Land Down Under is a CMS, a Content Management System.
It's a dumb machine, made of PHP files that reads and stores datas in a MySQL database, and sends those datas to clients as HTML pages, with the help of skin files (also called "templates").
The key features are :
Apache is the most well known and recommended, but any other serious HTTP server should work.
LDU should work with most of older 4.x PHP version, but if your host still have such a rusted thing, please consider the move to a more "up-to-date" server.
Any version younger than 2 years should be enough.
But recent version of MySQL are recommended.
... the most common is Geluri colorate neon.
There's no auto-installer in LDU on purpose, this to force you to have a basic knowledge of such a tool.
If you're planning to run a PHP/MySQL website without a database manager, expect troubles.
Required, if you're lacking this, please consider the reading of HTML tutorials before running a website.
If you're able to open a file with a text editor, and then able to put few values at the right place without messing the rest of the file, it's fine, you can consider yourself as enough-PHP-experienced-for-LDU.
Important: Since version 500, LDU is not an open source software product anymore.
Ownership rights and intellectual property rights in the LDU software shall remain with Neocrome. This software is protected by copyright laws and treaties. Title and related rights in the content accessed through the software is the property of the applicable content owner and may be protected by applicable law. This license gives you no rights to such content. Authorisation to remove copyright notices can be obtained from Neocrome for a one time fee, see below.
By default, LDU is distributed under this licence.
This free licence do NOT allow you to remove the copyright notice in the footer of all the page produced by LDU (The link "Powered by...").
You are free to modify the source code for your own use, modified source code may not be redistributed.
If you site is commercial and so making profits, you'll have to order a "LDU Commercial Licence", please see Neocrome Services here.
This Commercial Licence allow you to remove of the footer copyright notice ("Powered by Land Down Under...").
This licence authorises you to remove the output of copyright notices, it does not give you authorisation to remove any copyright notices in the script source header files nor any other rights.
You are free to modify the source code for your own use, modified source code may not be redistributed.
If your website is not making profits, but you still want to remove the "Powered by LDU" link, you can order a "Copyright removal" at Neocrome Services.
You may:
- Customise the software's design to suit the needs of your own web site.
- Produce and distribute modification instructions, skin packs or language packs provided that they contain notification that it was originally created by Neocrome. The modifications instructions you personally create are not owned by Neocrome so long as they contain no proprietary coding from Land Down Under.
You may not:
- Use LDU for illegal activities.
- Reverse engineer, disassemble, or create derivative works based on LDU for distribution or usage outside your website.
- Distribute LDU without written consent from Neocrome.
- Permit other individuals to use LDU except under the terms listed above.
Technical support will not be provided for third-party modifications to the software including modifications to code, skin packs, and language packs to any license holder. If LDU is modified using a third-party modification instruction or otherwise, technical support may be refused to any license holder.
Land Down Under is provided on an "as is" basis, without warranty of any kind, including without limitation the warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose and non-infringement. The entire risk as to the quality and performance of this software is borne by you.
Please see the history pages at LDU's home.
Download and extract the latest version from www.neocrome.net (and here only ! Any other distribution is illegal).
Open the file datas/config.php, and fill up parameters about your MySQL database.
Do not change settings that you do not understand yet !
Please notice that most of the request for technical support are caused by erroneous settings or typos in this area. So if get an error message saying that LDU or PHP cannot connect to the database, first check that the host name, database name, user name and password are ok. If you have a doubt, ask your hosting provider for the correct values.
LDU can manage an unlimited count of skins (HTML layouts), but one is usually enough.
The default skin is set in /datas/config.php, by default it's "pandora".
Do not upload the folder /docs, its not required by the engine.
'CHMOD 777' folders (to allow files writing, do this with your FTP client) :
/datas/avatars/
/datas/thumbs/
/datas/tmp/
/datas/users/
Open a MySQL remote manager (PHPmyAdmin is the most famous).
Select your database, then in the tab 'SQL' create tables with the SQL script : docs/ldu-createnew-800.sql
(With the button 'Browse', point to the location of the file on your computer, then run the script with 'Go')
Open your home URL with a browser, select 'login', then 'register', to create your account, and once done, log-in.
