Coming from cPanel, Need Help

I

iLLuSi0nS

Verified User
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Apr 26, 2008
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I'm switching hosts, and the hosting company opened my eyes to DirectAdmin and I have to say I am impressed. I have used Plesk and cPanel, and for the last 4 years I have used nothing but cPanel.

Hopefully I can get a response to these questions:

1. Only thing missing is a WYSIWYG html editor. I want to give my clients the ability to change the look of their sites directly through their Control Panel under a file manager section. How hard would this be to accomplish? I see people have spoken about this, but no one has made such a thing, I would think it would be easy to implement an already made WYSIWYG editor onto a webpage.

2. How do you do it to where the user cannot see some of the features on their main account page? Like, I wouldnt want to give the user the ability to change DNS, or have access to their frontpage extensions, wouldnt want them to touch their domain setup, MySQL Management, support center, SSL Certs, Cron Jobs, and a few other things I would want hidden from the Users eyes, but not disabled. Can that be done? I wouldnt want to take those features away, just not let the user be able to change them, or see them in their control panel pages. Can this be done?

Thank you
 
I would think it would be easy to implement an already made WYSIWYG editor onto a webpage.
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Then why do companies charge hundreds of dollars for them? Must not be so easy. I have not even seen a web based WYSIWYG that I like. Are you talking about true WYSIWYG or just the ability to change the html code?

I wouldnt want to take those features away, just not let the user be able to change them, or see them in their control panel pages.
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A little contradictory. What good are enabled features if you won't let the user see or use them? You said you did not want to disable the features but you didn't want the user to use them either. Doesn't make any sense.

But you can delete whatever links you don't want in the skins.
 
Thanks for the response. But when I said WYSIWYG html editor, I meant just a plain editor. There are many free ones out there, like this one http://www.openwebware.com/products/openwysiwyg/demo.shtml
I think it can be very easy to implement. It would be done on the skin level so I am sure if there was a demand for this, it could be done very easily, its just that the developers that would be smart enough to make such a thing, wouldnt waste their time on something only newbies would ever use. Its for my clients and I would love to give the HTML newbie a chance to easily edit their websites

I dont want to give the customer the ability to change things themselves, but I want to be able to change it for them on a admin level. The customer does not need DNS control, or domain name control, or ssl control, or frontpage extensions control. I want to make a simple control pangel, even more simpler.

If anything needs to be changed, I as a admin want to change it for the customers.

Floyd, how easy is it to remove links from the skins? What kind of a skin editor is it, or are you talking about just editing the code within the skins pages, or is there a feature on the actual control panel for the admin. Thanks
 
The skins are simple html pages. You cannot enable FrontPage or manage SSL from the admin level.

You can easily disable SSL and DNS and FrontPage for the user.
 
The WYSIWYG. Looks like to me it can be installed for each individual domain. I just took a quick look at it. Looks like to me its just a matter of copying the files to each domain as the domains are added.
 
It should be easy with the WYSIWYG editor to be implemented into DA, but it would be useless if it was per account. Do you think its possible to just hard code it into a skin so that all new accounts have it.

What you mean you cannot enable SSL and Frpntpage from admin level, so only the user gets to add an SSL cert to their account? Admin cannot enable SSL or frontpage through the admin panel without loggining into the users account? If you disable SSL and Frontpage for that user, does that mean they cannot use SSL or Frontpage or does it just become invisible to them? Thank you
 
iLLuSi0nS said:
It should be easy with the WYSIWYG editor to be implemented into DA, but it would be useless if it was per account. Do you think its possible to just hard code it into a skin so that all new accounts have it.

What you mean you cannot enable SSL and Frpntpage from admin level, so only the user gets to add an SSL cert to their account? Admin cannot enable SSL or frontpage through the admin panel without loggining into the users account? If you disable SSL and Frontpage for that user, does that mean they cannot use SSL or Frontpage or does it just become invisible to them? Thank you
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I am guessing the only way to achieve this is to give the user a skin that doesnt show certain links, and using a different skin as an Administrator that shows all links, Am I correct?

Also, Is there a way of viewing a lot that will show every change a user does to their account? Like if a user creates a new email address, or changes their password, have it show me somewhere so if something goes wrong I can pinpoint every step the user took. Thank you
 
Admin cannot enable SSL or frontpage through the admin panel without loggining into the users account?
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That is correct since these actions are taken on domains. The admin level manages some server function and resellers. Reseller level manages users. User level manages domains. You have to be at the user level of the user the domain is under to enable either of these.
 
Ok, Thanks for clearing that up. So I think the best bet would be to install a skin that only users will use and remove the links I dont want, but have the admin use another skin that isnt limited.

