Content Index:
- Extracting AdvertisementManager's files
- Editing config.php file
- Uploading files
- Running install.php file
- After successful installation
- Managing your AdvertisementManager
- Setting up periodic maintenance scripts
- Contacting technical support
1. Extracting AdvertisementManager's files
All the files required to run AdvertisementManager are packed in the advmanager-3_6.zip file.
Extract it to a temporary folder using a compression software, preferably Winzip. If you don't have any, please click here to download Winzip for free.
After extraction, the default directory structure will be am3 as a main directory and cgi, extra, and writable, as its sub-folders.
Folder Description am3 AdvertisementManager's main folder. cgi Sub-folder containing all executable modules required to run AdvertisementManager. extra Sub-folder containing all the default AdvertisementManager's banners, and all graphics used in AdvertisementManager's user interfaces. writeable Sub-folder for storing all the templates, redirection files, color schemes, and uploaded banners for in AdvertisementManager.
2. Editing configs.php file
The configs.php file contains all the primary variables needed to run AdvertisementManager. Locate configs.php file within the 'cgi' sub-folder and open it using Notepad or other text editing program.
Next update all the variables listed below according to your webserver's configuration. Usually you can find these configuration info within the welcome email sent by your webhosting company.
Variable Description $domain Replace it with the your own domain name.
$script_folder Replace it with the URL for 'cgi' sub-folder.
$gif_folder Replace it with the URL for 'extra/images' sub-folder.
$default_ad_folder Replace it with the URL for 'extra/defbanners' sub-folder.
$upload_banner_folder Replace it with the URL for 'writeable/banners' sub-folder.
$template Replace it with the full path for 'writeable/templates' sub-folder.
$upload_banner_path Replace it with the full path for 'writeable/banners' sub-folder.
$color_scheme_path Replace it with the full path for 'writeable/schemes' sub-folder.
$redirect_path Replace it with the full path for 'writeable/redir' sub-folder.
$advertiser_log_path Replace it with the full path for 'writeable/log' sub-folder.
$payment_module_path Replace it with the full path for 'cgi/payment' sub-folder.
$ssi_path Replace it with the relative path (from your public folder) to your AdvertisementManager's 'cgi' sub-folder.
$db_host The name of your MySQL database server. If your database resides in the same server as your http server, leave the default value "localhost". Else replace it, usually in the form of "db.yourdomainname.com". $db_database The name of MySQL database you intended to use with AdvertisementManager.
$db_usr Username for accessing the above MySQL database.
$db_passw Password for accessing the above MySQL database.
$db_insert_delayed If you want to use MySQL 'insert delayed' function, change this variable to 1, else leave it as 0 (zero).
$ad_expire You can set how long the displayed banners or text ads can be valid. Any clicks made to the expired banners or text ads will not be recorded and the visitors will be redirected to your main domain instead. This value must be in minutes. The default is 120 minutes.
$remember_list_vars Set this variable to 1 if you want to retain any previous settings for any item listing pages.
$item_perpage You can set how many data lines (banners, text ads, etc.) can be displayed in any single listing pages.
$normal_stat_table_width You can set the width of the table used for displaying any statistical data. This value must be in pixel format. The default is 750 pixel.
$printable_stat_table_width This variable is identical as the above, only it is used when you requested the printable statistical data pages.
$stat_graph_title You can set whether or not you want the relevant title to appear in each of your statistical graph images. Change it to 1 if you want to enable it. The default is 0.
$php_allow_url_fopen Change this variable according to the variable '$allow_url_fopen' in your server's PHP configuration. If this variable is set to 1, you can upload any banners just by giving their complete URLs.
$p3p_compact_policy You can change this value with your site's P3P compact policy string. If you don't have any, just leave the default string.
$blocked_ip You can specify any IP addresses that you want to block from getting served by AdvertisementManager's ad serving engine. Each IP address must be separated by the '|' sign. Example: 192.168.160.3|202.122.134.2 . You can also specify the range of IP address such as 202.122.123.* or 202.122.*.* .
3. Uploading files
If you downloaded the ".zip" version and uncompressed it in your local harddisk, we recommend you to upload all the files to your webserver using a ftp program. If you don't have any ftp programs, we recommend WS-FTP. Just click here to download WS-FTP trial version.
