Installation Errors

These errors will typically occur while trying to run PHP-Nuke's setup script, which creates the PHP-Nuke database and populates it. Note that many hosting provides don't give their users enough permissions to run this script; in those cases, you need to get the hosting provider to install PHP-Nuke for you. Many provide a Web-based control panel that will do this; simply ask your provider what you should do to get PHP-Nuke running if it isn't immediately apparent to you.

You're Getting Database Errors

These usually take the form of a cryptic message containing phrases like fetch_row or something; they're usually indicative of a database connection error. Check to make sure that you've entered the correct server name (often just localhost if the database server is the same as the Web server), username, and password. Also, as described earlier, make sure you've actually got permissions to be creating new databases and whatnot.

You Added a Module, and You Can't Access it

Check the file permissions of the new module. Make sure the folder of the module, and its files, are set to give World or Everyone the Read permission. If you're accessing your site's files through an FTP client (like my favorite, BatchFTP, from www.batchftp.com), just right-click the file or folder and select Properties to check the permissions.

You Can't Log In Because the Graphical Security Code Is Missing

Yeah, this is a pain. The most likely cause is that your server (or hosting provider) didn't install a PHP library known as GD, which is responsible for producing that graphical image. You need to either install it (on your server) or talk to your host (to get them to install it on theirs). These days, this is a pretty rare error, but it does crop up.

You can also create a simple PHP page on your Web site. Name it info.php, and put the following text in it:

 <?php Echo phpinfo(); ?> 

Then point your Web browser to that Web page. Scroll down a bit until you see a line labeled GD Support and one named GD Version; if you see them, you've got it. If not, you don't. You can also manually disable the security code requirement by opening the config.php file that came with PHP-Nuke and changing the $gfx_check variable to equal zero (0). Then you should be able to log on.

Your Users Aren't Getting Confirmation E-mails

This is your server's fault. Its mail server isn't configured correctly. Either fix it, if it's your server, or talk to your hosting provider about the problem. Once it's fixed, you can use the NSN Your Account Tweak to resend those missing confirmation e-mails. Or, if you don't have the tweak, there's a special module at http://ravenphpscripts.com/download-file-59.html that can resend all of the confirmation e-mails.

Your Users Can't Access the Forums; They Get "Invalid Session"

You need to configure the Forums module, which is done within it. Modify the settings and set the cookie domain so that it matches your site's domain. Also change the cookie name to match your Web site's name, without the "www" and "com" portions of the Web site's name (so www.mysite.com would have a cookie name of mysite).

You Erased Your Admin Account or Lost the Password

Oh, dear. One fix for this is to go put the user back into the Authors table of PHP-Nuke manually; I discuss the basics of that in Topic 64, "Working with the PHP-Nuke Database." Set the password column to dc647eb65e6711e155375218212b3964 (you'd best type that carefully), and log in with the password Password; then immediately change your password to something more creative and less easy to guess. This is a good tip from the PHP-Nuke HOWTO at http://phpnuke.org/modules.php?name=PHP-Nuke_HOWTO&page=administrator-password-lost.html.

For a forgotten password, delete all existing entries in the Authors table, and then point your Web browser to the admin.php page of your site. You'll be prompted to create a new admin user. Make certain you use a different name than the last user, which you just deleted, to keep things working smoothly.