Install Documentation Suggestions

csiegel

I think a lot more detail would be beneficial to the Install guide. Here are some suggestions. Feel free to take or leave any.

Download the latest version of Zenphoto.
* Add, "from the 'Download' button on the bar on this page."
* Missing any instructions on installing pre-requisites. This required a lot of Googling. Things that came up for me are to "apt-get update && apt-get install apache2 php mysql mysql-server php-mysql php-tidy php-xml php-curl php-bz2 php-intl php-gd"

Extract the files to your computer then upload all files and folders as listed below to your web directory via FTP. You can upload them either in the root of your webspace or within a subfolder.
* Add "with programs such as 'tar xzvf vX.X.X.tar.gz' or 7-zip "
* Add "zenphoto-" to the name of the tarball.
* Add "Web directory is typically in '/var/www' for a new site or '/var/www/' for an existing site"
* I suggest pre-creating the "zp-data/charsét" file and embedding it in the tarball.

Create a MySQL database. (technically Zenphoto can do this automatically but virtually no host allows this!)
* Example commands like this:
* CREATE DATABASE zenphoto;
* CREATE USER zenphoto IDENTIFIED BY 'strong password';
* GRANT ALL ON zenphoto.* TO zenphoto;

If you install on local server please also read Using Zenphoto on local servers.
* If a new site is created, need to add requisite pointer. In Apache, this is a conf file in /etc/apache2/sites-available and then use a2ensite to enable it. Perhaps put a link to a good reference on how to make this conf file. Generally, the referenced page is missing Apache instructions.

Navigate to your gallery. Example: if you uploaded in a subfolder named "zenphoto" navigate to www.yoursite.org/zenphoto/. Setup.php will run. (if it somehow does not, please navigate directly to www.yoursite.org/zenphoto/zp-core/setup.php.). Info about the required permissions if you run into issues.
* Would be helpful to indicate owner:group that is appropriate.

Enter the MySQL credentials (you get them from your provider) and make sure everything checks out.
* Clear enough!

Then click GO!
ENJOY!

acrylian

Thanks for your suggestions. A few comments.

• Add, "from the 'Download' button on the bar on this page."

That we probably could do although there is a download link in the main menu.

Missing any instructions on installing pre-requisites. This required a lot of Googling. Things that came up for me are to "apt-get update && apt-get install apache2 php mysql mysql-server php-mysql php-tidy php-xml php-curl php-bz2 php-intl php-gd"

I don't agree. Very few people will setup their own server and if they do they likely already know what a "web server" requires. All else - like ourselves - use webhosts who provide required webspace already.

I personally don't setup my own servers and don't even know how to do that. Totally different task. I let webhosts do that work for me.

In any case it is outside of Zenphoto's domain to tell how to setup a web server and what it needs You need failry standad web server. Zenphoto does not need anything realyl specific. If required extensions are missing setup will tell.

Zenphoto runs out of the box on fairly standard configured (shared) webhosting - which even we use - where you don't need to do and even can't do or have access to most of these things. All is setup already or tools are provided like phpmyAdmin for databases.

• Add "with programs such as 'tar xzvf vX.X.X.tar.gz' or 7-zip "

I don't agree. It should really be common knowledge how to uncompress files and what a zip file is especially.

Most certainly users who use the command line know such things already.. All others who don't use tools for there systems like I do for macOS (which even has zipping built in)

• Add "zenphoto-" to the name of the tarball.

I don't understand. Why would you need to add "zenphoto-" to that?

• Add "Web directory is typically in '/var/www' for a new site or '/var/www/' for an existing site"

If you are trying to self install a web app like Zenphoto you should know where on your webspace that is. Your webhost usually provides the infos about that.

All further nfos you are mentioning literally aim at people trying to setup their own server as I already commented above.

Would be helpful to indicate owner:group that is appropriate.

Normally that should be setup when using FTP. But we certainly could link to our article about that: https://www.zenphoto.org/news/permissions-for-zenphoto-files-and-folders/