install

#========================================================
# MakeBid Auction Software Installation Instructions
#========================================================
# All Add-ons are
# Copyrights (c) 2000 USANet Creations. All rights reserved.
#==========================================================

This file contains the installation instructions for MakeBid Auction Software.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Details of the installation instructions
============================

#========================================================
# MakeBid Auction Software Installation Instructions
#========================================================
# All Add-ons are
# Copyrights (c) 2000 USANet Creations. All rights reserved.
#==========================================================

This file contains the installation instructions for MakeBid Auction Software.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Details of the installation instructions
============================

1. Unzip the file "auctionxxxxx.zip".
---------------------------------

Place the file "auctionxxxxx.zip" in any directory on your computer and then unzip it. The unzipped directory structure is the same structure of the program, as it should installed on your server.

The executable files comes with *.pl extensions. This is the extension required on most hosting servers for executable files.

2. Edit the file "config.pl" with any text editor
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Open the file "config.pl" in the auction dir with any text editor or notepad and edit all variables in the file: Examples and the help is above each of the settings.

3. Edit the file "yourphoto.pl" with any text editor
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Open the file "yourphoto.pl" in the auction dir with any text editor or notepad and edit all variables in the file: Examples and the help is above each of the settings.

4. Edit the auction.pl file in the auction dir using a normal text editor
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Open the auction.pl dir with any text editor or notepad and at the top of the files find this:

require "config.pl";

now define the server absolute path something like this:

require "c:/your/path/cgi-bin/auction/config.pl";

5. Transfer all files and directories to you server using the same directory structure as the auction files your unziped some where on your computer.
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These instructions assume that you have FTP access to the server and that you have some basic knowledge of how to use an FTP program to go to different directories on your site, create directories when necessary, and to upload files to your server. If you do not have this basic knowledge, we recommend getting an FTP program such as WS_FTP (http://www.ipswitch.com/) or CuteFTP (http://www.cuteftp.com/) and reading its documentation thoroughly in order to learn how to use such programs.

When uploading all of the files for the auction program, be sure to set your FTP program to transfer in ASCII mode. The cgi scripts will NOT work if you transfer then in binary mode.

Directory structure example:

web site root -----
                           |
                           |--- cgi-bin ----------------------
                           |                                                 |
                           |-- auct-photos--                        |
                           |                         |--temp             |
                           |                                                 |
                           |-- auction-images                       |-- accounting--
                           |                                                 |                       |-- userbilling
                           |                                                 |                       |-- cards --
                           |                                                 |                                       |-- cards
                           |--music                                      |-- auction--
                                                                                               |--auctiondata

(Special note): all other dirs and data files are created by the auction

6. Change permissions on all files and directories.
Setting permissions is the very important for the program to run correctly on NT server you will have to get your hosting server to set the permissions listed below for you

====================== NT Permissions ==========================
all these dirs needs the permissions set as spesified below:

/cgi-bin/auction/ = read/execute
/cgi-bin/auction/auctiondata/ = read/write/execute

/cgi-bin/accounting/ = read/execute
/cgi-bin/accounting/userbilling/ = read/write/execute
/cgi-bin/accounting/cards/ = read/write/execute
/cgi-bin/accounting/cards/cards/ = read/write/execute

/auct-photos = read/write/execute/
/auct-photos/temp = read/write/execute/

/music = read/execute
===================================================================

7. Run the auction program from your browser.
---------------------------------------------

If you finished all the previous installation steps correctly, you will be able to run the auction program from
your browser. To to so, please point your browser to the "auction.cgi" program on your server as follows:

http://www.yourdomain.com/cgi-bin/auction/auction.pl

where "www.yourdomain.com" would be replaced by your actual domain name.

If the program run and you see the main categories page, the congratulations, and thanks for this great gob.

8. Test the program settings.
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Now the program is running, but to make sure that all the installation process completed correctly, you need to test
all the program functions. Test every single function, as it requires the use
to do. For example, This will help you detect any problems with the program installation, for example, files not transferred in the correct mode, permissions not set, directories not created.

9. If you have any problems contact USANet Creations Support.
---------------------------------------------------
In case you were unable to complete the installation process successfully, please contact the USANet Creations technical support at "webmaster@netcreations.addr.com" or visit USANet Creations website at "http://www.netcreations.addr.com"

========================= Q&A FAQ/Troubleshooting ===============================

Q. My users keep getting the error message:

Error:
We were unable to write to the user directory.

