/Tutorials/ Create your own dating site (Part 1)
07/07/2006 | Filed under Develop > Tutorials
With PHPizabi you can create a social networking site with messaging and chat features. Karl Hodge shows you how…
There are three things people will pay for on the net. The first two are web hosting and gambling, the third is anything to do with sex. No, this Masterclass isn’t about building your own porn site – we’re looking, instead, at the more sedate side of the industry: dating and relationships.
Last year, internet dating went thoroughly mainstream with match.com advertising its wares on the TV and the UK’s datingdirect.com promoting its site on billboards the length and breadth of the country. For entrepreneurial types there are good and bad points to this. It’s good that internet dating no longer has the social stigma it once attracted and that lots of people are willing to give it a try. It’s bad that so much of the market is concentrated around a couple of prominent sites. So, in this situation, how do you make a dating site that works? The answer is to look for a niche market, offer a different experience and learn from the mistakes your competitors make. Social networking and community building is now key. This all sounds simple enough, but none of this advice is actually very useful unless you have a script to power your web site.
Setting up the application is, on the other hand, a fairly straightforward task if your server meets all the requirements. You’ll need PHP 4 support and MySQL 3 or greater. Your server will also need to be able to dynamically load ionCube loaders at runtime, or have ionCube decryption already installed.
In this Masterclass you’ll install PHPizabi from scratch, tweak the configuration and administration settings, set up accounts and finish up with a bit of choice customisation. When you’ve finished, you’ll have a site that you can spend hours tweaking and refining. And, in your spare time, you can plan what you’ll do with all the money you’ll make!
TUTORIAL 1: Preparation
Step 1: PHPizabi is a large and rather complex set of scripts. The main files are encrypted (so you can’t take a peek inside and see what’s going on) and there’s some potential for things to go wrong. With that in mind we’re going to tread through this installation in baby steps so you’ll be able to create a chat site like dogmeet.net |
Step 2: Log into your remote host using an FTP client. In Windows, you can type the FTP address of your server directly into IE’s address box. If you’re not prompted for a username and password, right-click in the window when you connect and choose ‘login as’. Type your username and password into the dialog. Leave the window open. |
Step 3: Because PHPizabi is such a large file, it’s best to upload it piece by piece. If you’re still on dial-up, you really need to get yourself a broadband connection. In your web site’s root folder – the folder where you usually put your web pages – right-click and choose ‘New Folder’. Rename this ‘phpizabi’. |
Step 4: Find the file PHPizabi_0.415b_R3.zip on this issue’s CD and drag it over to your hard drive. Extract the file to a place where you’ll easily be able to find it again – the desktop’s a good choice. In Windows XP all you should have to do is double-click on the zip archive and choose Extract All Files. |
Step 5: Open the extracted folder PHPizabi_0.415b_R3, where you’ll find a second folder with the same name. Open that, too. Select the folder ‘blocks’ and drag it to the folder ‘phpizabi’ in your open FTP window. When that’s finished uploading, drag the folder ‘gateways’ over. Continue to upload each folder one by one. |
Step 6: When you get to the ‘pages’ folder, return to the CD and find the file 0415bR3_sphfixHFP.zip. You’ll find an alternate version of the pages directory in there – upload that one instead of the one in the main archive. It’s important that you do this because it’s a security fix that needs to be adhered to. |
Step 7: When all folders have been uploaded make sure you drag the file ‘index.php’ to the ‘phpizabi’ folder in your open FTP window, or nothing will work. You can safely leave the *.txt files, though keep local copies should you need to refer to them later. There are a few more tweaks required before the installation. |
Step 8: You’ll need to set the permissions on four directories to make them world read/write/executable, starting with ‘userfiles’. In your FTP window, right-click on the userfiles folder and choose Properties. Tick all the boxes in the permissions matrix, then click OK. Repeat this for the includes, pages/cms and pages/search directories. |
Step 9: If you have command line access, or are able to issue UNIX commands through an alternate FTP client, change permissions on each folder using the syntax ‘chmod -R 0777 directoryname’. If you get an output execution error at the top of your pages later, you may have to set the includes directory back to 744. |
Comments
Bizzy / 11/09/2006 / 12:48
Where can I find a host that's free so I can try it out that supports sql and php??? HELP!!!!
Sajan Mukhi / 03/10/2006 / 15:44
i am feeling great to know things i was wondering for .
josh / 16/10/2006 / 19:53 / http://joshuawilliams.org
Does anyone know if this software very secure?
Ryan / 23/10/2006 / 03:09 / http://www.foxprofiles.com
The software is very secure. I've been using it for awhile, and have had the privilage to watch the newest version dubbed "alicia" grow in developement. It will be release November 7th, 2006.
Genuskbl / 24/10/2006 / 21:31 / http://www.afghandesigns.com
hey i love phpizabi so do alicia i have made like 100s of themes and installations of it.
so if any one was interested in buying a new theme or customizing it just contact me :)
Mal. P. Bailey / 27/10/2006 / 06:36
Hi All,
RE: ionCube loaders:
Are these strictly necessary? As a senior citizen pensioner, I'm a little concerned about having to pay out $$$ before seeing any return
Thanks in advance
Mal. P. Bailey
7 - 15 Walter Av
Mitchell Park
SOUTH AUSTRALIA 5043
Phone (+618) 8357-6575
Mal. P. Bailey / 01/11/2006 / 04:05
Have answered my own question. RE: ionCube loaders: They are free
Aurie / 08/11/2006 / 04:27
How do I get this software?? I am trying to build a dating website and I have no clue where to begin. Someone HELP me please!!!! aedwards747@yahoo.com
sam / 13/12/2006 / 09:57
just google phpizabi and you get www.phpizabi.net - it's open source which means you can download it all from the interweb.
Simon / 24/01/2007 / 10:47
I think you should read this:
http://digg.com/programming/PHPizabi_the_most_hackable_Dating_Script_on_the_Internet_2
Scott / 03/03/2007 / 23:40
Im not that great at IT or creating, but I want to build a website with members and chat facility, any one, know any companies or person who could build this for me? email me pls
Trikal / 09/04/2007 / 14:02
Can i publish this as my own website
Myrone / 04/05/2007 / 21:55 / http://www.angelfire.com/planet/petroflexx
Is the software shareware free to download? If so can you give me links to the download? or do i have to buy the CD??
Mathew Browne / 16/05/2007 / 13:18 / http://www.mbwebdesign.co.uk
I had always meant to get round to following this tutorial but never did. This first part appears quite straightforward anyway.
Tyler / 18/09/2007 / 17:44 / http://www.gfxatlarge.com
Just want to make everyone aware, that decides to download PHPizabi and use it for their site...
I've been researching this more, thinking about using it for a project that I'm working to develop, and came across a BUNCH of information saying that it's one of the more "popular," HACKED applications out there!!!!
Now, this goes to say, this is the first tutorial I've read so far on this site, so maybe in part 2 or 3 they HOPEFULLY explain what to do to increase your site's security, but just wanted to let everyone know how easy it is to hack!
