Out of the Park Baseball Fantasy Leagues Online Mod

[ootpFox07]

VERSION 1.0 FINAL HAS OFFICIALLY BEEN RELEASED!

This is it, the much awaited final release of the 1.0 version of this mod. This release has been thoroughly beta tested, patched, upgraded and is now ready for production release.The official release files can be downloaded from the OOTP Fantasy League web site from the main downloads page.

The official release thread features important notes about this release.

This is the final 1.0 release. If you happen to find any bugs, please log them in either our bug forum or via the online bug submission tool. Try it out, post your feedback, let us know if your league is running the mod and enjoy this alternative way to play OOTP baseball.

[Young Drachma]

Nice!

[ootpFox07]

UPDATE

Version 1.0.2 of this mod is now out and available for download.

The On Deck Circle • View topic - Beta Release 1.0.2

[hobbitrjw]

I would love to be able to do something like this,but the instructions are really confusing if you don't know much about PHP and such.

[ootpFox07]

Originally Posted by hobbitrjw

I would love to be able to do something like this,but the instructions are really confusing if you don't know much about PHP and such.

Hey hobbitrjw,
The mod is targeted for game owners and primarily online league owners who have a working knowledge of what it takes to run a web site and something like StatsLab or Getch' Utilities (from which the mod was born). I've tried to make the instructions and the installer as about as easy as I can.

If there's something specific your tripping on, please let me know as I may be able to clarify it a bit. I encourage you to post any technical questions you might have in the mod tech support forum to help others like yourself who might have interest, but not the technical knowledge, to run a league.

[hobbitrjw]

Thanks I will check that out and get back to you there.

Another good target audience for this modification too is people who want to run something similar to a online league but in a way that doesn't require all the participants to own a copy of the game.

[ootpFox07]

Originally Posted by hobbitrjw

Thanks I will check that out and get back to you there.

Another good target audience for this modification too is people who want to run something similar to a online league but in a way that doesn't require all the participants to own a copy of the game.

The good thing is, only the site admin needs to know the server stuff and own the game. Fantasy team owners needs only register on the site and use the online tools.

Have you seen the demo site, nabl.aeoliandigital.com/ootp_fantasy_leagues/?

[hobbitrjw]

I tried visiting the demo site and it said the server could not be found.

[ootpFox07]

Originally Posted by hobbitrjw

I tried visiting the demo site and it said the server could not be found.

Sorry my bad. I fixed the URL.

[hobbitrjw]

Ok I visited the demo site and this makes me want to really try installing this even though I have no knowledge of PHP and such.

One question I do have though is I noticed on your test league that teams have 2 different matchups per play period,shouldn't it be only one?

[ootpFox07]

Originally Posted by hobbitrjw

Ok I visited the demo site and this makes me want to really try installing this even though I have no knowledge of PHP and such.

One question I do have though is I noticed on your test league that teams have 2 different match-ups per play period,shouldn't it be only one?

Nice, glad to hear it. Again, if you know how to FTP, you can upload the site and install via the web installer. No real PHP knowledge or effort should be needed, Just the details of your database and web hosting is needed to complete the install. If you install version 1.0.2 fresh, there's no need to perform the manual php update listed on the site either. Only if you install using the second patch. Give it a whirl.

The games per team per period is variable between 1 and 3 and is set by the league commissioners when they create their leagues.

[hobbitrjw]

Awesome, I think I need to redownload then as I downloaded a older version.

If I can get this up it would be great. Then I will just need people that want to play.

[ootpFox07]

Originally Posted by hobbitrjw

Awesome, I think I need to redownload then as I downloaded a older version.

If I can get this up it would be great. Then I will just need people that want to play.

Definitely do a full 1.0.2 install.

MLB Fantasy season is over so there should be lots of non-fantasy football people looking for their fantasy baseball fix. Tweet and hit a couple fantasy baseball boards and you should find lots of takers.

[hobbitrjw]

I am slowly but surely working on this. I think I need to actually set the league website first.

