Well, I assumed I'd be able to tweak this thing but it is all so intertwined it doesn't pay to mess with any of the files. Hence, I'm going to have buy a different system only a week or two after buying the unlimited version here.

As I leave I want to give you some impressions here. While the system is low-cost, the 99 dollar version is missing a few pieces that I think would bring the value to 99. It is one thing to talk about the speed/performance, but to a degree that's hard to measure, and to anyone with web advertising on their site, performance will always run second to potential site income.

It definitely needs a user interface and registration for advertisers, and it definitely needs a single variables file for changing the hundreds of variables for which there is no control. I had to search on my own just to change the look and feel.

Lack of multi-zone support is a serious drawback. I would submit that anyone with a serious website needs it, and will gladly pay you 139 over 99 for just that one feature.

Take them or leave them, they are just suggestions.

you actually dont touch any of those
UploadDirectory = CmdGetConfiguration("UploadDirectory")
They get set from the config table in the database which gets edited in the admin area.

so...

I am talking about the settings area in the admin area of the applicaton.
Every setting there is descibed in detail. You get there and change serttings there via the web browser and by logging in as the admin.

Log in to the online demo as admin and check out the settings area if you are confused.
http://www.aspphotogallery.com/demo_pro.asp

Well Chris:

I logged off too soon after your last response. Your last idea was the answer. I am running McAfee as my virus-scanner on the mail server I am running. There was a script inhibitor enabled as a worm detection function. When I disabled it, your software responded correctly. I guess I can do without that, although with everything thrown at the net these days, it makes me a little nervous.

Thanks

ok

thanks

IMPORTANT UPDATE - READ THIS
http://support.cjwsoft.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=205& ;PN=1


The IPN Subscription Pack which is built in to ASPProtect 7 contains all the pre-built scripts you need to implement PayPal IPN Subscriptions with ASPProtect. IPN stands for (Instant Payment Notification). It allows you to set up scripts on your server so whenever a PayPal payment is processed the PayPal server sends info to your server regarding the transaction and vice versa. This is a fully automated process and allows you to charge users for access by the month or however long you like.

The Subscription feature of PayPal handles recurring billing automatically. The PayPal server will communicate with the ASPProtect system and keep everything up to date with users and their subscriptions.

This Support Pack basically gives you an additional signup and registration directory "paypal_sub_signup" and it should not interfere with any changes or customizations you have made to your ASPProtect setup. New users can register in this directory and sign up for a subscription at the same time. Existing users whether active or expired can be sent to this directory where they can lookup their account and start a subscription. You can also assign various Access and Group Levels during signup and you can set up various prices for various amounts of time as well. This is a real-time setup for the most part. As soon as a user pays via PayPal your system is updated and they will have access.

To use this all you need to do in ASPProtect 7 is enter your PayPal account name into the settings screen. It will be an email address. You'll need a business or premier account with PayPal and you will need log into your PayPal account and turn on IPN in you profile. They make you enter a default IPN URL. We do not use that so if you already have something there leave it there. If you dont have something there you can type in any the full url to any page on your server. It's probably best to send it to an empty ".asp" page or something.

Changing Payment Options

In the "paypal1.asp" file there are some sample payment options set up.

They look like this and you can have as many as you like.

<!-- Begin Payment Option Code -->
<form action="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr" method="post" target="_blank">

<% Label = "Membership (1 Month) $9.99 Recurring" %>
<!-- Begin Form Fields You Can Edit.. See PayPal Subscription Manual For Details -->
<input type="hidden" name="no_shipping" value="1">
<input type="hidden" name="no_note" value="1">
<input type="hidden" name="a3" value="9.99">
<input type="hidden" name="p3" value="1">
<input type="hidden" name="t3" value="M">
<input type="hidden" name="src" value="1">
<input type="hidden" name="sra" value="1">
<!-- Field Below must have 2 commas First two values are optional (access level,groups,user ID)-->
<input type="hidden" name="custom" value=",,<% =User_ID %>">
<!-- End Form Fields You Can Edit.. See PayPal Subscription Manual For Details -->

<!--#INCLUDE FILE="form_data_inc.asp"-->
<input type="image" src="https://www.paypal.com/images/x-click-but20.gif" border="0" name="submit" alt="Make payments with PayPal - it's fast, free and secure!">

</form>
<hr>
<!-- End Payment Option Code -->
 

To really understand what these form values mean it is best to look through the PayPal Subscriptions Manual which is a PDF file you can get from the PayPal Site.

This link was valid the last I checked...
Subscriptions and Recurring Payments Manual

It also may be helpful to use their wizard to create some subscription buttons with different settings and then look at the code generated.

