Running the first time SMF

[EWL]

SMF Version: SMF 1.0.7

I have SMF forum on my site for couple of months, but never had enough time to study it and to run it. Before that I started with phpBB, but change it for SMF HOPING it is really "simple". But for me it was equally enigma.

My questions are really "simple", and I hope to get equally simple answers:

First: I have created about 20 new Categories, but they do not show up at all in SMF Forum! There's NO ONE category, except that one which created SMF! How's that possible and where is mistake?

Second: How I can change date? I couldn't believe I was not able to do that "simple" task, after I have created whole big website??? It is true however, that I don't know anything about PHP and other languages, except HTML and something about Java Script.

Third: How I can change banner and put on top of EVERY SMF PAGE banner of MY website (instead of SFM)?


FOURTH: I HOPE that one day ordinary people would be able to create fully functional website FOR COMMUNICATION WITH OTHER BEINGS ON THAT PLANET, without high knowledge about "ROCKET SCIENCE" of programming languages. Why is need that? Imagine if people should know first HTML, mySQL, ASP, XHTML and so on...in order to communicate over the Internet and just SEND E-MAIL? That's ridiculous. All technology have to be simple, so child can use it, not such complicated! Technology IS NOT self containing goal. It should serve TO SOMEONE i.e. to wide audience that CANNOT be (by default) computer savvy (or "geeky"). And why should be, anyway??? Should we all be engineers in order to use automobiles, for example?

[!Hachi!]

1.forget to add board in category don't you?
2. date or time? well you can change time  look for  Overall time offset   in edit features and options.
3.asked 1000 times.......here we go again           http://www.simplemachines.org/community/index.php?topic=48519.0
4. i leave this to SOMEONE so wait for this

[EWL]

Hi Hassan!

Thank you for your prompt answer!
I do not have time waiting to see if everything you told will actually work. so I just want to say you thanks and hope everything will function. Even this script for putting banner looks to me messy and complicated, maybe I could make it.
When I am done, I am going to tell you (and others). 

[!Hachi!]

glad to see it.feel any probz feel free to tell.

[H]

The SMF docs might help you out

[EWL]

glad to see it.feel any probz feel free to tell.

Hi Hassan!

I did make a forum functional, as per your advice: adding the boards. You can check it out at my website: hxxp:www.earthweblink.com [nonactive] , then click on "Forum" (top left corner of any page).
I have added a banner at ONE page, but it should be on every one! So, what to do? It should be one page that doing it generally (I guess: "Settings.php"). I tried but failed. "Index.php" will probably give result only for first, index page. How to resolve that? Also, how to change other settings, like colors, according to my taste - without going to a totally different template?
There's  many enigmas for me to resolve working around SMF. I admit that I am a newbie with php, but with the right guidance I can do that.

Also, all that work is useless without people posting their comments in here?
It is also big discouragement for me. It seems nobody have desire to use my site's forum even hxxp:earthweblink.com [nonactive] is quite well known in Canada (or I just have to believe that according to different statistics, like hxxp:whozontop.com [nonactive]). I am expecting around 60,000 hits this month, that is among better.

You can see the site by yourself and make judgment.

To admit, I have had clash with "Gooooooogle" on very beginning (last year) just
when I started the site and it seems that it costed me dearly. Quarrel was about their "AdSense" program, like they had it before with many sites and companies. Since then, I noticed drastic fall in hits and visits (about half). But I am striving locally, hopping they will forget me and leave me alone. It's a typical company with monopoly who thinks they have planet in their hands and can do whatever they want with people without consequences.

Sorry for bothering you (and others) but all of this is actually part of Forum "business".

Thank you for help.

[!Hachi!]

banner------>               well in forum edit  index.template.php   it will show on every page.

[Dannii]

Have a search for the basic graphics FAQ.

[EWL]

banner------>               well in forum edit  index.template.php   it will show on every page.

Hassan, I am sorry, but I did not see in "forum edit" anything similar to "index.template.php". Did you mean I should go into Forum as an Administrator and do it from there (I don't see how?) or I have to go into my website's database? But, even there I didn't see " index.template.php", only "index.php"

Secondly, how I can upgrade current SMF version 1.0.7 to SMF 1.1 RC2 ?

Thank you everyone for help.

[!Hachi!]

i meant go to forum/YOUR THEME THAT YOU WANT TO EDIT/index.template.php and edit it and add banner there.
                   and upgradtion simply download smf1.1rc2 upgrade package and upload all files to your server yes OVERWRITE and after uploading everything  go to you site and run upgrade.php like yoursite.com/upgrade.php                hope everything will be smooth.

[EWL]

i meant go to forum/YOUR THEME THAT YOU WANT TO EDIT/index.template.php and edit it and add banner there.
                   and upgradtion simply download smf1.1rc2 upgrade package and upload all files to your server yes OVERWRITE and after uploading everything  go to you site and run upgrade.php like hxxp:yoursite.com/upgrade.php [nonactive]                hope everything will be smooth.

Hello community:

Hassan, unfortunately I couldn't run upgrade 1rc2. After uploading on server I did not "overwrite" anything. I simply got another folder. When I tried to run files from that folder, I failed.
Any advice?

[Oldiesmann]

You need to extract the files on your computer and upload them via FTP to the same folder that your forum is currently installed in.