very very VERY poor documentation !!!!!!

[baijianpeng]

I tested this Gallery2 bridge today. I am very disappointed to see that there is nothing helpful to guide me how to install this component and make it work.

Yes, I can install this component since it is really a standard component. But then when I try to click the config on the Gallery2 component menu, there is a message saying : joomlalib must be installed first.

What a shame !

No one told me I must install Joomlalib first to run this component. There is NO readme.txt, there is NO guideline on the welcome page when this component installed successfully. It seems that the author is just waiting there to say: hey, you made a mistake !

Ok, I follow that link (it even was not set to open in a new window) to the TRAC page on this site. My god ! There is no direct link to download this Joomlalib ! The worse is, I even don't know What the hell is this Joomlalib !! Is it a plugin ? Is it a module ? Is it a component for Joomla ? Or is it a 3rd party program need manually installation ?

Shit !

Finally, I found a download link on the Browse Source page. After downloaded, I still didn't know what is this joomlalib and how to install it !!

It cost me about 2 hours to understand all of the above which you can describe it clear in about 500 words in a readme.txt or on the welcome message page after the bridge installed.

I can't believe that. What are you expecting we users to do to understand such a complicated procedure ? Can't you just make it easier ?

To avoide other people experience the same grateful things, I list my steps here:

1. Be sure you had installed Joomla 1.0.x successfully.

2. Be sure you had installed Gallery2 program under the same domain but in a seperate database successfully.

3. Download the Joomlalib compoennt as a zip archive from http://trac.4theweb.nl/joomlalib/bro...s/joomla_1.0.X (you can find the "Download in other formats" at the bottom of the page)

4. Install the Joomlalib component.

5. Install the Gallery2 Bridge component.

6. Go to backend menu Components -> Gallery2 -> Config to make settings.


Hope you can correct this stupid idea by insert something helpful to the welcome message or add a new readme.txt.


--
JoomlaGate - Chinese Joomla Users' Portal

http://www.joomlagate.com

[paulleeson]

I had no problem at all with installing the G2 Bridge, works perfectly.

I would also say I am a newb with Joomla.

Also if you had paid money for this mod I could understand your anger.


Paul

[dartagnan32]

Hello!

just to check, are you sure gallery2 and joomla have to be in 2 different databases?
usually for synchronizing users and getting good integration you must use the same database, I am surprised it would be different with gallery2

thanks in advance

[Kai]

Hello!

just to check, are you sure gallery2 and joomla have to be in 2 different databases?
usually for synchronizing users and getting good integration you must use the same database, I am surprised it would be different with gallery2

thanks in advance

Hi,

the user sync will work on both conditions.
I prefer to install Joomla and G2 in different databases (on the same Server of course)

@baijianpeng
I've made a description here:
http://www.gallery-addons.com/Galler...ding_Gallery2/


Best regards,
Kai

[mike801]

Dear baijianpeng,

I find your message extremely insulting and ungrateful. So you had to spend two hours to figure out how to make it work for you... how many hours do you think developers have spent on writing code and testing it? A whole lot more than two hours! The least you can do is invest a little of your own time to make it work for you without ranting about it.

Please don't come here and write this kind of stuff. Post questions respectfully, and be grateful this software is made freely available. You'll be surprised how good the free help is. I've had a good experience with the gallery2 bridge, and appreciate those who do the real work writing code and testing it, and those who provide help in this forum.

Sincerely,
Mike

P.S. The gallery doesn't have to be installed under the same domain. For example you could have your joomla at http://mydomain.com/ and your gallery at http://gallery.mydomain.com/, and the bridge component can still wrap it. I've done this with some of my installs.

[Rick Sneed]

So you find the post from the guy above insulting? When I imagine he he was a little insulted himself as well when he though that he was getting a nice stress-free component installation only to find that he had to spend hours running down some side component that is needs to make the first component work.

I love Joomla and it many wonderful components and modules. What a wonderful world Joomla developers have created! But when someone puts up a extension with poor instruction that takes hours or days to try to get working or hours more trying to undo the damage it does to their site, then your the problem, not someone who is trying to use your extension. Why does Gallery 2 Bridge need JoomlaLib in the first place. If it needs it, why isn't it put into the component? Better yet, why not just explain to everyone how to find and install JoomlaLib? I have installed dozens upon dozens of extensions and most al work just fine. I have had more trouble with this that any I can remember. There are no explanations, suggestions, tips and anything that would provide direction. Nothing to indicated how impossible this process can be.

