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Integrate phpBB3

Load the last version of phpBB, copy and unpack it on your server. I changed the name of the directory where board is placed to "forum". Then go to your homepage and install the board by calling http://www.yoursite.com/forum (forum - is the name of directory where your board is placed). Choose install and then press "Proceed to the next step". After a short check if server requirements are fullfilled you can proceed to the database configuration. Place the same database info you have used to install CMS Made Simple, but do not change table prefix.

Proceed until you see the page "Administrator details". You have to type credentials for admin user. As we have already created the admin user with installing iCMSUser module provide here exact the same information. In my case username is master. It is important to use the same username as the nickname in iCMSUser module. While synchronizing user iCMSUser module will look for user with the same name in 3rd part application. If found both user accounts will be connected, if not a new user will be created in 3rd party application.

Login into phpBB after installation. Go to Manage groups and figure out what ID the group "Registered users" have. You will see the ID if you point with mouse to Settings and watch the url. Last digit in url will tell you ID for the group (in this example the ID is 2):

It's time to put all required information into admin panel of iCMSUser. Go to "Manage Applications" and select the tab for phpBB3. Provide:

• path - directory where your board is installed
• user group - the ID of user group where registered user have to be added after registration
• table prefix - it is 'phpbb_' by default. If you did not changed it to something else you do not need to change it here either.

Activate the integration.

Now you have to connect the admin user of phpBB with user already created in iCMSUser. Assume you have created user in iCMSUser with nickname master. You admin user in phpBB has exact the same username master (!). You can synchronize and connect the both now. Again go to admin panel of iCMSUser, choose "Manage Users" and click on the blue button with question mark beside edit and delete button on the right side of the table. Then click on "Synchronize user" link and iCMSUser module will connect the both user to one login. You can see the connected accounts if you click on blue button again. Log out from your board and try to login using iCMSUser login page. You have to be already logged in board. After logout on CMS page user is also logged out from board.

Next test: Register new user and check if he is created in phpBB too.

Disable registration on board

User have to register with iCMSUser module so we have to prevent registering directly in board. Go to Administration Control Panel, choose "User registration settings" in navigation to the right and disable "Account activation".

Redirect login page

Now we have to prevent direct login into board. We have to be brought automatically to login page of CMS instead of phpBB login page. You have now to put some code in phpBB. This code is already generated for you in iCMSUser Panel. Go to "Manage Applications", choose phpBB tab and copy the code at the bottom of the page.

Open file ucp.php in your board directory and find:

case 'login':

Place the generated code after this line.

Find line:

case 'privacy':

Place the generated code after this line.

Find lines:

// Only registered users can go beyond this point
if (!$user->data['is_registered'])
{
if ($user->data['is_bot'])
{
redirect(append_sid("{$phpbb_root_path}index.$phpEx"));
}

Place the generated code after this line.

Disable user account fields

"User account fields" are username, password, email - all the information we gather in iCMSUser. So we have to prevent this fields from changing directly in forum otherwise login will be broken. Go to Administration Control Panel, choose "System" and "User Control Panel" in navigation to the right. Go to "Profile" and disable edit account settings.

Remove login forms from board

If user logs in with original login form of board, he will enter the board but not other integrated applications. To prevent such behavior we have to delete login forms from the board. Normally you delete the forms in your templates. Check this files:

• index_body.html
• overall_header.html
• login_body.html

Now we are going to integrate Blogging Platform Lifetype.