as noted in the following threads:

http://forum.pixelpost.org/showthread.php?t=432
http://forum.pixelpost.org/showthread.php?t=1401
http://forum.pixelpost.org/showthread.php?t=366

My ISP is running:
- Windows NT RADIUS 5.0 build 2195
- Microsoft-IIS/5.0
- MySQL 3.23.52-nt
- PHP Version 4.3.11

I am running:
- XP Pro
- FireFox 1.0.4 with cookies enabled (the pixelpost cookie is *not* being set)
- IE has the same problem

Using pixelpost version 1.4.2.

I was wondering if anyone has found a solution or workaround to this problem?

edit: If I modify admin/index.php line 274 (if($login == "true") { ) to read "false", I can of coruse bypass the login. However, then I have several messages listed under 'General Info' similiar to:

"Addons Directory: Does Not Exist (should be /pp/addons)".

i.e. all the subfolders are being reported as not existing.

Any assistance is appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

jak

tekanet

09-02-2005, 04:31 PM

Seems a common issue under IIS, same problem as discussing on:

http://forum.pixelpost.org/showthread.php?p=13825#post13825

I have tried the same thing jak said, override the login putting "false" in index.php under admin.
Getting same errors under general info, I workarounded setting "../images" under options as my images folder.

Now it works, without login (!!!) and without generating thumbs..

Suggestions? In the end, seems that the variable $login is not recognized as true. I'm not a PHP programmer so I don't really know how to fix.. anyway, I can password-protect the folder. I suppose there will be no problems if I rename it, isn't it?

For the thumbs issue: I suppose you use something installed by default under linux systems. Is there something for us, Windows users?

TIA, tK

Joe[y]

09-02-2005, 04:36 PM

we use gdlib for thumbnail creation - i'm not sure if it is something uncommon to windows servers but i know plenty of people running on windows who can create thumbs fine.

tekanet

09-02-2005, 05:34 PM

I'll try to do a little hack in asp to resize for thumbs.

The most important thing is login: I have done some edits and I reached this idea. Have to be something about cookies.

First of all, cookie is not present in my cookie folder, even with permissions enabled (I receive other cookies from my site, from asp and asp.net applications). Variable $login is always setted to "true" by this If:

if(!isset($_COOKIE['pixelpost_admin']))

If I try to bypass cookie-check, it works fine: I compile the form, then submit and can be able to see the first page. Obviously, login is not persisted..

Question: is there something in PHP like "session" in ASP? I could use that persistance method, in case..

tK

raminia

09-02-2005, 09:00 PM

raminia

09-02-2005, 09:03 PM

I don't underestand your problem with the thumbs. I have a windows searver and it works fine. just you need to enable the gd-lib!

about login issue, your php server might be working in secure mode or something ... search for the PHP settings inside php.ini.

GeoS

09-02-2005, 10:15 PM

Here is PHP installation text for IIS:
http://pl.php.net/manual/pl/install.windows.iis.php

Put on your host such code:

setcookie ("TestCookie", "CookieValue",time()+3600);
phpinfo();

and try to find TestCookie string.

GeoS

09-02-2005, 10:29 PM

@tekanet: I dont know why but at your server Pixelpost doesnt set cookies :/

Does your server (PHP) is configured properly (because I dont think so)?

tekanet

09-03-2005, 10:33 AM

I'll take a look to "how to use sessions". Quite obviously, my server is hosted by third party.. so, I cannot enable additional modules (I'll try to ask to my host) and edit config files!

GeoS, yes, probably server isn't well configured, but I can't do nothing about that, other than alert the ISP and ask for a solution..

The strange thing is that other NT users (php over IIS) are having the same issue. It let me think about a default setting on php for IIS. If I'll have time, I'll try an installation on my lan, and if I'll discover something, I'll surely alert the team!

tK

GeoS

09-03-2005, 10:57 AM

Maybe IIS is misconfigured??

When you find out what was a problem we would be glad if you post it here :)

Systematica

09-03-2005, 08:09 PM

I had the exact same problem with not being able to login on iis-server. I solved it today by replacing the cookie with a sessioncookie in admin/index.php

I replaced this code near line 122:

// login is valid, set cookie

if (setcookie("pixelpost_admin",$cfgrow_password,time() +60*60*60*60))
header("Location:index.php");
unset($login);

It now looks like this:

// login is valid, set cookie
$_SESSION['pixelpost_admin'] = $cfgrow_password;
header("Location:index.php");
//unset($login);

And my logout near line 146 now looks like this:

if($_GET['x'] == "logout") {
session_unset();
session_destroy();
header("Location:index.php");
}

if(!isset($_SESSION['pixelpost_admin'])) {
// cookie is not set, send them to a form
$login = "true";
} else {
// cookie exists, check for validity
if($cfgrow['password'] != $_SESSION['pixelpost_admin']) { $login = "true"; }
}

And finally I put session_start(); at the top of the document.
Works like a charm! Hope it helps anyone.

tekanet

09-05-2005, 09:22 AM

Works really fine for me!
A technical/philosophical question for the team: why do you use cookies to verify login across a session? Usually (in ASP) I use cookie at the beginning but for the rest of the session duration I use memory (session object)..

[meanwhile, my host refuse to install/activate GD Lib, so I'm still without thumbs :D ]

Thank you Systematica for corrected login functions!

tK

GeoS

09-05-2005, 10:48 AM

Because session mechanizm also use cookies to store SID (in the most of cases).

Anyway, maybe it is good idea migrate to sessions with login stuff.

raminia

09-05-2005, 01:23 PM

is it more secure?

jak

09-06-2005, 07:55 AM

Thanks Systematica, those changes have fixed my login issue.

However, my "general info - incorrect paths" problem still remains. That is, I am getting "Does not exist" errors for all my subfolders.

I cannot upload. Get file/directory not exist errors. The post is created but with no image. If I manually upload the image and rename as per the name pixel post calls it then the post with image works.

So it appears my subfolders are not being recognised - they do exist. Any ideas?

GeoS

09-06-2005, 10:10 AM

@jak: Try to del all files and restore them with PP 1.4.2 installation.

@raminia: It depends. Cookies you can read only at target machine, sessions remotly on server if there are problems with security stuff. Looking on this two things I trust more to own machine (cookie) then remote server (session).
Problems with sessions security are not so offen, so from this reason maybe sessions are more secure.

jak

09-06-2005, 10:16 AM

Geos, do you mean delete my PP install and start with a fresh install?

If so, I have tried this with no success.

Or do you mean something else?

GeoS

09-06-2005, 10:33 AM

Yeap, fresh install.

Maybe some of us would have free time at evening to check your host - what exactly is going on. We will inform you about this on PM.

jak

09-06-2005, 10:46 AM

Thanks for your help Geos. :)

jak

09-06-2005, 11:00 AM

OK, I fixed my path issue. I had the "images path" (under options) incorrectly set to "../images/". It needs to be set to ".../images/". ie one extra full-stop/period.

Thanks to all those who have helped.

GeoS

09-07-2005, 07:19 AM

OK, I fixed my path issue. I had the "images path" (under options) incorrectly set to "../images/". It needs to be set to ".../images/". ie one extra full-stop/period.

3 dots instead 2 are quite interesting solution. Ive never seen something like that.