This document will give you step-by-step instructions how to configure FlexWindow Enterprise Server. At the end of these instructions you will have an up-and-running setup with one content area (flexwindow) ready to be updated on your web site. From there, you can start to integrate other content area's into the same or other web sites.



1. Before you begin

1. Create an e-mail account
You will need a flexwindow e-mail account. This is a separate e-mail account that the program uses to read updates from. If you run your own e-mail server, you may create a new account there. But any other e-mail account will do as well. Make sure the account is being used for FlexWindow only. FlexWindow Enterprise Server will check this account for new updates. Content updates you make should be sent to this e-mail account.

2. Install FlexWindow Enterprise Server
If you have not already done so, install the FlexWindow Enterprise Server program on a computer that has a permanent connection to the internet. This can be at the web server you run your web site (this has the advantage content can be copied without using FTP, we will explain this later), or any other computer with internet access, separate from where your web site is hosted.

Next, we can configure the software itself. During this process, we will create a first flexwindow that is integrated in a web site. Once you have gone through this process, you will be able to integrate more flexwindows as needed into your web site.



2. Configuring FlexWindow Enterprise Server


2.1 Configure General Settings

First, lauch FlexWindow Enterprise Server. You will see the Activity page. It will probably tell you the service is not running. That is fine, the server can be activated later.

From the menu, select "Server", then choose "Settings". You will see the settings as in figure 1.


Figure 1

POP Account
Here, settings will be made that enable FlexWindow Enterprise Server to check and read the e-mail account you are going to be using for FlexWindow.
Host: List the mail host where you will be checking mail here. Suppose your account is flexwindow@company.com, your host would be "company.com". It can also be just an IP number like "213.44.5.19".
User name: This is the user name of your mail account. If the address is  flexwindow@company.com, put "flexwindow" here.
Password: The password that goes with your account name.
Check mail every: FlexWindow Enterprise Server regularly checks for new updates. This settings enables you to control how often to check for new updates. To keep the system responsive, we recommend checking each minute.

Error Messaging
If a problem occurs during content processing (like a missplelled flexwindow name, or a mail that is too large), FlexWindow Enterprise Server can notify the user that his content update was not processed. The user then knows that something has gone wrong and can take the appropriate action. Flexwindow Enterprise Server does this by sending an e-mail to the user.
Administrator e-mail: most likely, your own e-mail address. This address is used when "Send error notifications to the administrator" is marked, and enables the administrator of the server to be notified as well when a problem occurs.
SMTP server: the host where mail can be delivered. This can be your own e-mail server or any other valid mail host, like a provider mail host.
AUTH user name: if your SMTP host uses authentication for sending out e-mail, you can give in the user name here.
Error Message Subject: All error notifications will be sent with a subject. You can type in the text here for that subject.
Send error notifications to the administrator: If marked, this e-mail address will receive all error notifications to users.
Send error notifications to users: If marked, the user will be notified when a problem has occured with his content update.

FlexWindow Process
Maximum mail size: FlexWindow Enterprise Server can refuse e-mail that is too large to be processed. This enables you to keep the load on your system down by ignoring large mail, and enables you to protect your web site(s) from too heavy pages that load slowly. By default this is 300 kB.  

With these settings all made, the first part of configuring FlexWindow Enterprise Server has been completed. Click the OK button to confirm the settings. You will be returned to the Activity page. What remains, is setting up and configuring flexwindows.


2.2 Configuring flexwindows


Figure 2

First, choose the FlexWindows page. You will see the flexwindow list (figure 2). All flexwindows you create are listed here. This list is where you create new ones, edit existing ones and delete obsolete flexwindows. The following text explains how to create a flexwindow, configure it and create a matching flexwindow on a web page.

First, click on the New button to create a flexwindow. The flexwindow settings window pops up (figure 3).


Figure 3

General
Active: If marked, the flexwindow is active. This means that the software will process content updates for this window.
Window name: The window name you like to give the flexwindow. This example uses "flexwin1". Use letters, figures and underscores only.
Windows password: Choose a password to access this window with. This example uses "password1". Use letters, figures and underscores only.
The windname and window password will be used to refer to the window when sending a content update via an e-mail. They are put in the subject line of the e-mail (Subject: flexwin1, password1).

