eFiction 3.3.1: Fixes and Tweaks     2011/09/01
based on the old writeup on 2007/10/11
by CW Cyrix

Last Updated: 2013/02/27
[0227] Fixed typo in Actual Document section, step 6.


This is a document referencing an out-of-date version of eFiction. The latest
as of this writing is v3.5.3. This is a word-for-word document, with
formatting exceptions... for good reason. These were internal notes by yours
truly, and were rediscovered by my sis four years later while cleaning out her
room. Now it is in text form, purely for reference.


Errata

 1. Regarding Number 1:
    a. It is not even a fix or a tweak, but is in the list. Number 5 is what
       you should look at instead. At least it should have told us.

 2. Regarding Number 2:
    a. The collation does not have to be latin1_swedish_ci. It was the default
       on my old MySQL servers, back when I knew no better. It should actually
       match the collation on your own eFiction database.
    b. It should have been specified that you should use phpMyAdmin for this
       fix (amongst other tweaks and fixes).
    c. The term 'series' is a table in your eFiction MySQL database. It was not
       specified anywhere in the original document.
    d. 'Add a new series field 'challenges'.' - MySQL speak for creating a new
       field named 'challenges' in the 'series' table of your eFiction MySQL
       database. From there will you fill out the info provided below that
       statement in Fix 2.
    e. This fix existed only when installing the Challenges 1.2 module and the
       'challenges' field was not installed somehow.

 3. Regarding Number 4:
    a. Leave URL Blank was referencing the form field called URL to Panel: and
       was meant to stay blank.
    b. /user/ is the directory located within eFiction. Same goes with the 
       modules/recommedations directory path.
    c. 'As an admin' meant to log as your admin account and simply click the
       Admin link.

 4. Regarding Number 5:
    a. For this fix, you were supposed to log as an admin, click Admin, go to
       Panels, and locate the Challenges module in the Browse section, simply
       called 'Challenges'. It was not mentioned in the original document.
    b. The 'challenges' table the document is referencing is the table located
       in the eFiction MySQL database.

 5. Regarding Number 6:
    a. The exact search string is located on line 89 in browse/categories.php.
       It was not mentioned anywhere in the original document. However, since
       it is referencing Windows' Notepad, which does not list code in line
       numbers, it was moot. Take this into consideration, though, if you are
       using another text editor.
    b. This particular fix was not truly mine. This one was on the eFiction
       forums three years ago in 2008.


-*-


The Actual Document

 1. Managed to get the Challenges module working. It is not version 1.2 as
    expected, but version 1.1. *Edit: Version 1.2 works now.*

 2. Add a new series field 'challenges'. Data are as follows:
    Field: challenges
    Type: varchar(200)
    Collation: latin1_swedish_ci
    Null: No (not null)
    Default: 0 (zero)

    Leave rest untouched.

    That data should be entered into 'series'. Only if it does not install, do
    this manually.

 3. Install and test Recs [Recommendations] 1.2 module.
    Edit: Recs 1.2 works smoothly.
    Edit 2: Upgraded to Recs 1.3. See #4.

 4. Copy the favrc.php to /user/ from modules/recommendations. After that, as
    an admin, go to Panels, select F - Favorites from the drop-down menu.
    There, you find Favorite Recommendations. If not present, the following
    values are:

    Name: favrc
    Title: Favorite Recommendations
    [Leave URL Blank]
    Level: 0
    Hidden: Yes (checked)
    Type: F

    If it is present, take OUT the URL used in the panel. Problem possibly
    solved. For Recs 1.3.

 5. Challenges 1.2 Module - Fix
    Just change the Browse panel for Challenges' URL to:
    modules/challenges/browse.php
    from [forgotten URL; was blank?]. If that doesn't work, uninstall the
    module, dump the challenges table using phpMyAdmin, and reinstall the
    module.

 6. Browsing Categories and Sorting Them - Fix?
    This one is a bit confusing, because doing this simple procedure may cause
    conflicts within the archive sorting system, or possibly elsewhere. But if
    you want to sort through browse category mode as well, open categories.php
    in Notepad. The .php file is located in the /browse directory.

    Search string: $termsList[] = "catid=$catid";
    Replacement line: $termsList[] = "id=$catid";

    Now you are able to sort stories through the Browse > Categories option.
    But it make a lot more sense to go to the Titles option and sort from
    there. A category sort option is present and does exactly what you want.
    Also, doing this fix does not break any sort option.