findinsite-js configuration screen General section

Introduction

Use the General section of the findinsite-js configuration screen to do these jobs:

Display the current work directory
Try a test work directory
Enable findinsite-js logging
If necessary, turn off results caching
Change the config screen password
Enter a license id

Once you have made any changes, click on the Make Changes button to effect the change.
To remove a value for a field, replace the existing value with a space and press Make Changes. However, to remove the password, click on the special "remove password" link.

Partial screenshot of the online configuration screen General section:

On First Use

When you use findinsite-js for the very first time, the General section will display the following prominent heading to tell you what to do...

Welcome to findinsite-js

findinsite-js is currently searching its own documentation, using search database fisjsdb in your work directory.

Your tasks:

Check that the Work Directory, below, is OK for storing all the findinsite-js data files.
Set a password for these configuration pages.
To set up your own search, click here to index your web site and tell findinsite-js to use your own search database.

Work directory

Before you start testing findinsite-js, it is important to check that the findinsite-js work directory is in a suitable location.

findinsite-js uses a work directory to store all its configuration information and search database files. It is important that this directory is secure from unwanted direct access, while still being available to findinsite-js. It is also a good idea to make sure that this directory is not wiped accidentally, eg if you update the findinsite-js runtime to a newer version. Finally, it is also a good idea to backup the contents of the findinsite-js work directory regularly.

Once the work directory is set up, all configuration changes will be stored so that findinsite-js will remember them even if it (or the Java servlet engine) is stopped and restarted.

The configuration screen General section displays the current work directory. If this is not suitable then you need to change the work init parameter. See the init parameters page for advice on how change the work init parameter; or see the detailed instructions for the server types shown on the right:

Apache JServ
Apache Tomcat
BEA WebLogic Server
Borland Enterprise Server
IBM WebSphere
Macromedia JRun
Sun Java System Web Server
Sun Java System Application Server

Try a test work directory

If the current work directory is not suitable then you must make a suitable (new) work directory and change the work init parameter.

The Test work directory field of the General section lets you prove that your new directory is usable by findinsite-js. (Some directories may not be readable or writeable by findinsite-js.)

Enter your test work directory name and press Make Changes. If it is usable, findinsite-js will display a message list this:

Working directory D:\Tomcat5.5\FindData can be used.
Please alter the work init parameter to use this directory: D:\Tomcat5.5\FindData

Enable findinsite-js logging

By default, findinsite-js logs various details of its activities to the servlet engine log file. If you want to stop this, uncheck the Logging box and press Make Changes.

See your servlet engine documentation for instructions on how to locate the log files. Some servlet engines just have one huge log file. Others have one log file per day.

Note that in some cases you will also need to enable logging in the servlet engine; only your webmaster or ISP may be able to do this.

Results caching

Normally findinsite-js saves the results of a search so that if a user returns to display another sheet, then the results are already there and can be returned to user without having to search again. This is known as results caching.

findinsite-js uses Java servlet session variables to cache user results. In a very few cases, eg when two different instances of findinsite-js are set up on a server, then the results caching may go wrong, eg the results in one instance may be used in another. If this is the case, you may be advised by phdcc support to turn off results caching by unchecking this box and pressing Make Changes.

Change the config screen password

You are strongly advised to set a password for the findinsite-js configuration screen so that only authorised users can change the set up.

To change the password, enter it into the New password and New password repeat boxes and press Make Changes.

To remove a password click on the special "remove password" link.

Enter a license id

Once you have bought a license to use the full version of findinsite-js, enter the license id into the License id box and press Make Changes. This enables the full features of the software.