Apache Roller 4.0 - Beginner's Guide

387 Pages·2009·18.96 MB·English

by  Alfonso Romero

Apache Roller 4.0
Beginner's Guide
A comprehensive, step-by-step guide on how to set up,
customize, and market your blog using Apache Roller
Alfonso V. Romero

BIRMINGHAM - MUMBAI
This material is copyright and is licensed for the sole use by ALESSANDRO CAROLLO on 18th December 2009
6393 south jamaica court, , englewood, , 80111
Apache Roller 4.0
Beginner's Guide
Copyright © 2009 Packt Publishing
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,
or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the
publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embedded in critical articles or reviews.
Every effort has been made in the preparation of this book to ensure the accuracy of the
information presented. However, the information contained in this book is sold without
warranty, either express or implied. Neither the author, nor Packt Publishing, and its dealers
and distributors will be held liable for any damages caused or alleged to be caused directly or
indirectly by this book.
Packt Publishing has endeavored to provide trademark information about all of the
companies and products mentioned in this book by the appropriate use of capitals.
However, Packt Publishing cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information.
First published: December 2009
Production Reference: 1071209
Published by Packt Publishing Ltd.
32 Lincoln Road
Olton
Birmingham, B27 6PA, UK.
ISBN 978-1-847199-50-8
www.packtpub.com
Cover Image by Tina Negus ([email protected])
This material is copyright and is licensed for the sole use by ALESSANDRO CAROLLO on 18th December 2009
6393 south jamaica court, , englewood, , 80111
Credits
Author Editorial Team Leader
Alfonso V. Romero Gagandeep Singh
Reviewers Project Team Leader
Tarkan Karadayi Priya Mukherji
Ricardo Javier Romero
Project Coordinator
Acquisition Editor Zainab Bagasrawala
James Lumsden
Indexer
Development Editor Rekha Nair
Swapna Verlekar
Proofreader
Technical Editors Lynda Sliwoski
Conrad Sardinha
Mazhar Shaikh Production Coordinator
Shantanu Zagade
Copy Editor
Sanchari Mukherjee Cover Work
Shantanu Zagade
This material is copyright and is licensed for the sole use by ALESSANDRO CAROLLO on 18th December 2009
6393 south jamaica court, , englewood, , 80111
Foreword
Roller is not the most popular blog server out there, or the one with the most plugins and
themes—that distinction goes to WordPress—but Roller can be the best choice in many
situations. For an IT department seeking a Java-based blog server to run on their existing
Java EE application server, Roller is the most complete open source option out there. It's also
the best choice for developers looking to build full-fledged blogging features into an existing
product. Roller's business-friendly Apache license means you can use Roller's code in your
product even if your product is closed-source and commercial.
Alfonso's book fills a very important need for those of us who do find Roller the best
choice. Roller has a basic installation guide, user guide, and template author guide. Roller
also has user and developer mailing lists where you can ask questions and get some
support from other Roller users. What this book provides, you won't find in the stock Roller
documentation: illustrated, in-depth, and step-by-step instructions that explain how to
setup, customize, and start blogging with Apache Roller.
Whether you're setting up an Apache Roller site for your own personal use or helping to set
up a site for thousands of bloggers, this book is a great starting point for everybody involved.
David M. Johnson
Founder of Apache Roller
http://rollerweblogger.org/roller
This material is copyright and is licensed for the sole use by ALESSANDRO CAROLLO on 18th December 2009
6393 south jamaica court, , englewood, , 80111
This material is copyright and is licensed for the sole use by ALESSANDRO CAROLLO on 18th December 2009
6393 south jamaica court, , englewood, , 80111
About the Author
Alfonso V. Romero has been working with Linux and Open Source Software since 1999,
when he started operating his first Web server (Apache) from a PC at home. Since then he's
been working as a Computer consultant for LASECLAT & ProEco Laboratories in Mexico, along
with several other clients, as a Java, C++, and web applications developer. He also works
for Pearson Education in Mexico as a Computer Books Freelance Translator and Consultant.
When he's not experimenting with new trends in Open Source and .NET applications, he
enjoys spending some quality time with his beautiful wife, his three kids and his three dogs,
or playing his old electric Ibanez guitar.
He's also a big fan of Stephen King, and one of his maximum aspirations is to write a fiction
novel, but his passion for computers and information technology keeps him busy as a
technical writer.
To my lovely wife Adelina, whose patience, love, encouragement, and
support kept me working on this extreme project every time I just felt like
bailing out... We finally made it through, baby! I love you very, very much!
My heart will always be yours!