I want to make mine based off of the league in the MLB game mode. This way I can actually say my fantasy game is a "year round fantasy game"

[hobbitrjw]

Ok I am VERY close here but I'm afraid I need a walkthrough of the install for the mod. Everything shows as compatible however where it shows "config directory write status:" it says "not writeable. So I need some step by step instruction here.

[ootpFox07]

Originally Posted by hobbitrjw

Ok I am VERY close here but I'm afraid I need a walkthrough of the install for the mod. Everything shows as compatible however where it shows "config directory write status:" it says "not writeable. So I need some step by step instruction here.

I haven't had time to write out the full manual install instruction but let's see if this gets you through the install:

How to change directory permissions using FTP Client:
Chmod help

Directories that need to writable (check Read, Write and Execute for all) for installation (these should be changed to 755 after installation is complete).

[SERVER_ROOT]/[SQL_FILE_UPLOAD_DIRECTORY]
[SERVER_ROOT]/ootp_fantasy/
[SERVER_ROOT]/ootp_fantasy/install
[SERVER_ROOT]/ootp_fantasy/application/config

I've attached two screen grabs to this post and will update the Admin guide with this info as well.

[hobbitrjw]

Ok hang on a second I cannot seem to find anything that is named SQL_FILE_UPLOAD_DIRECTORY in my FTP what did I do wrong here?

[ootpFox07]

Originally Posted by hobbitrjw

Ok hang on a second I cannot seem to find anything that is named SQL_FILE_UPLOAD_DIRECTORY in my FTP what did I do wrong here?

Replace [SERVER_ROOT] with the path leading to your directories. For most Unix servers this is "/var/www/html".

Replace [SQL_FILE_UPLOAD_DIRECTORY] with the name of your sql upload directory. For example, I use:
"files/sql" so my entire SQL file path is :"/var/www/html/files/sql".

[hobbitrjw]

Ok and if that is not there then do I just simply need to create a folder on my FTP for that?

[ootpFox07]

Originally Posted by hobbitrjw

Ok and if that is not there then do I just simply need to create a folder on my FTP for that?

Yes. Simply create a new folder. I do recommend, as they do for OOTP online leagues, that if you can place it somewhere outside of the public HTML folder, like a "/var/www/files/sql" that you do that to keep those files away from snooping eyes who might try to download and load them up to cheat.

[hobbitrjw]

Ok I am going to have to create the file do I need to upload anything to it?

[hobbitrjw]

okay I managed to get it to writable and now have started the install steps,I did the first page and now I get a page with a large text box saying the following.


"Sorry, but I can't write the application/config/database.php file.
You can create the application/config/database.php manually and paste the following text into it."



and then there is what looks to be some code in the large box.

[ootpFox07]

Originally Posted by hobbitrjw

okay I managed to get it to writable and now have started the install steps,I did the first page and now I get a page with a large text box saying the following..

Sounds like your account does not have sufficient write privileges on the server despite the fact that you've changed the directory permissions. I'll have to type up the manual install instructions and add them to the admin guide. Not to fear, no coding needed, just overwriting some server values. Stay tuned.

[hobbitrjw]

That is strange because after I changed the permissions it came up with a Green "Writable" on the installation start screen.

I am standing by for those necessary steps though....

[ootpFox07]

Originally Posted by hobbitrjw

That is strange because after I changed the permissions it came up with a Green "Writable" on the installation start screen.

I am standing by for those necessary steps though....

Linux for all it's pluses can be frustratingly fickle when it comes to write permissions sometimes.

I have updated the admin guide with the manual update instructions as an appendix and included it in both the complete 1.0.2 release ZIP and as a standalone download at http://www.ootpfantasyleagues.com/do...uidev1.0.2.pdf.

[hobbitrjw]

Sorry I did not get back to you yesterday. Had a busy day. I will have a look at this today and attempt to do it.

[ootpFox07]

Originally Posted by hobbitrjw

Sorry I did not get back to you yesterday. Had a busy day. I will have a look at this today and attempt to do it.

Cool, let me know how it goes and thanks for sticking with it. This will help anyone else in the same situation.

