Moving test site on localhost to another computer

[leofrog8]

Hi everyone, total novice here (I hear everyone groan but I do try to work things out for myself first) I was trying to create a new web-site on WordPress and failing badly. In searching for help on that system I came across Prestashop and think it is GREAT!!! I've already passed it on to several acquaintances.

 

I set up localhost creation on my PC and have got on pretty well with it, working on it for three days now and making good progress. I now wish to transfer the localhost system to my laptop so that I can take it to my domain host to upload - as I don't feel confident about performing that feat (and he probably wouldn't want me anywhere near his machinery anyhow!!).

 

Has anyone swopped a test site between computers and can give me any help on that? I have already tried the method of putting XAMPP on my laptop, attempting to create the same directory paths as on my PC and copying my Prestashop directory over to it - but it doesn't work and I had errors about not being able to operate from root directory and something else in red on the control panel which I stupidly can't remember and didn't make a note of.

 

If anyone can offer any advice on how to achieve this I'd be very grateful - Many thanks - Bob

[doubleD]

Hi everyone, total novice here (I hear everyone groan but I do try to work things out for myself first) I was trying to create a new web-site on WordPress and failing badly. In searching for help on that system I came across Prestashop and think it is GREAT!!! I've already passed it on to several acquaintances.

 

I set up localhost creation on my PC and have got on pretty well with it, working on it for three days now and making good progress. I now wish to transfer the localhost system to my laptop so that I can take it to my domain host to upload - as I don't feel confident about performing that feat (and he probably wouldn't want me anywhere near his machinery anyhow!!).

 

Has anyone swopped a test site between computers and can give me any help on that? I have already tried the method of putting XAMPP on my laptop, attempting to create the same directory paths as on my PC and copying my Prestashop directory over to it - but it doesn't work and I had errors about not being able to operate from root directory and something else in red on the control panel which I stupidly can't remember and didn't make a note of.

 

If anyone can offer any advice on how to achieve this I'd be very grateful - Many thanks - Bob

That's not hard at all )

What went wrong with XAMPP exactly?

 

Actually, you can use prestashop guide to backup your store. After backing up the site, you will need to restore it on your notebook...

Edited February 6, 2013 by doubleD (see edit history)

[leofrog8]

For a start, and maybe the answer, I somehow managed to download version 1.7.4 instead of 1.8.1. As we speak I have removed the former and am in the process of redressing that error. Perhaps we leave things for a moment and I'll see if I progress further with the latest version rather than waste your time unnecessarily. The error messages displayed at the foot of the phpadmin screen said that I had to be in the XAMPP root file and another was something about the databases but I can't exactly remember. I'll come back to you again when I've had another go myself if that's ok - thanks

[leofrog8]

Hi doubleD

 

I just spotted the note at the foot of your original reply, thank you for that, and have read through and don't think it's something I want to take on at the end of a hard day already. I have the latest version of XAMPP now running on the laptop and have tried copying over the fie again but this time the wretched thing is telling me I can't do it without administrators permission!! As it's my laptop and no-one else uses it I'm a bit miffed about that, so another solution to achieve. I'm going off to have some dinner and relax a bit now so I'll hopefully resume tomorrow afternoon after work - watch this space!!

[GoGoMo]

Hi doubleD

 

I just spotted the note at the foot of your original reply, thank you for that, and have read through and don't think it's something I want to take on at the end of a hard day already. I have the latest version of XAMPP now running on the laptop and have tried copying over the fie again but this time the wretched thing is telling me I can't do it without administrators permission!! As it's my laptop and no-one else uses it I'm a bit miffed about that, so another solution to achieve. I'm going off to have some dinner and relax a bit now so I'll hopefully resume tomorrow afternoon after work - watch this space!!

 

You need to Run as Administrator you right click Xampp and then select Run as Administrator.

[leofrog8]

Thanks GoGoMo for the tip - I just got my laptop back after lending to a colleague for a couple of weeks - hence the lack of communication here. I tried again last night to transfer the files without any problem which was good - but the site did not work on the laptop which was bad. I'm now going to delete everything from laptop and start again with clean slate.

[PascalVG]

Leo, can you enter your back office? If so, check your tools->Configuration information (or Advanced parameters->Configuration information, depending on your version. N.B. The most current PS version is 1.5.3.1. Can you check your PrestaShop version again and report it here? 1.7.x/1.8.x seems not fully correct...)

 

On this page, check if it complains about permissions or other errors.

 

Also, did you backup your old database, download/copy it, create a new local database and filled it with the backup info?

