Talk:Installation FAQ

Link to jump back to the top

I just added a bunch of questions/answers to the generic FAQ page, and then looked at this to see how it was done (backwards, I know). Clicking on the item jumps you down to the question... but should we add a link to jump back to the top? -- D.I. 29jan06

Nice idea, say jump back to the TOC, I bet even a [[Installation FAQ|Top]] might even work. I think it is possible to force a ToC (by __TOC__ , so the alternative would be to create a section with just the ToC called Table of Contents, then a [[Installation FAQ#Table_of_Contents|Top]] would also work. I will try it --Chris collman 12:47, 5 January 2008 (CST)

Just discovered that Sandbox# or Installation_FAQ# will take you to the start of the page. Using the __TOC__ as an address does not work.

I've just removed all the links to jump back to the top of the page, as the page is now much shorter after lots of FAQ were moved to Errors FAQ. I suggest we try to keep all FAQ pages short enough so that jump links are not necessary. --Helen Foster 05:10, 2 October 2008 (CDT)

Hi Helen and Ralph, It took 15 page down keys to go from the top to the bottom on my computer at home on this page. I call that long :-) True it is currently only # 13 on the longest pages list at 20,900 bytes, but I still call that long. Maybe there is a MediaWiki command that will jump to the top of the page? Establishing a TOC heading then forcing the TOC to go there is my user friendly solution. --Chris collman 09:49, 19 February 2009 (CST)

Hi Chris, I didn't recognize this was not a bug but a feature ;-) And of course I didn't read this page, before I started messing with the code... Will add this trick to my toolbox! --Frank Ralf 11:14, 19 February 2009 (CST)

No problemo. You actually helped me discover the #top link trick this morning. The force TOC in a heading was my work around when I knew less than I do now. (Some would find that debatable, sometimes :-) Thanks for all your edits in MoodleDocs, the one you made on this page turned out to be an excellent one to motivate me to a better solution. --Chris collman 12:43, 19 February 2009 (CST)

Short open tags

Someone said, under : My pages show fatal errors such as : Parse error, call to undefined function: get_string()

"You may also be running a php script which uses short open tags, e.g. instead of <?PHP ?> it uses <? ?>. Either replace short tags with conventional ones, or set this line in php.ini:

" short_open_tag = On"

However, this should never be necessary with Moodle code. If you find any short tags anywhere, file a bug in the bug tracker against the affected code. There are currenly none of these abominations anywhere in the Moodle core code.Tim Hunt 01:19, 26 July 2006 (WST)

Agreed. Such an "abomination" should not be in Moodle core code but the person who deleted it doesn't appreciate the point. This comment was added to help those who are having problems with code which is not part of Moodle core, e.g some of the third party blocks which are mentioned frequently in forums. There is no reason, IMHO, why fellow Moodlers in such a predicament would not turn to this FAQ for help. - Ken Wilson 25 July 06

Sorry, my mistake. I had not reallised that this actually happened with contrib modules. I'll reinstate the that bit (but keep my point about reporting the problem so it can be fixed).Tim Hunt 01:19, 26 July 2006 (WST)

Memory limit limitations

Each method of increasing memory limit has limitations.

.htaccess

directive php_value memory_limit may be disabled by the host

php.ini

no root access

There is a third way which may or may not work:

php function ini_set

Example: ini_set("memory_limit","24M");

It will not work if phpinfo() does not show Configure Command '--enable-memory-limit'

see http://us.php.net/manual/en/ini.core.php#ini.memory-limit

On my host, none of the three methods will work. I am limited to 8M memory per PHP session. I am able run the basic installation. I haven't seen the dreaded error "Allowed memory size of Xxx bytes exhausted" but I expect it at some point.

--John Walling 14:56, 11 May 2007 (CDT)

PHP Debugging Configuration Confusion

The FAQ about getting a blank page during installation refers the reader to the FAQ about checking your error logs, which tells him/her to add ini_set calls to config.php if using Moodle 1.7 or higher. Problem is, during installation there is no config.php file! This leaves the reader in a quandry, and so the instructions should be clarified. See http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=87473

--Richard Enison 08:00, 4 January 2008 (CST)

Installation hangs with zend.ze1_compatibility_mode on

Moodle 1.9 installation fails with php setting 'zend.ze1_compatibility_mode on'.

If you have enabled PHP error logging and if the following error shows up during database setup then turn off the zend.ze1_compatibility_mode in php.ini.

Fatal error: Cannot clone object of class DOMDocument due to 'zend.ze1_compatibility_mode' in .../moodle/lib/xmldb/classes/XMLDBFile.class.php on line 84

If you don't have access to php.ini then edit the config.php and add the following statement just before the 'unset($CFG);'.

ini_set('zend.ze1_compatibility_mode', '0');

Above fix worked for me.

--Sutha Thiru 23:54, 20 March 2008 (CDT)

Running a health check

The URL provided seems to be extinct. I get a page that says the domain might be for sale. And offers for vacation and credit card deals!

Thanks James, the health check FAQ has been removed because the code is no longer maintained and it's replicated in checks during install etc. or stated on the Notification page. --Helen Foster 02:20, 26 September 2008 (CDT)

Re: Moodle claims PHP float handling is not compatible

Since you have invited solutions, here's mine: http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=114945#p504946 --Richard Enison 06:43, 29 January 2009 (CST)

Comprehensive Solutions

I think that because the docs tend to be a response to specific issues more often than not, they are sometimes written in global language, when the recommendation, solution, advice, etc should be more local.

By way of example, while suggesting that the web server need be restarted after editing php.ini may in some cases be true as a matter of practice, it is not true in many cases and it creates confusion because it does not address the underlying issue, that the programs must be made aware of configuration parameters, and how various programs do that (especially in shared environments).

Another example is some of the discussion about where php looks for php.ini files. In trying to answer a question for a user on this point I came across quite a bit of inconsistency, but in fact no cite to the php docs setting out how php.ini is sourced. I know RLE has worked hard at helping folks understand that php.ini is used differently under PHP4 than under php5, and that it is important to sort out which version you are using before thrashing about changing files ;=}

In any event, I did a quick strike through and amendment on the FAQ, but as has been discussed elsewhere, I am concerned that one or more of the referenced docs may all potentially create confusion over such questions....14:10, February 12, 2009 Marc Grober

Good points as usual. Context can really impact the suggested solution for administrators or teachers. I just did a major edit of this page. I did create a new PHP error logs page from existing material in this FAQ page. But did not feel comfortable in placing the most commonly asked questions at the top. I know just enough to understand that it is an important file :) --Chris collman 09:47, 13 February 2009 (CST)