Creating another admin account

Looking... looking... where has Admin Settings gone in 1.5? Used to be under Tools. I need to create a second admin account.

And, I am finding that if I try to log into Admin from any computer or device except my own, I get asked to log back in repeatedly - after clicking anything. Haven't come across this before in previous versions. What could it be?

There's a separate category of options called Admin Access Management, at the same level of Tools.

jenpen:

And, I am finding that if I try to log into Admin from any computer or device except my own, I get asked to log back in repeatedly - after clicking anything.

This probably won't be fixed with the creation of a new admin. If you are not falling victim to the timeout in 1.5.x, then there is some other reason for the connection drop.

stevesh, there's no "Admin Access Management" in my Admin, either at the Tools level or under it. What has gone wrong?

dbltoe, I'm not clear what you mean. It sounds like I am falling victim to a timeout in 1.5.1. Is this a known bug? What to do?

Then it sounds like you haven't installed/upgraded to the latest version completely, or the installation went wrong. Is this a clean 1.5 installation or an upgrade from a previous version ?

Clean 1.5.1 installation. Sounds like it missed a file, but I can't see how. Any advice?

Try re-uploading all the admin files and folders, overwriting what's there.

Since v1.5.0, the admin menu options are all stored in the database. Whether a certain menu or menu option displays is based on the settings you've selected in the admin-user-profile you've assigned to the currently-logged-in admin user.

So, re-uploading files is very unlikely to magically make "more" admin menu options show up. The ONLY way that would make any difference is if you've uploaded an outdated plugin that replaces admin files formerly used for drawing the old file-based admin menu.

But, since you said this is a brand new clean installation, none of your symptoms make sense. In that case, since it's a clean site with nothing added to it, wipe out the entire site and start over. That will rebuild the database which appears to be damaged. And since it's a clean new install there's nothing lost by starting over.

Thanks Dr Byte. Your advice scares me a little as I have dicked around with the theme a lot - and yes I used file over-rides but still...

So before I wipe the site and start again, I redownloaded v1.5.1 from ZC and re-uploaded the whole Admin directory. No difference. There is the usual " The Admin Activity Log table has records over 2 months old " (I know I said it's a new site but the client had to pull out for a few months for her own reasons so it's just been sitting there for a while). But when I click RESET I get an error:

Not Found

The requested URL /xxxxxxx/FILENAME_ADMIN_ACTIVITY.php was not found on this server.

Additionally, a 404 Not Found error was encountered while trying to use an ErrorDocument to handle the request.

Does that help diagnose the problem?

I have also installed the following add-ons: easypopulate, aupost, image handler 4.

FILENAME_ADMIN_ACTIVITY.php means that the correct filename definition for this function was not picked up, probably because it is not defined or the definition could not be reached. If this is some of the data stored in the database as DrByte mentioned, it would indicate db corruption.

And I'm still not sure if that time-out problem (if that's what it is) is related to this. The reason I wanted to create a second admin account is that I want to hand over to the client and the admin account I have been using kept timing out on her computer. Every time she opens a new page, or even selects an item in a dropdown menu in the admin, she gets asked to log back in. Again and again and again. We tried three different devices in her house. Same problem. She rang an friend in another town and asked them to try. Same problem.

But I do not have the problem on my computer or on another computer in my house or on my tablet (not networked). What could it be?

If you are getting FILENAME_ADMIN_ACTIVITY.php, you do have a real problem whether in database or files, and you need to correct it. It is unlikely to be the only symptom, just the only one you are currently aware of. Getting this corrected may or may not help the "timeout", but it is not possible to tell without trying. Also, the "timeout" as you describe it is not based on time but on actions, and must have some cause related to a file/db malfunction or corruption. It might be possible that interaction of the server/site and local devices is causing the issue, but diagnosing that would require significant expertise.

So it's sounding like a total wipe and reinstall - files and DB, everything? Or can I leave the DB as is for now? I have easypopulate so can download and reupload products.

You previously replaced the admin files, right? It is probably the database that has issues, so leaving that is unlikely to allow your problems to be resolved. Exporting all products and whatever else you can, then wiping and replacing the db may be your best bet. I would want an expert opinion on it before doing anything drastic.

The FILENAME_ADMIN_ACTIVITY.php message is a result of your /includes/filenames.php being outdated. And if that file is outdated (or has been damaged by plugins installed), then I'd be bothered, and would either do a complete site inspection (comparing all server files with originals and fixing all discrepancies, much like an upgrade would involve), or a fresh install after backing up the files I've knowingly changed. Or a combination of the two.

As far as your other administrator having login problems, another admin account wouldn't resolve that. You'll need to fix that by fixing the session problems the site is having. There are FAQ articles for guidance on that topic.

OK, I wiped the database, deleted all site files, reinstalled, all's good. No time-outs, Admin Access Settings is back. I suspect an old version of Easypopulate was the culprit. Thanks to all :smile: