CMS Made Simple Forums

I have just installed v. 1.2.3 and want's to ad new modules but get this error:

The modules folder is not writable, if you would like to install modules by uploading an XML file you need to make the modules folder have full read/write/execute permissions (chmod 777). Safe mode may also be in effect. (Troubleshooting)

I have chmod'et the directory to 777 but still get this error... How do I get past this?

Hello,

FTP or SSH ?
How do you chmod ?
How do you check the result of a chmod ?
Safe mode on or off ?
Which hosting context ?
Please describe morewant you are doing just before the error message (reproducing...)

Pierre M.

Hello,

thank you for answering most questions.
With "hosting context" I was refering to hosting provider, operating system type, version and settings, PHP version and settings... anything up to SQL version and settings.

Konweb wrote: Safe mode is on, and the host will NOT change it.

Safe mode is painfull. See http://wiki.cmsmadesimple.org/index.php ... quirements

Konweb wrote: we are punctly going through the installation PDF manual, but still error eccour.

Which "PDF manual" are you refering to ?

I'm pretty sure your issue relies on the safe mode on hosting context or some other server combination but not on CMSms itself.

Pierre M.

Because safe mode is in effect you will have problems with:

1) Installing modules via the module manager
2) Installing modules from XML via the form in Extensions >> Modules
3) Modules like News, Uploads or FrontEndUsers that support uploading files into a directory specific to the module
4) Creating directories and placing files in them using the file manager
    File manager may work somewhat, but if you create a directory underneath uploads in the file manager
    and then try adding files into it via the file manager, I think you will have problems.
5) Installing themes in the theme manager

In short, you will have lots of problems and that is why we do not support safe mode.  It's also why you will see that message and there is no way to disable it.

Read all about safe mode here:  http://ca3.php.net/features.safe-mode

but in brief, most php functions that operate on files or directories:

Checks whether the files or directories you are about to operate on have the same UID (owner) as the script that is being executed.

Now in most hosted environments you are given a username and password which allows you to upload files via ftp.  The files you upload and directories you create will be owned by that ftpuser.

The web server process is usually running as another user (apache, wwwuser, nobody, or something like that).  it's this wwwuser account that is executing the php scripts you uploaded to the server.

Now when the script tries to make a directory or create in a file in a directory, and safe mode is enabled the uid check comes in.  On some operations the test will pass (uploading a single file into the uploads directory for example).  However where it fails is on subdirectories.

Step 1:  Using file manager create a subdirectory called "test" inside uploads
              (the subdirectory will be owned by wwwuser but will succeed because the parent directory (uploads) is
              owned by ftpuser, and so is the script that executed it.

Step 2:  Using file manager upload a file into the new "test" directory
              This operation will fail.... because the directory being operated on "test" is owned by wwwuser, and that
              doesn't match the owner of the script: ftpuser.

This is why module manager, theme manager, xml file upload, and many modules will not work with safe mode.  They all create subdirectories and try to put files in the directory.

hi Konweb,

Instead of 'trying to find workarounds' for safemode, it is far easier to find a new host. There are a multitude of hosts out there and 90%+ of them support all the requirements needed to run cmsms http://wiki.cmsmadesimple.org/index.php ... quirements