Installation Manual

Known Issues & Error Handling

Note: We are generally holding off on compiling this section until the final release of Joomla! 1.5 is made.

We will add obvious repetitive issues that have a common thread in the forums as they arise, or are identified

by the Developers and Quality and Testing Work Groups.

configuration.php file not writable

This is the most common error that Users encounter when first installing Joomla! This does not mean the

installation cannot proceed but does mean there will at least be an extra step at the end of the installation

process. There are 4 ways of rectifying the situation:

● Do a manual installation

● Create a completely empty file, name it as configuration.php and upload it to your joomla_root/

directory before commencing the installation. Joomla! will then enter the details as the installation

proceeds as normal.

● Wait until the end of the installation when at Step 7 the Finished Screen is displayed a list of the

variables and settings for the configuration.php file will be displayed. These should then be

copied and pasted into a new text document and saved as configuration.php.

● As with the last suggestion wait until the end and using the information provided in Step7 manually

alter the content of the configuration.php-dist file (this is simply an example file and not a

part of the functioning installation) included with all Joomla! installations. There is clearly a greater

chance with this method of making mistakes so greater care should be taken. Once the variables

have been correctly edited, change the name of this file and save it as configuration.php

Caution: Whenever creating a new file for the Joomla! installation you must avoid using certain text editors

such as Notepad, WordPad, Word, for example as they unfortunately have a tendency to add unwanted and

unnecessary code that may cause problems later on.

In Step 2 the Pre-installation Check screen Joomla! has identified that your Host has register_globals

set to On or 1 (this is the number 1)

Before trying any of the following check your Hosts Web site for FAQ's or Help on this issue. If nothing is

found, ask the host if they support the use of PHP variables in local .htaccess and/or local php.ini files.

There are a number of ways of effecting the necessary change if these are supported by your Host provider.

.htaccess

In an .htaccess file add one of the following lines of code:

php_flag register_globals 0 (this is a zero numeral)

or enter

php_flag register_globals Off

The file is placed in the joomla_root/ directory of your Web server. Alternatively, if appropriate the line can

be added to an existing .htaccess file already created for SEF/SEO purposes from the htaccess.txt file

included in every Joomla! installation.

Note: The file is recursive which means it will work for all directories beneath the root directory in which it is

placed.

If one version of the code does not work try the other.

If neither work then try the code and file defined in the next section.

The Joomla! User Documentation Team 37 The Joomla! v1.5 Installation Manual