Interchange 5.4.1
Installation for Mandriva Users
This details installation of Interchange 5.4.1 for Mandrake Corporate Server 3.0, which is based on Mandrake 10.0. I wouldn't think newer versions would be much different.
There are some install docs on the interchange site that you can peruse.
1. Install some necessary packages:
urpmi libopenssl0.9.7-devel
urpmi mysql-devel
urpmi gdbm-devel
2. Install non-threaded perl (as Interchange doesn't like the perl we get with the OS):
3. Install necessary Perl packages:
/usr/local/bin/perl -MCPAN -e 'install "Bundle::InterchangeKitchenSink"'
/usr/local/bin/perl -MCPAN -e 'install "install DBD::mysql"'
(note: had to manually install this package, as a test caused cpan to die installing it)
4. Add the user "interch" to the system:
5. Add the new interch user into your primary FTP account's group
6. Download and install the latest Interchange:
I recommend installing it into /usr/local/interchange
6. Set up Cron job to purge old junk:
Add in /etc/crontab:
#For Interchange:
44 4 * * * interch /usr/local/interchange/bin/expireall -r
7. Create IC startup script:
Create /etc/init.d/interchange:
#!/bin/bash
su -f -c /usr/local/interchange/bin/restart interch
Now call this little script at the end of your /etc/rc.local file.
Fixing IC Bugs:
1. Breadcrumb fixup: It seems that the new Interchange users a tag called breadcrumbs to display your current navigation location. Unfortunately, it does not install this properly, so you see the actual tag displayed instead of the navigation. Here's the fix:
This only seems to be a problem when there is a single catalog. When you have a second one, it then complains of a duplicate breadcrumbs.tag file! So delete what you did just above.
2. Perl warnings: I was getting the message, "Running
with new signals, external programs could be unreliable.
Re-run with environment variable PERL_SIGNALS set to "unsafe"
to
change this.
To fix this, edit /usr/local/interchange/bin/interchange and insert this right after the first line:
$ENV{PERL_SIGNALS} = "unsafe";
Other quirks to know about:
1. By default, the content editor is disabled! Enable it by going into the admin section and clicking on the top red edit tab next to Administration. Click on CONTENT (on the left), then uncheck the Inactive box on the right. Save Menu Item, then click Publish.
2. I like being able to select the pictures from what is on the server. Do this by clicking on Items, click on any item, Images, then the little Edit Meta link on the far right for the desired line. Change the widget type to Image Listing, the the Filters to Combo Box. Click OK.
3. I don't like the new default left hand item tree that comes with 5.4.1 - would rather have the one that you can edit and make your own entries from the menu loader. Unfortunately, the fix takes some time, as all html pages need to be modified. You can either do this for each page:
Go into the content editor, and edit index.html. Click on Components. Under Component product_tree, change the component to Vertical Category List from the menu editor and tree database. Click back on Components, and change the Menu Set. Unfortunately, this may NOT be the one you think it is! I have seen the database version of the menu be different. Experimentation is the only way to figure it out. You may need to load your menu, and re-publish it as another name for the database to get properly updated.
Option 2 is this: go to the user's catalog, into templates/components. Rename product_tree and category_vertical_tree to the other's name. (In other words, exchange names.)
Last updated 07/04/06 by Bob Puff