pankoski

I “post-in” on this problem, not because I wish to contradict those whom have already responded, but to simply add the additional support reference for the possible benefit of the original poster of this issue.

The presence of IIs, and knowing that the default installation for PHP, in the Windows environment, does not, by default, specifically address the proper configuration of the PHP environment, to ensure the ability to send mail from PHP scripts – Along with the installation script’s dependency on such functionaility – for completion – is the reason for the post.

https://www.ads-software.com/support/topic/36925

Worked like a charm. Now, off to read the Codex to discover why….

The whole “the_loop” construct, heavily borrows from a language called Lisp – there it is known as the read-eval-print “loop”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Read-eval-print_loop

Thanks…moshu

A little more information…

StaticFrontPage plugin is activated.

Page is a permalink page. (maybe, then <!–more– is therefore not available?)

RIN and Default templates have different code in page.php

around the_content function all…

That all I got for now..

Pretty dang cool. The best part is that one can discern from the source code how to do it all.

Please keep sharing, and maybe put some “development” area on your web site so we can contnue to get all of the juicy details. it is very helpful for those of us whose coding stengths live in different realms, or in my case – different eras.

[soapbox on]

I don’t know about anyone else, but although the codex is the reference manual for all things, I have learned an amazing number of things in the context of reading other people’s problems.

I am certain, that it is a trying experience for some people to read what would otherwise be considered trite questions, and I am equally clear that the amazing flexibility of WordPress “framework” leads to completely different approaches to solving end-user problems – most of which are described here.

Every day, I read through these posts and become more confident that, I too, can eventually make a contribution to WordPress. In my view, It is this dialog which really distinguishes WordPress from other environments. I’m amazed that the architecture continues to have a sufficient flexibility that the line of differentiation between “our” code and “your” code are sufficiently blurred to create a truly innovative environment.

It reminds me very much of hacking LISP at the MIT AI Labs back in the late seventies. I know I was there. This is what make Open Source great – and its all happening right here in this forum !

It is a testament to the dedication of the authors, the community and the incredible WordPress environment itself.

[soapbox off]

Although, it won’t avoid the “hang” issue during installation, the prolific, and talented Mr. Scott Reilly has apparently broached the subject (in particular, the issues regarding authentication) by creating the wpPHPMailer plugin – which can be found here:

https://www.coffee2code.com/archives/2004/06/28/plugin-wpphpmailer/

Thank-you, Mr. Reilly.

She’s up and running.

Okay, then. The preceeding post’s information was helpful (Thank-you), if not completely comprehensive (where to comment, which scripts?). It points out a couple of things to be considered, if you’re someone who’s trying to set WordPress up in a local environment, rather than someone who is simply installing it on a remote host and then simply using it..

Like most installation issues, they tend to fade in importance, as soon as the matter is resolved, so they tend to be somewhat poorly documented, in resolution.

Okay – things that didn’t matter. IIS – I had tried using Apache, with no improvement and exactly the same symptoms.

Next, although the thought of commenting the PHP installation script may have seem appealing at first, the larger issue is why I should have to. Ideally, at least the installation should not “hang” relative to the presence of a working PHP function, especially since those of us who may be revising the environment, and even those of us who aren’t might want to keep a local copy to work on it, and then push it out to the site. Perhaps some code should be written into the installation script, to not require the use of the PHP mail function – or at least not hang if it times out.

The use of the function, is apparently to forward to the installer the administrative password in an email, which is also displayed locally (assuming no hang). The source of the hang, is in fact the configuration of the PHP mail function, described in detail here: https://us4.php.net/mail

The problem lies in that the PHP (not WordPress) scripting function more or less assumes the presence of an SMTP server, functioning in the executing context, which is less likely to be so on your development workstation, than on a hosting web server like Apache at some ISP’s site.

Thelocal solution is to modify the PHP.ini file, usually located in the C:\WINNT directory (W2K) such that it can somehow interact with the connected SMTP environment, whatever it is…

Once the function is working, the installation will also complete just fine. The extra snafu, is that in order to work seamlessly without the addition of some custom written code, written specifically for your mail client, let’s say Eudora or something, it requires access to a SMTP server which does not require authentication, since there is no provision within the PHP.ini file or syntax to specify a password to correctly initiate a handshake with your ISP’s mail server. (I hear a PHP enhancement coming on)

Fortunately, most ISP’s have at least one “open” SMTP server, which does not require authenticationm – usually hidden in plain view.

The pertinent parameters in the C:\WINNT\PHP.ini file are:

Section:

[mail function]

; For Win32 only.
; Non-authenticated email SMTP server – usually something named somethings like smtp.ISP.net or com
SMTP = smtp.isp.com

;Ususally smtp_port does not require changing, but some ISPs use a different port number to allow access for the unauthenticated access – to avoid spammers accessing them as a relay
smtp_port = 25

;Some address that does not get authenticated, usually anything is okay – ie: your real one… non-authenticated access might require it to be same format as one issued by ISP
sendmail_from = [email protected]

Anyway, assuming you get that working, there is no need to modify the PHP scripts associated with WordPress, although I would suggest the developers take a look at the installation code for future releases to see if the dependency can be removed or circumvented without ruining the beauty of the “5 Minute Installation”.

-Kindest Regards,
M. Pankoski