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--- doc:techfaq [2020/01/04 21:22] – created arvid
+++ doc:techfaq [2024/04/07 13:03] (current) – updated for 1.3 arvid
@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-====== Freqently Asked Technical Questions ======
+====== Frequently Asked Technical Questions ======
-Find answers to //technical// questions about FlatPress here. If you're looking for general FAQ about FlatPress, please see [[doc:faq|this page]].
+Find answers to //technical// questions about FlatPress here. If you're looking for general FAQ about FlatPress, please see [[doc:faq|this page]]. And for answers to more specific technical questions, please see the [[doc:tips|Tips and guides]] page.
-===== What is BBCode? =====
+===== General technical questions =====
-For a general overview, see [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBCode]].
+==== What is required to run FlatPress? ====
-To see which BBCode tags are implemented in FlatPress, see [[doc:plugins:bbcode]].
+FlatPress 1.3 will happily run on **any web server that supports PHP from 7.1 to 8.3**.\\
+//The PHP [[https://www.php.net/manual/de/book.intl.php|intl extension]] is mandatory.//
-===== How is BBCode implemented ? =====
+For best results (but not mandatory), the web server should also have a rewrite engine (such as [[https://httpd.apache.org/docs/2.4/mod/mod_rewrite.html|mod_rewrite]]) enabled; this is needed by the PrettyURLs plugin to create, well, pretty URLs. Also, [[https://www.php.net/manual/en/book.image.php|GDlib]] should be installed for the creation of image thumbnails.
-Using this great class: [[http://www.christian-seiler.de/projekte/php/bbcode/index_en.html|StringParser_BBCode]]
-===== What is a widget? =====
+Since all data is stored in files, no database is needed.
-A Widget is a dynamic component displayed (depending on the theme and on your config) on a topbar, on the right sidebar (default), etc.
-With "dynamic component" we mean a plugin providing a special interface (the widget function) designed to print content on the page when called. We called them "widget" and not "blocks" because we see blocks as passive elements which just display content, while widgets (which are php-coded as the common plugins) can of course execute code.
-A widget can then provide more advanced functions than just displaying a list of links (for which I'd suggest the static+blockparser combo), you may for instance have a widget fetching a displaying an rss feed from an external web page. The only limit is what php can do :)
-===== What is a static page? ====
+==== How to install FlatPress? ====
-A static page is an entry completely unlinked from the normal blog entry flux and that can't be commented. It can be reached using the file name you chose when you save it as a parameter for the URL; for instance if you choose MY_PAGE as a file name (not as a title!) you will be able to access your page using %%http://mysite.com/flatpress/static.php?page=MY_PAGE%%
+Installing FlatPress [[en:doc:basic:installation|is very easy]].
-Where are my static page linked? How do I show them out?
-SPB creates automatically a list of the static pages you have; however we decided to let the user decide wether to link or not his static page, and this without complex interfaces: just create another static page with your own list of links and bind it to a blockparser widget
+==== Are multiple users supported? ====
-for instance:
+The short answer is no. FlatPress is a single user system by design.
-<code>
+You should better ask "can I have more than one user?". In this case the answer is "yes, but it's not supported" :D
-[list]
-[*][url=static.php?page=MY_PAGE]My Page[/url]
-[*][url=static.php?page=ANOTHER_PAGE]Another Page[/url]
-[/list]
-</code>
+Actually, you can run the installer multiple times; if you choose a different username for each time you run the setup, the old user won't be deleted, and so you'll get one user for each time you run the setup.
-===== How do I add a new widget? =====
+The drawbacks in this are that every user has administrative powers and there is little or no checks on probable race conditions: for instance, if two you are editing two posts at the same time, strange things may happen: FP may for instance not show one of the posts (clean the cache from the Maintenance panel); if two of you are editing the same posts, the changes of the first to post will be probably lost, overwritten by the changes the other did (no fix for this at the moment).
-Add the corresponding plugin both to the plugin list and to the widget list in the section and at the position you want it to go.
+==== I've lost my password! ====
+Delete **%%setup.lock** from fp-content/, backup your fp-content/config/ if you heavily customized FlatPress and then restart setup (point to index.php or setup.php); once asked create a user with the same username of the old one and it will be overwritten. Restore your config/ dir backup once done.
-Widgets are organized in **groups** or **bars**; every bar can contain any number of widgets. These bars are then displayed on the theme using the special tag ''{widget pos=BAR}'' where ''BAR'' is the name of the bar.
+==== How to backup my FlatPress blog? ====
+There a three things you can do against data loss: Backup, backup, and: backup.\\
+Fortunately, [[en:doc:basic:backup|backing up your FlatPress blog is quite easy]].
-Generally in themes you have one ore more predefined widget bars. Usually you have at least the ''right'' bar; a lot of themes display both the contents of the left and of the right bar even if they actually have one single column of widgets (they show them together, one group after the other).
+==== I've found a bug! ====
+Please do not hesitate to contact the FlatPress team. You may do so on different ways:
+  * If you are familiar with GitHub, [[https://github.com/flatpressblog/flatpress/issues|open an issue there]].
+  * To be sure it's really a bug, open a topic on the [[https://forum.flatpress.org|support forum]].
+FlatPress is an international project, so our preferred language is English. You might find fellow FlatPress users speaking your language on the forum, though :)
-To add a new widget you add its plugin name to the plugin list in the panel, and the choose one of the groups and add the plugin name to the list as well. As you saw in the blockparser example, some widget may expect you to provide some parameters as well.
+See also: https://www.flatpress.org/contact
+===== BBCode =====
+==== What is BBCode? ====
+BBCode is a simple-to-understand markup language that allows you to maintain your blog without knowing about HTML. For a general overview, see [[https://www.bbcode.org/|bbcode.org]].
