[Forum] test forum control panel issues with plugins

[ggsinc]

I created a test forum on a separate database to test plugins and packages before installing on my live site. Everything turned out fine. The entire forum, cms, blog functions all are operating perfectly on the new database. Looks just like the real forum.

I started uploading plugins. The only one that worked was the VSA Chatbox, a simple xml upload with no control panel menu addition. All of the others (VaultWiki, THS Wiki, v3arcade, addonchat - each added and uninstalled one at a time to test) create unusable control panel sections. I can see the menu for them, but when I click on any item in those menus - I get Internal Server errors. Nothing shows up in the error logs that gives any clues.

I've run through the forums and tried all kinds of fun stuff, adjusted all of my settings in the options and double checked my .htaccess and config files to make sure nothing is going awry there. All looks good.

Any ideas why the plugins won't show up on my admin control panel?

[Biker]

Plugins designed for vB3 should not be used with vB4 unless the author specifically states it will work. vB3 plugins normally will not work with vB4.

[ggsinc]

All of the plugins that I've installed stated they were for my specific vB install (4.0.3).

I'm almost tempted to try the plugins on the live version and see if I get the same errors. I suspect it may be something that I did or something that I didn't do when I made the test copy of my site. I worry, though, that if it isn't specific to the test version that I will screw up the live version.

Hoping someone has seen this before or has a fix for plugin errors in the admin control panel.

[Lynne]

Did you check the permissions on the files you added?

[ggsinc]

No, am I supposed to?

[Lynne]

Well, if you aren't seeing them, the first thing I would check is to make sure the files are readable.

[ggsinc]

Yes, they're readable.

[Lynne]

If you are getting internal server errors when trying to view those files and you have verified the files are readable, then I would talk to your host about the errors as they may have some server permissions set too tight.

[ggsinc]

In case anyone else makes the silly mistake I made, I thought I'd post the solution to this problem. Following recommended security measures I changed the name of my admincp folder to something different for my site (let's call the new folder name changed_name_admincp). So when I uploaded each of the plugins or products, and they added content to the admincp folder, my vB wasn't even looking for a folder named admincp anymore. My vB is looking for a folder named changed_name_admincp.

I changed the file name from admincp to changed_name_admincp in the plugin upload folder before uploading. Now my plugins are showing up just as they should.