[hobbitrjw]

I DO NOT need to write this manually,I found a fourth file in the insturctions that needed write permissions in the chmod it was:

[SERVER_ROOT]/ootp_fantasy/

so now we continue on with the installation....

Now a few questions:

"out of the park league name and league abbrevation: can these be anything I want or does the name and abbrevation need to match whats in the game?

HTML Root: what do I put for this?

SQL File Path: same question as HTML Root

HTML Report Path: What do I put for this too are these all FTP paths I can easily find?

Sorry just trying to get this right on the first try and not mess up.

[ootpFox07]

Originally Posted by hobbitrjw

I DO NOT need to write this manually,I found a fourth file in the insturctions that needed write permissions in the chmod it was:

[SERVER_ROOT]/ootp_fantasy/

so now we continue on with the installation....

Awesome. Save some headache.

Originally Posted by hobbitrjw

Now a few questions:

"out of the park league name and league abbrevation: can these be anything I want or does the name and abbrevation need to match whats in the game?

I would. It would be weird to have one league name on your fantasy league and another when people click through to the HTML reports. I would stay consistent.

Originally Posted by hobbitrjw

HTML Root: what do I put for this?

The root path on the web server of your site leading up to and including the directory containing the fantasy league files. You should consult your web hosting documentation or ask your hosting support what this path is.

For example, a typical linux server root path is "/var/www/html". Some servers are setup differently and could use something like "/home/user101/www/htdocs/" or the like. I have multiple domains hosted on my site so my root path includes the domain name. Whatever the path is on the web server hosting the files is what this path should be.

Here's an example:

"/var/www/html/fantasy_league/"

Originally Posted by hobbitrjw

SQL File Path: same question as HTML Root

Similar answer. This is the path, from your server root, to the location of the OOTP MySQL export files.

Originally Posted by hobbitrjw

HTML Report Path: What do I put for this too are these all FTP paths I can easily find?

This is the path to the HTML reports generated by OOTP. The server needs to know this so it can correctly find player images, team graphics, etc. An example of what these reports are is here: North American Baseball League Home. Treat this same as above.

An example of what I use on my NABL demo site is:
"/www/html/nabl.aeoliandigital.com/html/reports/news/html"

Originally Posted by hobbitrjw

Sorry just trying to get this right on the first try and not mess up.

No worries. Don't ask how many time I ran the installer during development. I lost count.

[hobbitrjw]

Bear with me here I am having to start completely over with a new host as apparently the original host seems to not want to take some of the larger OOTP League SQL files,and now OOTP is being a piece of Teenage coding when it comes to uploading league HTML files as it keeps losing connection in the middle of uploading.

[ootpFox07]

Originally Posted by hobbitrjw

Bear with me here I am having to start completely over with a new host as apparently the original host seems to not want to take some of the larger OOTP League SQL files,and now OOTP is being a piece of Teenage coding when it comes to uploading league HTML files as it keeps losing connection in the middle of uploading.

Uploading from OOTP can be a pain. If you have either SSH access with the new host or can execute unix commands from your FTP program (consult your documentation/help files/forums), I highly recommend exporting everything from OOTP to your local computer, zipping up the HTML reports and SQL export files, FTPing them up to the server and extracting them on the remote server via the unix unzip command. If you have SSH access, definitely grab a copy of Putty.

Example:
Change to remote server directory:
cd /var/www/files/sql
unzip ootpsql.zip

The league HTML for my NABL demo site zips to 1/6 the size of the uncompressed size. The export SQL zips to 1/8. Might save some upload headaches. If you've never messed with command line linux before, now may not not be a bad time to dive in.

[hobbitrjw]

Yeah,now my last host had a web FTP client that would automatically unzip any compressed files which was rather neat and usefull.

I'm not giving up on this though,just need to rework it.

[ootpFox07]

Been a while since I checked in. Just wanted to see if you had any luck with getting it working.

