How to start the Setup Assistant?
Once you have pushed script files at your web site, you can trigger YACS to enter the setup process.
The setup script works like an on-line assistant, with several successive panels. This may induce more panels than necessary, but it also helps to make things clearer.
In your preferred browser go to the home page of the new site. YACS detects that configuration files are missing, and suggests you to switch to the Setup Assistant.
You can also go directly to the setup assistant, usually at the address http://yourserver/yacs/setup.php.
The setup assistant welcomes you and explains that several steps will be necessary to complete the setup.
[title]Configure main parameters[/title]
Indicate the main running parameters for your site, including database parameters. You will use other configuration panels afterwards for security (intranet vs. Internet).
If the installation directory is not at the root of the web site, you may have to modify the default 'URL to root' parameter in the configuration panel. For example, if the prefix of your site is http://www.foo.bar/~fancy, you will have to replace the default value /yacs/ with /~fancy/yacs/.
The setup assistant displays the content of the configuration file for review. Simply enough, this configuration file is a straightforward PHP script. If the Setup Assistant complains about the database, you will have to hit the back button and adjust parameters accordingly.
Note that a MySQL database should have been created prior the installation. YACS can create tables and populate them, but it cannot create the database itself.
[title]Integrate software extensions[/title]
YACS can be extended through hooks. Because some of these hooks can be involved during the setup of the database they have to be identified as early as possible.
The setup assistant displays the list of hooks that have been found in the file system.
[title]Create tables[/title]
The setup assistant detects that some tables are missing from the database.
New tables are created and listed automatically.
[title]Populate tables[/title]
The setup assistant detects that the database is empty.
YACS asks for data for the first account created. YACS also creates sections, categories, sample articles, etc.
[title]Configure rendering[/title]
The setup assistant detects that no rendering parameters have been set yet.
Indicate meta information (that will appear in the <head> part of generated pages) and configure the layout of the home page.
The setup assistant let you review the configuration file for rendering parameters.
[title]What do you want to do now?[/title]
The setup assistant informs you that the most important parameters have been set, and offers several options to move forward.