Tools

Contents

1. Introduction
    1.1 Features
    1.2 Assumptions

2. Tools manager overview

3. Translate tool
    3.1 Translate Tool overview
    3.2 Add a new language
    3.3 Translate a language
    3.4 Edit language properties
    3.5 Small language adaptions
       3.5.1 High visibility adaptions
       3.5.2 Export changes

4. Backup tool
    4.1 Database backup
    4.2 Data backup

5. Log viewer
    5.1 Download log
    5.2 Prune log

6. Update Manager
    6.1 Core update
    6.2 Other updates

7. Session Tool

8. Concluding remarks

1. Introduction

The Tools Manager contains several tools:

1.1 Features

The features of each tool are discussed in their own sections.

1.2 Assumptions

This chapter elaborates on other chapters. We assume you have read and done the General part of the Table of Contents.

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2. Tools manager overview

To open the Tools manager, please click on the Tools Manager [ tools ] icon to open the Tools dialogue:

[ tools overview screen ]
tools_tools_open.png

The opening screen is split in two parts, the Menu pane and the Tools pane.

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3. Translate Tool

NOTE:
For Website@School program translators the Translate Tool is extensively explained in chapter Translate Website@School Program. Please go there when you want to translate the program.

The Translate Tool is a special, very easy to use device to translate the program in a new language or to adapt a language to the schools preferences. The Translate Tool has the following features:

3.1 Translate Tool Overview

To enter the Translate Tool, in the Menu click on the Translate Tool link to open the Translate Tool dialogue:

[ translate tool list of languages ]
tools_translate_tool_open.png

The list of languages is visible.

Explanation:

3.2 Add a new language

Clicking on the Add a language link opens the Add a new language dialogue:

[ translate tool add a new language dialogue ]
tools_translate_tool_add_language.png

Explanation:

After clicking [Done], the new language is added:

[ translate tool language added with success ]
tools_translate_tool_language_added.png

By selecting the (added) language name, you can start translating. This is discussed in the section below.

3.3 Translate a language

Click on the language name, for example Svenska (sv), to enter the Translation for language name (cc) - Domain dialogue:

[ translate tool translation for swedish top ]
tools_translate_tool_translate_language_new_user.png

At the bottom of this screen there are a few housekeeping fields. These are used as a means of communication between the translator and the Website@School project and the webmaster of the website.

[ translate tool translation for swedish bottom ]
tools_translate_tool_translate_language_bottom.png

Explanation:

After clicking the [Done] button the translation is saved and the list of languages re-appears.
[  translate tool translation for swedish saved with success ]
tools_translate_tool_translate_language_saved.png

If the Submit this translation box was checked, an e-mail message is sent to the Website@School project and the webmaster of the website. Attached to this message is a backup copy of the translation.

From: "Exemplum Primary School - Mary Astell" <webmaster@exemplum.eu> Subject: Website@School Translation: Svenska (sv) - was Date: Wed, July 6, 2016 17:46 To: "Website@School Translations" <translations@websiteatschool.eu> Cc: "Exemplum Primary School - Mary Astell" <webmaster@exemplum.eu> Language name: Svenska Language key: sv Language domain: was Needs checking! Mary Attachments: sv-was.bin [application/octet-stream] 935 bytes

NOTICE
As a rule the size of the submitted file (sv-was.bin in this example) is small. This is because only the changes are submitted rather than the full translation.

3.4 Edit language properties

[ translate tool edit language properties dialogue ]
tools_translate_tool_edit_language_properties.png

NOTICE:
This dialogue is the same as the Add a language dialogue. You can correct errors in the name of the language and change 'active'. The language code cannot be changed.

Explanation:

3.5 Small language adaptations

Suppose you want to change the content of an alert e-mail, or want to change the names of the capacities to suit your institutional hierarchies. The way it's done is by:

3.5.1 High visibility adaptions

If you are not happy with the abbreviations for the icons in high visibility mode, you can use the list below to change the abbreviations.
All adaptions are done in Tools > Translate Tool > Select a language > Select 'Administration'. Here you can change the characters and signs.

Page Manager

Configuration Manager (Areas)

Account manager

File Manager

Tools (Translate Tool)

3.5.2 Export changes

To be done soon.

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4. Backup tool

The Backup Tool has the following features:

NOTICE:
Database backups can be quite large. Observe the memory_limit in php.ini in relation with the database size.

