Note: as with anything involving editing of the core files, take extreme care and keep a copy of the original form of anything that you edit. I accept no responsibility for any issues that result, including but not limited to issues that result from (i) not following the steps to the dot, or (ii) attempting these steps on versions of the software other than what is noted in the requirements. Otherwise, if your site meets the requirements set out below, then it should be ready for action.
QUESTIONS
- How do I set IP.Content as my default app (e.g. instead of the Forums)?
- How do I make a homepage - and other unique pages - using IP.Content?
- How do I make the homepage - and other unique pages - look 'separate' or completely different from the rest of the Suite?
- How do I make the Forums appear at website.com/forums? And what about the other apps?
- How do I get cleaner URLs?
REQUIREMENTS
Before you get started, ensure that you have had the following IP.Suite applications installed in the root public directory at the desired domain:
- IP.Board (note: these steps have only been tested on 3.2.X and 3.3.X)
- IP.Content (note: these steps have only been tested on 2.2.X and 2.3.X)
ANSWERS
In each of the answers below, italicized unbolded text denote locations, bolded italicized text denote settings, and bolded unitalicized text denote values. Additionally, website.com refers to your website's root domain, public_html refers to your website's root public directory (the files of which should be accessible via FTP), and ACP refers to your IPS Suite's Admin CP.
a) How do I set IP.Content as my default app (e.g. instead of the Forums)?
- If you are using IPB 3.3.X or above, skip to step 5 below, ignoring steps 2 through 4.
- Download /public_html/initdata.php and make a copy of it.
- Open one copy of that file, and in it, find IPS_DEFAULT_PUBLIC_APP. That variable would be set to 'forums' by default. Change 'forums' or whatever it is currently set to, to 'ccs'.
- Then save the file, and upload it to replace the original at the location specified in step 2.
- Find /public_html/constants.php if it already exists. If it doesn't exist, first create a blank file called constants.php at that location. In either case, download the file and make a copy of it.
- Open one copy of that file, and in it, define 'ccs' as the default public app if it hasn't already been defined there, e.g. by adding the following on its own line at the very top of the file:
<?php define( 'IPS_DEFAULT_PUBLIC_APP', 'ccs' ); ?>
- Then save the file, and upload it to replace the original at the location specified in step 5.
b) How do I make a homepage - and other unique pages - using IP.Content?
- Successfully complete the steps in Question a, above.
- Go to ACP > Other Apps [tab] > Content > Settings > Basic.
- There, at Default home page, set the URL filename for the homepage. By default, this is set as index.html, so index.html will be referred to in the next steps. Save the settings.
- Go to ACP > Other Apps [tab] > Content > Settings > Advanced.
- There, at URL to index.php, input the URL where the gateway file (index.php by default) is located. Given that your Suite is in the root public directory, this would normally just be your site's root domain - e.g. http://website.com/. Save the settings.
- Go to ACP > Other Apps [tab] > Content > Page Manager.
- If there is already an index.html at the Site Root, rename it or move it to a sub-folder, unless you want to use that index.html as the homepage, in which case you should modify its settings according to the steps below.
- Create an index.html at the Site Root if there isn't one currently there, via Add Page. If there is already one there, see the preceding step.
- Select to edit the index.html that is located at the Site Root.
- In the editing area for index.html, go to Step 1 | Page Details.
- There, for the Page URL, ensure that it is index.html. Do not select any sub-folder in the adjacent dropdown box, but enable (check) Omit page name in URL.
- Adjust the remaining settings as you wish, but [given that it's the homepage] ensure that the setting Available to ALL users is set to Yes.
- Still in the editing area, go to Step 2 | Content, and add/edit content if you wish.
- Continue through the editing process, until the page is saved.
- Repeat steps 6 through 14 for any other unique page(s) that you wish to add to your site, except with accordance to the page(s).
c) How do I make the homepage - and other unique pages - look 'separate' or completely different from the rest of the Suite?
- Successfully complete the steps in Question b, above.
- Go to ACP > Other Apps [tab] > Content > Page Manager.
- There, click on the name of the page and enter the Step 1 | Page Details editing area.
- Set Use IPB Wrapper? as No if it isn't already. Due to this step, you are now responsible for the entire content of the page - including the template - instead of just content that would have appeared within the IPB Wrapper.
- Still in the editing area, go to Step 2 | Content, and add/edit content if you wish. If you wish for this page to have a unique template that is not to be used on other IP.Content pages, incorporate the template into this area. If, instead, you wish for this page to share a template with other IP.Content pages, then it's recommended to use a Page Template instead (more on that in step 7).
- Continue through the editing process, until the page is saved.
- (Optional) If you wish to create a template that can be shared among different IP.Content pages, go to ACP > Other Apps [tab] > Content > Templates > Page Templates. There, click Add Template and edit the template as you desire, using Template Tags where appropriate. Then save the template. Finally, at ACP > Other Apps [tab] > Content > Page Manager, with regards to any page(s) that you wish to apply the template to, select the template in the Template to start with? dropdown box in the Step 1 | Page Details section in the editing area of the page(s), and save the page.
d) How do I make the Forums appear at website.com/forums? And what about the other apps?
- Download /public_html/admin/applications/forums/extensions/furlTemplates.php and make a copy of it.
- Open one copy of that file, and in it, replace each instance of index with forums or the name that you prefer.
- Then save the file, and upload it to replace the original at the location specified in step 1.
- Go to the ACP > System [tab] > My Control Panel > My Dashboard, where there should now be a message that the FURL Cache needs to be rebuilt, along with a link that can be clicked to do just that. Click the link to rebuild the FURL Cache.
- Repeat steps 1 through 4 for any other app you wish to customize the name in the URL for, except with accordance to the particular app being adjusted for (e.g. in step 1, go to the location of the FURL template for that particular app rather than the FURL template for the forums).
e) How do I get cleaner URLs?
- Go to ACP > System [tab] > System Settings > System [tab] > Search Engine Optimization.
- There, set both Redirect to new friendly URL format and Use .htaccess mod_rewrite to Yes, and save the settings.
- Below Use .htaccess mod_rewrite, there should be a message to 'add a file called .htaccess with the following contents.' Copy the contents that it is referring to, into a text file.
- Download /public_html/.htaccess and make a copy of it.
- Open one copy of that file, and in it, paste the copied contents from step 3, to the top of the .htaccess file.
- Then save the file, and upload it to replace the original at the location specified in step 4.
- Go to ACP > Other Apps [tab] > Content > Settings > Advanced.
- There, set Use .htaccess mod_rewrite to Yes, and save the settings.
Feel free to post any questions or notes.
