I’m looking for a good availability calendar. For four plus rental properties and my client will need to log in and block out dates.
This one from phpjabbers demo works perfectly and is what I need
However there seems to be trouble installing it onto my host pkg.
I really need to fix this today and each time I have a problem it takes over 24hrs to get each answer so I need to move on and find an alturnative that I can instal quickly and easily.
What is the problem?
I downloaded the folder and followed instructions and added it using transmit FTP
BUT then when I went to install wizard to follow next steps it failed
The reason was
File wrappers are disabled for security reasons. This is usually because the dev is using file_get_contents. Contact the dev, they should use Curl instead. This should be a simple change.
I contacted them and they said:
The script also supports curl so if this is enabled you shouldn’t get an error. If you send us FTP access we could take a look.
I cant let them access because its an add on domain … I have asked fore further instruction … but my problem is that every tiny question takes over 24 hours to hear back … then I try / fail which leasd to another couple of days , I need to get it done and feel there must be an easier way! Ive been trying since last week and worried that another week will pass and I’ll still have no calander !
As @Kent says…: What exactly is the problem? phpjabbers offer a free installation service on your ftp-server, so why not let them do this for you? Also, maybe it’s a problem with your hosting company not fulfilling the requirements for the phpjabbers script…
Update: Ah, it seems we wrote at the same time… ;-) Yes, so it seems it is (at least for me) as I suspected: it’s something with your hosting-settings (correct me if I’m wrong). Never heard before of an “add on domain”… Hm, if you can ftp your site data to this domain, you should be able to give these ftp credentials to phpjabbers in my opinion. What’s the problem with this?
The problem is that the script is failing to instal properly
I dont unddertand about “dev is using file_get_contents” or "The script also supports curl "
I litterally dont know what that means. I host with Chillidog and trust them completely.
My problem at this stage is that even if I do allow phjabbers access to my domains (about 50 sites) I wont hear back for a few days … I really need to add a calander today!
The reality is here, even if you find another script that will work for you, you are more than likely looking at days to get it installed, up and running, and understand how it works. So, best to accept you are not going to have anything working “today”, and then focus back on the solution you have already purchased and know will do what you need.
The script you have from PHPjabbers works well. I posted such on the other forum (which I assume is also your post?). I use that script for clients, and also on one of my own sites to manage rentals for my own rental property. Likewise, the PHPJabber team are excellent. I use their scripts extensively, and they always offer timely and cost-effective support.
I suggest you ask Greg at Chili to make you a unique FTP login for the PHP chaps so they only have access to the script folder, then let them fix it or tell you what you need to do to the server to fix it.
For what it’s worth, it sounds like there is a missing dependency on your server. So it should be a quick fix. I have that script running on a couple of servers, all without issue. I do sometimes get issues installing their scripts, but it’s always been a PHP version or dependency issue.
Hi. Thank you everyone so much for your invaluable help and advice.
Greg was able to fix the issue. The calander is perfect for what I need, but was more complex to install than I had imagined.
I now have another problem! Maybe should post seperately but I’ll try here first.
I have built the site in Foundry and along side the availability calendar I have a Form Pro stack. So the person can contact to rent a property. My client has a gmail address. Apparently the Form Pro cannot be set up with Gmail … its another thing that must be set up by Greg and must be an email address connected to the domain name of the site.
This is a huge deal breaker for me … I would rather suggest to my client that they move house rather than move / setup new email on all their devices. Evven if they do get a new email set up … I do mot want to be the person who is blamed /contacted everytime the email gets screwed up for whatever reason.
At best I will have to hire someone to drive all the way out there to set up the email on desktop and phone etc. The client lives in a remote area in Ireland and Im in USA. Its just a big can of worms that I dont want to go near. Anyone know of how I can set up a simple form using the clients existing Gmail address?
Have you tried using gmail to send using your form. It may work. Alternatively you could try a different form stack.
You may also be able to forward an @yourdomain.com email to the users gmail address.
Just do a redirect from the e-mail Greg sets up to the google mail address. Otherwise use the SMTP function of Forms pro and enter the SMTP data from Google Mail…
Don’t redirect. It’ll send everything, including spam, this can cause problems.
The best solution I’ve come up with for this situation is to set up a domain based email. Then log into the Gmail account and have gmail get all mail from the domain email. You can do this in settings. You can also have gmail send mail via the domain email server, thus making the mail appear to come from the domain email account, not gmail.
I use this solution for lots of clients, and I use this setup for my own business email. Once set up it works well, and the client only has to add the gmail account to their devices.
Thanks TemplateRepo … Yes this is what Greg (@chillidog) suggested I do. It does sound like the only answer. However I had a completely sleepless night just at the thought of it.
I know that my client will not be able to go into various devices and set the POP email up to combo with Gmail. So it means me hiring someone to do this for them. No matter what its going to mean a minimum of whoever I find to do it … spending 3 hours in the car just to get there. All seems so crazy!~
But you said the client already has Gmail, so surely it’s already setup on devices?
That said, at some point clients need to take responsibility for, we’ll, stuff that is their responsibilities. And web devs need to know where to draw the line in their liability to thr client.
Yes they do have Gmail. But as I understand it they will then have to do this
I agree re client taking responsibility ! In this case I wouldnt have taken on the what I thought was very easy job … If I had realized it would mean me getting involved in email ! I have now got so involved that I cant back out. BUT every instinct is telkling me not to ! For me email gets too complictaed when im in USA and clients are in Europe. Chillidog is USA and dont offer phone support so it all has to be done by email … I have had people freaking out when their email goes wrong … I dont understand any of the tech stuff and it can take days of frustration to fix … and no $ reward! A lot of my clients live in quite remote areas and are not computer savvy. Me advising them on setting up email is like the blind leading the blind.
Solution is obvious. Get their gmail credentials m, log in and do the settings thing yourself. Although it’s extremely easy.
On the other point… I’m assuming you are charging for your services? If you have set yourself up as a website developer, sorting out email is part of the job. So just grit your teeth and dive in. It’s really not that difficult.
Another option is to outsource email to a third party. Have the client pay them directly, or add it to your invoice.
I handle my clients control panel email requirements (including Gmail integration) but out source enterprise level email (Office 365 etc.) to a company I partner with. They bill direct and handle all aspects.
I think you should stand back here and reassess what you are committing to offer vs their expectation vs what they can and can’t manage on their own.
I built a few sites with the Tokeet holiday rental system which I never really liked and advised aginst it. Those sites all converted over to Airbnb because of ease of use mainly. In my experience building a successful and easy to manage holiday rental site is a great deal more than using an availability calendar.
Based on your concerns about setting up email and having an issue with Gmail on your current server and RW solution, I think you should change course and built a site using a service along the lines of Lodgify or other similar service. The monthly cost is just 11Euros and 1.9% commission on bookings and the clients can monitor the whole thing on an app. I have no experience of Lodgify but it appeared in a search with many more similar services and looks OK on first impressions. May be worth a punt of an hour of your time to build a demo page and get a feel for it.
Here are some live sites created with Logify - 24 Beautiful Vacation Rental Websites Built Using Lodgify
This one is way over the top but a good example - https://brooklyn-cabin.lodgify.com
Or
You could provide the web building service to create the Lodgify or other site, and charge an ongoing support if they can’t manage it on their own.
Also, be careful with your current build becasue Googles Insights/Lighthouse is currently flagging up 8 security issues with the framework you are using. A holiday rental site with 4 properties could generate a significant revenue and any security issues getting flaged by Google may in the future influence search results and use of other services such as payment providers.
Using a service like Lodgify removes all these issue from you and the client and you can still act as the web designer.