Bascially these are the important ones..

a3 - amount to billed each recurrence t3 - time period (D=days, W=weeks, M=months, Y=years) p3 - number of time periods between each recurrence

The custom field is something we are using to send info from ASPProtect to PayPal.
it allows you to set the access_level or groups access (groups support require the ASPProtect Option Pack)

<input type="hidden" name="custom" value=",,<% =User_ID %>">

or this example where we are setting the access_level to (2) and also giving the user access to groups (3 and 4)

<input type="hidden" name="custom" value="2,*3*4*,<% =User_ID %>">

Here is how it works.
The value setting (red) is essentially and array that can be made up 3 elements separated by comma's

access_level,groups,User_ID

If you do not want to set the access_level or groups access.. then you don't even need to edit the setting.

Values must be separated by a comma even if there is no value and there can be no spaces.  If you didn't want to set an access level or groups there would still be 2 commas at the beginning.  etc etc
Basically there must always be 2 commas but you only have to set last values which is the User_ID from the ASPProtect system.

The 1st value is the access level you want to user assigned to.
The 2nd option is the groups you want the user assigned to. (requires option pack)
The 3rd option is the User_ID which the system takes care of. Do not edit this option. Leave it as <% =User_ID %>
 

in that file "upload_post.asp"

change

<%
If Session("Admin") <> "True"
 Response.End
End If
%>

to

<%
If Session("Admin") <> "True" Then
 Response.End
End If
%>

Sounds cool.. post info when you get it sorted out

thx

hopefully someday I'll get the new version finished.. I just never seem to have time. Lately ASPProtect takes up all my time and now aspclassifieds seems to be in need of a new version more so than asp photo gallery

I am having problems accessing the admin site at the following URL:

http://www.drsweisberg.com/password_admin/default.asp

It brings up the login page, but when I enter the admin/test, it times out.  The DB is the copy with no password and it resides in a directory on the same server hosting the site but it is not in a folder viewable by web users.  This is how the dataconn_inc.asp is set:

<%
'*** Below are the only two settings you need to edit in this file
 
ConnectionString = "DSN=drweisberg;Driver={Microsoft Access Driver (*.mdb)}"
DatabaseType = "MSACCESS"
%>

The ODBC is setup and the IUSR has read/write/modify permissions.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

UPDATE..

Installed a new rack mount 1u server this week.

3.2 ghz hyperthreading 1 mb l2 cache prescott cpu
2 gb pf pc3200 kingston memory
SATA Raid.. (2) 120 gb drives running hardware raid 1

It is a supermicro 1u server case and server motherboard.
The hard drives are SATA 150 120 gb 7200 rpm Diamondmax Maxtors

All high end server type stuff... It's a very powerful server and has been running great all week. 500+ hours uptime so far.

Running Windows 2003 Server Enterprise
SQL 2000 Enterprise SP3
SmarterMail
SmarterStats
Windows DNS
ZipEnable (which I am reviewing for them)
ServerMask (which I am reviewing for them)
A ton of ASP Components which I have purchased over the years.

So that means I can now focus my attention on creating software again instead of being a system admin. (Due to these server issues over the past few months I am now back to godly status as far as windows system administration goes.. not to mention I am now back up to speed on the latest processors and hardware)

So, getting back to ASP Photo Gallery...

I spent about 20 more hours this week on the new version of ASP Photo Gallery Pro.. I have another 40 or more to put into it as I have a lot I want to do.

I think it will be ready within the next three weeks. I know a lot of you have been waiting for something.

Actually it would because you would just count records for that user that are also active

and yes, users cant delete albums.. they can only turn them off which really means the albums lose their active status

only the admin can truly delete an album the way the code is
(that's just the way I did it for some reason.. I don't remember why)

Ok, I was not aware of this domain controller issue as I have never had a customer have their web server set up that way. It is not a common situation under commercial hosting, thats for sure.

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;3151 58

seems it was some sort of bug that was corrected in the the 1.1 .NET framework involving no ASPNET account being created. seems there are lots of work arounds involving making new accounts and editing machine config files. I found quite a few google articles as well.

http://www.kbalertz.com/kb_315158.aspx

http://www.15seconds.com/issue/030115.htm

I actually should have said "the framework installed" not "asp.net"

So, in the meantime I am asking John Evans what he thinks about this and I am going to ask you what version of the framework you have installed ? ASP.NET Framework 2.0 is the newest and you definetely should be running at least version 1.1 and probably should upgrade to 2.0.

I do not know why other ASP.NET code you have works ok. Your other code may not be using the odbc driver dll the same way ASPProtect.NET does. There are lots of possible reasons. At the end of the day I think the basic issue here is still a low level configuration/permissions issue and it can be corrected from what I am reading. It just may require a bit of trial and error regarding local and domain accounts and editing the machine config files... etc etc

Ok, I started the database tables from scratch. I did everything using sql enterprise manager and query analizer..

