Installing the Ad Manager

Topics Covered:

* What are the installation requirements?
* What are my FTP / MySQL details?
* Using the Web Installer
* Installing the script manually
* Upgrade to a new vesrion of OIO
* Integrating OIO with other apps

Last updated: 25th January, 2010

FTP Details:

FTP stands for “file transfer protocol”, and is a method of sending files to and from a web server. Exactly where to find your FTP details will vary, depending on the host itself. However these details should always be available through the hosting “control panel”.

Once logged in to the control panel, search for an “FTP” category or section. A default account may already have been created for you, but you can usually create as many accounts as you like.

If you have any problems finding your FTP details, contact your web host.

FTP details consist of the following:

* ftp host (eg. ftp.yourdomain.com or ftp.yourwebhost.com)
* ftp port (almost always 21)
* ftp username
* ftp password

To access your server via FTP, you should use an FTP client such as FileZilla.

MySQL Details:

If you’re installing OIO as a WordPress plugin, you can skip this stage, since OIO will use the WordPress MySQL database automatically.

Similarly, MySQL details can also be found in the web hosting control panel. You will need to create a new database to use with OIO, and you should write down the details below upon creation:

* database host (often localhost)
* database name
* database username
* database password

If you have problems locating either your FTP or MySQL details, please contact your web host so that they can point you in the right direction.

Last updated: 1st March, 2009

Manual Installation:

Manually installing the OIOpublisher ad manager is a little more work than using the web installer, but is still quite straight forward. Currently, you can choose to install OIO as a WordPress plugin or as a standalone script (anything that isn’t WordPress!).

1.) Download the latest version

Before you begin, remember to backup any existing files / database on your site first. Now you can download the latest version of the script here, and then unzip the download on your hard drive.

2.) Upload files via FTP:

Next, login to your web host via FTP. This will require an FTP client, such as FileZilla. Select the directory you’d like to install the script in, and upload the OIO files from your hard drive to that directory.

>> FileZilla tutorial available here

3.) WordPress Install Mode:

If you are installing the script as a WordPress plugin, you need to upload OIO to the WordPress “plugins” directory. Please note that you must upload the “oiopub-direct” folder to the “plugins” directory, or the installation will fail.

You now just need to login to your WordPress admin area and activate the OIOpublisher plugin. Job done!

4.) Standalone Mode Install:

If you’re installing OIO as a standalone script, you should now be ready to access it from the web. If you uploaded the files to the FTP directory /public_html/oiopub/ and the website linked to your hosting account is called mywebsite.com, then you would navigate to the following url in your browser:

>> mywebsite.com/oiopub/

The first thing you will see when going to the link is that you get a message saying that you need to update the OIO config.php file – this is a GOOD thing, as it means you have uploaded the script correctly.

To update the config.php file, use your FTP client to go back to the directory you uploaded OIO to. You should see a file named config.php – right click on it and press “edit”. The file will now open ready for you to edit (don’t worry if it looks a bit confusing at first).

You need to add the url you installed OIO at (the one in your browser) to the “plugin url” section. You also need to add your MySQL details to the “database” section. An example of the edited sections is below:

/*
PLUGIN URL
allows you to set the url the script is located at
*/
$oiopub_set->plugin_url = 'http://www.mywebsite.com/oiopub';
/*
DATABASE CONFIG
you must fill in all database connection info if using standalone mode
*/
$oiopub_set->db_args['db_host'] = 'localhost';
$oiopub_set->db_args['db_user'] = 'mydb_username';
$oiopub_set->db_args['db_pass'] = 'mydb_password';
$oiopub_set->db_args['db_name'] = 'mydb_name';

Once edited, save the file and re-upload it using your FTP client. Re-load the OIO page in your browser and you should see the final installation page. Choose some admin user details, and press continue. You've now installed OIOpublisher!

If you still get errors even after editing the config file, check the troubleshooting section for possible causes and solutions.

Last updated: 29th March, 2009

Integrating OIO with other apps:

Option #1 – php code

Once you’ve installed OIO, navigate to the admin home page and click on the link in step #3 of the quick start guide (“output code”).

Click on the top link of the page that appears (integrating with a 3rd party website) and follow the 2 simple steps outlined (demo here).

When following the instructions, you’ll be asked to place a line of php code in the script you’re integrating with. Placing it in the application’s config file or as a plugin normally does the trick.

Option #2 – javascript

If you’d prefer, you can simply display ads using a line of javascript.

Login to your OIO admin area and go to the settings page of an ad zone to find the javascript code.

Last updated: 25th January, 2010