+To learn which BBCode tags are implemented in FlatPress, see [[doc:plugins:bbcode|this wiki page]].
+==== How is BBCode implemented ? ====
+Using the great class [[http://www.christian-seiler.de/projekte/php/bbcode/index_en.html|StringParser_BBCode]] by Christian Seiler.
-===== I have enabled a widget in the plugin panel but I don't see anywhere in my sidebars =====
+===== Entries and pages =====
+==== What is an entry? ====
+A blog entry is one content entry of your blog. An entry has a publish date and may be commented by your readers.
+  * Blog entry example on flatpress.org: https://www.flatpress.org/2019/02/22/flatpress-11-da-capo-is-here/
-As we said, Widgets are special plugins providing a widget function; by the way FlatPress does not know where you want it to appear, so, once a plugin widget is loaded, you should enable it in the widget panel as well (see the previous question).
+==== What is a static page? ====
+A static page is an entry completely unlinked from the normal blog entry flux and that can't be commented. Examples would be the "About" and the "Imprint" page.
+  * Static page example on flatpress.org: https://www.flatpress.org/download
+===== Plugins =====
+[[doc:plugins:standard#standard_plugins|Standard plugins]]
+[[res:plugins|There are also a lot plugins contributed by the community!]]
+==== What is a Plugin? ====
+// In the FlatPress administration area -> Plugin administration: Create new article (What is a plugin?). //
-===== Are multiple users supported? =====
+===== Widgets =====
+==== What is a widget? ====
+A widget is a dynamic component displayed (depending on the theme and on your config) on a topbar, on the right sidebar (default), etc.
+With "dynamic component" we mean a plugin providing a special interface (the widget function) designed to print content on the page when called. We called them "widget" and not "blocks" because we see blocks as passive elements which just display content, while widgets (which are php-coded as the common plugins) can of course execute code.
+A widget can then provide more advanced functions than just displaying a list of links (for which I'd suggest the static+blockparser combo), you may for instance have a widget fetching a displaying an rss feed from an external web page. The only limit is what php can do :)
+==== How do I add a new widget? ====
+{{ :doc:widgetconfig_screenshot.png?direct&200|Screenshot of widget configuration in the admin area. Click to view in full size!}}Add the corresponding plugin both to the plugin list and to the widget list in the section and at the position you want it to go.
-The short answer is no.
+Widgets are organized in **groups** or **bars**; every bar can contain any number of widgets. These bars are then displayed on the theme using the special tag ''{widget pos=BAR}'' where ''BAR'' is the name of the bar.
-You should better ask "can I have more than one user?". In this case the answer is "yes, but it's not supported" :D
+Generally in themes you have one ore more predefined widget bars. Usually you have at least the ''right'' bar; a lot of themes display both the contents of the left and of the right bar even if they actually have one single column of widgets (they show them together, one group after the other).
-Actually you can run the installer multiple times; if you choose a different username for each time you run the setup, the old user won't be deleted, and so you'll get one user for each time you run the setup.
+To add a widget, just drag'n drop it from the right to the bar you wish it to appear. See screenshot on the right!
+==== I have enabled a widget in the plugin panel but I don't see anywhere in my sidebars ====
+As we said, Widgets are special plugins providing a widget function; by the way FlatPress does not know where you want it to appear, so, once a plugin widget is loaded, you should enable it in the widget panel as well (see the previous question).
-The drawbacks in this are that every user has administrative powers and there is little or no checks on probable race conditions: for instance, if two you are editing two posts at the same time, strange things may happen: FP may for instance not show one of the posts (clean the cache from the Maintenance panel); if two of you are editing the same posts, the changes of the first to post will be probably lost, overwritten by the changes the other did (no fix for this at the moment).
+===== Comments =====
+FlatPress offers very effective mechanisms against spam comments.
+Preventively, as a first step, the commenter has to solve a simple math problem (Accessible Antispam Plugin) to be able to send his comment. However, if a spam bot has passed this first stage, you can either block all comments until they are approved or filter them using appropriate guidelines and/or have them checked by the Akismet service. Only then will this comment appear under your entry.
-Of course, working on this is on my todo; you might expect to see something more in a few months...
+==== Approve comments ====
+=== I have received an e-mail that a comment from me must be approved. ===
+As of FlatPress 1.3 Andante, comments are blocked by the comment center plugin until you approve or delete them or change the policy.
+==== How to handle spam comments? ====
+To do this, go to Posts -> Manage posts in the administration area. Now find the post that contains spam comments. Now copy the ID of the post (FlatPress 1.3 required).
+Now go to the comment center -> Manage comments. Search for the post using the ID. You can now search for the comment, send it to Akismet and delete it.
+==== Where can I get an Akismet API key? ====
+FlatPress offers you the comment center and [[https://akismet.com/|Akismet]] to effectively fend off spam comments. To be able to use the Akismet service, you need an Akismet API key. For personal websites and blogs, this API key is **free** of charge (personal). If your FlatPress blog is not personal, for example if it represents a company, you will need a paid subscription. If you don't have an Akismet key yet, go to the [[https://akismet.com/pricing/|Akismet website]] and choose an anti-spam solution that suits you.
+After you have received the key, you can enter it in the comment center in the configuration.
+===== Character encoding =====
+==== Which character encoding standards are supported by FlatPress? ====
+FlatPress currently supports four character encoding standards. [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO/IEC_8859-15|ISO-8859-15]] (Latin-9), [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows-1252|Windows-1252]], [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO/IEC_8859-7|ISO-8859-7]] and [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UTF-8|UTF-8]]. UTF-8 is recommended. Other character sets have not yet been tested (?).
+To change the character encoding, log in to the administration area and open the "Configuration" menu.