AShop AShop V Getting Started

Get Started With

1

System requirements

AShop is a web application that must be installed on a website before you
can use it. It is written in the very common script language PHP and uses
a MySQL database as its backend, which is supplied by most hosting
providers.

In addition to PHP and MySQL the web server also needs to be able to run
the IonCube loader software. AShop is encoded with the IonCube PHP
code protection system in order to protect the copyright of AShop
Software as well as make the software itself more secure. It is a well
known fact that open source web applications are heavily targeted by
hackers. By protecting the source code we are also protecting your
website.

Unfortunately the IonCube loader is not always available by default on a
new hosting account. Some hosting providers will install it for you when
requested and many also give you access to your own PHP configuration
file: php.ini which means that you can install it yourself. In many cases
AShop can also install the IonCube loader for you through the dynamic
extension loading feature in PHP, if it is activated.

If you already have a hosting account you can run the AShop system
requirements check script on your site to check if your site meets the
requirements. You can download it here:

www.ashopsoftware.com/dlcounter

When you have unpacked the system requirements check script to your
hard drive you should upload it to your website. To do so you will need ftp
login information for your site: host name, username and password,
which should have been given to you by your hosting provider. You will
also need an ftp client software to be able to upload files to your site. If
you haven’t already got one you can download an excellent free software
here: http://filezilla-project.org/
Note: You should download the Client, not the Server software.

The process of uploading files with an ftp client will be described here
using Filezilla but is very similar in other software, such as WS_ftp or Cute
Ftp. When you have installed the Filezilla software and started it you
should add your site in the Filezilla Site Manager. Click the Site Manager
icon in the toolbar or open the menu File and click Site Manager.

To add your website, follow these steps:

1. Click the button “New Site”.

2. Enter a name for your site, for example the domain name or your
company’s name, and confirm by pressing the Enter key.

2

3. Enter the ftp host name of your site, usually your domain name but
the exact host name should have been given to you by your hosting
provider.

4. Change the “Logontype” setting to “Normal”.

5. Enter the ftp username for your site in the “User” field.

6. Enter the ftp password for your site in the “Password” field.

7. Click the “Connect” button to save your site and connect to it.

The Filezilla Site Manager

Now you should see the contents of your hard drive in the left area and
the contents of your website in the right area of the Filezilla window. In
the left area, navigate to the folder where you unpacked the AShop
system requirements check script. It should contain the files:
ashoptest.php and README.TXT and one folder named ioncube.

Navigate to where your publicly available content is stored on your
website in the right area. It is usually called public_html, www or
httpdocs. If you are unsure you should ask your hosting provider. If you
wish to run AShop from a subdirectory you can add it by right clicking in
the right area and selecting Create directory from the menu. Enter the
name of the directory and press Enter, then double click the new directory
to open it. If you install AShop without adding a subdirectory it will
become the default content your visitors see on your website.

Select the file ashoptest.php and the folder ioncube in the left area.
Then right click and select Upload on the menu. After a few seconds the
right area should contain those two items as well.

3

Uploading files in Filezilla

Right click the ioncube folder in the right area and select File
permissions. Make sure all the checkboxes are checked in the window

that opens and that the Numeric value box contains 777. Click Ok to
apply the changes.

Setting file permissions

4

The system requirements check is now installed and can be used. Open
your favorite web browser, such as Firefox or Internet Explorer. Enter the
URL to where the ashoptest.php script is located on your site. For
example, if your domain is mycompanyname.com and you put the script
in a subdirectory called ashop you should enter the URL:
http://www.mycompanyname.com/ashop/ashoptest.php

The page will list all the system requirements and let you know if they are
met:

AShop Compatibility report

Note: If your hosting provider offers the ability to create your own php.ini

configuration file you can most likely get around any failed tests by
tweaking your PHP settings.

5

Installation

You can download the full AShop V software at:

http://www.ashopsoftware.com/dlcounter

When it is downloaded, unpack the zip file using a software like Winzip
(Windows) or Stuffit (Mac). Make sure you remember where you
unpacked it on your hard drive.

To install AShop on your website you will need to prepare a MySQL
database for your site. This is usually done through a hosting control
panel. The steps to create a database will be described using the most
common one: cPanel. It is similar though not exactly the same in other
control panels.

1. Login to the control panel for your site, which you should have got
access to from your hosting provider. It should look something like
this, though the colors and graphics may differ:

The popular cPanel hosting control panel

6