I know I am sounding off a bit much, but this path goes both ways. I very much APPRECIATE it when someone creates a little marvel --component or module -- that makes Joomla even more wonderful that it already is and I am more than happy to pay for extensions that work well. But my time is just as valuable as yours and you shouldn't wast my time by having me run all over the web looking for this and that program.

[databaseninja]

I guess I'm in camp of really appreciating the work done in many areas of Joomla, components, etc. Much of the time the work is taken for granted, doesn't pay well. and you have people wanting things for free.

I guess that's why I might be in the minority who support commercial development of components. I'm willing to pay a reasonable cost of supported tools and support. I've been burnt many times by great looking components/modules that have died out because the developer finally had to pay their rent and didn't have as much time supporting these projects.

That said... I had Gallary 2.01 installed and the old bridge for Gallery working. I decided to back everything up and upgrade to Gallery 2.2.2.

The result is a successful Gallery upgrade but a complete disaster when trying to get the bridge to work with it. Apparently now I have two additional components that are required now and I'm having trouble installing either of those because of some interdependancy and some note saying to 'combine' them so I can subsequently install the gallery bridge component.

I'm just trying to politely say that as a fairly technical person (not a programmer but I've gotten around fairly well) I have never had so much trouble getting something to work and such an incredible amount of difficulty finding documentation in one place saying 'here is how you do it'.

If you have the documentation in once place of how to get BSQ Sitestats (seems to require JoomlaLib), JoomlaLib (errors with a missing file and a notice in the forum said to combine with BSQ Sitestats) and Gallery 2 Bridge I would really appreciate it.

Otherwise my two options are to move away from Gallery as an album... or more likely just not integrate it in the particular site that uses it since it is not really required.

Again... I appreciate your work but if you want all of your work really appreciated you will need to make it less of a torture to get it to work.

If you have a good summary of how to uninstall all three components and start over I will give this one more try. But I've invested about 2 - 3 hours of my life that I cannot get back doing this and I'll just bow out if this is as good as it's going to get.

Best regards,

[databaseninja]

Hoping this will help others... my system environment is not working perfectly yet (cannot switch pages in gallery or look at individual pictures) but I'm sure this will be overcome with some further investigation.

I was able to successfully install all three components.

1) Uninstalled all three components and deleted the folder on the web servers for them

2) Obtained the components from: http://www.bs-squared.com/wp/2007/02...joomlalib-131/

3) Installed BSQ Statistics first, then JoomlaLib then the Gallery Bridge.

I have the Gallery Bridge 2.0.14, JoomlaLib 1.3.1 and and BSQ Statistics 2.2.3 installed.

So it appears to install and 'work' but I have some issues to now work out when I get a few minutes. But I got past the major bottleneck I was having.

[cferd]

Hmm. When did BSQ Sitestats get into the picture as a requirement for the G2 Bridge?
I don't have that component and never had it, yet never had major issues with G2.x, G2 Bridge 2.0.14 (which DOES require JoomlaLib) and Joomla 1.0.12.

[databaseninja]

I misread a thread here while trying to get the bridge working. I had Gallery 2.0.1 installed with an older bridge and everything was working fine... with OpenSEF running, etc.

I upgraded Gallery to 2.2.2 and that is nice... seems to have a performance boost. Enough that I am not considering going back the the version I was running. Then I entered the 'adventure' of having to add the JoomlaLib component. The previous location in this thread where I got the components was great because they actually worked together.

Anyways... I was happy for about 5 minutes when I got JoomlaLib and the Gallery bridge installed and then things weren't working correctly with SEF enabled.

Based on what I'm reading I'm probably going to bag the bridge and just have the Gallery be stand alone. Then I'll look for another Gallery product that is integrated with Joomla.

What had seemed to work fine now seems to be a hassle. I'm sure it's me having medium skills... but after dealing with Mambo/Joomla for a few years now this rises to the level of too much trouble for what it's worth.