Cy Think Survey

Programmer's Procedure to Set Up a New Site

These are the steps for setting up a new website using the Cy Think framework, tools and components. This procedure is for programmers because some steps involve changes to the program code. It is included with the general system help files because the first five steps are things the owner of the new website must do to get things started.

Many steps in the setup procedure require password-protected access. Also, later steps in the procedure require specialized knowledge of systems and programming in general and the Cy Think methodology in particular. The Cy Think methodology is intended to give the website owner the maximum level of control possible over their website. At the same time, Cy Think intends to make this control as easy and understandable as possible.

If you are the Cy Think customer or represent the Cy Think customer, the first five steps are directed to you. Please note that you create the password for your website and you retain full control of the website. You must give Cy Think the password for Cy Think to work on the site and make changes to the site. Cy Think will not change the password. If, at any time, you want Cy Think to cease making changes to the website, you only need to change the password.

These are the steps.

  1. Connect to 1and1 and purchase a website. You must buy a Linux website with MySQL database support. This is currently $9.99 per month and the minimum term is three (3) months. As part of this step you will create a password for access to your new website.
  2. You may need to wait an hour or more for 1and1 to complete the setup procedure on their part and send you your account number.
  3. Connect to 1and1 and order your domain name. This is currently included in your website purchase at 1and1. Your domain is the user friendly name like mydomain.com.
  4. It will take 24 hours or more for your domain name to be fully activated.
  5. You must pay Cy Think the service fee and provide Cy Think with the account number and password. The remaining steps will be completed by Cy Think in accordance with the agreement between you and Cy Think. The agreement lists all your requirements and specifies which requirements are to be completed in return for the fee paid for building your website. The service fee includes at least two and sometimes three telephone or face-to-face meetings to resolve problems and complete the engagement to your satisfaction.

  6. Connect to 1and1
  7. Set up FTP and change the FTP password, if you would like to make it easier to remember. Record the password in the password file. Note the time. But, continue with the next step since it may take 30 minutes for the new password to become effective.
  8. Create the main database. Note the time. But, continue with the next step since it will take 5 minutes or more for the database to appear.
  9. Create a Webmail account for admin, e.g. admin@customer.com.
  10. Stay connected to 1and1.
  11. Create a local site directory for the site. E.g. D:\customer\site
  12. Copy the starter configuration files from D:\CyThink\coreCMS\config to the new local site directory. These are some of the files.
    1. site.css, print.css, press.css
    2. *.gif
    3. office.jpg
    4. index.htm, bodypart.txt, feedback.txt, index.txt, menuctrl.txt, menudata.txt, picrings.txt, robots.txt, search.txt, sysparms.txt, registration.txt, login1.txt, login2.txt.
  13. Copy the My folder and its contents from D:\CyThink\coreCMS\ to the new local site directory.
  14. Copy the JshDATA.pm file from the selected source to the new local site directory.
  15. Customize these graphic elements.
    1. Create office.jpg approx. 1000px by 756px in size.
    2. Apply transparent effect (50%) to office.jpg
    3. Create icon.gif approx. 92px by 92 px in size.
  16. Edit site.css.
    1. Change background-image, if necessary.
    2. Change the link colors, if necessary.
    3. Make any other needed changes.
  17. Edit menuctrl.txt.
    1. Verify ...
    2. Make any other needed changes.
  18. Edit menudata.txt: Change menu label for members.pl to Admin. Remove extra content in menu #1.
    1. Click Content, select Configuration Files and click Continue.
    2. Select menudata.txt. Click "Edit"
    3. Change menu label for members.pl to Admin.
    4. Remove everything in menu #1 except the index.htm, feedback.htm, contact.htm, search.htm, members.pl
  19. Edit bildable.txt.
    1. Verify ...
    2. Make any other needed changes.
  20. Edit registration.txt.
    1. Verify ...
    2. Make any other needed changes.
  21. Edit login1.txt.
    1. Verify ...
    2. Make any other needed changes.
  22. Edit login2.txt.
    1. Verify ...
    2. Make any other needed changes.
  23. Edit sysconfg.txt. Make sure it contains the following core pages. index.htm, feedbackXXX.htm (one for each feedback page), contact.htm, search.htm.

  24. By now the database should be ready. Note the time. Change the database password, if you would like to make it easier to remember. Record the password in the password file.
  25. Note the Database Name, User Name and Password or leave the window open on the desktop.
  26. Edit JshDATA.pm in the local site directory and change the Database Name, User Name and Password. Also, change the value of the encryption key.