NOTICE:
The backup tool only makes a backup of the database. To make a backup of the Website@School data you need to use another tool, e.g. the Filezilla File Transfer Program (FTP), see http://filezilla-project.org.

4.1 Database backup

In the Menu, clicking the Backup Tool link opens the Backup Tool dialogue:

[ backup tool ]
tools_backup_tool_open.png

To create a backup, proceed as follows:

NOTICE:
The link Download Backup provides a backup in .ZIP-format. You can force the Backup Tool to generate an uncompressed backup by using the URL http://exemplum.eu/admin.php?job=tools&task=backuptool&download=sql instead of http://exemplum.eu/admin.php?job=tools&task=backuptool&download=zip

4.2 Data backup

Website@School uses a separate folder to store the data that are not a part of the database like pictures and documents. That is, materials uploaded with the File Manager. These files are stored in the data directory that was created during the installation of Websit@School. They are stored in the CMS Data Folder. An example file path: /home/httpd/wasdata/88a7a1aa15bc1664764e9b154894e173

Note that these data files are not backed up by the Backup Tool. You can backup them on the server with the tools available. Contact your ISP or systems administrator for information.

NOTICE:
It's a good idea to make regular backups, say once per night. There is an abundance of automatic backup software that can do this job, either on the school server, a school workstation or a computer at the webmasters home.

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5. Log viewer

A systems administrator once said: "Your logs are your friends". In Website@School many events are logged to the log table. If you have the necessary privileges Tools (Log viewer) you can browse the contents of the log table.

(See section 3.2.4 Administrator permissions: username (Full Name) in chapter Account manager for more information about privileges).

In the Menu click on Log view to open the Log Viewer:

[ log view overview ]
tools_log_viewer_open.png

Explanation:

NOTICE:
The address 'cli' indicates that this event was ultimately generated from the command line interface of the PHP language interpreter that is used to run the Website@School program. As a rule these are the events that happen when the cron job is run. See 4.4 Configuring cron.php in chapter Installation for more information about running cron jobs.

5.1 Download log

If you click on the link Download, your browser will present you with a dialogue similar to the one below.

[ log view download messages ]
tools_log_viewer_download.png

If you click the button [OK] a file will be downloaded on your computer. This file will contain all log messages older than the first message that is currently visible on your screen. In the example given that would imply 880 messages recorded before 2016-07-06 15:29:49.

The format of the downloaded file is Comma Separated Values (CSV). Below is a snippet of an example file. This file can be imported in a spreadsheet program, for further processing.

id,"datim","addr","username","prio","message" 1,"2016-06-20 10:02:41","192.168.0.50","wblade","LOG_INFO","login: 'wblade' (1): success" 2,"2016-06-20 10:06:13","192.168.0.50","wblade","LOG_INFO","logout: 'wblade' (1): success (session started 2016-06-20 10:02:41, count=11)" [...snip 873 lines...] 876,"2016-07-06 15:29:33","192.168.0.50","wblade","LOG_INFO","logout: 'wblade' (1): success (session started 2016-07-06 09:31:49, count=50)" 877,"2016-07-06 15:29:44","192.168.0.50","mastell","LOG_INFO","login: 'mastell' (10): success" 878,"2016-07-06 15:29:44","192.168.0.50","mastell","LOG_INFO","session 27 timed out (86400 seconds) [login wblade(1) from 192.168.0.50 on 2016-07-05 09:45:46, last access 2016-07-05 15:25:59]; nodes unlocked: 0" 879,"2016-07-06 15:29:44","192.168.0.50","mastell","LOG_INFO","dbsession_remove_obsolete_sessions(): removed sessions: 1, removed locks: 0, unlock errors: 0" 880,"2016-07-06 15:29:44","192.168.0.50","mastell","LOG_INFO","admin.php: 'mastell' (10) is no admin and was redirected to index.php or login"

5.2 Prune log

Eventually the log table may grow and grow and grow until it is huge. If you click on the link Prune, your browser will present you with a dialogue similar to the one below.

[ log view prune messages confirmation ]
tools_log_viewer_prune.png

This confirmation dialog asks you if you are sure that you want to delete those 880 messages. It also gives you one last chance to download the selected log messages via de Download link. Clicking that link yields the download dialogue discussed in the previous section.

