How to completely and safely remove modules from our web?

Regular Joined: Mar 10, 2005 Posts: 90

Dear all,

Since previous versions of PHP-Nuke and RavenNuke(tm) provided a backup routine that could be accessed from the Administrative Control Panel (ACP). In testing for the RavenNuke(tm) 2.20 release we found that (a) the program had serious bugs that produced invalid backup data and (b) in most server conditions, due to the expansion in the number and size of the MySQL tables, the backup process could not be run successfully therefor i think i would like to remove that 'Backup DB modules'/hyperlink from Administration Menu to make it 'clean' from my view:p

Since i thinked bout this, let say how bout if i also want to take out completely/with a good step for several modules such as Advertising, Encyclopedia etc from our web/Administration Menu panel, so how i can proceed it?

Thanxs

registered · Posted: Sun Mar 15, 2009 11:02 pm

Backup DB functionality has always been fairly broken. I suggest you use phpMyAdmin, it is much more reliable.

Posted: Sun Mar 15, 2009 11:05 pm

evaders99 wrote:

Backup DB functionality has always been fairly broken. I suggest you use phpMyAdmin, it is much more reliable.

Thanxs for advice evader99. Any idea to remove it permanently from Administration Menu? if can 'uninstall' at least i can remove/delete that typo/icon. May i know on which one file? Already searching line by line on admin.php but cant find or maybe i scare to delete a wrong code:p

Posted: Sun Mar 15, 2009 11:30 pm

May be I am missing the point here, but RN no longer includes the backup routine therefore if you are running the latest version of RN it should not be there. In fact I think it has been missing for a few versions now.

With regards to the other modules I would just leave them alone. Backup was removed because it just simply didn't work, there isn't that problem with the other modules so it is probably easier to leave them alone. Wink

Posted: Sun Mar 15, 2009 11:35 pm

jakec wrote:

May be I am missing the point here, but RN no longer includes the backup routine therefore if you are running the latest version of RN it should not be there. In fact I think it has been missing for a few versions now.

With regards to the other modules I would just leave them alone. Backup was removed because it just simply didn't work, there isn't that problem with the other modules so it is probably easier to leave them alone. Wink

Yes, that's not a related problem with others modules. Just i thinked at a same time i would like to remove permanetly a couple of modules that i will not use it permanently. At least can removely by typo/graphic from Administration Menu. HUhuhu i just want to keep modules that i will use it only.

Thanxs

Posted: Sun Mar 15, 2009 11:45 pm

The problem you will get is that every time you upgrade the old modules will be reinstated again.

Posted: Sun Mar 15, 2009 11:46 pm

jakec wrote:

The problem you will get is that every time you upgrade the old modules will be reinstated again.

That's OK as long as i know which part of code i have to remove huhuhu

Posted: Mon Mar 16, 2009 10:12 am

With regard to the backup ... we left the "shell" of it in place with the message that backup itself was removed as a communication device with users of older versions of PHPnuke and Ravennuke. We didn't want people puzzling about where it went and we wanted to put some suggestions into the backup screen about alternatives. Eventually we should probably remove it but it does no harm right now and may even help a few people who are wondering how to back up their files.

With regard to removing modules ... your mileage may vary. There are some modules which are more deeply linked into the core of Nuke than others. And to remove many modules you'd also want to get rid of their corresponding MYSQL tables. For instance the statistics tables are updated on every pass through mainfile, which means every time a page is loaded in Ravennuke. So if you deleted that module and removed the statistics tables you'd create a MYSQL error in mainfile unless you changed that too. Other modules you might be able to just delete the program files and not notice any problems. But the MYSQL tables would still be there and as Jakec said you'd have to modify the upgrade distributions every time to remove the module again.

Probably the best approach is just to deactivate the module in modules administration.

Posted: Mon Mar 16, 2009 10:19 am

If you just want to remove them from the admin menu just remove the associates links.php. They should be in the admin folder for the module or maybe in the main admin folder.

Posted: Mon Mar 16, 2009 12:55 pm

Palbin wrote:

If you just want to remove them from the admin menu just remove the associates links.php. They should be in the admin folder for the module or maybe in the main admin folder.

Thanxs

Posted: Mon Mar 16, 2009 1:54 pm

I have to respectfully disagree with my associate Palbin. Technically what he says to do will work ... remove the links.php. But just generally *nuke is not designed for for removing modules reliably. I'm not saying it can't be done but unless you really have an overriding reason you'd be better off leaving things alone. That's just one person's opinion.

Example: theme.php calls the function ads (from mainfile) if a variable called $banners is turned on. $banners is determined by a setting in the config table. I'm not sure where in the system that is set but if you have banners on and remove the advertising module and its tables you are going to generate a mainfile sql error. There's just too many dependencies like that to be willy-nilly removing modules. It would be better if there weren't so many "implicit" dependencies but it would be better if I was a multi-billionaire too.

Posted: Mon Mar 16, 2009 7:03 pm

Absolute thats correct ! I removed a time ago the GCalendar and had to comment out the entries in mainfile.php too and with the next upgrade the Calendar was back again.