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#10103 Web in development using "Joomla as an intranet" hack

Posted in ‘Admin Tools for Joomla! 4 & 5’
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Everybody will be able to see its contents. Do not include usernames, passwords or any other sensitive information.

Environment Information

Joomla! version
n/a
PHP version
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Admin Tools version
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Latest post by nicholas on Wednesday, 16 November 2011 14:17 CST

user49242
Mandatory information about my setup:

Have I read the related troubleshooter articles above before posting (which pages?)? Si
Have I searched the forum before posting? Yes
Have I read the documentation before posting? I don't beileve this is in the docs
Joomla! version: 1.5.25
PHP version: 5.2.17
MySQL version: Client API version - 5.1.58
Host: hospedajeydominios.com
Admin Tools version: 2.1.11

Description of my issue:


I use the "Using Joomla as an intanet" hack
while developing Joomla sites so my clients can get a look at the website while its being designed. I only have to create a registered user which gives them access to the site.
If the client has a simple old site (not built in Joomla, just basic html) I drop it on a folder named /old and upload a index.html file with this configuration:
<html>
<head>
<META HTTP-EQUIV="Refresh" CONTENT="0; URL=http://www.domain.com/old/">
</head>
</html>

Today I installed Admin Tools on some "still in development" websites and upon creating the new .htaccess I can't access the website using the registered user.
I tried fiddling with the "Force parsing index.php" and "Redirect index.php to the root" options inside the .htaccess creator, but I still can't get inside the website.
I can give you a live sample, but I'd rather tell you via PM or something (if that option is possible).

Thanks!

nicholas
Akeeba Staff
Manager
I believe that the problem lies with the login form's action. It should be index.php. What is your off-line template form's action?

Nicholas K. Dionysopoulos

Lead Developer and Director

🇬🇷Greek: native 🇬🇧English: excellent 🇫🇷French: basic • 🕐 My time zone is Europe / Athens
Please keep in mind my timezone and cultural differences when reading my replies. Thank you!

user49242
The form action is index.php:
<form id="form-login" name="login" method="post" action="index.php">

In the backend I see that the registered user (myself) has entered, but can't get past the "Joomla is offline" page.
If I use my SuperAdmin login and password I can enter the website, but it displays the "edit" icons which I don't want.

Any ideas?

nicholas
Akeeba Staff
Manager
In this case the problem is not with Admin Tools, it's with your Intranet hack. Admin Tools has not blocked the login (you see yourself as logged in). Not getting past the login page means that the user group ID check, what the hack was all about, is not taking effect.

And I have a good idea WHY this is.

In your post you say that you are using Joomla! 1.5.25 which was released just two days ago. I bet that you have not been developing the site for just one day before letting your client take a look at it, which probably means that you upgraded your site from an earlier Joomla! release, e.g. 1.5.23 or 1.5.24. Remember that what you had done was a core hack which means that it gets undone as soon as you... (drumroll) update Joomla! to the latest release. Maybe you just have to reapply your hack?

Nicholas K. Dionysopoulos

Lead Developer and Director

🇬🇷Greek: native 🇬🇧English: excellent 🇫🇷French: basic • 🕐 My time zone is Europe / Athens
Please keep in mind my timezone and cultural differences when reading my replies. Thank you!

user49242
AGH! You're right, I was going crazy...

Thanks Nicholas!

nicholas
Akeeba Staff
Manager
You're welcome!

And now, the obligatory motto: "When you hack core, a kitten dies". Now you know why ;)

Nicholas K. Dionysopoulos

Lead Developer and Director

🇬🇷Greek: native 🇬🇧English: excellent 🇫🇷French: basic • 🕐 My time zone is Europe / Athens
Please keep in mind my timezone and cultural differences when reading my replies. Thank you!

user49242
Well, I've killed around a dozen kittens then! :-)
It might be a bit off-topic, but I've always used this hack as I haven't found a better way to show my clients work-in-progress websites which are switched offline. Do you know a better solution?

nicholas
Akeeba Staff
Manager
The usual trick I employ is using a password protected directory for the Joomla! site (or, better, a subdomain!). When the new site is ready to go live, I just use Akeeba Backup's Site Transfer Wizard to move the site to the main domain's root and we're set. No hacks, no mess, no fuss. In fact, that's how Akeeba Backup (formerly JoomlaPack) began its life. It was a script used to pack sites for deployment. The fact that it could be used also for backups was an idea tossed by one of its first users, exactly five years ago. That's how he asked me to make the script into a component and, well, here we are today!

Nicholas K. Dionysopoulos

Lead Developer and Director

🇬🇷Greek: native 🇬🇧English: excellent 🇫🇷French: basic • 🕐 My time zone is Europe / Athens
Please keep in mind my timezone and cultural differences when reading my replies. Thank you!

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