Data Transfer
There are two ways in which FlexWindow Enterprise Server can publish content to your web site: by a normal file copy to a directory, and via FTP. When using FTP, you need FTP to be set up at your web server. Whatever your choice might be, you need to decide on a location where Flexwindow Enterprise Server can store content. This location should also be reachable via the internet. In the example used here we will use "//server/sites/site1/flexwindowcontent/". This directory is reachable via the internet through "http://www.site1.com/flexwindowcontent/".
Use FTP to transfer data to web site: choose this when using FTP as content transfer method.
FTP Server: The host name or ip address to the FTP server of your web site.
FTP User Name: Fill in the user name to log into your FTP account.
FTP password: the password that goes with the login name.
Use passive mode: By default, this is turned on. If your FTP server doesn't use passive mode, turn it off. If you do not know what this means, leave it on.
FTP Path: This is the relative path to the location where you want to store the flexwindow content. If you login to your web site, you probably are already in some location other than root, like "//server/sites/". Suppose your content is stored in "//server/sites/site1/flexwindowcontent/". The FTP path in that case would be not the complete path, but the path relative to where you are when you log in. In this example, that is "/site1/flexwindowcontent/". An FTP path should always be led and trailed by a forward slash ("/site1/flexwindowcontent/" rather than "site1/flexwindowcontent").
HTTP path: This path is the HTTP equivalent to the FTP path. It is needed to reach the content from a web page. In our example, this could be "http://www.site1.com/flexwindowcontent/". Always carry a trailing slash here.
Use file copy to transfer data to a hard disk location: choose this when the web site directory can be reached directly from the machine where FlexWindow Enterprise Server is installed. Thiks is typically the case when you run FlexWindow Enterprise Server from the same server you run your web sites.
Path: This is the full path to the location where you want to store the flexwindow content. For example "//server/sites/site1/flexwindowcontent/".
HTTP path: This path is the HTTP equivalent to the FTP path. It is needed to reach the content from a web page. In our example, this could be "http://www.site1.com/flexwindowcontent/". Always carry a trailing slash here.

Web page
This section displays the script line you need to incorporate in your web page, at the location you want the content to appear. This is learned in the next section. At this moment, copy the script line so we can use it later on.


2.3 Incorporation flexwindows in your web pages

The last step is to incorporate the flexwindow in your web page. To do that, edit the web page where you want to set up a flexwindow.

What you need to do, is simply add a single line of HTML code to your web page (the one you have copied earlier). The HTML code should be embedded in the <body> section of your web page. This line of code points to a JavaScript file that contains the current FlewWindow content. The JavaScript file name corresponds with the name you have assigned to the FlexWindow, and has a ".js" file extension.

 

Example:

<html>
<head>

<title>My Homepage</title>
</head>
<body>

<script src="http://www.site1.com/flexwindowcontent/flexwin1.js"></script>

</body>
</html>

The line in blue is the flexwindow you should add. It points to the content location you created earlier. It refers to the correct flexwindow "flexwin1.js". This fill will be created by the flexwindow process. Until you update this flexwindow, this file does not exist yet.



3. Testing your configuration

First, we will test our settings. Then we will send a first content update.


3.1 Testing the general settings

Go back to the general settings by opening Server|Settings.

Under POP account, click Test. A dialog will appear, saying "POP account checked succesfully. Number of messages: 0". If it does not do so, adjust the POP account settings until the account can be properly checked.

Under Error Messaging, click Test. A dialog will appear, saying "Ready to send message...". Click OK. A message will now be send to the administrator account. Check to see if the message reached your mail box. If so, FlexWindow Enterprise Server can send e-mail.


3.1 Testing the flexwindow settings

Next, go back to the flexwindows page and select flexwin1. Doubleclick to get the settings. Click Test FTP. You will get a text box saying "Trying to log into FTP server", click ok. Next, it should say "Login succesfull". If it does not, then your user name or password might be incorrect. (Correct them and try again.) Next, a text box saying "Attempting to change path" indicates that a path change to the FTP path you have given will be attempted. If succesful, it will display the message "Change path succesfull. FTP settings checked. All Ok". The content transfer settings have now been checked and are working. If not succesfull, change the FTP path and try again.
 

3.2 Sending an update

To update a particular flexwindow, you need to know the flexwindow name ("flexwin1"), its password ("password1") and the e-mail address to send updates to (flexwindow@company.com).
In your e-mail software, create a new message. Send the mail to the flexwindow e-mail address (flexwindow@company.com). Put the window name and password in the subject line of the message, separated by a comma. Put the content you want to sent in the body of the message. See figure 4 for an example.


Figure4. An e-mail update.


3.3 Activating the server

Now we are ready to activate FlexWindow Enterprise Server. Go back to the Activity page. From the menu, select "Server", then "Start FlexWindow Engine". The server will now check the e-mail account at regular intervals to see if an update has been sent. Click "Do POP check now" to check immediatly. The server should now process the e-mail update you have just send. You can follow the process in the Log section.

This completes the FlexWindow setup. Now you can start to create multiple flexwindows and integrate them into your web site.