GuestBookHost Installation Instructions

Okay, let's just dive right in. The first thing you'll need to do is configure your MySQL settings. Open config.php in Notepad or another text editor. The first 4 variables ($sqlhost, $sqllogin, $sqlpass, $sqldb) need to be configured with your MySQL settings. These settings are your MySQL Hostname, Username, Password, and Database Name. The other three variables are the table names to be created, and can be left as they are unless you really need to change them.

Save config.php and upload it to the root of your website. Also upload create_tables.php to the same place. Now access your website through your browser, and access /create_tables.php. You'll be prompted with further instructions from there.

Now, let's open config.php again. The next set of variables to be edit, are right under the MySQL settings.
$adminpass needs to be set to a password you'll remember. This is used when accessing admin.php.
$signup_filename, $edit_filename and $guestbook_filename should be left as they are unless you really need to rename signup.php, edit.php and gb.php.
$gbtitle will be the name of your guestbook service. You may call it GuestBookHost if you wish, or you may use the name of your own existing website.
$gburl should point to the URL where GuestBookHost is located. This is used in several places in the script, an is given to a guestbook owner in their HTML code when they sign up.
$purgedays -- This is for the Inactive Account Pruning feature. The script can automatically delete accounts that have never had any posts in the last xx days.
$gb_popwin_width / $gb_popwin_height - The script gives javascript code to the user for displaying their guestbook on their site. These settings specify the window size when displaying their guestbook. These settings are also used in the Member Area when previewing the guestbook.

Appearance and Design Variables
These settings are used to configure how GuestBookHost will look, and apply mostly only to the signup and edit pages. The first two, $headerfile and $footerfile will hold the HTML that appears at the top and bottom (and sides, if you're using tables) of the signup.php and edit.php pages. Some code has already been put into these files, and you may change them any way you'd like, just keep one thing in mind: Notice the PHP code between <title> and </title>. That code needs to appear in your template in order for the page titles to be automatically inserted. The rest of the variables in this section decide the font name/size, table cell text color, background color, table properties, page titles, button texts, etc. The default settings should be okay, but I would suggest you change the colors to anything you'd like. ;)

The Example index.php Page
An example main page has been included. This page is JUST AN EXAMPLE of how you could design your main page for this service, and how to include the create links to the edit and signup pages. Again, keep in mind, this file is just an example, however you may use it and customize it in an HTML editor if you wish. :)

Multiple Post Blocking
This feature won't take long to explain. The script doesn't allow a poster to post a message on a guestbook more than once a day per guestbook. They can however post on more than one guestbook in a day. The script matches the poster's IP address against posts made that day to that guestbook, instead of using cookies, which can be circumvented. :)

Now upload the rest of the filesd to your site. Don't upload this help file or create_tables.php, those aren't needed. Once you've finished, you're ready to start using GuestBookHost. :)

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