New PixelPost installation - fails to create table(s)?

[MontyDog]

Hi!
Am a new PixelPost user, so please be patient, but I have looked for this and failed to find it.

Having just installed a brand spanking new PixelPost v1.7.1 (Better than Ever) - all the installation steps completed fine, without any visible errors. This is a repeatable problem (twice, so far, from a clean start).

Using the new fancy installer (blog_domain)/admin/install.php do a complete new install into a freshly created but empty database, all steps proceed with no errors.

If I then click on "addons" I get the following error:
http://montydog.org/temp/addons.jpg

A quick glance with phpMyAdmin reveals most of the tables were created (and, it seems populated) successfully:
http://montydog.org/temp/pp_ping.jpg

Except - no "pixelpost.pp_ping" created :(
As a newbie, it seems the fancy installer may have, err, forgotten to create that table???? Surely someone else has created a new PixelPost and seen this, if so?

Any and all help and advice would be much appreciated!

[Dkozikowski]

This is not the installers job. The ping addon is supposed to create the table for you. For some reason it is not. Remove the ping addon and you can temporarily solve the problem.

As to why the ping addon is not creating the table is a different story.

Before removing the addon, try adding &errors to the end of the address bar url, do any errors show up? If not, try adding &errorsall

You also may want to try opening the ping addon within a simple text editor and edit the query that creates the database table to remove the default value.

So, if you wish to try this method, find the following in addons/admin_ping.php


$query = "CREATE TABLE {$pixelpost_db_prefix}ping (
id INT(11) NOT NULL auto_increment,
pinglist MEDIUMTEXT NOT NULL default '',
PRIMARY KEY (id)
)";


and remove the default '' so the end result looks like:


$query = "CREATE TABLE {$pixelpost_db_prefix}ping (
id INT(11) NOT NULL auto_increment,
pinglist MEDIUMTEXT NOT NULL,
PRIMARY KEY (id)
)";

[MontyDog]

Thanks for the very quick reply - may I ask a question?

You say the Addon is responsible - but I have only made a straightforward (ie no additions, addons, changes) installation.

Is it therefore expected that a clean install yields that error when "Addons" is clicked?

Also, how do I remove this addon, please? (note the "Addons" menu item doesn't work for me!)

The result of adding &errors to the URL shows these errors (Note, your forum software is parsing my text and changing it for URL - and "NOPARSE" vBulletin tags don't appear to work, here, and CODE tags are too tedious to see the text with (too small a box!)):
Warning: array_merge() [function.array-merge]: Argument #1 is not an array in C:\vhost\www.domain.tld\pixelpost\includes\functio ns.php on line 813

Warning: mysql_fetch_array(): supplied argument is not a valid MySQL result resource in C:\vhost\www.domain.tld\pixelpost\addons\paged_arc hive.php on line 637
Table 'pixelpost.pp_ping' doesn't exist
(In case it matters this is a W/A/M/P installation on WinXP - so I can play in private safety ;) the real installation will be a CentOS Linux box)

I am determined to get this to work, but clearly don't understand what an "addon" is if the installer leaves the "Addons" menu unusable after a clean installation!


Again, thank you for your help, appreciated.

[Dkozikowski]

Thanks for the very quick reply - may I ask a question?
Sure

You say the Addon is responsible - but I have only made a straightforward (ie no additions, addons, changes) installation.
Correct, but you uploaded an addons/ folder which contains this problematic addon.

Is it therefore expected that a clean install yields that error when "Addons" is clicked?

Again, the installer has nothing to do with this. Any addon which contains an error will show up in the addons menu. If the error is severe enough, it will cease the loading of other addons.
If the installer was an issue, you probably wouldn't be able to login and view your "broken" addons menu.


Also, how do I remove this addon, please? (note the "Addons" menu item doesn't work for me!)
Delete the admin_ping.php file from the addons/ folder.


I am determined to get this to work, but clearly don't understand what an "addon" is if the installer leaves the "Addons" menu unusable after a clean installation!

Try my second suggestion of editing the addon file. This is most likely the cause of failure. Some database configurations do not allow any text fields to declare a default value. And once more just to clarify, not an installer issue.

Again, thank you for your help, appreciated.
No problem, you're welcome.

[MontyDog]

Thanks (again) for the quick and great reply.

By the way, the files uploaded were the entire contents of the ZIP archive (as it says do so, in Step 3 (http://www.pixelpost.org/docs/GettingStarted/Install) on the Install guide)

Will zap everything and try again - without a "/addon" subdirectory this time ;)

Thanks for your patience with this newbie, appreciated.

[Dkozikowski]

Do not zap anything. The install went fine. What do you not understand about this?

I also understand you uploaded the entire ZIP package contents. This is what you were supposed to do.
I previously explained that some MySQL server configurations do not allow default values to be declared for TEXT types.
So, by following the code changes I suggested in my 2nd post your problems should go away without having to remove the addon from the directory.
Of course if you do not plan to use this addon it's all a moot point anyway so you may remove (delete) the admin_ping.php file from the addons directory and all will be fine.

Also an addon directory is required.

[austriaka]

please don't remove the /addons subdirectory from your installation. Not only that there are Addons which you may want to use later, it could well be that the whole Pixelpost won't be able to run without (I suppose nobody tried that so far).
As dwilkinsjr pointed out already the problem is caused by the default value of the admin_ping.php table creation which obviously does not work at your server as expected.

Please just remove the admin_ping.php file from the Addons directory, you don't need it for running Pixelpost. If you want to use it, use the code change dwilkinsjr suggested.

[MontyDog]

Thanks guys - for your gentle guidance and help.

