How to Use Integrations

Revision as of 18:57, 9 December 2011

If you purchased the PageLines 2.0 Developer Edition, you have access to PageLines Integrations. This allows you to use non-WordPress software on your website such as Vanilla forums & MediaWiki, and complety integrate it with your PageLines theme.

PageLines Vanilla

Vanilla is a light weight Internet forum package. It is written in PHP and runs smoothly along with your WordPress website. With PageLines Integrations, it's easier than ever to match your Vanilla forum's appearance with the PageLines 2.0 theme. At PageLines.com, we use Vanilla for our own help forums. For more information on Vanilla, go to the Vanilla forums website.

Install the PageLines/Vanilla Integration

Download Vanilla

From your WordPress Administration Panel:

1. Select the "PageLines" panel, then "Store"
2. Select the "Integrations" tab
3. Click the "Download" PageLines Vanilla button
   • The "Download" button will only be available to those who have a Developer Edition license

You will download a ZIP file named "pagelines-integration-vanilla.zip" This file contains everything you need to sync your existing Vanilla installation with the PageLines 2.0 theme.

1. Extract the ZIP file & copy the "pagelines-integration-vanilla" folder into the Vanilla Themes folder
2. Navigate to your Vanilla Themes page to see the PageLines theme listed.
   • You must be logged in as an Administrator
   • Vanilla Home Page=>Dashboard=>Themes
3. Click "Apply" next to the PageLines Vanilla Theme
4. Click "Visit Site"

You should now see your Vanilla forum completely in sync with PageLines 2.0! If for some reason the linking process fails, refer to the README.txt file inside the pagelines-integration-folder for information on linking "wp-load.php."

Activate the PageLines/Vanilla Special Page

Now that you've integrated PageLines 2.0 to your forum, you must now add it to your Special Pages for further customization.

1. Navigate back to the Integrations tab inside the PageLines Store menu
2. Click the "Activate" PageLines Vanilla button
3. Select the "PageLines" panel, then "Special"
4. You will now see a new "Vanilla" tab along with the rest of the Special Pages

Here you can customize your Basic Template, upload a new background image, and more. For more information, click How to Use Special Pages

Potential Error

• Many thanks to stoltz for sharing this issue

After you have everything setup & integrated, you may encounter an issue where your forum page is completely blank. No warnings or errors, just a blank screen. This could be caused by certain php-scripts inside Vanilla exceeding the allowed memory. To verify this is what's causing your problem, go to your hosting provider's control panel and look at the error logs. You may see several php-scripts exceeding the allowed memory, and some of those scripts may be located inside Vanilla directories.

The current solution is to increase the available memory for your scripts. This means that you will probably have to edit your php.ini file, which usually resides in the root directory of your web server.

• Some hosting companies may not readily give their customers access to edit php.ini. If this is the case, you may need to contact them to see if they will increase your memory. Also know that some companies may require a hosting package upgrade in order to increase your maximum memory.

Increasing the memory inside php.ini is usually not enough to solve the problem. The php.ini file usually has to be copied into the directories where your memory hungry php-scripts resides (the ones in the error logs).

PageLines MediaWiki

MediaWiki is a free open source wiki package written in PHP. It is used on sites such as Wikipedia, the World's largest online encyclopedia. It is also used on many other wikis, including PageLines Docs! For more information on MediaWiki, go to the MediaWiki website.

Install the PageLines/MediaWiki Integration

Download MediaWiki

YOU MUST HAVE MEDIAWIKI VERSION 1.18

From your WordPress Administration Panel:

1. Select the "PageLines" panel, then "Store"
2. Select the "Integrations" tab
3. Click the "Download" PageLines MediaWiki button
   • The "Download" button will only be available to those who have a Developer Edition license

You will download a ZIP file named "pagelines-integration-mediawiki.zip" This file contains everything you need to sync your existing MediaWiki installation with the PageLines 2.0 theme.

1. Extract the ZIP file & open the "pagelines-integration-mediawiki" folder
2. Copy the following items into your MediaWiki Skins folder:
   • pagelineswiki folder
   • PageLinesWiki.php
   • PageLinesWiki.deps.php
3. Open MediaWiki/LocalSettings.php and add the following to the end:

// pagelines-start require_once( '/home/user/www/wp-load.php' ); // pagelines-end

Depending on your operating system, you may need to change the file path to correctly link "wp-load.php," which is located in your root WordPress folder. Make sure to enter the absolute path to wp-load.php, NOT the URL.

1. Navigate to your MediaWiki Appearance page to see the PageLinesWiki theme listed.
   • You must be logged in as an Administrator
   • MediaWiki Home Page=>My Preferences=>Appearance
2. Select "PageLinesWiki
3. Click "Save"

You should now see your MediaWiki's appearance completely in sync with PageLines 2.0!

Activate the PageLines/MediaWiki Special Page

Now that you've integrated PageLines 2.0 to your wiki, you must now add it to your Special Pages for further customization.

1. Navigate back to the Integrations tab inside the PageLines Store menu
2. Click the "Activate" PageLines MediaWiki button
3. Select the "PageLines" panel, then "Special"
4. You will now see a new "MediaWiki" tab along with the rest of the Special Pages

Here you can customize your Basic Template, upload a new background image, and more. For more information, click on How to Use Special Pages