(Additionally,if you changed your domain name: Did you make made changes in ps_configuration (see here for some details on this),

 

If you changed your local database name: Did you link your new database to you local shop? (in config/settings.inc.php file)??

 

 

My 2 cents,

Pascal

[leofrog8]

Hi Pascal, many thanks for your 2 pennies. You are right of course - the 1.7 & 1.8 related to the XAMPP which I am using. I have got the latest 1.5.3.1 because I've downloaded a couple of times today already!!

 

This is what I have done so far

 

cleaned previous attempts off laptop and downloaded new.

This is in the exactly the same path from c-drive as the main version on my PC. I have backed up the database from PC version and also saved "prestashop" file system onto a temporary holding directory on laptop.

I have "dropped" the default directory and imported the backup via phpMyadmin. Deleted "install" directory and changed the name of Admin directory and at that point I had fuctionality but with bits missing from my shop. Effectively it was the default original file system trying to work with my personalised database.

 

So far so good

 

I then uploaded the main prestashop file system from the temp directory straight over the original files. when I checked my shop all I had was a blank page - I didn't get page 404 or 500 just a blank page.

 

I then started the entire process again!! This time I started uploading my file directories one at a time and checking functionality after each change. I actually started with the img directory as I was missing all my pictures then started going down from the top. All was well until came to "Config" and then it went back to blank page again. I had stupidly not kept a back up of the original config so had to download another new version. Having gone through the database thing all over again I must have done something different in the install as I now have a password issue trying to get into Admin. I then had to go out and have just got back. I shall start again tomorrow with yet another clean install. I shall back up the file system of the new install before I start changing anything and then if anything goes bad on me I just have to replace the offending file with the original.

 

I thank you for the tips - I have every confidence that tomorrow I shall have this cracked but now have to go and have a glass of wine after this day of tribulation (I discovered that one of my cars has been stolen - it was parked off the road because it is a "summer car" I went to check it today and it was gone unfortunately nobody around thought to tell me as they thought I had collected it and brought it back home).

 

I'll post how I get on tomorrow

 

I'm sorry to ramble on about this but it may just help someone else who has very little knowledge as I have

 

Thanks to all

 

Bob

[PascalVG]

Hope you find your solution and your Car! Keep us informed...

[doubleD]

when I checked my shop all I had was a blank page - I didn't get page 404 or 500 just a blank page.

 

....and then it went back to blank page again.

 

Hello,

 

Blank Page is a good result )

When you will reach the blank page again, in order

to see if there are any errors you should open config/defines.inc.php file and set define('_PS_MODE_DEV_', false); to define('_PS_MODE_DEV_', true);

Most likely it'll be a login/password or folder permissions error )

 

 

I had stupidly not kept a back up of the original config so had to download another new version. Having gone through the database thing all over again I must have done something different in the install as I now have a password issue trying to get into Admin.

 

 

setting.inc.php file should be kept.

To be more specific you need to keep these values in order to avoid password issue when trying to get into Admin.

 

COOKIE_KEY

COOKIE_IV

RIJNDAEL_KEY

RIJNDAEL_IV

 

Good luck!

[leofrog8]

Hi Guys - another frustrating day I'm afraid - been on it nearly 12 hours now. Started with following meticulously the link originally offered by doubleD - I must have got something wrong because I ended up with internal server error 500 and when I looked in one of the error log files it said about not being able to catch a database or something (I really should be making a note of these things so that i can pass on the info shouldn't I - sorry).

 

I wiped all that out and next had a go at the link form pascal but I'm afraid that was no more successful unfortunately. I have finally resorted to my original technique of reloading the complete blank system, importing the database from my PC version, and then copying across the directories a bit at a time and checking all the way. This has been the most successful so far and the site is functioning, albeit a bit clunky. There's a problem with the "Home" button drop down menu, the default sample categories list down the left but when you click on one of them it goes to one of my new categories and then shows all of mine listed correctly. The "Home Slider" is in the wrong place down at the bottom of the home page and it doesn't "slide".

 

I have tried to re-copy the home slider module but that didn't help. Nevermind tomorrow is another day and I may well go back to the first attempt I made with the new system and then copying over all of my file system from PC version, hope for the blank page again and see if we can edit functionality back into the site.

 

I'm really so disappointed that i can't get a grip on this as I love what i've done on my PC - but dreading the upload to the actual domain host - if I have as much fun as this............ I'll probably hang myself!!!

 

Don't suppose there is a prestashop expert anywhere in the Bournemouth, United Kingdom area would like to come and give an old git a hand with this?????

