Issues with database creation

Let me first say that I’ve searched the site for all the keywords related to this to avoid wasting anyone’s time with a repeat question and although I’ve found possible solutions, I am not nearly techy enough to understand them. So please, please talk to me like I’m a 2-year-old. =)

At any rate, I’m trying to install modx. My host is godaddy (and this might be my first problem?). On the Connection Information page, my Connection to server passed with flying colors and provided me the available collations. Now, not having a clue what a collation is I just left the default (utf8_general_ci) in there. Failed. Chose the latin one mentioned in some other posts. Failed. Chose everything that started with 1251 (as mentioned in the installation guide, just in case). Failed. Started choosing random ones that sounded interesting. Failed. =( My connection method is "set character set".

What am I doing wrong? And what other type of info do you guys need from me to assist? Yes I did ask for a linux hosting package when I purchased it. Database info below if it helps.



Thanks a very lot for anyone who can assist. And remember, 2-year-old.


-ariana

Quote from: alvyarin at Nov 26, 2008, 06:09 PM

Let me first say that I’ve searched the site for all the keywords related to this to avoid wasting anyone’s time with a repeat question and although I’ve found possible solutions, I am not nearly techy enough to understand them. So please, please talk to me like I’m a 2-year-old. =)

At any rate, I’m trying to install modx. My host is godaddy (and this might be my first problem?). On the Connection Information page, my Connection to server passed with flying colors and provided me the available collations. Now, not having a clue what a collation is I just left the default (utf8_general_ci) in there. Failed. Chose the latin one mentioned in some other posts. Failed. Chose everything that started with 1251 (as mentioned in the installation guide, just in case). Failed. Started choosing random ones that sounded interesting. Failed. =( My connection method is "set character set".

What am I doing wrong? And what other type of info do you guys need from me to assist? Yes I did ask for a linux hosting package when I purchased it. Database info below if it helps.


Thanks a very lot for anyone who can assist. And remember, 2-year-old.
-ariana

The odds are that your DB is in latin1_swedish_ci, believe it or not. You can go into control panel and run PhpMyAdmin to see for sure.

The bad news is that that’s almost certainly not your problem -- the default utf8 should have worked fine. When you say "failed" what exactly happens. Is there an error message, blank white screen, perpetual progress bar, or what? And which version of MODx are you trying to install and where did you get it?

I’m going to take a stab, anyway, and suggest that if the "connection to database" test in the install worked, then you might just have a bad download of MODx. It happens.

A little more detail -

On the Connection Information page, under "Server Connection and login information" I put in all of my information and then click the "Click here to test your server connection and get the available collations" link. I get the response below:

Connection to host: passed - collations now available

So I go to the next section, the "Database Information" section and leave all of the defaults in. So the database name is modx, the table prefix is modx_, and connection method is "set character set". Collation is where I had decided I was having the problem (but really because it was the only thing I was really confused by - might not be it at all as you said). In the pull-down menu I’ve tried all of the collations I mentioned and then some, and whenever I then try to continue by clicking the "Click here to create your database or to test the selection of your database" I get the following feedback:

Checking database: failed - could not create database

So being very non-technical I can’t figure out which part is causing it to give me problems. I did at one point go to the login screen for phpMyAdmin and saw that the default selection (on the login screen only) was English iso_something. I’m not sure if that is where you are talking about, but I didn’t find a match between what was listed there and what was listed in the options under "collation". If that is the completely wrong place, then you’ll have to point me in the right direction. =)

Thanks so much for your patience. I really like modx compared with Joomla because for someone who is really only good at html and some CSS it is much simpler & easier to get around in. It’s just this install process that is a little bit confusing for me. I thought I was good when I figured out how to create a database in godaddy & had the name and password all ready! Alas ....

Oops, sorry - I downloaded modx from the www.modxcms.com downloads page. It is the modx-0.9.6.2.zip version. =)

This may be a permissions problem (with respect to creating the DB). I’m assuming that you didn’t actually create the DB before running the install, if you did, I’m stumped. Otherwise, try this:

Go into PhpAdmin again and create a database - remember the name you give it (BTW, it’s not such a great idea to post the undisguised db name and username in a public forum) and the collation. utf8_general_ci is not a bad choice. Then create a user for that database and note the username and pwd and make sure the user can create, read, write, etc.

Note that your host might change the username or database name on you during the creation. Some hosts will prepend your username at the host or something similar. Keep an eye out for the any messages to that effect. Before you leave the control panel browse your database info to verify the *real* db name and username.

Then leave the control panel and do the MODx install again, carefully specifying those values.

Hope this helps.

PS: A number of people have had trouble with MODx on GoDaddy, especially those on a Windows hosting package (versus Unix).

Here’s some additional info on making MODx work with GoDaddy: http://modxcms.com/forums/index.php?topic=23997.0

Thanks for your assistance Bob. I removed my database info (saw someone else had posted theirs in a post, didn’t realize it was an issue). Can you remove it from the quote you used as well?

As far as I can tell, a database exists. When I go into phpmyadmin it tells me I have 1 database created, and that the username associated with it is the one I typed into the Connection Information page. The name also seems to be the same as the one I was using. I don’t see it called anything else anywhere in godaddy or the control panel. It did mention that there were no tables in the database, but I didn’t want to mess with that.

It sounds like modx & godaddy just don’t get along too well. Perhaps its time to give up and just build it with good ol’ html, especially since the issues are way over my head technically. Thanks for trying =)

I have installed modx on godaddy and had it to work. As the linked post shows its important to set register_globals off with your own .ini file
if its not already (should be).

I think you need to create a table in your database named:  modx_ same as your prefix to get it to work.

For me I have had no problems with godaddy if I installed modx in a subfolder to root. But that require you
to do something with root like an intro or redirect.

The problems I had in root was that captcha didnt work properly. And it was too much pain getting MaxiGallery to
work so I installed Lightbox, thickbox etc. by themself.

Setting register_globals to off is a good idea, but I don’t think having it on would interfere with the install.

Quote from: alvyarin at Nov 27, 2008, 02:34 PM

Thanks for your assistance Bob. I removed my database info (saw someone else had posted theirs in a post, didn’t realize it was an issue). Can you remove it from the quote you used as well?

Doh! Thanks for pointing that out. It’s gone.
Bob

I’m sorry you’re having so much trouble. Installing MODx is usually pretty easy. I hate to see you go back to straight HTML.
BTW, I sent you a personal message (click on My Messages link above to see it).