[hobbitrjw]

Well not exactly plus I recently got back from a short vacation and in a couple of weeks I am going to a realitive's for the Holidays. Once I get back though I am going to sit down and really try to figure this all out again. My new host has the installer coming up "not writable" now too

[ootpFox07]

Well if you keep struggling, sometimes it's easier for me to see what's going on with the server directly and if something might need to be set or configured a certain way. Maybe permissions or ownership needs to be changed. If you feel conformable with giving me a login you can email it to me jfox015 at gmail dot com and I can investigate. Corsairs gave me temporary access to his PEBA site and I fixed an issue he had with the 1.0.2 upgrade in about 5 minutes. Then you can just reset your passwords after I'm done. Up to you. If you get stuck, I'm happy to try and help take a look. Again, it might help me document what might need to happen to get the installer to say writable for others with this issue as well.

[hobbitrjw]

I will give it some thought thanks. Right now though my main concern is having the site ready at a time where I can be fully committed to being available for those that join if they have any problems or anything.

[ootpFox07]

Gotcha. Offers on the table.

[ootpFox07]

Version 1.0.3 is officially released!

What's in it? Loads of new administrative features and tools. Some bug fixes and functional improvements. An improved instillation process with more error handling and better messaging. This is the last planned feature release of the 1.0 line before a final release.

See the official release thread for all the details or head to the snazzy new downloads page to grab a copy.

[ootpFox07]

A new major feature release of OOTP Fantasy Leagues version 1.0.5, is coming this Monday July 25th, 2011. Read about the development and testing of this release with the new blog post: Road To 1.0: Despite the quiet, development marches on.

Major Highlights of this release:

• Rotisserie Scoring Support
• Trades
• Revised Sim processing engine with sim summaries
• Major Draft Enhancements and Bug Fixes
• User Sign-up, activation and team request work flow improvements
• Revamped email system
• Major and Minor bug fixes
• Updated Administrators Guide
• New! Commissioners Guide

My thanks as always to the members of the PEBA for their support and help beta testing this update.

[ootpFox07]

New Blog Post

The OOTP Fantasy Baseball Leagues Road to 1.0 series continues:

Road to 1.0: The Draft gets some much needed TLC (with screen grabs!)

See how the draft, one of the most important events in a fantasy season, has been upgraded and improved in the 1.0.5 release. Lots of screen grabs to boot.

The beta season continues. Lots of bug fixes have been made and a few new additions have been tossed into a forthcoming 1.0.6 fourth patch release, coming August 29, 2011.

Thanks for all the great feedback and support!

[ootpFox07]

VERSION 1.0 FINAL, RELEASE CANDIDATE 1 HAS OFFICIALLY BEEN RELEASED TODAY!

This is the final step before the final release of the 1.0 version of this mod. Any members of the OOTP community who are planning to run an OOTP Fantasy League for their site are encouraged to download, install and try out this release and provide feedback on any final bugs or issues ASAP.

The final 1.0 release is schedule for Monday September 26, 2011.

The official release files can be downloaded from the OOTP Fantasy League web site from the main downloads page.

The official release thread features important notes about this release.

This is a major feature release and a major step towards a final non-beta 1.0 release this fall. Download the release, try it out, post your feedback and enjoy this alternative way to play OOTP baseball.

[ootpFox07]

Sept 21. - New Blog Post

The OOTP Fantasy Baseball Leagues Road to 1.0 series officially concludes today with the twelfth (hmm coincidence?) and final article:

Road to 1.0: The end if nigh!

The final 1.0 release is this coming Monday July 26th.

[ootpFox07]

VERSION 1.0 FINAL HAS OFFICIALLY BEEN RELEASED TODAY!

See post #1 above for full details.

[ootpFox07]

UPDATE NOTICE

Version 1.0.1 of the OOTP Fantasy Baseball Leagues is now available.

This updated fixes an important OOTP 12 compatibility issue and adds a new uninstall feature to the admin dashboard. You can now also specify your exact OOTP game version (supports 10 up to 13!).

The official release files can be downloaded from the OOTP Fantasy Baseball Leagues web site from the main downloads page.

The official release thread features important notes about this release.

The development blog has also been updated with details about this release: 1.0.1 Maintenance Update Release