Note that the first user to register is automatically activated and assigned the highest level available (Server-op, 99).
When logged-in, go to the administration panel, tab "extended plugins".
Open all the extended plugins one by one, and at bottom, click "Install all".
Note that if you're not planning on running old LDU plugins, then then installation of the plugin "Wrapper" is optional.
Not working ?
Bad luck, so restart from the beginning and follow the steps carefully, and if after this second try the result is the same, head for the LDU forums, there's several pinned topics about common pitfalls, issues and troubleshooting. Please put your website in your profile there, so the helpers can see the problem "live".
Run /docs/ldu-upgrade-800-to-801.sql with phpMyAdmin to update the database.
This will simply change the version number the "801" in the database, nothing else.
Replace the existing core files :
/system/*.php
/system/core/*.php
/system/core/admin/*.php
OR if you made some changes in some core files, there's a list of the files that were updated since v800 here.
IMPORTANT :
You do NOT need to upload a new skin, you simply have to upgrade your own skin, see the instruction later in this manual.
You do NOT need to replace files in /datas/, apart if told to later in this manual.
You do NOT need to replace any of your existing plugins, apart if told to later in this manual.
Upload the 9 images :
system/img/bbcodes/style1.gif
system/img/bbcodes/style2.gif
...
system/img/bbcodes/style9.gif
Replace the files :
plugins/extended/recentitems/recentitems.php
plugins/standard/whosonline/whosonline.php
After the line : <!-- END: FORUMS_SECTIONS_ROW_CAT -->
Add : <!-- BEGIN: FORUMS_SECTIONS_ROW_SECTION -->
Before the line : <!-- END: FORUMS_SECTIONS_ROW -->
Add : <!-- END: FORUMS_SECTIONS_ROW_SECTION -->
Added the word "Reset" in /system/lang/uk/main/main.lang.php.
No other changes !
Manuals about the creation of a fresh v801 lang pack or the upgrade from an older version are available at the LDU's home, in the section :
Online Documentation > LDU > LDU manual > Localizations and language packs
Bugtracker
History page
You'll have to run all the SQL upgrade scripts from your version until the v800, those scripts are available online here.
Once done, upgrade your old skin, apply all the changes 1 by 1, the upgrade manuals are also available online here.
Note that for both the skin and the SQL database, you can directly skip the step between v603 and v604.
As sample, to upgrade from LDU v525 to LDU v701 :
525 --> 601 (SQL upgrade + upgrade of the core PHP files + skin upgrade)
601 --> 602 (SQL upgrade + upgrade of the core PHP files + skin upgrade)
602 --> 603 (SQL upgrade + upgrade of the core PHP files + skin upgrade)
603 --> 700 (SQL upgrade + upgrade of the core PHP files + skin upgrade)
700 --> 701 (SQL upgrade + upgrade of the core PHP files + skin upgrade)
701 --> 702 (SQL upgrade + upgrade of the core PHP files)
702 --> 800 (SQL upgrade + upgrade of the core PHP files + skin upgrade)
800 --> 801 (SQL upgrade + upgrade of the core PHP files + skin upgrade)
Upgrading a very old skin can be a long process, so you should consider the replacement by a fresh official skin...
- Online manual, general configuration, FAQ, articles, etc.
- LDU forums, to meet other LDU webmasters, and technical support.
- Licence and services, to order specific LDU services and support Neocrome.Net
Feedback and comments are welcome in forums at www.neocrome.net
Please do not email or send private messages to request technical support, use forums instead !
Olivier "NEURO" C. - Coder and designer, Neocrome administrator
Wouter "Inno" V. - Additional coding
Garry "Rieger" R. - Additional coding
Daniel "riptide" T. : Additional coding
Mikko "Arkkimaagi" T. - CSS guru and Textboxer
Thomas "schneebi" S. : Technical support
Geoffrey "Viral Byte" B. - Additional coding
Jukka "nOxiOu$" H. - Forum moderator
Sazanov "Antony" A. - LDU Russia
Dawid "SDK" P. LDU Poland
- Zarkof - Original design of the country flags.
- Our donators.
- The Neocrome clients and licence holders.
- And the LDU zoners for contributing and supporting LDU !
Please see this page.