BTW Floyd, I am interested in your VPS packages on your site offering 128 GB of Ram for only $39.99. That is the best package I have ever seen ;)
 
When the admin logs in as that user he will be using that user's skin.

I think what you might really want to do for the few times you need to work with FP, SSL, DNS is to enable those for that user, do what you need to do, and then disable them again. So far you have mentioned 3 things can be disabled without modifying a skin.
 
floyd said:
When the admin logs in as that user he will be using that user's skin.

I think what you might really want to do for the few times you need to work with FP, SSL, DNS is to enable those for that user, do what you need to do, and then disable them again. So far you have mentioned 3 things can be disabled without modifying a skin.
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But there is a way of changing the admins skin to like a power user. Wouldnt that work? Isnt there a way of keeping the resellers skin different from the users? I cannot really try this because directadmins demo wont allow the changing of skins.

I just want to confirm before I give up on DA and go back to Cpanel. There is no way of changing a resellers or admins skin, but keeping the users to something else?

I need to be able to hide features from customers, yet allow myself to use them when i need to. This cannot be achieved in anyway?
 
iLLuSi0nS said:
I need to be able to hide features from customers, yet allow myself to use them when i need to. This cannot be achieved in anyway?
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Not easily; when you log into the user level from the admin level you end up using the user level skins. That's the way DirectAdmin works.

I got lost reading the thread; which particular functions do you want to hide from users but still be able to manage yourself?

As far as the html editor is concerned, you may be able to create a plugin using the code you referred to in your post.

And one last thing ... the only way you're going to make an informed decision to switch to DirectAdmin is to use it. DirectAdmin comes with a one month money-back guarantee for new users; contact DirectAdmin sales, here.

Jeff
 
jlasman said:
Not easily; when you log into the user level from the admin level you end up using the user level skins. That's the way DirectAdmin works.

I got lost reading the thread; which particular functions do you want to hide from users but still be able to manage yourself?

As far as the html editor is concerned, you may be able to create a plugin using the code you referred to in your post.

And one last thing ... the only way you're going to make an informed decision to switch to DirectAdmin is to use it. DirectAdmin comes with a one month money-back guarantee for new users; contact DirectAdmin sales, here.

Jeff
Click to expand...

Hey thanks Jeff for clearing that up. I want to hide many things so a newbie will not be able to screw up anything, basically make it idiot proof:

Domain Setup
DNS management
Support Center
Install Perl Modules
Frontpage Extensions
MySQL management
Mx Records
Server Information
SSL Certificates
Cronjobs
Mime Types
Apache Handlers
phpMyAdmin

I know its a long list, and I know what you are all thinking, "What do you want to leave for your customers, but you see I am not a hosting company and only sell hosting accounts as a Web Design Package. My clients are mostly business owners that have trouble using yahoo mail, and giving them all these extra features would not only confuse them but leave potential mishaps and security issues. So unless I can find a solution to this problem, I think I have to stick with cPanel that takes SOOO much memory.

I love DirectAdmin, and I love the fact its soooo lite and has such little strain on the server. But unless i can solve this problem, i am left with no choice.

Thank for all your support guys
 
Would you consider:

create a custom skin and make it the default for your users

then if/when YOU have to make a change switch back temporarily to a standard skin

That should work.

Hopefully the following list is accurate:

Domain Setup
Generally you'll probably create only one domain per user. Set the package to only allow one domain, and the user won't be able to add another even though the link is there in the standard skin.

DNS management
You can manage most DNS issues from the admin control panel; the only thing you need to log in as user for is to point email to a different MX (mail server).

Support Center
You can change the support center link to anything you want, including your support page; it's a simple change to the directadmin.conf file.

Install Perl Modules
It's just an unchangeable list of installed modules. You can remove it in your skin.

Frontpage Extensions
Not available at all if you're using Apache 2.x.
I believe if it's not installed it doesn't show up but you might want to check with DirectAdmin support or sales staff.

MySQL Management
You can remove it in your own custom skin.

MX Records:
Discussed above; if you need to change it you'd have to switch temporarily to a standard skin.

Server Information:
You can set it off in the package

SSL Certificates
You can set it off in the package

Cronjobs
You can set it off in the package. Cronjobs previously set up by you will probably work; be sure to check with DA support or sales staff

Mime Types
You'd need to change in the skin

Apache Handlers
You'd need to change in the skin

phpMyAdmin
If you won't need it at all you can remove it; you'll probably have to change in the skin.

If you really believe that DA should have these available to be turned on/off at the package level and then not appear in the standard skins, then perhaps you should post your suggestion in the Feedback & Feature Requests subforum.

Jeff
 
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