README FILE FOR BIRCH 1.32 From View Software, http://www.view-sw.com/ For more information on Birch, go to http://www.view-sw.com/birch/ I. REQUIREMENTS - Apache 1.2 (with the ability to use .htaccess files) - Perl 5.8 This software may run under older versions of the requirements above, and even on non-Apache webservers, but this has not yet been tested. On any other type of server (Microsoft especially), it isn't known how the scripts will function. You may have to change the format of the paths to the various files that are read and written to. If you have success running this software on any non-unix server, please post a message on the forums. II. INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS 1. Unzip the file birch.zip and upload all of the files contained in the birch directory to your webserver. These files should be installed in the root directory of the webserver. 2. Make sure the permissions are set to 755 for /install/index.cgi. 755 is equivalent to -rwxr-xr-x. This can be set by entering this into the command line: chmod 755 instal/index.cgi 3. With a web browser, go to http://YourDomainNameHere.com/install/ 4. Follow the instructions to complete installation. III. UPGRADE INSTRUCTIONS Upgrading to Birch 1.3 or later from Birch 1.2 or earlier requires special care. DO NOT follow the installation instructions, as this will DELETE your current photos and captions. 1. Backup the file photos.xml from the cgi-bin folder of your server. This file contains all of the information for your posts. 2. Unzip the file birch.zip and upload all of the files contained in the birch directory to your webserver. Make sure that the folder called photos is not overwritten or deleted. 3. Copy the backed up version of photos.xml back to the cgi-bin folder on your server. 4. In a web browser, go to http://YourDomainNameHere.com/cgi-bin/upgrade.cgi This will automatically convert your old photos.xml file into the new format. 5. If you get a message saying the upgrade was successful, then you are done. It would be a good idea to delete the file upgrade.cgi in the cgi-bin folder. You should keep a backup of your photos.xml file from both before and after the upgrade. IV. CUSTOMIZATION INSTRUCTIONS Several aspects of the webpages created by these scripts can be customized. The files index.html and colophon.html can be edited however you wish, as long as the lines that call the CGI scripts are left intact. For those familiar with HTML and CSS, the layout and colors of the page can be customized by editing styles.css. The default styles can be restored through the administrator interface. If you use a photo size larger than the recommended 600 X 450 on a regular basis, you should edit the stylesheet to allow more space. Someone with an intermediate level of experience with CSS should be able to accomplish this. V. TROUBLESHOOTING If you experience problems with Birch, please check the Troubleshooting discussion board for Birch at http://view-sw.com/forum/ . If you believe are are experiencing a bug, please report it in the Bugs section. VI. CHANGELOG Version 1.32 - Released 2006.09.05 - Changed the license from GPL to BSD. Version 1.31 - Released 2006.01.02 - Fixed a bug that caused a photo to not display after changing the caption in the Edit tab. Version 1.3 - Released 2005.12.11 - Added the ability to have custom photo sizes. - Created a script that will update the photos.xml file to the new format, with and tags. Version 1.2 - Released 2005.07.10 - Created an RSS feed generator which automatically displays the last ten entries. - Fixed a bug in the install script that might cause it to not set the correct permissions. - Created a new template, Steel. Version 1.1 - Released 2005.03.19 - Created a new archive page which sorts by month and displays the 12 most recent photos. - Added navigation arrows overlaying the current photo. This feature does not work in IE. - Created a new template, Canvas, and updated the old templates to be more consistent across all browsers. - Fixed small bugs in the install page and the administration page. Version 1.01 - Released 2005.02.03 - Changed the CSS to eliminate several layout errors in non-Safari browsers. The pages should look almost identical on all modern browsers (Safari, Firefox, Mozilla, & IE6). - Modified the installation script so that it creates and sets the permissions for two photo directories. Version 1.0 - Released 2005.02.02 - Removed MD5 login and replaced it with .htaccess login. - Created an installation page that creates a new user and checks the permissions on all files. - Modified the administration page so that changing the username/password still work. Version 1.0 Beta - Released 2004.07.16 - Files created and tested. Posted on website. VII. LICENSE Copyright (c) 2006, Ross Harmes All rights reserved. Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions are met: * Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer. * Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in the documentation and/or other materials provided with the distribution. * Neither the name of View Software nor the names of its contributors may be used to endorse or promote products derived from this software without specific prior written permission. THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND CONTRIBUTORS "AS IS" AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COPYRIGHT OWNER OR CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE. This document is Copyright © 2004-2006 by Ross Harmes. All rights reserved.