JACLPlus Pro installation in Joomla! 1.5.x

JACLPlus Pro installation in Joomla! 1.5.x require you to manually replace some of your Joomla! core files. The necessary files can be found in the same download package. The correct way to install JACLPlus Pro in Joomla! 1.5.x is as below.

NEW INSTALLATION
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1) If install on existing Joomla! site, please BACK UP your files and data FIRST!!! Upgrade your Joomla! 1.5.x to the version that you want to use if it is not yet that version.
2) Download jaclplus_pro_1.5.x_stable_unzipfirst.zip and then unzip/extract it to your local hard disk.
2) Unzip patch_files_package_joomla!_1.5.xstable_jaclpluspro.zip file and apply it to your Joomla! web site (upload them to your server to replace your existing Joomla! core files). It won't harm your site even without JACLPlus installation.
3) Install com_jaclplus_1.5.xstablepro.zip as a component through component installer in Joomla! backend. !!!IMPORTANT!!!: Please make sure your server does have Zend Optimizer and its loader is enabled before doing this step. Else it might cause error/blank screen to your web site. Anyway, you can always disable your JACLPlus by changing the administrator/components/com_jaclplus/jaclplus.class.php filename.

FYI, if your server does have Zend Optimizer and its Loader is enabled, you can find Zend Optimizer information as below in your PHP Information (phpinfo) page. You can find this page in Joomla! backend (Help->System Info->PHP Information).

Zend Optimizer
Optimization Pass 1     enabled
Optimization Pass 2     enabled
Optimization Pass 3     enabled
Optimization Pass 4     enabled
Optimization Pass 9     enabled
Zend Loader             enabled
License Path            no value
Obfuscation level       3

JACLPlus Pro installation in Joomla! 1.0.x

Due to some users are new to Joomla! or Linux based system, they might have problem to do the JACLPlus/MACLPlus/JACLPlus Pro/MACLPlus Pro installation. This article intend to provide necessary guidelines to those who have problem with their installation and to those who want to gather necessary information before doing their installation.

Why JACLPlus/MACLPlus/JACLPlus Pro/MACLPlus Pro installation can cause problem to some users?

The answer is very simple. That is because those installation need to replace some of Joomla!/Mambo core files and create some new files in certain directories. If those files and directories are not writable due to permission, then those installation certainly will be failed. In Linux based system, files and directories are owned by users. One user can not perform action (read, write or execute) on other user's file or directory without permission from the owner. The owner can make his file or directory readable, writable and/or executable by himself only or all same group users or public (all users). If you use FTP client software to connect to your FTP server or go to your web hosting control panel's File Manager to check a file or directory properties, you will notice those permission settings. Through there, you will be also able to change the permission settings of file and directory if you logged in as the file or directory owner. You might have problem to change permission settings of some files and directories because those files and directories are not owned by the user that you have logged in with.

However, normally files and directories that you can see through FTP login or web hosting control panel's File Manager are owned by the user that you logged in with or web server user. Web server user is the user that your server use it to run your web softwares like Apache web server, PHP scripts, etc. Files and directories created by web server user through web softwares will be owned by web server user. If web server user is same to the user that you logged in with, you will not have problem to perform any action on or change permission settings of files or directories that created by web server user or vice versa. If your web server user is not same to the user that you can login with through FTP or web hosting control panel, most likely you will have file or directory permission issue when installing JACLPlus/MACLPlus/JACLPlus Pro/MACLPlus Pro.

How to fix the installation problem if happened?
Basically, all you need to do is to change the necessary files and directories' permission to be writable by your web server user.

Step by step guide to INSTALL JACLPlus/MACLPlus/JACLPlus Pro/MACLPlus Pro

Please backup your whole web site (files and database) before doing the installation on your existing web site!!! Please update your Joomla!/Mambo first if you intend to update it as well.

1) Make sure you have downloaded the correct installation package file.
For JACLPlus or JACLPlus Pro, the file should be com_jaclplus_xxx.zip or com_jaclpluspro_xxx.zip where xxx is the version number.
For MACLPlus or MACLPlus Pro, the file should be com_maclplus_xxx.zip or com_maclpluspro_xxx.zip where xxx is the version number.

2) Login to your Joomla!/Mambo backend as an Super Administrator and go to component installer page.

3) Under "Upload Package File" option, click on "Browse..." button. Select the installation package file you had downloaded through the popup window and then press "Open" button. The popup window will be closed and you will return to the component installer page. Click on "Upload File & Install" button that beside the "Browse..." button to upload and install the component.

4) If you see a successful installation message (in GREEN color), you are DONE or else please continue to the next step.

5) If you are here, most likely you are having permission denied problem and please go to the next step. If you are not having permission denied problem, please search for the possible solution through forum or follow the uninstallation guide to remove JACLPlus/MACLPlus/JACLPlus Pro/MACLPlus Pro or contact our support personel for further assistance if you are our chartered member.

6) Firstly, please select and uninstall JACLPlus/MACLPlus/JACLPlus Pro/MACLPlus Pro that you had just installed.

7) Login to your FTP server or web hosting control panel's File Manager. You can use telnet or SSH if you are familiar with it. Remove the below directories if they exist (Please make sure you had uninstalled the component through backend):
administrator/components/com_jaclplus/
components/com_jaclplus/
administrator/components/com_maclplus/
components/com_maclplus/

8) Make the following files and directories writable to your web server user:
Directories (chmod to 0777 or all writable)
includes/
components/com_content/
components/ (this directory should be writable by default installation)
administrator/components/ (this directory should be writable by default installation)
Files (chmod to 0666 or all writable)
administrator/index.php
administrator/index2.php (Mambo 4.5.x only)
administrator/index3.php (Mambo 4.5.x only)
administrator/components/com_categories/admin.categories.php
administrator/components/com_sections/admin.sections.php
administrator/components/com_trash/admin.trash.php
administrator/components/com_users/admin.users.php
administrator/components/com_users/admin.users.html.php
administrator/includes/auth.php (Joomla! only)
administrator/modules/mod_fullmenu.php
administrator/modules/mod_logged.php
administrator/modules/mod_quickicon.php
includes/frontend.php
includes/gacl.class.php
includes/gacl_api.class.php
includes/joomla.php (Joomla! only)
includes/pathway.php (Joomla! only)
includes/pdf.php (Joomla! only)
includes/authenticator.php (Mambo 4.6.x only)
includes/cmtclasses.php (Mambo 4.6.x only)
includes/core.classes.php (Mambo 4.6.x only)
includes/getids.php (Mambo only)
includes/mambo.php (Mambo 4.5.x only)
modules/mod_latestnews.php
modules/mod_mainmenu.php
modules/mod_mostread.php
modules/mod_newsflash.php
modules/mod_related_items.php
modules/mod_sections.php
components/com_contact/contact.php
components/com_content/content.class.php (Mambo 4.6.x only)
components/com_content/content.html.php
components/com_content/content.php
components/com_newsfeeds/newsfeeds.php
components/com_weblinks/weblinks.php
mambots/search/categories.searchbot.php
mambots/search/contacts.searchbot.php
mambots/search/content.searchbot.php
mambots/search/newsfeeds.searchbot.php
mambots/search/sections.searchbot.php
mambots/search/weblinks.searchbot.php

9) Once you had set the permission correctly, please follow step 2 and step 3 to install your JACLPlus/MACLPlus/JACLPlus Pro/MACLPlus Pro.

If you are having problem after the installation or uninstallation, please follow the uninstallation/rescue guide.