F.A.Q - Installing and Using the User Messenger Service 1.1

1- Getting started and Installation

  1. Uploading to your website
  2. Installing Serial number
  3. The First Step - Editing the Config.asp file
  4. Second Step - Creating tables (SQL server only) and Creating Admin Password

2- The Script In Use

  1. Customizing the system to look like your site
  2. Registering Members
  3. Member Login
  4. Messenger Inbox and its Features

3- The Admin Panel

  1. View Members
  2. Email Members
  3. Message a User
  4. Admin Control

4- Troubleshooting

5- Known Bugs and Errors

1- Getting started and Installation
1.1 Uploading to your website

Firstly Unzip the file (using something like winzip) on your computer, then upload (using FTP or something of the like) to a directory on your website, Its best to call this 'message'.

 

1.2 Installing Serial Number

If you only intend using the free version then you can only register 25 users max! If you have purchased the unlimited version then you will need to copy the serial code given to you at purchase and put it in the CONFIG.asp file which can be found the ADMIN folder. Open this file in a text editor and find the line that looks like below -

Version1 = "User Messenger Service beta 0.9 "
CreatedId = "January 2002"
SCode = ""

Simply copy the Serial code and put it next to SCode like this - SCode = SERIALCODE

1.3 The First Step - Editing the Config.asp file

To setup the system you need only set the values of one file, this file is called 'CONFIG.ASP' which can be found the ADMIN folder. Open this file in a text editor (e.g. note pad), you see that you will need to fill out a bit of information -

  • Sitename eg "ASPmembership.com"
  • SiteURL, which is the path to your the User Messenger folder eg "http://yoursite.com/msg/"
  • Colors - Next enter a main table color followed by a secondary table colour to suit your site (either a color name or a hex value)
  • Database Type - Next choose if you are going to use the supplied Access Database or Create/User MS-SQL server database.
  • Database Connection. You can now choose how to connect to the database , DSN, Direct SQL server, Direct Access, Mappath Access
  • Email setup, Choose a mail system to use, enter a mail server (non needed for Cdonts), and enter your sites email details
  • Next Choose if you want your users to have to confirm a entry from a email on registration, this stops users using fake email addresses , if set False they can login straight away
  • Page speed - You want the page to display how long it takes to process
  • EmailFooter- This adds text to the bottom of all Emails and Messages sent within the system.

 

1.4 Second Step - Creating tables (SQL server only) and Creating Admin Password

The last step in setting up the system is to vist - http://yoursite.com/messageDirectory/SETUP/SETUP.asp file in your browser , this page will allow you to create the Admin Username and Password , also for people using SQL server it will setup the database tables (so make sure you have permissions to Write,Read and delete to your database)!

 

2- The Script in use

2.1 Customize

TO make the main pages like your site just edit the MsgSystem.asp file to look like your site then put <!--#include file="MsgSystemActions.asp" --> where you want the main pages

 

2.2 Registering Members

To register users, just send them to http://yoursite.com/PathtoMessagefolder/MsgSystem.asp?action=join

If you only intend using the free version then you can only register 25 users max! After this the system will not let you register anymore.

2.3 Member Login

For the members to login just use http://yoursite.com/PathtoMessagefolder/MsgSystem.asp?action=login

 

2.4 Inbox Features

Members are sent there inbox when they login - A picture is below

Next is the Create /Compose area -

And lastly the Options menu for the users -

3- The Admin Panel

Once you login to the admin panel you are able to do many functions, some are listed below

3.1 View Members

Clicking > User Management will show you the area in the control panel that allows you to control your users. Clicking view members will sohw you a screen where you can Edit/Delete and Confirm members details in a easy to understand format.

3.2 Email Members

Under the Email Systems Tab in the Admin panel is a function that allows you to emaill all of your members or just email one of them.

3.3 Message a User

Under the Message User Tab in the Admin panel is a function allot like the Email functions but only sends a message to a user, currently you can only send to one users at a time

3.4 Admin Control
In the Admin Control area is where you can add and delete extra admin users, they have access to the admin panel only
4- The Admin Panel
"The System can not find the database?"
This happens when the system cant not find the location to the database, you will need to check the database path in the config.asp file (found http://yoursite.com/path_to_members/ADMIN/CONFIG.ASP)
.

You will need to make sure that you have uncommitted only one connection string!
And that it is pointing to the right database location.

 

" I don't know what my email server is?"

The email functions are a major part of the messenger system, you use them you will need access to a email server. All the email system except Cdo-nts need an email server to send out the email the system uses. In most places your email server will be something like mail.yoursite.com or mail.webhost.com. If you dont know what your email server is, it is best to ask your webhost!

 

" When a user tries to register it comes up with an error"
Or you might be having this problem after the user tries to register or when the user tries to confirm there membership out of the email. The most common forms of problems are -

Microsoft JET Database Engine (0x80004005)
Operation must use an updatable query.

Or

ADODB.Field Microsoft JET Database Engine (0x80020009)
Either BOF or EOF is True, or the current record has been deleted. Requested operation requires a current record.

In most cases this is due the permissions that are on folder and/or the database, in other words the server is making your database Read only - to get the system working you will have to have a connection that allows Read,Write And deleting into the database. Again you might have ask your web host to help you set a way to connect your database so it allows these types of actions.

 

" I have created a Admin User/Pass, but when I Login , it said I cant find my Username?"

This means the data is not being written to the database, in most cases this is because the database needs to have the permission to Read, Write and Delete.

If you host your own site you can change the folder permissions to full-control by right clicking the folder and choosing properties.

If you have your website hosted, you might have to ask them to change the permissions on the folder the database is in (when using a DSN-less connection) or ask them to allow Read, Write and Delete permissions on the DSN.

 

" I cant get the system working with Windows 2000 Server (and advanced server)"
Or "I get - " "file in use error when using the membership system".

This again is due to folder permissions, if you get this error

Microsoft JET Database Engine error '80004005'

Could not use ''; file already in use.

you will need to change the folder permissions -

If you host your own site you can change the folder permissions to full-control by right clicking the folder and choosing properties

If you have your website hosted you might to ask your webhost where ever the database is located, not only must the database be given write permissions, but directory it's sitting in as well.

 

5 - Known Bugs and Issues

Buddy system - When you add a buddy the first buddy must always be your own username, this is due to the way cookies are used in the system, A work around is comming soon.

Admin Message - in the inbox a user can not add a Admin member to his buddies, although the buddy cookie is created for him is a fake.