[Hope Slain]

Hello,

For some time now, I've been looking for a free host with access to that database thingy, so that I can build a forum for my Guild Wars Clan. I successfully managed to actually get signed up to 000webhost.com, which really is an achievement with my track-record...and I appear to have just as successfully installed a SMF forum. My problem, is that I don't understand how to use the database thingy...which is necessary for the forum to work.

Perhaps someone could point me in the right direction of a simple tutorial, to make this easier?

Thank you very much in advance,

Hope Slain
AkA: Jess

[Midnight]

question: is your default still active?
2nd: do you have and index.html/shtml that has a link for the forum?

If not, delete the default, and (if you don't want a front page to link to your forum) use redirect (second aisle from the bottom of your members area, third from the right) and point your site to where your forum index.php is located (www.yoursite.net#.net/forumfolder/index.php)

Basically, if you do not know how to uses your phpMYAdmin area, you might want to consider a php template from sites like http://www.phpbb.com where they have admin access straight from the forum that is gui and easy to work with.

I hope this helps

[Hope Slain]

*Blink* Erm...I'm sorry...what do you mean by default?

I am quite familiar with forums such as invisionfree.com etc and can easily navigate the admin panels on those. My main issue is that I need a forum that can run gwBBcode, which means using either www.phpbb.com or SMF.

Also...The only reason I was trying to understand the whole database thing is because I wanted to change the theme of the forum. Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't you need to use the database thing with both phpbb and SMF? Or am I making things way too complicated for myself?

Thanks for the quick response, by the way.

[Midnight]

if you have an admin cp in your forums, use that (it will change your database as well)

The phpMyAdmin in my opinion, is for those who know EXACTLY how to use php

for the default.php:
open your Cpanel....in the root you should see: public html (this is where your forum files should be) a default.php (which is the default web page) an ftp.quota and a DO NOT UPLOAD HERE

Delete the default.php

Now, either upload a new index.php/html/shtml in the root (if you want a main page BEFORE the forum)

if not, just use redirect to your forum folder/index.php

[Bad Karma[CORE]]

for setting up a SMF Forum this might be helpful:
http://badkarma.dotc.info/2008/07/ho...stcom-account/

[Hope Slain]

Right...so in the end I went for a phpBB forum...and I got into the net2ftp client, which was alot easier to use than phpMyAdmin. I spent aaages uploading all the files in the correct directives within the THEME directive of the FORUM directive, and I knew it was the correct place because I could see all the files of the default themes available. However...on my phpBB admin CP, the theme that I uploaded did not seem available for me to install...

[Midnight]

oooooouch
you do know you could have uploaded a zip, then unzipped it through the file manager ...
(or do you now know?)

wow...you are right, a good "How to" should be created for new users, perhaps as the standard default page....

so, what's the verdict? is your forum up and running?

[Hope Slain]

...No...I didn't know that I could have uploaded a zip. But thanks, I know that now. The site is up and running, but for some reason, even though I've uploaded the new Style that I want, the phpBB ACP says that there are no new styles for me to import....even though there should be.

[Midnight]

Karma..
that link might be good...
but the BIG FREAKING popup that cannot be closed ruins it...

[Midnight]

hmm....ok...
are you sure the style you want is in root /public_html /yourforumDir /styles
in the net2ftp?