Thanks. the \\\\ is not a problem after all. Code-editor is not equivalent to a code debugger. That is a small lesson I learn.

tom

Xoops v2:
install/index/php has the following line:
$language = $HTTP_POST_VARS['lang']

php v5 has choosen a new variable _POST to do what HTTP_POST_VARS does. Although set "register_long_arrays = On" in php.ini can allow you to use the old variables, it is really not preferred. I hope in the future version, XOOPS can update those predefined variables to php v5 format.



Tom
Taipei
January 23, 2005

I went back to where I have started and trace down from there. Php variables were not set 100% right in Appache's httpd.conf. Hence the MySQL library in php was not linked during run time and so mysql_connect() was not found and so blank page. Now I am back on track to install xoops.

No, thanks for trying to land on the source of problem.
The page that is supposed to show 'Table xoops_avatar
....' is blank. Its preceeding pages are fine.

The problem could be not in '\\\\' because '\\\\'
is also in older version of XOOPS (I never installed
any older version before. I just saw it in the archive.)
It had not bothered you or other so many XOOPS users.
I am going back to check mysql. It is my new suspect
at this moment.

Yes, it happened to me during installation.
Since I don't have xoops_config created (the page
is blank), I don't know how to debug mysqul the way
as FAQ had suggested. I traced the problem to where I
suppose the problem located - in '\\\\' in mainfile.dist.php.

Since the mainfile.dis.php is mentione, I would like to tell my experience. The following lines in mainfile.dist.php will be copied into mainfile.php:

if ( DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR != '/' ) {
// IIS6 may double the \ chars
$xoopsScriptPath = str_replace( strpos( $xoopsScriptPath, '\\\\', 2 ) ? '\\\\' : DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR, '/', $xoopsScriptPath);
}

The '\\\\' is not seen as syntatically correct by AceHTML. When IE 6 load mainfile.dist.php and mainfile.php, it shows a blank page. Is '\\\\' or its proximity in the codes a Php syntatic bug?

I know that but part of mainfile.dist.php (including '\\\\'-line) is copied to mainfile.php. Installation process will load mainfile.php and hence the '\\\\-line' would cause installation to turn out a blank page.

My platform:
PC behind a Router with firwall (corresponding ports open)
XP Pro (with Service Pack 2)
Apache 2.0.52 (by installer)
Php 5.0.3 (manually installed)
MySQL 4.1.9 (by installer)
Xoops 2.0.9.2

----- My suspecision:--------------
I open 'mainfile.dist.php' with an HTML/Php editor, AceHTML, which automatically highlights keywords and matches brackets and so on given that if the Php syntax is correct.

The line that contains '\\\\', is seen by AceHTML as not syntatically correct since the highlighting stops right before the first '\\\\':

if ( DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR != '/' ) {
// IIS6 may double the \ chars
$xoopsScriptPath = str_replace( strpos( $xoopsScriptPath, '\\\\', 2 ) ? '\\\\' : DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR, '/', $xoopsScriptPath);
}

Does IE 6 like its syntax?
No. IE 6 gives me a blank page when it loads mainfile.dist.php.

Doesn't that bother anyone? It does me because the popular and infamous 'got blank page' striks me right before INSTALLATION PROCESS creates xooops_avatar, xoops_....etc . Before that, my valuables are all set and saved correctly in mainfile.php. (cache...are all writable)

Thanks for any help that you can provide.

Tom
Taipei
Jan. 20, 2005