A. This is usually caused when a user is trying to bid on an
item or post an item and the server permissions are not set
correctly. Be sure the folder you made has write permissions
and the path is correct in the script. You also should not
put any files or directories in the folder you created. The
script will create them automatically.antiques1 => 'Glassware',

Q. Mail is not sent to the user when the auction closes. Why?

A. Check the mail configuration. You may want to use a mail
program instead of a mail host. It is up to you. If you see
an error about IO::Socket you will need to use a mail program
instead of a mail host or you will need to re-install the perl
modules on your system.

Q. The top rotating banner just showes a box wit an X in it?

A. It will only show a box with an X in it till a user
submits a banner to the banner rotation.
(no banners to display yet on a new site)

Q. New Banner placed for rotation but still not
displaing a banner just a box with an X in it?

A. Check your accounting dir permission set to 777
and check the permission of your cancerstick.conf file
in your accounting dir set it to 777 also.
The rest of the files in you accountin dir
are set to 755.

Q. The accounting is not saving the user info and or billing?

A. Check your accounting dir permission set to 777
and check the permission of your cancerstick.conf file
in your accounting dir set it to 777 also.
The rest of the files in you accountin dir
are set to 755.

Q. How do I make new/different categories?

A. Edit the config.cgi to point to new categories.
The directories listed will be automatically created by the
script. Each category should be listed like:

###############################################
#
# EXAMPLES OF CATEGORY AND A SUBCAT AND SUB-SUBCAT
# %supercat = (
#
# antiques => 'Antiques', # Sub Category
# antiquesart => 'Art', # Sub Category with a Sub Category
# antiquestables => 'Tables', # Sub Category with a Sub Category
# );
#
## Define your sub categories here ############
#
# %category = (
#
# homes=> 'Homes', # No Sub Category
#
# antiques01 => 'Antiques', # Sub Category dir
# antiques001 => 'ART', # # Sub Category with a Sub Category Dir
# antiques0001 => 'Tables', # Sub Category with a Sub Category Dir
# );
#
###############################################

##########################################################
#
# If you just need single categories (no sub categories) here is that example and rember the # auction will create all the dirs for you and set the permissions:
#
# %supercat = (
#
# );
#
## Define your sub categories here ############
## | Cat Dir Created | | Ref to above main Title | | sub cat Title |
## antiques1 => ' Glassware',
#
#%category = (
#
# antiques => 'Antiques',
# auto => 'Automotive',
# books => 'Books/Magazines',
# );
#
######################################################

Q. How do I delete entries from the auction before the auction
closes?

A. The system administrator may remove items from the auction
at any time. Just use the URL:

auction.cgi?action=admin

The administrator password is defined in the config.cgi file.

Q. Do users need accounts to post a product or place a bid?

A. Maybe... If the $config{'regdir'} variable is defined in the configuration
section then users will be required to register. Random passwords
will be sent via e-mail and user data will be stored in the regdir
you specify. If $config{'regdir'} variable is undefined, then users will be presented
with the "classic" interface where registration is not required.

Q. Are closed items retained on the server?

A. Maybe... When an item closes, e-mail is sent to both the winning
bidder and the seller explaining the results. If a closed item
directory is specified, the item will be copied to that directory
upon close, Then after X days default is 30 the closed auction items
will be deleted from the closed dir along with there images if one was uploaded.

Q. When is e-mail sent out?

A. E-Mail is sent out when auctions close and when a user registers.
E-Mail will also be sent out when a user is outbid.

Q. I clicked on an item and it displayed the list of items or
I clicked on a category and it displayed a list of categories.

A. When the script is executed, it automatically determines
whether the item/category exists. If it does not, it displays
the list. Maybe the item you tried to access was closed or
the item was deleted? Maybe you didn't give your base
directory write permissions so the script could create its
directories?

Q. How does the command line for the script work?

A. When called from a web browser, the script can be called
with many different options (action=whatever). I'll let
you figure the options out, but for a hint, see the "if"
block near the top of the script. :)

http://www.your.host.com/cgi-bin/auction.pl?action=newlogin

Q. What is file locking, and how can I enable/disable it?

In version 1.01 and above, file locking is included to eliminate the
risk of data corruption on high-traffic sites. If two users try
to post a bid at the EXACT SAME TIME, file locking will delay
the second poster until the first poster is finished posting. File
locking should be enabled unless your server does not support it.
If you get weird flock errors or your script crashes, try setting
$flock = 0.