Same thing happens... certain passwords just do not work.

So I did a lot of testing and I have come to the conclusion that this has something to do with the regional settings of that SQL server.

Here is an example.. see the screenshot below.

Username "admin" password "petepetepete"

The top query done in Enterprise Manager is valid and shows the user.

The bottom query is also valid but it does not show the user.

And that is exactly what is happening from the ASP codes point of view.

Now, this means that even though that encrypted password is getting saved to the databse correctly this particular SQL server just cant deal with it from a QUERY.

It works fine on two different SQL servers that I have. It's just got to be something regional related like unicode characters not being dealt with correctly or something odd like that.

I tried changing the collation data for the "Password" field type on that SQL server and it looks right. I don't know what else to do but it is something about that SQL server. There may be a way to change the regional setting through the connection string but I cant find any articles on that right now.

One solution I have for you to get this working there is to eliminate the encryption factor then I dont think you will have these issues.

It's either that or find another SQL server with US type settings or use MSAccess. ASPProtect runs nearly as fast on Access as long as you do not have over 10,000 users or whatever. The system hardly ever accesses the database so it performance under MSAccess is always good.

Let me know what you want to do. I can shows you how to eliminate the encrypytion factor if you want to try that. I think if I make you a custom version of the RC4 function you can just replace that and then the system will use plain passwords.

Your call..

Which page should a user see next after completing a Paypal transaction?  Where do I set that?

Nick

at this point I would say install a fresh untouched copy in the web in a different directory and lets see if it acts weird from scratch.. the we can go from there.. I dont know what is going on

Now that I think about you may very well be able to use the existing login_form_inc.asp page

the header and footer files for the users area may be ok as well.

probably the smart thing to do is try your old ones and compare them to the new and see if everything you need is there. If not add it by looking at the source html and comparing.

All other files should definetly be replaced with the new.

not really, aside from looking in paypal and manually adding each one for each user...

how many users are we talking about anyway ?

and were any of the users new sign ups from scratch because if they were and that field didnt get populated that is weird?

ultimately aspprotect does not use that field. I was just storing it for the sake of storing it... so its not a big deal but I would still like to figure out what is going on

removing the expiration dates from paypal subscripbers will be enough to fix the issue your having about them getting the expiration notifications

Everything seems to work fine and I thank you very much for you quick response!!!

I have a very weird problem.  At the top of the page, where there used to be

[Place Ad] [Classifieds Home] [Register] [Sign In]

now there is only

[] [Classifieds Home] [Register] [Sign In]

so the words "Place Ad" have disappeared completely.  Can you please tell me which file in which folder would control this

You would carefully use the built in features of access to import/export data.

The password for our databases is noted in the documentation. It's pretty hard to miss really. You can also see the database password by looking at the connection string info.

different versions may be different but it is usually "temp" minus the quotes

I did not make a mistake.. what I typed is what I meant to say. I think maybe you are taking it the opposite way as I explained it.

Regardless,

What you want to do... logging them in under https and then having them continue though the site under http is not possible.

It doesn't work that. way. As far as the webserver is concerned https is a totally different site than http and each have their own unique set of application and session variables.

In a sense no different than www.somesite.com is different then somesite.com (each has their own unique set of application and session variables as well).

Now, because of the nature of Forms Based Authentication session varibles created under one will not carry over to the over and thus no password access if you switch over from a secure url to a non secure url.

If you want them logging in under SSL you need to keep them under SSL.

That is not to say there is some ultra complex scenario to mimic the session variables on the non secure side of things (possible with a complex http post to a non secure page from the scure page telling it what variables to create and set), but doing so means a ton of work and also has security concerns of its own.

And I'm the one who finds those rarities!   I'm not surprised. 

Oh well...this should be interesting trying to get an 80 year old man to change his password.

Thanks for your quick responses Chris.  This is still an awesome membership system!

Mick

Ok nevermind that... i got by that wasn't paying attention...

The problem is even before this which i didn't know until now.

I placed the protect tag in a page i called members.aspx

When i go to this page is says ACCESS DENIED etc etc etc.

When i go to login to view this page i get the error..which i DIDNT know because i assumed it was working. This is the error im getting:

Server Error in '/MAP' Application.

---

The resource cannot be found.

Description: HTTP 404. The resource you are looking for (or one of its dependencies) could have been removed, had its name changed, or is temporarily unavailable.  Please review the following URL and make sure that it is spelled correctly.

Requested URL: /map/users/aspprotectlogin.aspx

btw it says /map because that is the subfolder within the root folder

no, that system only works with ASP.NET code.

Currently it can not possibly work with classic asp.
PayPal made it a nightmare to use and work with.

