MODx and MAMP error

Hi everyone, this is my first post to the forums...

I am having some trouble with installing MODx with MAMP, so hoping someone here has some experience.

I am using the latest MAMP and standard download of Revolution RC3, installed on my Macbook Pro (I am running Snow Leopard).

I have managed to get the install working with a basic setup with DynDNS so that I can view a name to get to my laptops IP from the internet. However, as per the MAMP recommendations, I have decided to secure the Apache/MySQL server by selecting "www/mysql" as the user (rather than the default of my normal login / username)

As soon as I change the user, I am unable to run setup for MODx - I no longer seem to have the permissions.

As I understand it under Snow Leopard _www is a special user, with restricted privileges, automatically created by the OS. I read somewhere that I should be able to change the user to _www to grant the correct privileges to the MODx installation.

I have a few questions though.

1. What MODx folder(s) should I change the user on?
2. How can I change the user to _www?
3. Does this need to be done via Terminal, or can I use the Finder?

I am a newbie, so please type slowly

hi,

I’m not quite understanding what you mean...
so you don’t even see the install screen for modx?
Have you set up a database with full user privileges before going to the install pages?

Have you looked at this tutorial too, it might help: http://sottwell.com/article-local.html

Hi - thanks for replying.

The exact error when I try to run setup is...

FATAL ERROR: MODx Setup cannot continue.
* Make sure your /Applications/MAMP/htdocs/mysite/public_html/modx/core/cache directory exists and is writable by the PHP process.

As you can see, I have taken the liberty of creating a custom path through MAMP Pro, previously I have had no trouble running setup and successfully installing MODx.
I have let MODx create it’s own database, which seems to work fine so far.

However with "Run Apache/MySQL server as user: www/mysql" chosen in MAM Pro the setup procedure for MODx Revolution no longer works.

is this just a permissions issue then...have you made the relevant files writable 755 or 777

Thanks for your suggestion.
It is almost certainly an issue related to users / groups / permissions as I understand it.

I need to learn how to do this the right way, as I am concerned that simply getting the installer to work may not in fact result in the most secure environment.
Changing permissions as you suggest may in fact work. However, I would rather learn how to set this installation up in a secure fashion.

I suspect I need to add a user / group to some part of the MODx file/folder tree.
Unfortunately, I don’t know if that should be all files and folders, or maybe just the setup folder?

The user and perhaps group I think is meant to be _www

I believe to implement the change, I will need to user terminal command something like



I am sure I must not be the only person using a MAMP installation with MODx.
Surely someone has done setup securely before?

I am a designer, so the technical setup and backend stuff is difficult for me - sorry if this sounds really noobish, but I have to start somewhere.

I am sure I must not be the only person using a MAMP installation with MODx.
Surely someone has done setup securely before?

Maybe someone has, but as MAMP is usually run on your own local machine why does it need to be secure?

Bunk 58

Thanks for your post, you make a valid point - if the installation was intended to be just local access it really wouldn’t matter.
However I would like to be able to share the content while developing so that my client can review progress.
To do so I have setup a domain via dyndns. The feature has also been turned on in MAMP Pro.
This does seem to work, I have accessed the MODx install from outside my LAN (over the internet).

As this is available to the internet at large I do feel the need to secure it.

The question is what is the correct way to do so?

Sorry, I’d missed the bit about DynDNS.
The only time I worked that way I had access to port 80 turned off, apart from when I was showing the client the site.
Normally I do the basic development locally, then upload to a sub-domain on my dev site live server.
Maybe someone else has some experience of ’securing’ a MAMP installation.

Soooo... anyone with experience in this area?

Is this an appropriate place on the form to have posted this topic?
Is there somewhere else that would have been better?