Here's the current situation:

"Fatal error: Failed opening required 'XOOPS_ROOT_PATH/class/template.php' (include_path='.:/usr/local/lib/php') in /homepages/23/d91492808/htdocs/header.php on line 62"

Here's the history:

1) Installed without a hitch (after I copied the files from the html directory into the root directory).

2) Blank page

3) double checked permissions & mySQL settings

4) edited include/common.php to allow for error reporting

5) edited path to domain in mainfile.php to reflect the path that showed up at my SSH command prompt (slightly different)

6) double checked path at server control panel and edited it again (slightly different still).

7) Retried index.php in my browser and received the fatal error, above.

The closest thing to this that I find on the forum is a "bug report" discussed at:

https://xoops.org/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=9067&forum=2#forumpost35776

FYI, another PHP script that uses the same database is running fine on this server--even after moving it into a lower level directory to make room for XOOPS at the top.

Is it possible to edit the header.php to include the path it's asking for? How do you find line 62--what constitutes a line? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

It seems the mainfile.php is not configured properly, since it is trying to include XOOPS_ROOT_PATH/... and not a path. This usually means that XOOPS_ROOT_PATH is not defined - which is done in mainfile.php.

Compare your mainfile.php with the mainfile.dist.php and see if there are typos there.

Well, there were some problems--partly of my own making while trying to "fix it"--so I reinstalled. This time it gave me a red-flag on the database tables--something to the effect that they were already there and that was a problem--so I made "xoops2" the prefix and the install went fine. But still the blank screen and this time I'm pretty sure the path to the root directory was correct. So, I gave up on that server and installed it on another server--this time without a hitch! And I am very impressed with Xoops, but as I begin working with it, I realized that it is too sophisticated form my immediate needs, so I am reverting back to a commercial product that I've already been working with (before I discovered Xoops). However, I'm going to keep working with XOOPS and see if I can get it installed on the first server. If I can, I will use it for another project that isn't so time sensitive. I'll will return! ;) Thanks for your reply...

Just a little update, here--the commercial product that I "reverted to" did not work out, so once again I went on a search for a suitable script. Finally, I realised that XOOPS is, indeed, the right solution, so I reinstalled it and it is working fine. Since my first attempt, I've had a number of successes and failures in my use of other scripts for various purposes and that made XOOPS much more intelligible to me this time around. In short, I'm back! ;)