Special things regarding the signing of digital certificates also need to be installed on the web server so if it isn't your server your also out of luck.

Thanks very much for the quick reply.

That sets my mind at ease

I was just worried if users would see warnings in their firewall software too.

I realize that the admin would have to have to go through some errors...

And since we are throwing things in here... Definately, if you have your own server you need a Hardware Firewall and a Managed one at that. The internet can be pretty dangerous for business if you don't.

Plus, I agree Black Ice although in it's heyday a few years ago was considered great. It is not suitable for todays standards alone even for the normal user (But, it is required by the company I work with for VPN. I think it's stupid too using old technology. I have 2 more firewalls setup besides that just so that I do have some security. And, that's just for my PC)...

Thanks 

When that link is clicked on it will then track the click and redirect the user to the “link url” specified for that banner. 

The system actually generates the necessary ASPBanner URL for you. That link is shown on the banner edit screen.(you must save the banner at least once and come back to that screen to see the link though) 

Really the best way to show it is with an example as seen below.

Basically the flash banner file "powerasp.swf" highlighted in green needs to be edited to link to the banner redirect url which is highlighted in red.... the banner redirect url will then track the click and ultimately send the user to the Link_URL highligthed in blue.

All banners systems work this way when it comes to flash files.
It’s the nature of flash and the web browser, 

The flash source code must be edited to link to the redirect url in the ASPBanner system. There is no possible way any banner system can track a flash click unless the flash file links to the banner system 1st.... because that click is handled by Flash and the web browser. 

In some cases if you do have the original source file for the flash banner then you are out of luck as far as tracking clicks goes.



On a side note... if you create flash banners the way this article says you can actually feed a .swf flash file a link for it to click to. Instead of it being hardcoded.

http://www.macromedia.com/resources/richmedia/tracking/desig ners_guide/index.html

This is really the way everyone should design their flash banners from now on because the url it links to can be easily changed at any time without editing the flash file source code. 

<!-- Web.Config Configuration File -->

<configuration>
    <system.web>
        <customErrors mode="Off"/>
    </system.web>
</configuration>

<!-- Web.Config Configuration File -->

<configuration>
    <system.web>
        <customErrors mode="RemoteOnly" defaultRedirect="mycustompage.htm"/>
    </system.web>
</configuration>

After I approve someone's username and password, then go to send them the default e mail telling them of the approval, the e mail never goes through.  The e mailing used to work well for many months, but it stopped working.  Any thoughts?

Spider

One is for paypal subscriptions (recurring billing) and the other is for single payments

http://support.cjwsoft.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=185& ; ; ;PN=1

http://support.cjwsoft.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=186& ; ; ;PN=1

You can delete any of the 3rd party payment directories you are not using including the the 2checkout one... (all those folders really are is a copy of the users folder specially modified to handle a certain payment processor)

Just Don't delete the "users" folder though as there are things you do there that you can not do anywhere else..  quite a few things..  editing existing account info, looking up passwords... etc etc

you have to check the session variables for groups a little differently.. info on that is here

http://support.cjwsoft.com/code/moreinfo198-1.htm

I just moved servers and now my "code" ads are giving me errors...

"google_ad_width" is undefined.

I have tried adding the width and height... taking it out.. all the basic stuff.

Any ideas?

TIA  

The Double DIM needs to be removed for this code to work properly.

<%
Dim BannerZone, BannerConnectionString, BannerDatabaseType, ConnBannerSystem
Dim CmdCheckUser, CmdGetConfiguration, App_Name, Config_SQL, BodyTag, BanDataConn
Dim CmdBannerTemp, CmdGetZones, ZoneString, ZoneArray, ZoneIndex, CmdUpdateWaiting
Dim CmdUpdateExpired, CmdRetrieveImpLimitedAds, CmdRetrieveImpressions
Dim CmdUpdateImpHit, CmdRetrieveAds, CycleBannerTotal, CycleList, NewCycleList
Dim Dim LoopBanner, CycleLoop, CycleListArray, CycleListArrayIndex, BannerCycleData
Dim Banner_Array, CurrentBanner, NewCycleListArray, Banner_Array2, LocationIndex
Dim Stop_Processing, Keep_Processing, CmdUpdateStats
%>

Well I have the web hosting tech looking into the memory issues at this point.  Unfortunately I don't have another machine to be able to run the asp on that would run it correctly so that I can just publish it over.

Triple check the upgrade instructions because I think you missed something important.

line 227 on "/password_admin/save.asp" refers to the "Password" field

the error your getting most likely means it is not there..

Pay close attention to the areas in the upgrade instructions regarding renaming your existing "Password" field to "Old_Password"

Then making a new "Password" field and carefully following the instructions needed to convert your old passwords for use with the new system.

If you don't everything carefully and perfectly this is the sort of error you will get.