Yootheme template and database problem

[waywardchild]

I have several sites with Hostmonster. On one of them I have decided to try Joomla. I installed joomla with simple scripts and everything went well. Site was up and running. I had purchased a template from YOOTHEME and installed it precisely as directed ... the template looked good but a lot of the formatting I wanted was missing because I had not installed the database for the DEMO. Again I followed the procedures for dropping and replacing the Database ... and suddenly I had no site at all. I got messages telling me that there had been a DB error 1146 and the file jos_sessions doesn't exist ... along with a lot of stuff in red. I used the YOOTHEME forum for over a week trying to resolve the problem only to be told after installing both Joomla and the template 12 times, that because Hostmosnter used Simple Scripts to install Joomla my Database name was incorrect and I would have to install Joomla by hand or the template Demo with all the formatting I originally wanted wouldn't work. They said my database prefix was incorrect and should be jos_ . I told them the files were indeed prefixed with jos_ but it seemed that wasn't enough. And because Hostmonster uses an autoinstaller the Demo wouldn't work. Then I was told that Hostmonster must have configured the Simple Scripts Incorrectly and it was not the template's fault but Hostmonsters because their databases were incorrectly prefixed. I called Hostmonster and they told me that the tech at YOO was nuts.... none of this is helping me get my site up. Can anyone tell me what might be going on, and if it is the prefix problem how to fix it? :( :( :(

[shadmego]

Yootheme, Rockettheme and several other commercial Joomla! template sites all have their own autoinstallers. I have a subscription to RocketTheme and theirs is called Rocket Launcher. It is a Joomla! installer custom made to load their demo site into yours.

I'm highly shocked that nobody seems to know what they are talking about. Yootheme is much more expensive than RocketTheme, but RockeTheme community seems more capable of helping.

Here is what you have to do:

First, you can't install your own copy of Joomla! and then try to install the demo content from a Yootheme template. You will have to manually install the autoinstaller from Yootheme from scratch.

Start with a blank site ... nothing installed.
You will have to create your own database, database user and password.
Upload the zip file from Yootheme and unpack it from directly on your HM site. You can do this from inside File Manager in CPanel.

Once you have that done, navigate to your site (www.yournewjoomlasite.com (http://www.yournewjoomlasite.com)) and follow the installer prompts to complete the installation. You will have to remember the databse name and user/password info.

Your prefix will only matter during the installation process, but you get to choose your own prefix. Once that is set however, you should not go about changing it. The prefix is only there to help the database keep tables seperate. You should, in theory, be able to install multiple Joomla! sites in the same databse as long as you use different prefix(es) for each install -- and you install each site into a different directory.

This should be simple to accomplish, but if you need any extra help, we are here for you.

~regards

[waywardchild]

Yootheme doesn't use an installer at all. You must download the template file and then the demo file and install them yourself. Its just two files and an image file you have to upload to the site and the database. Yootheme said my prefix was wrong and it should be jos_. Does that mean I have to name the database jos_(blahblah) because the server will end up naming the database so it can connect it to the site. It always ends up being wayward1_(blahblah) because the account and main site is waywardchild.com.

[shadmego]

If you don't mind me asking, what is in the demo file?

Typically, you would only have to know the prefix. I've not run into an issue with the prefix before, but then again, I couldn't have been more wrong about the installer bit ... Sorry about that.

I am afraid I won't be able to help much here because I've not dealt with Yootheme before. I do know that Hostmonster doesn't have anything to do with how SimpleScripts sets up their installers. I used to think the only thing that happened was the database login info (database, username, password) were the only things created by the install process and that everything else was a typical Joomla! installation.

The only other thing I can suggest is to let me have a copy of those files for testing so I can get more familiar with the way Yootheme works internally, but that might go against some kind of license policy or something.

By the way, what WAS your prefix? You might also try to perform the same steps as before, but adding the step of going to your configuration.php file and modifying the variables in there to reflect the changes to the databsae (you can change the setting Joomla! uses with the variable $dbprefix).

I get interested in anything Joomla! related, so I would love to sink my teeth into this, but I don't have anything to help me repeat your problem.

Let me know if there is anything else I can do to help.

