Where to begin?

I've downloaded, configured and uploaded the files. Now what? The PDF says "1.
From the PowerCMS navigation, choose Insert New Content." Choose from where?

I opened the index.php page in the admin section but it brings up a login page but no user tables are set so nothing happens?

Where are the instructions?
Where is the "road map"?

Am I missing a PDf if that explains how to impliment this "solution"?

Nick

There are a number of posts that help get you started - This one was a big help

showthread.php?t=4887

You should be able to log in to the admin section if you have it set up right - the username and passwords are the one you set in the WA_Globals file. If you did NOT do that, then you haven't set the CMS up properly. I found an excellent pdf which explains it very nicely but I could not remember the post on the Webassist forum where I downloaded it, it exceeds the max file size to attach it to a post - it is only about one meg so if you need it, I would gladly attach it to an email and send it to you - just send me a private message.

Hiya Nick,

There is some rather necessary information missing from the 'Getting Started Guide', in fact steps 3 & 4 are quite infuriating, and full of abiguities and dichotomies.

I have redone this section to show a way that worked well for me, a kind of 'case-study', if you like.

It might help a bit, or shed a little light.

Ah - it was your pdf, Nello that I was following - your updated version is great also! There should be a "sticky" on this site so your excellent set up tutorial can be downloaded anytime without the big search.

Thanks Shadow,

I may ask Office Guy if he would mind putting a copy in his Knowledge-Base webspace. I think it would be a good idea for each extension 'Getting Started Guide' to include, or be accompanied by, a known-to-work, step-by-baby-step, 'Case Study' scenario of its implementation.

Cheers

Also, let me add my voice to the statement "and set up your site exactly as in these instructions" While the CMS can be set up in th website root or for that matter any directory, if you put the CMS in its own sub-directory, it will be easier to update when a new version comes out. Also setting up your site using these instructions are KNOWN to work.

Originally Said By: neilo

  Thanks Shadow,

I may ask Office Guy if he would mind putting a copy in his Knowledge-Base webspace. I think it would be a good idea for each extension 'Getting Started Guide' to include, or be accompanied by, a known-to-work, step-by-baby-step, 'Case Study' scenario of its implementation.

Cheers  

215/

Nice one, Office Guy, - great resource you have there, - thanks for that!

We will be revising the PowerCMS documentation and the product itself in the near future to make it more user friendly.

Although the document created by Neilo can be very useful, it needs to be used with caution as it contains some very specific instructions that will not work for every individual. For example, changing the code in the contents_detail.php provides the correct Developer Notes paths only if the file you are adding content to is stored in the root of your site. A future version of PowerCMS will make this step obsolete.
Additionally, our documentation is updated prior to any update or new release of our products to accommodate for any changes. For this reason, you should always reference WebAssist documentation first, prior to reading anything provided in the forums.

We appreciate your feedback so that we can improve on our documentation. Please be as descriptive as possible when you have an issue, so that we can either revise the documentation, or create a fix in a future version of the product. Simply saying, "steps 3 & 4 are quite infuriating" is not very helpful.

Thanks for that Neil,

However, it is sometimes nice to have a document that helps you to actually get things to work. The official 'GSGuide', regrettably, constructively hampers that process.

Originally Said By: Neil Beadle

  For example, changing the code in the contents_detail.php provides the correct Developer Notes paths only if the file you are adding content to is stored in the root of your site.  

And not changing it can make it fail for anyone who has not. Swings and roundabouts, but at least I provided a working framework.

Originally Said By: Neil Beadle

  Simply saying, "steps 3 & 4 are quite infuriating" is not very helpful.  

I'm at a total loss as to what your idea of 'helpful' is then. The statement was an honest reflection of what I and others experience when reading badly thought out, incomplete and ambiguous documentation. And, as it happens, steps 3 & 4 are quite infuriating. I have pointed documentation issues out on previous threads and been pushing for improvements in documentation since my arrival here.

Check thread #6557 I posted that over two weeks ago. Number of responses from WA guys? None.

Since then, I have backed off grumping, having assumed that there was work in progress, and instead have tried to be rather more constructive. The 'Missing Steps' guide was part of this. It has positively helped people. And no, I absolutely do not recommend any beginner reading the official PowerCMS guide with out having the alternative one to hand first.

I'm sorry you see this as 'unhelpful'. - I can't do anything about that, but hopefully - if you do the work - you can.

Hope this helps.