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Admin username and password won't stick

dci Member
in General support
I am stuck trying to input an admin username and password, but when I fill out the form, and click "save" it just gives me the same form again - like the info does not stick. Here is my link: http://www.iiemena-discovery.org/zenphoto/zp-core/admin.php
My setup seems to be all fine, just can't get past the prompt for an admin username and password. Please help!! thanks.
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Comments

  • acrylian Administrator, Developer
    You need to allow cookies in your browser.
  • dci Member
    Nope, that's not it... cookies are enabled. I tried in both Safari and Firefox. Any other ideas PLEASE? thanx
  • acrylian Administrator, Developer
    I should have followed your link, sorry. Did you really run setup after installing the files? The setup should have asked you for your adminusername and password.
  • dci Member
    Yes, I ran setup and when I followed all the instructions, (fixed a couple of things - like permissions) it all looked good and then I clicked "Go" and that's when it took me to this admin page prompting me for a username and password. Should it have asked for them before? Doesn't seem like it.
  • acrylian Administrator, Developer
    Sorry, I just confused 1.1.3 with the nightly where the setup asks for adminname/password after setup.
    I have currently no idea why that does not work. Could you try reinstalling zenphoto please? Maybe a file got lost somehow...
    Otherwise we'll have to wait if one of my fellow developers has any ideas.
  • dci Member
    That did it, whatever IT was; I reuploaded everything and this time it worked! Thanks for your help!!!
  • rsfeller Member
    I have the same issue. Clean install with no issues. Config is great, file permissions are set, connecting to database, ect. When I login with the created credentials I keep getting returned to the login page with no error messages.

    Tried install again.

    IIS 6.0/win2k server

    Shawn
  • sbillard Member
    The other thing to check is that you are allowing cookies. Zenphoto remembers login with cookies.
  • rsfeller Member
    Thanks for the comments. This is not the issue as cookies are enabled in both IE7 and Firefox 2.0, same issue in both. Tried new database and new credentials. Any known concerns with PHP config?
  • sbillard Member
    Rsfeller:

    Please look in your database at the options table and see if there is a password stored in it. (It will be encrypted, so what is says is of no matter, just want to know if it got stored.)
  • rsfeller Member
    Actually I don't know much about cracking mysql databases open and looking at table values. So i will do some research into this need to get the answer.

    I believe the issue has to do with client side cookies. Although they are set in both FF and IE7 when I check the cookie files I see nothing that pertains to Zenphoto on my domain (http://www.carboncow.net). Any ideas of anything on the server side with php/mysql that would not allow a persistent cookie?

    Again, please note that this win2k server also runs a Joomla! website, Gallery 1.5 website as well as MS Frontpage with ASP. All this functionality has no issue with cookies.

    Lastly how can I get email notifcation of updates to this thread? Not seeing the config for that need.

    Thank you for your time, will get back shortly on the password in the database.
    Shawn
  • rsfeller Member
    UPDATE, mysql admin allowed me to peek at table values. The zp_options table only has three entries. id, name and value. Nothing related to password, but I do see a password reference in the zp_albums table with NULL value. I have a screenshot of the table here: http://carboncow.net/php/gallery/view_photo.php?set_albumName=album164&id=screenshot_zenphoto_dabase_option_table

    What does this tell us? Is the system not writing to the database in this case? I have tried putting the root password to the correct database to double check my credentials with no success. Again I get no error messages about the install, all looks well.

    Shawn
  • trisweb Administrator
    Shawn, you're looking at the table column names, not the data itself. See if you can find the actual rows of data and see what's there.

    That said, I definitely think this is a cookie issue. If you're not seeing the cookie in your browser, that's a problem. If you can find one, delete it and try again. Also, try looking at your cookies right after logging in, and if you find one then let us know what's in it. Thanks.
  • rsfeller Member
    trisweb,

    I understand the 3 items I see are the column names, but what data are you looking for if there is NOTHING pertaining to user/pass content? Did you happen to look at my screen shot to my view? The options colums/table shows 48 values but I have no idea how to view them in mysql administrator.

    What name(s) are given to Zen cookies? I've looked at my cookies in detail for my test site and see NOTHING pertaining to zen or my site. Additionally, there is nothing that posts immediately after a login attempt.

    There has to be some error server side for this cookie concern since my cookies were 100% ok for all other needs on my server and others.

    I need this software! I am sick of the bloatware of other gallery options!
  • acrylian Administrator, Developer
    Could you please try doing a new install, maybe from the nightly build?

    The zenphoto cookies are named "zenphoto_auth".

    This forum does not have email noficications but you can subscribe to the rss feed.
  • rsfeller Member
    Thanks for the info on the RSS, this helps.

    Loaded the nightly build but another issue is showing up now, see screenshot:

    http://carboncow.net/php/gallery/view_photo.php?set_albumName=album164&id=screen2_002

    although one can clearly see those permissions are given in the admin:

    http://carboncow.net/php/gallery/view_photo.php?set_albumName=album164&id=screen3

    I am going to reboot everything, clean up directories, databases and start over again tonight with the nightly build.

    Did you add this identifier in the config message to the nightly build to trigger database permission issues or has this "shown up" now for another reason?

    Shawn
  • rsfeller Member
    Ok. Restarted server, new database, fresh install of nightly build and same concern with

    "Your mySQL user must have Select, Insert, Update, and Delete rights. The SHOW GRANTS query failed."

    during the Zenphoto Setup Config Page. This obviously has something to do with my inability to move forward but I can see nothing on the backend preventing the user from having these needed privileges. All other products I use function fine and was able to install another instance of Joomla! to test out the user/database privileges.