~regards

[waywardchild]

When i install Joomla, it's always installed into wayward1_jml01. This is the name its given no matter how many time uninstall Joomla to start over. There are 36 files in the database after a new install with Simple scripts. Once joomla is set up ... you then have to install the template file through the joomla administrator. Then you have to upload any extensions that go with the template and install those too. After choosing the new template as the default template, you can see that the yootheme wrapper is working ... another words it looks like the Demo but that's all. What you essentially have is the old joomla default template inside the YooTheme styling. None of the margins are right... ect. Then you are supposed to go into your data base, drop the whole base and upload the template sql file. It replaces your database so that the template is exactly like the demo and functions properly. As long as I dont mess with that database I have a site albeit a site but again, its not really the template only the styling. As soon as I replace that database... poof... this is my site...

jtablesession:store Failed
DB function failed with error number 1146
Table 'wayward1_jml01.session' doesn't exist SQL=INSERT INTO `session` ( `session_id`,`time`,`username`,`gid`,`guest`,`clie nt_id` ) VALUES ( '7983d49b32cdfcdcb8e12140033e2396','1215973703','' ,'0','1','0' )

There is a jos_sessions file in the template but the file wayward1_jml01 was replaced by the new data. I dont know what this file is or what it does, or even if the real problem is the name of my daabase ... LOL

[shadmego]

I just tested this out as much as I could:

1. Installed Joomla 1.5.4 from Simple Scripts.
2. Logged into phpMyAdmin to look at the tables.

The tables created indeed don't have the jos_ prefix. The table names are simply the table names. This is NOT a misconfiguration on the part of SimpleScripts as the prefix is optional. However, 999.99999% of all Joomla!-based websites will have this as the prefix. This is probably why Yootheme has it in their database drop.

3. Downloaded the tables from the SimpleScript database (jml01) and changed the structure on all 36 tables to include the prefix (jos_).
4. Deleted the original tables
5. Imported the "new" tables ... the ones with the jos_ prefix
6. Went to File Manager, navigated to the install location and edited the configuration.php file to include the prefix in the variable I mentioned previously
7. Saved changes.
8. Navigated to the SimpleScripts install in my browser and didn't get any errors.

~regards

[r2b2]

So it looks like Yootheme's issue after all then... they should really look to see what table prefix is set in Joomla (if any) and use that rather than doing any hardcoding...

[pghcollectibles]

on the other hand...

i do know you seem to be the joomla guru here shad, but when i noticed you talking about it so much, way back 6 months ago (has it only been that long) when i first joined hm, i was curious and so i installed it just to see how i liked it and i actually installed it with fantastico and it gave me the jos_ prefixes. if that is the only problem then there is the solution for you. i just checked in fantastico and its still there version1.5 (i dont know the latest release but i know fantastico or hm is usually one version behind on certain software items unless it is in high demand which joomla is but...)

see:
jos_banner, jos_bannerclient, jos_bannertrack, jos_categories, jos_components, jos_contact_details, jos_content, jos_content_frontpage, jos_content_rating, jos_core_acl_aro, jos_core_acl_aro_groups, jos_core_acl_aro_map, jos_core_acl_aro_sections, jos_core_acl_groups_aro_map, jos_core_log_items, jos_core_log_searches, jos_groups, jos_menu, jos_menu_types, jos_messages, jos_messages_cfg, jos_migration_backlinks, jos_modules, jos_modules_menu, jos_newsfeeds, jos_plugins, jos_polls, jos_poll_data, jos_poll_date, jos_poll_menu, jos_sections, jos_session, jos_stats_agents, jos_templates_menu, jos_users, jos_weblinks

are my table names my database is however named username_jo151

and like shad said the variables are in the joomla root file configuration.php as:
var $host = 'localhost';
var $user = 'shhhhh';
var $db = 'dont tell';
var $dbprefix = 'jos_';

interesting that my user name is the same as my database but that was done with fantastico like i said.

my joomla test page (http://www.pghcollectibles.com/joomla)

[pghcollectibles]

also im sure the file is a little long to post here but if you copied the demo file and the other file into a txt file and gave us a link, im sure we walk through it and maybe give you advice on how to modify it if necesary.

Even though i think they are ripping you off if they sell something to you and dont offer any help integrating it. Ooops did i say that out load. ;)

[shadmego]

I'm not sure that will be necessary now. I think I have this figured out.