  27. By this time, FTP should be ready. Log onto FTP for the first time and FTP the files from the site directory to the remote site.
  28. FTP the following files from D:\CyThink\coreCMS to the root directory on the remote site.
    1. My (the folder)
    2. *.js
    3. *.pl
    4. *.pm
  29. Delete index.html from the server.
  30. Verify that the copied index page appears.
  31. Change permissions on .pl files (755) Use ctrl to select all .pl files give owner rwx, give group and other execute only.
  32. Verify that the login form appears. This verifies the permissions were set properly for members.pl.
  33. Use saved SQL queries to create the CMS tables in database.
    1. Login to new system & access phpMyAdmin
    2. Click on the database name, then click on the SQL tab.
    3. Browse for a recent D:\CyThink\coreCMS\sql\alltables_year_month_day.sql.
    4. If conditions indicate, verify the contents of the file with UltraEdit and remove the CREATE DATABASE and USE commands from the sql file.
    5. Click Go
    6. Repeat using D:\CyThink\coreCMS\code_add_code.sql.
    7. Stay logged on to phpMyAdmin
  34. Create the programmer account on the new site
    1. Go to site
    2. Click Admin
    3. Register as a new user
    4. Go back to phpMyAdmin.
    5. Open the user table and change usertype to programmer
    6. Note the user ID and password (e.g. 100WaySal)
    7. Logon to the new site and change the user ID to your preference.
    8. Logon to the new site with the new user ID and change the password to your preference
  35. Logon with the new user ID and password.
  36. Add some appropriate values for usertype2.
  37. Verify the list of editable configuration files.
    1. Click Pages and System Configuration Files Add / Remove
    2. Select bodypart.txt, menuctrl.txt, menudata.txt, picrings.txt, robots.txt and sysparms.txt. Then, click "Update File List".
  38. Verify the list of editable files.
    1. Click Pages and Configure Editable Files (based on TXT files)
    2. These files should be selected. If needed, make changes and then click "Update File List". Editable files include editable.txt, index.txt, search.txt, sysconfg.txt
  39. Verify the content of robots.txt
    1. Click Content, select Configuration Files and click Continue.
    2. Select robots.txt and click "Edit the File"
    3. Change the comment
    4. Other changes, as needed.
  40. Verify the content of menuctrl.txt.
    1. Click Content, select Configuration Files and click Continue.
    2. Select menuctrl.txt and click "Edit the File"
    3. Remove menu items, as needed
    4. Change column values to 0 except for programmer & admin.
    5. Change admin values as appropriate.
    6. Other changes, as needed.
  41. Update Parameters (Parms)
    1. Click Parms.
    2. Change the title
    3. Change the subtitle
    4. Select page_style of inset or fullwidth.
    5. Change the icon_alttext
    6. Activate fields and tables appropriate to the needs of the customer.
    7. Other changes, as needed.
  42. Edit the file D:/CyThink/coreCMS/sql/code_add_codes.sql as needed.
  43. Close the phpmyadmin window. Log out of the Control Panel.
  44. Access phpMyAdmin on the destination host control panel: Login >> MySQL Administration >> phpMyAdmin.
  45. Click the database name at the top of the list of tables.
  46. Click SQL in the row of tabs at the top of the page.
  47. Browse for the command file using the Browse button in the lower half of the page.
  48. Select the file, click Open and then click Go.
  49. Examine the results and fix as needed. If copying the code table, be sure the "codecode-codecode" row is present.
  50. Close the phpmyadmin window. Log out of the Control Panel.
  51. Edit the table to get the codecode values.
  52. Execute / Import the table into the new system.
  53. To activate the feedback page, create an inboxtype of "Feedback." If there are to be more than one feedback page, create one inboxtype for each feedback page.
  54. Note the key for each feedback type.
  55. For each additional feedback type, manually edit a feedbackXXX.txt as follows.
  56. Clone the feedback.txt file for each feedback type. In each feedback.txt file, put the corresponding key in the "ProductOrService" hidden field value.
  57. FTP the feedbackXXX.txt files to the site.
  58. If needed, add the code values for the "codecode" of usertype2.
  59. Republish all HTML
  60. If you made sysconfg.txt editable, change it back.
  61. Republish all HTML
  62. Configure editable ??
  63. Uncheck sysconfg.txt, buildable.txt & editable.txt
  64. Add pages according to what was agreed with the customer.
  65. Republish all HTML

This procedure is abbreviated and high level. Programmers should apply their knowledge and experience to supply any missing details.

Copyright © 2008 Cy Think, Inc.