need help with first spartacus plug in

[web idiot]

Please hold my hand on this one and I won't ask any more.

I want to use the Photoblog Entries plug in on my blog. I see it on the spartacus page and it appears I have two options: Download or CVS.

Step by step, what do I do next?

Please speak to me as if I have never added a plug in to my blog before because I have not. My blog is functioning so I've done that much but do not assume that I understand steps along the way. I do not understand code so I try to avoid that as much as possible. I don't mind learning it but I really just want to get my blog up and running as soon as possible.

If this information is available already, just tell me where. I've searched the forums and websites for almost 3 hours and don't see it.

You guys seem really nice and patient in all the other forums answers. I appreciate that.

[garvinhicking]

Hi!

Please hold my hand on this one and I won't ask any more.

Well, I will hold your hand and still allow you to ask more, how about that?

Step by step, what do I do next?

You click on "download". Your browser will now offer you a ZIP-file to download. This dialog will look different depending on which browser (IE, Firefox, Opera) you use, so I can't tell you exact buttons to click.

Accept the download and store that ZIP file somewhere on your hardrive.

Once the download is complete, you must use a tool like winZip or 7-ZIP to open this .ZIP file. Then you need to extract all the contents of that ZIP-archive onto your harddrive.

If you had a plugin called "serendipity_event_photoblog.zip" you will then have a directory called "serendipity_event_photoblog.zip" in it, with a UTF-8 subdirectory and some .php files.

This is the folder that Serendipity needs for a plugin.

Start your FTP transfer program with which you can upload files to your webspace. Upload the entire serendipity_event_photoblog directory to your FTP webspace into the "plugins" subdirectory of serendipty. Make sure that after your upload the directory "serendipity_event_photoblog" exists - do NOT just dump all the files of that directory into the "plugins" subdirectory, the files need to be in that subdirectory serendipity_event_photoblog.

Once you have done that, Serendipity will allow you to install this plugin.

Log into your serendipity administration interface, click on "Configure Plugins". Then go to the bottom of the page where you see alink called "Click here to install an event plugin". Click on that and you will see a list of plugins.

Search for "Photoblog" and you should see the plugin description of the plugin you installed. Click on the image next to it, which has a Disc-symbol on it. This will install the plugin.

After that, serendipity will lead you to a page where you can setup some options of a plugin. Some plugins have that screen, some don't. The screen should then be self-explaining and you can just "Save" your options there. After that step, the plugin is ready to go and use.

I can't give you more instructions about the photoblog plugin, because I've never really used it.

Hope that helps!

Best regards,
Garvin

[web idiot]

That helped a lot. I got it loaded and working--sort of.
I'm going to try to describe in layman's terms how it works in case anyone else is starting at my level to use Photoblog plugin.

There are 2 question/problems for you (or someone who uses photoblog) at the end though.

(Before that, I want to add to one of your sentences above "Upload the entire serendipity_event_photoblog directory to your FTP webspace into the "plugins" subdirectory of serendipty." "Plugins" subdirectory is under "WWWROOT" then "cgi-bin" then "cblog". I don't know if it's the same for everyone, but that's where I found it.)

Go to Serendipity Administrative Suite, click on New Entry, scroll down to Advanced Options and it gives me the option (if you followed Garvin's instructions in previous post) of Photoblog Entries.

Click on Photo button.

A window pops up for you to Select the File (image) you want.

If the one you want is not showing, you have to click on Add Media and a box pops up so you can "add media to your repository"--follow those instructions--then you'll come back to the Select File window.

Double click the photo you want, you then you get another window to choose to show it as a thumbnail or original size. That takes you back to the Add Entry page and the file name/location is there.

At this point there's a problem: If I then just click on Save, the entry is posted but there's no picture.

I got the image to post by doing everything up there BUT, before I click on Save,
I copy the image file name/location from that Photoblog Entry box,
then scroll back up to Entry Body,
click on the Insert/Modify Image icon (looks like a small framed picture), then paste the image file name/location in the Image URL box of the window that pops up.
You'll see a preview of the image and you don't have to fill in any of the other boxes.
Just click Okay.
Then you're back to the Add Entry page and you can click save.
The image will be posted on your blog.

That works but there's got to be an easier way or a problem with the Photoblog Entry thing. If all we have to do is Insert an image into the body, then why do we need the Photoblog?

The other problem is, if you click 'comments' on a posted entry, it doesn't give you an option to add an image. I wanted anyone to be able to post images on my blog, not just administrators. It's not really a Photoblog if other people can't post photos.

Thanks for that and thanks in advance for the other. No hurry. I'm at least to a point where I can use my blog and post my images as I try to keep learning to do the rest.

If these remedial things can be found somewhere, you don't have to answer my questions directly. Just tell me where to find the idiot's guide to....



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[garvinhicking]

Hi!

At this step the problem comes up:

At this point there's a problem: If I then just click on Save, the entry is posted but there's no picture.

When I follow your steps and I save an entry, the picture DOES appear!

Can you give me a URL of an entry where you saved it with just these steps and not the workarounds you performed?

It might be that a plugin is interfering with properly rendering the picture. When you save an entry, what exactly is shown on screen to you?