The problem is indeed with the prefix, or lack of prefix, used with the default installation of Joomla! using SimmpleScripts. The default install for SimpleScripts is to not create a table prefix. While this is not going to be a problem for much of anything to do with the normal operations of a Joomla! site, doing something like installing a Yootheme demo site is going to cause problems because their demo database uses the jos_ prefix.

There are two things you can do to work around this. I will present the easiest one first, then the more difficult.

1. When you install Joomla! using SimpleScripts, on the preferences page there are a few sections. General Information where you tell the script the location of the install, Additional Information where you can select a name for your site and your own admin account login info and the database info and Legal Information where you have to agree to the legal terms of this service.

You want to pay attention to the Additional Information section, because that is where you can select the table prefix to use. In nthis section you will find two checkboxes. The first is for admin account information and the next is for creating a new database automatically. By default these are both checked. If you uncheck any of these boxes, you will be presented with form fields where you can enter your own specific information. This is where you can enter a prefix, namely jos_.

Unfortunately, you will have to create your database manually to use this feature, but that isn't hard as CPanel has a MySQL database manager which helps you with the process. Just remember the actual database name and user will be in the form "cpaneluser_database" and "cpaneluser_user".

Using these options will allow you to create a Joomla! install with the proper table prefix for your Yootheme demo content.

The second option for getting around this is:

2. Install a default instance of Joomla! using SimpleScripts. Remember, this option will set up your database with no table prefix. Follow the instructions on replacing the database with the Yootheme demo database. After you get the demo database installed, log into CPanel, go to your File Manager and navigate to the installation folder of your new Joomla! install. Find and open for editing the configuration.php file and look for the variable $dbprefix. It should be blank ( '' ) - two single quotes with nothing between them. Edit that line to reflect the table prefix used by your Yootheme demo database, jos_.



$dbprefix = 'jos_';


Save your changes and reload your frontpage for Joomla!. Everything should be fine. If not, we will take the next steps to fix the site.

~regards

[waywardchild]

Thank you both so much. You have both been such help. I reinstalled Joomla with Simple Scripts.. reinstalled the template, and the extensions, dropped the database and imported the theme database. Then I went in and changed the config.php to read 'jos_' just as you both had stated. I find it odd that both the techs at Hostmonster I talked to, and the ones at YOOTHEME didn't seem to know this. They each wanted me to cure a hangnail with a sledge hammer. I knew there had to be something so simple that needed to be changed. I just didn't know where to go. I even suggested to each of them that the fix seemed to me to be a simple one if we could find it. Again... thank you so much*** In one evening you both were more help that a week of trying to get answers from the guys who get paid to do this.:)

[pghcollectibles]

if you are going to reinstall joomla why not just install it with fantastico and all the prefixes will be good. shad- your opinion on that?

[pghcollectibles]

not a problem your welcome thats why were here

[shadmego]

if you are going to reinstall joomla why not just install it with fantastico and all the prefixes will be good. shad- your opinion on that?

6 of 1 ... half a dozen of the other ....

I recommend people always use the manual installation for a production site and the auto installer scripts for testing. I'm old school though.

Fantastico is less hands on, though you are still given some options as to the configuration of your site prior to install. This program, though is constantly several versions behind the lastest stable release of any script it installs. It also uses strange names for its databases and installs more files to manage updates than SimpleScripts. It also has a less complete removal process than SimpleScripts.

SimpleScripts will name their databases logically (jml01, jml02, etc), not install unneeded files on your server, and seems to have a complete removal process in the event you want to uninstall something. What I like most about SimpleScripts, though is that they update their scripts almost immediately. I use Dada Mail on a few of my sites with mail lists and I saw SimpleScripts was able to install version 3 before I heard about it on the dadadev email list .... now that's fast!

But all this still boils down to what I said originally ...

6 of 1 ... half a dozen of the other ... Whatever program you are most comfortable working with is the one I would probably recommend ... if you didn't like my recommendation of a manual install.

~regards

P.S. I am really happy to hear we got your problem solved. I am very shocked the folks at Yootheme didn't catch this and seemed to have more negative than helpful things to say about your problem. Here's hoping any future help you get from them will be more professional. I do have to say one thing though ... if their forum is anything like Rockettheme's forum, you will get help from time to time from people not professionally associated with that company. Like here, I'm not paid by HM to be a moderator, I volunteer my time and am considered a regular user like yourself. I would hope the rudeness at Yootheme was from regular users and not employees of the company ....