First steps, installing BIF.

Download BiF from http://bif.lunix.com.ar Read INSTALL file.

BIF installation can be made in diferent ways: manual instalation, from the makefile or using packages. These could be RPM(Mandrake), DEB(Debian), TGZ(Slackware), Euild(Gentoo).

BIF3 has two differnt operation modes. It depends if it will be used with only one application, or with multiple applications in the server. BIF3 installation directory is called $sys_dir and the application dir is called $app_dir.

Manual installation:

tar xvfzp bif3-[version].tgz cp -a bif3-[version] instalation/dir/

Using makefile, BIF3 will be installed in /usr/share/bif3-CVS and will create a symbolic link /usr/share/bif3.

tar xvfzp bif3-[version].tgz cd bif3-[version] make install

In Debian packeges, BIF3 installs in /usr/share/bif3, libmenu support for documentation located in /usr/share/doc/bif3, of course manpages ar in /usr/share/man/es/man3. Package php4 is requiered for instalation.

dpkg -i bif3-[version]-all.deb

Slackware's .tgz files are installed with installpkg. Use removepkg for removing. Installation dir is /usr/share/bif3. Man pages are in TGZ las cuales con installpkg, removepkg etc. Se instala en /usr/share/man/es/man3 and documentation in /usr/share/doc/bif3

installpkg bif3-[version]-noarch-1.tgz

As expected .rpm packages will install bif3 in /usr/share/bif3.

rpm -ivh bif3-[version]-noarch-1mdk.rpm

Once installed, either using packages or other types of installation, you have a unctional copy of bif3 in /usr/share/bif3 for MULTIPLES applications

To test BIF, download 'bif3-site' or examples from http://bif.lunix.com.ar/download.php Configuration file is bifConfig.inc.php. You could need to set bif3 installation directory (variable $sys_dir) default is /usr/share/bif3. Database connection, authentication SQL table and other options.

Besides bifConfig.inc.php there is skins.txt for skin configuration. Skins are configures with a list of search priority. Widget's templates are search from the last Skin to the first one (usally SkinDefault).

# *********************************************************** # file 'skins.txt': Archivo de configuracion de usuario # ----------------------------------------------------- # # Este archivo contiene la configuracion de los skins. # Estas estan listadas en el orden a ser incluidas. # las mismas deben existir en # "$sys_dir/Skins/$skin.php" # o # "$app_dir/Skins/$skin.php" # # *********************************************************** # comentarios? join bif-devel@listas.lunix.com.ar # *********************************************************** Default #Alvear #Aqua #Avina #Classic #Eos #FSM #Gleducar #Helius #HeliusGray #Ihuro #LinuxV #LinuxVa #Lunix

Note: this list Skins are available in version 0.3.7. SkinDefault will be the last case, when searching, all others Skins

There is also another configuration file: mapping.txt, which is used to configure components. This will be explained in later tutorials.

# mapping.txt - maps logical names to components and thier parameters # # format: # logical_id:Component[:Observer.Stub[,Observer.Stub...]] a_auth:IDM_auth(insert) m_auth:IDM_auth(modify) a_news:IDM_News(insert) m_news:IDM_News(modify) a_links:IDM_links(insert) m_links:IDM_links(modify) u_file:FileUpload(incoming) u_img:ImageUpload(uploaded-images) wiki:SimpleWiki(wiki/;IndexPage;600)

For your information, a_links:IDM_links(insert) will be the IDM_links component (located in $sys_dir/Components/IDM_links.php) and the logical id is 'a_links'. To include it in a .bif file,

<BifInclude SRC="component://a_links"/>

This is just an example mapping.txt, probablly yours will be empty.

Original Spanish version: Sergio (linuxvarela_at_yahoo.com.ar).

Tranlation to (poor) English: Nicolas D. Cesar.