If you click the button [Delete], the selected log messages will all be deleted. Note that there is no way to ever undo this deletion.

After deleting is complete the following is displayed.

[ log view prune messages success ]
tools_log_viewer_prune_success.png

Note that the list of log messages is now not paginated (the title says Log view without the [nnn-nnn of nnn] postfix). Also note that the message that was numbered '881' now is the first (Nr=1) in the list.

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6. Update manager

Upgrades become available on our download location, see section 6.1 Downloads in chapter Introduction or navigate directly to http://download.websiteatschool.eu

NOTICE:
Ater a successful update the new modules and themes are not automatically available in the demonstration data installed in the Exemplum Primary School areas. Only in a new installation with demodata the new features are installed without the need of adding them manually via 'Add a page'.

Download the compressed (.zip or .tgz) upgrade (either a program update, a manual update, a language pack or a module) and unpack it in the CMS Root Folder. See section 1.1.3 Webservers and folders in chapter Installation for more information about names of directories and folders.

NOTICE:
Please read section 3. Tips for a secure installation in chapter Installation before proceeding any further. Security is vital!

After unzipping and checking security, log in with the guru account (webmaster, Wilhelmina Bladergroen). For a core update you are directly sent to the Update Manager dialogue. For other updates, go Tools > Update manager.

6.1 Core update

After a successful unzip of the Website@School program, you may encounter error 50 on the school website, indicating you did not yet perform the upgrade.

Please log in as webmaster to be directed to the Update Manager dialogue:

[ update manager core update ]
tools_update_manager_core_update.png

Explanation:

The update manager lists version information for the core system and all languages, modules and themes. The last column contains either

In this example the core requires an update. If you click on the link Update, the core program will be updated. Aterwards a message like the following is displayed.

[ update manager core update success ]
tools_update_manager_core_updated.png

The core is now up to date.

NOTICE:
Information on the internal version number can be found in section 4.1 Site configuration in chapter Configuration Manager.

6.2 Other updates

After upgrading a module, manual or language, login as webmaster and check Tools > Update Manager.

[ update manager language update ]
tools_update_manager_language_update.png

Explanation:

Here a single language needs to be updated. Follow the link Update to update this language. The following will be displayed.

[ update manager language update success ]
tools_update_manager_language_updated.png

If there are no other pending updates or additions that need to be installed, your version of Website@School is completely up to date.

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7. Session Tool

In some circumstances it happens that a page or a section is locked by a User and it is desirable to regain access to that locked page at short notice. See also section 7.1 Locked page in chapter Basic procedures for beginners.

If you have the necessary privileges Tools (Session Tool) you can forcefully end sessions and unlock pages and sections. See section 3.2.4 Administrator permissions: username (Full Name) in chapter Account manager for more information about privileges.

To solve the issue of the locked page, click Session Tool. A screen like the following will be displayed.

[ session manager overview ]
tools_sessions_overview.png

This screen provides an overview of all sessions that are considered active. In this example there are two sessions associated with Mary Astell:

Note that session 33 has locked page 3 About us (Information about the school). This means that only Mary Astell is able to unlock this page; currently nobody else can unlock or edit this page.

NOTICE:
There is no garbage can next to session 34 because it should never be possible to end one's own session this way, not even by accident. In other words: wblade can end all sessions with the Session Tool except her own session.

Wilhelmina Bladergroen has enough permissions to use the Session Tool. Clicking the small garbage can next to session 33 yields the following dialogue.

[ session manager delete session ]
tools_sessions_delete.png

By clicking the button [Delete] session 33 will be forcefully ended and also all locks held by this session will be released.

After succesfully removing the session from the database, the following dialogue is displayed.

[ session manager delete session was successful ]
tools_sessions_delete_success.png

Note that session 33 is no longer in the list of active sessions. This implies that page 3 is no longer locked.

NOTICE:
Ending a session this way is not very elegant; it might end a session where some User is legitmately editing a page. If the session is ended with force, all that User's changes that were not already saved are lost. The User will probably don't like that, so use this tool with care.

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8. Concluding remarks

No concluding remarks yet.

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Authors: Dirk Schouten <dirk (at) websiteatschool (dot) eu> and Peter Fokker <peter (at) websiteatschool (dot) eu>
Last updated: 2016-07-07