Please make sure you use these modes for uploading AdvertisementManager. If you use wrong modes for each folder or sub-folder, you will get severe server errors:
Directory Containing File Upload Mode Upload location cgi *.php ASCII Executable area, preferably in 'cgi-bin' folder extra *.gif BINARY Readable area, in your root folder writeable -blank- ASCII Writeable area, can be in your root folder Next, you need to give access permissions for all the directories and its containing files. To set access permissions, you can use chmod command:
Directory Permission / chmod Containing File Permission / chmod cgi 755 chmod all files 644 extra 755 chmod all files 644 writeable 755 chmod all folders 777
4. Running install.php file
The install.php file will automate the process of creating all the required MySQL tables. You should find install.php file resides within the 'cgi' sub-folder.
Please make sure you completely updated all the required variables within the configs.php file as listed in the above section before running this file.
This will be the final step in setting up AdvertisementManager script on your webserver. Simply call install.php file via your web browser using the complete URL to the install.php file. Example if your domain is www.mydomain.com and AdvertisementManager's 'cgi' sub-folder is under the folder am3, you should type:
http://www.mydomain.com/am3/cgi/install.php
in your web browser's address box. Once you called it, a series of actions will appear. Please take note of all the actions and if there is an error, please correct it before calling the install.php file again.
5. After successful installation
Change permission or chmod your install.php file to make it non-executable.
This is crucial because running install.php file again will reset the entire AdvertisementManager's system to its complete default, including emptying all the data in its database.
Alternatively, you can also delete this file.
6. Managing your AdvertisementManager
After the install.php file has successfully finished installing, you will be presented the URL for accessing Administration Page of AdvertisementManager. The URL format should look:
http://www.mydomain.com/am3/cgi/index.php The values inside that URL will be replaced with your domain's name and the location of the AdvertisementManager's main folder.Click the URL and the Administration Login Page will be loaded. The default Username is "administrator" and the Password is "password" (no quotes).
Once you're logged in the Administration Area, change your Administrative password at once. Because the default password is the same for all distribution, anyone who have accessed to this page can login to your Administration Area using the default username and password.
To change the Administrator's password, jsut follow these simple steps:
- select "System Configuration" in the main navigation dropdown listbox
- scroll down the page and click the 'manage' hyperlink for 'Update Admin Password' option
- after that the 'Update Admin Password' page will be loaded
- at this page, enter the current administrator's password which is "password" in the 'Current password' textbox
- then enter your new password in both the 'New password' and 'Confirm new password' textboxes
- finally click the 'Update Admin Password' button to finish the process.
Important! Please use your active email address in your Administrator's account. If you forgot your account password, AdvertisementManager has a built-in function to automatically email your password to that email address.
By now can use your AdvertisementManager as usual. Every form and navigation interface in AdvertisementManager is in a plain English and very straightforward so it shouldn't be any problems for you.
7. Setting up periodic maintenance scripts
To function properly, AdvertisementManager requires 2 files to be executed periodically. Those 2 files are log_check.php and main_stats.php. Both of these files are located in the cgi/maintenance sub-folder of your AdvertisementManager's installation.
If you're using Unix-based servers, you can use crontab command to issue automated executions of these files at regular intervals. However, if you're using Windows-based servers, you can use the Scheduled Tasks program.
The log_check.php file needs to be executed hourly for cleaning up temporary logs created by AdvertisementManager. This is for ensuring optimal performance for the system.
For the mail_stats.php file, its execution interval is variable. Since this file functions as a mailer for all your clients' statistical reports, you have the options of executing it daily, once a week, or once a month. If you want your clients to receive their reports daily, then set it up to be executed daily.
For the weekly interval, you need to execute the mail_stats.php file on Monday every week.
And for the monthly interval, you need to execute the mail_stats.php file on the first day of each months. This file will compiles all the statistics for the previous month and sends it to your clients.
There is also the third maintenance file, mail_renew.php. However, the periodic execution of this file is optional. This file functions as a mailer for sending out campaign renewal notices to your advertisers. You only need to execute this file once a day if you want your advertisers to automatically receive renewal notices for their near expiring or expired campaigns.
For further instructions on how to set up tasks using crontab (for Unix-based servers) or Scheduled Tasks (for Windows-based servers), please consult your webserver's documentation.
8. Contacting technical support
If you have any questions regarding the usage of AdvertisementManager ad software, please use this email address to send your inquiries to us:
support@advertisementmanager.com