The other problem is, if you click 'comments' on a posted entry, it doesn't give you an option to add an image. I wanted anyone to be able to post images on my blog, not just administrators. It's not really a Photoblog if other people can't post photos.

There is no functionality for visitors to upload pictures to your blog. It would mean quite a few problems, if it were: Spammers could upload bad content to your blog easily, you could easily run out of server space etc...

Best regards,
Garvin

[web idiot]

Okay about others not being able to upload images.

Here's the URL for one of the images I would like to post with PhotoBlog:

/cgi-bin/cblog/uploads/Frisbetarian-Disc.jpg

This is what shows up in the Photoblog box after I choose the image from the Select an Image window.

Here is another problem (or maybe related problem).
When I upload an image I get this message (even though the image does upload):

Warning: exec(): Unable to fork [/usr/local/bin/convert -antialias -resize "110x110>" "D:/Inetpub/Virtual/norgi1/WWWROOT/cgi-bin/cblog/uploads/Frisbetarian-Disc.jpg" "D:/Inetpub/Virtual/norgi1/WWWROOT/cgi-bin/cblog/uploads/Frisbetarian-Disc.serendipityThumb.jpg"] in D:\inetpub\virtual\norgi1\WWWROOT\cgi-bin\cblog\include\functions_images.inc.php on line 433

Unable to execute: "/usr/local/bin/convert -antialias -resize "110x110>" "D:/Inetpub/Virtual/norgi1/WWWROOT/cgi-bin/cblog/uploads/Frisbetarian-Disc.jpg" "D:/Inetpub/Virtual/norgi1/WWWROOT/cgi-bin/cblog/uploads/Frisbetarian-Disc.serendipityThumb.jpg"", error: , return var: -1

[garvinhicking]

Hi!

Which other event plugins do you have installed? One of them might block the photoblog picture to get properly stored!

Also, if you have the "Annnounce entries" ("Ping") plugin enabled, please save an entry WITHOUT sending pings to checked services (like technorati etc.), because it could be responsible for the contents of the photoblog box not being saved.

Here is another problem (or maybe related problem).
When I upload an image I get this message (even though the image does upload):

That means in the s9y configuration you enabled the use of imagemagick, but imagemagick does not work on your server. You should disable the use of it in the serendipity configuration section!

Best regards,
Garvin

[cdonat]

Hi,

Which other event plugins do you have installed? One of them might block the photoblog picture to get properly stored!

I have the same problem here. My list of event plugins:

serendipity_event_s9ymarkup
serendipity_event_emoticate
serendipity_event_nl2br
serendipity_event_browsercompatibility
serendipity_event_spamblock
serendipity_event_spartacus
serendipity_event_photoblog
serendipity_event_thumbnails

in that order

[garvinhicking]

Hi cdonat!

Did you maybe try to remove the serendipity_event_thumbnails plugin, does it fix your problem?

Regards,
Garvin

[cdonat]

Hi garvinhicking,

Did you maybe try to remove the serendipity_event_thumbnails plugin, does it fix your problem?

No, it doesn't. The image vanishes from the entry as soon as I try to save.

[garvinhicking]

Hi!

In some combinations of WYSIWYG editor and browser, when an image is inserted into a posting as the first thing it vanishes when being saved. In those cases it helps to simply add a space or some text as the first thing in the entry.

Can you maybe make a screenshot of how your photoblog entry box looks before and after saving?

Regards,
Garvin

[cdonat]

Hi,

In some combinations of WYSIWYG editor and browser, when an image is inserted into a posting as the first thing it vanishes when being saved.

I have WYSIWYG deactivated and I have tried with Konqueror 3.5 as well as with Firefox 2.0 both with Linux.

In those cases it helps to simply add a space or some text as the first thing in the entry.

Did not help, sorry.

Can you maybe make a screenshot of how your photoblog entry box looks before and after saving?

Preview:
http://blog.cdonat.de/uploads/Bildschirmphoto1.png
After saving:
http://blog.cdonat.de/uploads/Bildschirmphoto2.png

[garvinhicking]

Hi!

Thanks for the screenshots; is the first one from the preview in the admin suite and the other one from the frontend?

Could you make a screenshot of how the entry editor is presented on the backend before and after save? The place where you actually choose the image for the photoblog...

Regards,
Garvin

[cdonat]

Thanks for the screenshots; is the first one from the preview in the admin suite and the other one from the frontend?

In the admin sute.

Could you make a screenshot of how the entry editor is presented on the backend before and after save? The place where you actually choose the image for the photoblog...

Shure. before saving:
http://blog.cdonat.de/uploads/Bildschirmphoto3.png
after saving:
http://blog.cdonat.de/uploads/Bildschirmphoto4.png

[garvinhicking]

Hi!

Ah. I believe this plugin requires the plugin "Extended option for entries". It needs to write its data into the serendipity_entryproperties table but doesn't do so for itself...

(Sorry, haven't developed that plugin, so i'm flying blind there)

Regards,
Garvin

[cdonat]

Ah. I believe this plugin requires the plugin "Extended option for entries". It needs to write its data into the serendipity_entryproperties table but doesn't do so for itself...

I have that installed now. It does not help. Do I need a special custom field or something for the photoblog?

(Sorry, haven't developed that plugin, so i'm flying blind there)

That is definatelys better than no help at all.