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Using & Installing OpenRealty:
- Download OpenRealty. Unzip the file.
- Create a new folder on your server.
- Configure and set parameters (explained below).
- Upload the contents of the zip file to your server.
- Create and configure your mySQL tables (also explained below).
- That's it!
Required to run OpenRealty:
- MySQL
- PHP 4.0 (If you're curious about what version you have, run the phpinfo.php script which comes with this release)
Configuring the files:
(you're on your own if you want to change aesthetic elements)
| File: |
What to change: |
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There is only one file that needs to be modified: |
| common.php |
//common include file
//mysql database setup
$user = "db_user";
$password = "password";
$db = "realestate_db";
$server = "localhost";
//OPENREALTY ADMIN PASS AND LOGIN
//CHANGE THIS!
$openadmin = "openadmin";
$openpassword = "openpassword";
//SITE INFORMATION
//used mostly for the email a friend function...
//but may come in handy elsewhere.
$baseurl = "http://www.yoursite.com/";
$yourname = "Your Name";
$youremail = "you@yoursite.com";
//number of properties to list at once:
$properties_per_page = 10;
//AGENT ADMINISTRATION
//use linefeed in description fields 'Y' or 'N'
$linefeeds = "Y";
//maximum number of imges for a given agent
$max_agent_images =1;
//can agents decide to feature a property? 'Y' on 'N'
$agent_feature = "N";
//INDIVIDUAL PROPERTY LISTING OPTIONS
//use yahoo maps? 'Y' or 'N'
$yahoomaps = "Y";
//use email-a-friend option? 'Y' or 'N'
$friendmail = "Y";
//maximum numer of images for one property
$max_images = 6;
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Configuring the database:
(If you're looking for a true primer on mySQL, this probably isn't the place)
- Create the database using this mySQL command from within the mySQL command line interface:
CREATE DATABASE realestate_db;
... this was impossible to automate, as some hosting services restrict the naming of databases.
- Make sure your common.php file is configured correctly (as defined above)
- Run the configurator by going to http://yoururl.com/admin/configurator.php
It should take care of all the configuration for you.
if not, you can do this by hand by typing "mysql realestate_db < ./admin/configurator.sql" (without the quotes, of course). It is highly recommended that you remove configurator.php, configurator.sql, and upgradasaurus.php from your site when not in use.
Frequently Asked Questions:
I'm running an older version of OpenRealty. Can I upgrade?
Absolutely. Just run the upgradasaurus.php program in the admin folder. It should upgrade your database.
You should not lose any data in the process, although you will have to re-upload images.
Can you redesign this program to work as a general classifieds ads program?
I get this one a lot. It's possible that someone could, although I've optimized it to work
specifically for real estate listings. The same general principals would certainly apply, though.
Is this program really free?
It sure is. My landlord is a nice guy and a reasonably intelligent individual, but he's not a computer guy.
Basically, he needed a convenient way to list properties on his website, so
I built this program for him. I couldn't see any reason not to release it to the general public, so I've done
just that. You are free to do whatever you like with it, but if you find it useful, drop me a line and let me know.
Are you planning further revisions on this program?
I am currently planning to do one further revision on this to convert the code over to Object Oriented
Programming standards. Users of the most current version won't notice any difference, I'm just going to
make the code a bit prettier.
Is it possible to add more than one picture to a listing?
Yes! You can put HTML into your preview description and full description. Just link to images from there
like you'd link to any other images.
There are a whole bunch of fields I don't care about -- i.e. MLS#, agent, neighborhood, etc... can I get rid of them?
If you leave those fields blank, no information will appear. As a user, you'd never know they were even there. Play
around with it to see how it works.
I want to customize OpenRealty -- what advice do you have?
Make a copy first. I've tried to make OpenRealty really easy to play with, if you're so inclined.
'Course, I am also available to do various types of custom coding as well, so if you need those kinds
of services, send me email. That said, if you're familiar with
HTML, take a shot at customizing it yourself. I've documented a big chunk of the code, so it shouldn't
be too hard to figure out what various pieces do. Although several people have suggested that I integrate
some kind of template system into OpenRealty, I decided against this. The user really only sees a handful
of actual pages, so it seemed kind of silly. In browse.php and propview.php, I've marked
the placement of the header and footer parts of the HTML. Happy hacking!
No offense, but I don't like your browse.php page. How can I link to specific queries within the database?
None taken. Feel free to experiment with code you appropriate from that page -- it's there as an example. Here are some cut and paste examples of how to structure searches:
A guide to the files:
logout.php -- this is ends your session, so you can log in as another user. Handy for troubleshooting problems.
emailpass.php -- if a user puts in the wrong password, they need their password sent to their email address
propview.php -- the main property viewing script. views both multiple listings and single listings
accountedit.php -- allows users to edit their own accounts
common.php -- shared file that hosts many of the global settings
addagent.php -- allow users to add agent listings
agentadmin.php -- allow users to administer their listings
agent_image.php -- pulls the image of an agent out of the database
browse.php -- sets up the various ways to search the database
agentdisplay.php -- displays information about a given agent
friendmail.php -- allows users to email information about a listing to a friend
image.php -- pulls an image of the house out of the database
index.php -- the main index page. includes a sample of how to integrate featured listings
installation.php -- html-formatted installation instructions
openrealty_readme.txt -- this file.
admin/admin.php -- the main administrator tool. allows a single user to edit all properties
admin/agenteditor.php -- allows the main administrator access to all agent data
admin/configurator.php -- the main setup tool. should automatically set up openrealty
admin/upgradasaurus.php -- upgrades an older version of openrealty up to the newest
admin/phpinfo.php -- when in doubt, run phpinfo.php to reveal details about your system and setup
images/equalhousing.gif -- the equal housing icon found in the bottom left corner of the sample
images/nophoto.gif -- the example "no photo available" image
templates/user_bottom.html -- bottom part of the sample template
templates/user_top.html -- top part of the sample template
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