I deleted the single file .../pixelpost/addons/admin_ping.php and re-installed to an empty database - which seems slightly better, although now when I click "addons" the default addons are displayed BUT I get another error (sorry!) - so adding &errors to the URL, this is the new error:
Warning: array_merge() [function.array-merge]: Argument #1 is not an array in C:\vhost\www.domain.tld\pixelpost\includes\functio ns.php on line 813

Warning: mysql_fetch_array(): supplied argument is not a valid MySQL result resource in C:\vhost\www.domain.tld\pixelpost\addons\paged_arc hive.php on line 637

Warning: array_merge() [function.array-merge]: Argument #1 is not an array in C:\vhost\www.domain.tld\pixelpost\includes\functio ns.php on line 813Am running
Apache/2.2.8 (Win32) mod_ssl/2.2.8 OpenSSL/0.9.8g mod_perl/2.0.3 Perl/v5.8.8
with MySQL version 5.0.51a-community-nt and PHP-version 5.2.3, on WinXP(SP2) if that matters.

Oh, what did I not "get" - just that having errors on a new piece of software installed as closely following the instructions is... disconcerting, shall we say - and I clearly didn't understand the nomenclature (eg "addon") but am getting there, with your help.


Again, thanks for your patience and forbearance - I'll give you a break now and try again tomorrow - after re-reading the documentation again :)

[Dkozikowski]

Those "errors" in your quote mean nothing and will always be there as they are WARNINGS and do not effect the way Pixelpost operates. In the next version of Pixelpost (1.8) these warnings will be gone but until then, they will remain there, hidden from view.

So I ask again, besides the 3 warnings listed, what is the new error?

[MontyDog]

Those "errors" in your quote mean nothing and will always be there as they are WARNINGS and do not effect the way Pixelpost operates. In the next version of Pixelpost (1.8) these warnings will be gone but until then, they will remain there, hidden from view.OK, thanks, didn't mean to annoy you, and can see why you said that on reflection.

So I ask again, besides the 3 warnings listed, what is the new error?Well, this appears to my uneducated eye as an error:
http://montydog.org/temp/addons2.jpg
- but if it's merely a "warning" I missed that subtlety, sorry, my mistake as usually something starting "failed" has until now been an error.

[Dkozikowski]

No, that new error pointed out in the screenshot is indeed an error. The 3 warnings you listed above are just that, warnings.
Unless it says parse error or fatal error, you need not worry about any output created by adding &errors or &errorsall to the end of your URL string.

Now, I have no clue where this MySQL error is originating from but I can tell you this, it does not matter.
No new installation should be going through this many issues so I'm going to take the easy route and blame your local installation and it's configuration.

If you wish to find the addon creating this MySQL error, you will have to remove each addon from the addons directory.
One at a time, remove an addon file from the addons folder. After an addon has been removed, return to the addons page to refresh the list.
Once that error goes away you will know which addon caused the issue as it should be the last one you removed.

P.S. I'm not annoyed. I didn't mean to come off that way if i did. :)

[MontyDog]

No, that new error pointed out in the screenshot is indeed an error. The 3 warnings you listed above are just that, warnings.
Unless it says parse error or fatal error, you need not worry about any output created by adding &errors or &errorsall to the end of your URL string.Thanks for that clarification - it makes sense.


Now, I have no clue where this MySQL error is originating from but I can tell you this, it does not matter.
No new installation should be going through this many issues so I'm going to take the easy route and blame your local installation and it's configuration.OK, blame away ;)
Just as an aside I have a LOT of other software running very happily under this same configuration of about 20 vhost domains - including things like vBulletin, Drupal, a PHP.net mirror, Gallery2, and so on.

However so far PixelPost is the only package I've had such problems with.

If you wish to find the addon creating this MySQL error, you will have to remove each addon from the addons directory.
One at a time, remove an addon file from the addons folder. After an addon has been removed, return to the addons page to refresh the list.
Once that error goes away you will know which addon caused the issue as it should be the last one you removed.
P.S. I'm not annoyed. I didn't mean to come off that way if i did. :)Thanks for the advice - if it doesn't matter I'll not worry either (but hate unexplained problems - especially after my confidence has been dented somewhat)

Very many thanks indeed for your very kind, fast, and patient help I really do appreciate it - especially if it looks like I'm a 'problem user' from your PoV (to me, it rather looks the other way around - isn't perspective a wonderful thing? ;) )

Cheers for your help!

[Dkozikowski]

OK, blame away ;)

I will and have ;) :D

Just as an aside I have a LOT of other software running very happily under this same configuration of about 20 vhost domains - including things like vBulletin, Drupal, a PHP.net mirror, Gallery2, and so on.

However so far PixelPost is the only package I've had such problems with.
That's great news about your other software.
With hundreds of thousands of installs under it's belt, Pixelpost has been problem free for the most part. A quirk here or there. As with any software application, including the ones you've mentioned, they all have there share of problems.

Why you're so unique is beyond me at this point. But remember, you are having trouble with addons and NOT Pixelpost. Granted they may be pre-packaged addons, but like I stated earlier, there is always going to be someone who gets to have all the "fun" and deal with the programs quirks.

Thanks for the advice - if it doesn't matter I'll not worry either (but hate unexplained problems - especially after my confidence has been dented somewhat)

Well we're not done yet unless you're giving up on me. I'd like you to post all the info found on the General Information page within your administration panel. You can leave out the language file authors and referers located at the bottom.

Very many thanks indeed for your very kind, fast, and patient help I really do appreciate it - especially if it looks like I'm a 'problem user' from your PoV (to me, it rather looks the other way around - isn't perspective a wonderful thing? ;) )

Cheers for your help!
Perspective is a wonderful thing. From my PoV, you are one out of a hundred thousand who experiences this type of issue.