    It's may be time to punt!
  • sbillard Member
    The Show Grants issue is probably not the problem. Your MySQL is not returning a response from this query. The message is just a warning anyway.

    As for the password, in the options table there should be row with the name `adminuser` and one with the name `adminpass`. If these are present, the first should have the user name you picked and the second some strange looking numbers & letters.

    If they are empty (blank) then the user/password is not being stored when you try to set it. If they have valid data then the problem must be with the cookie that remembers them for you.
  • rsfeller Member
    sbillard,

    the adminuser or adminpass entry are missing from the options table, so nothing is going into the database for this need...but the tables were created. So our issue must be with writing to the database correct?

    You state the Show Grants query failed is not a concern. What about the permission issue from the message related to Select, Insert, Update, and Delete rights not being set? Is that most likely the smoking gun or are those simple query return issues too? Obviously the tables were created.

    Sorry my limited knowledge of mysql and databases. I know enough to config and test but am not a coder or database expert.

    Thank you for your time and comments.
  • trisweb Administrator
    rsfeller - I did see your screenshot, and you are misunderstanding how the options table is created. The column names you see are correct, the options themselves (including username and password) are stored in the table as rows through the "name" and "value" columns -- you shouldn't see any columns about username or password.

    If you can log in *at all* then the username/password are working, it's just the cookie mechanism that's the problem. So, do not worry about the database.

    I think you're right about the problem being server-side, since you can't see the cookie at all (it's called 'zenphoto' I believe). I just wish I had more information, because I'm stumped...

    Would you be willing to change the user/pass to something to share with us so we can test this out ourselves? Make it admin/pass1234 if that's ok.
  • rsfeller Member
    Not sure if you wanted the database access password changed or the zenphoto change, so I made both admin/pass1234.

    I was curious in previous comments that I now see this comment, posibly a trigger written into the nightly build:

    "Your mySQL user must have Select, Insert, Update, and Delete rights."

    anything to be concerned about?

    I'll crack open a mysql for dummies book I have around here and try to remember how to look tables/values via cmd line, late time I did that it took me all night to view things via cmd line.
  • acrylian Administrator, Developer
    I suggest you use myphpadmin for this looking into your database: http://www.phpmyadmin.net
    No need for cmd line.
  • sbillard Member
    rsfeller:

    I have tried your site using the user=admin and pass=pass1234. I was unable to log in, I got a message saying that the user/password was not correct. Can you log in from the login screen with these credentials?
  • trisweb Administrator
    First - "Your mySQL user must have Select, Insert, Update, and Delete rights." - no, nothing to be concerned about right now -- it doesn't seem to be related or affecting this problem. Let's go one thing at a time.

    Again, do not worry about the database, forget about mysql, let's focus on Zenphoto first. Once we can see what's wrong we'll go from there.

    I definitely want just the Zenphoto password changed - not the database password. Change the database back (make sure the zenphoto zp-config.php matches it), and just try changing the zenphoto password. Also, try logging in to zenphoto with the new username/password and make sure that works.
  • rsfeller Member
    sbillard,

    I'm sorry this was my error:

    user:admin
    pass:admin1234

    I can in fact login with those credentials but as expected am returned to the same login screen. There must be a password in the database becuase even knowing I'm returned to that screen we know a "bad" password will inform us! Therefor the user/pass is accepted but the cookie issue is the concern.
  • sbillard Member
    Well, I am still unable to login, even using the information above. Have you ever got an admin screen other than the login screen?
  • rsfeller Member
    We'll let's verfy we are on the same page:

    This is the url: http://carboncow.net/zenphoto/zp-core/admin.php

    user: admin
    pass: admin1234

    When I login the screen doesn't advance, it simply returns to a blank login screen but if I enter the wrong credentials it gives me a failure.

    This first link shows you what I see after loging in:
    http://carboncow.net/php/gallery/view_photo.php?set_albumName=album164&id=1_G

    This link shows the error message when I enter the wrong credentials on purpose:
    http://carboncow.net/php/gallery/view_photo.php?set_albumName=album164&id=2_G

    Again, this tells me that the credentials are in fact being verified and when they fail we get the message we would expect. The correct credentials do not advance to the expected admin screen with tabs. I have never seen that screen after logging in.

    Fun eh?

    I honestly don't want to give up on the project but was hoping for an easy answer. I know these install can throw some curves as I have NEVER had and easy install on a Win2K server with Mambo, Joomla!, Gallery 1.5, ect. I think word press may have been the only think that never gave me issues, but I never liked that product.

    Thanks again for the continued efforts. Let me know if you can get to the login screen with the credentials supplied.

    Shawn
  • sbillard Member
    OK, we are now on the same page. I have tried to log into your site and get the behavior you describe. I reviewed my cookies file and have no cookie from your site, so the issue is that the cookies are not being sent.

    Now you are beyond my ability to help. Perhaps someone else would know why the cookie would not be sent.
  • rsfeller Member
    eek! the "chief developer" is out!

    How about you TRISWEB, you got any ideas why cookies are NOT being set?
  • trisweb Administrator
    I'm sorry, I too am stumped.

    I've filed a bug and we'll see if we can find the problem, but my first guess is some kind of server security setting. It seems like the username/password are validated and allowed, but then the cookie header simply does not get sent... very strange.

    I'll research more later when I have time. Sorry I can't help you more...
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