 

I did notify the police about my car being stolen but they had no reports of incidents with it so in a way that was a positive as I could have had a string of speedings, fines and all sorts of grief coming my way apart from the fact that it was registered off the road and they can crush cars if they are not taxed.

 

More tomorrow - where on the planet are you guys, Pascal-doubleD-GoMoGo??

 

Cheers - Bob UK 20.45 ...........and no lunch or dinner !!!

[PascalVG]

Hi Leo,

Sorry to hear that all efforts bear little fruit. Being located in Thailand, time shift doesn't make real time communication much easier (although last week, it was every time 3am 8-[ enjoy help finding solutions too much...)

 

Not directly related, but reading many 1.5.x problems, it looks like it has some serious 'random' factor in it. I get the feeling many problems are memory (leak/limits/caching) related. Those blank screens (suddenly), strange CSS layout errors people see...

 

Well, tonight (here, that is, GMT+7) another day. Good luck every one, and keep each other informed...

 

[leofrog8]

I'll say good afternoon then. Pascal

 

Here I am just having breakfast before starting a new day, the sun is shining and I really should be outside. Although I am a lot like yourself in that I enjoy a challenge and do not like to be beaten, on this issue I think that I must set a deadline and perhaps decide just to take the PC to my domain host and get him to upload from that. On the other hand, what I am trying to achieve here is really no different to uploading a test site to a hosting server so I do need to find how to do this.

Results??? later -

 

have a good evening and not too much computing!!

[leofrog8]

Hi Guys

 

Just to let you all know that I did finally manage to get the site transferred onto my laptop. That was early this morning about an hour after I started. I then decided to write up the procedure for other dummies like me to follow and then started to find a couple of things that were odd. Went off on a tangent and there's the day nearly gone again - but all valuable learning - you all know it gets you.

 

Bit of a strange one in that after reboot, I can go straight in with IE (no log-in) but Firefox pops up the log-in box but then won't accept the correct log-in - I've even added another "employee" but neither of them work - another solution to work towards.

 

I won't close the post off as "solved" just yet as I will continue with the written procedure and post when completed. It is just so that Pascal can go off to bed and not have another sleepless night

 

All the best, cheers for now - Bob

[PascalVG]

Thanks leoBob.... (It's 2:26am progress! ;-)

[leofrog8]

Hi Guys Sad to say that although the front end looked great, the admin wasn't fully functional so I've decided to leave it alone for a while and maybe just upload a blank site again and work with it semi live.

 

Afraid I have other things which have not been touched for 4 days solid now!!

 

I'll be back!!

[leofrog8]

Ok Guys, I'm back!! After much trial and tribulation I did finally make this work. In the end it was simple so for anyone wishing to do the same:

 

If you followed the instructions found for creating the localhost version at the head of the English Forums then you will have your prestashop embedded within your XAMPP folder. If you haven't then this won't work for you so stop reading now.

 

Copy the XAMPP directory and paste it into the exact same place on the second computer - so on my computer the path was C:\Users\Bob\CustomPlay\xampp\htdocs\prestashop so on the second machine you place the xampp folder into C:\Users\Bob\CustomPlay.

 

It worked straight out of the box for me after days of headscratching and many many fresh downloads.

 

Just remember to kick off the XAMPP before you try to access your site - for some reason it doesn't auto-load on the lap top. So if you get a browser error check that first (then give yourself a kick for being so daft and going into a panic again) Aargh I'm sore!!

 

Hope this helps some who are as green at all this as I am!!

 

As for getting the "local" site up onto your host - that's a whole new ball-game on which I am currently working. So far everything is up there, I have the layout of the site as I had done it so far - I'm just short of all of my installed pictures. The default ones which were left on the site are showing just not mine!

 

I have scrambled things a bit as I did have a fresh install on the host and had done a bit of work on it - then I thought how about we try and upload the local one so I chucked the database up there and changed a couple of things and lo and behold it sort of works.

 

Couldn't get into admin initially but amazingly the email password button worked!!! So maybe an indication to all - load a blank version of PS up first - make sure it works - then start sticking your own stuff up there. At least you'll have that password option. I guess if you set your email up as smtp you would have that in localhost too but if you use the php one it doesn't seem to work.

 

Just got to try and tune it in so I get all the pictures - must start a new thread ...............!!

 

Thanks again to doubleD and pascalVG for help and support

 

Cheers

 

Bob

[PascalVG]

Glad you managed to get it working (locally)

Good luck with the next steps!

 

Any specific questions, just open a new thread.