To my two daughters Adelina and Arlae, and to my son Alfonso Jr., because
every time I got writer's block they always managed to cheer me up with a
smile, a kiss or a hug… I love you infinitely, guys!

To my mother and father, for her unconditional support and for always
showing me that patience, perseverance and stubbornness will always help
you achieve whatever you're up to.

To all the staff at Packt Publishing for turning this dream into reality…
Special thanks to: Kshipra, James, Swapna, and Zainab, who were always
willing to answer my questions and coach me through the long journey of
writing this book.

And last, but not least, to Dave Johnson, creator of Apache Roller, the best
blog server I've ever worked with!
This material is copyright and is licensed for the sole use by ALESSANDRO CAROLLO on 18th December 2009
6393 south jamaica court, , englewood, , 80111
About the Reviewers
Tarkan Karadayi has been writing code since age 14. He has a Masters in Computer
Science and is currently working as a Lead Developer.
I would like to thank my wife Anna, my parents, and my three sons Taran,
Kyle, and Ryan for their love and support.
Ricardo Javier Romero is an Electronic Systems Engineer with over thirteen years of
software development experience, both as a developer and as a team leader, in many of
the technologies that have surfaced over the past few years.
He has worked on military projects, and is currently a team leader for an oil and gas service
company, focusing on .NET development in C#, C++, and MFC, as well as web development
and database engines.
He has also translated two technical books into Spanish, and worked extensively in
web development when the Internet was still in its infancy, using JavaScript, VBScript,
and ASP.NET.
When he's not delving into his love for all things technical, he works on his screenwriting,
filmmaking, and music.
This material is copyright and is licensed for the sole use by ALESSANDRO CAROLLO on 18th December 2009
6393 south jamaica court, , englewood, , 80111
Table of Contents
Preface 1
Chapter 1: An Introduction to Weblogs 7
Basic concepts about weblogs 8
What can you do with a weblog? 8
Express your feelings to the world 9
Time for action – a little visit to Technorati 9
Get in touch with other people 11
Time for action – leaving comments on other people's weblogs 12
Promote your business or professional activities 16
Time for action – Microsoft employee blogs 16
Share experiences with other users 19
Who's using Apache Roller 19
Rollerweblogger.org 20
Blogs.sun.com 20
Blog.usa.gov 21
IBM developerWorks blogs 22
JRoller community 23
Weblogs versus Content Management Systems 23
A blog is not a CMS 24
Blogs and newsfeeds – the world is your audience 24
What is a newsfeed 25
How can a newsfeed help to promote your blog 25
Time for action – subscribing to a newsfeed 26
Using newsfeed readers 29
Time for action – using Bloglines 30
Summary 36
Table of Contents
Chapter 2: Installing Roller on Windows 37
Checking your environment 38
Installing Apache, Java, Tomcat, and MySQL 38
Apache web server 38
Time for action – installing the Apache web server 38
The Java SE Development Kit 41
Time for action – installing a JDK 42
Tomcat servlet engine 44
Time for action – installing Tomcat 45
MySQL database server 48
Time for action – installing MySQL 48
Downloading and installing Apache Roller 56
Files required for Apache Roller 57
The JavaMail API 57
Time for action – downloading the JavaMail API 57
The JavaBeans Activation Framework API 59
Time for action – downloading the JAF API 60
The MySQL JDBC driver 62
Time for action – installing MySQL connector/J 5.1 63
Deploying Roller files to Tomcat 64
Time for action – downloading and deploying Roller 65
Creating the Roller database 67
Time for action – creating a MySQL database for Roller 68
Roller properties and context files 69
The roller-custom.properties file 69
Time for action – creating roller-custom.properties 70
The Context.xml file 71
Time for action – creating Context.xml 71
Changing keys in security.xml 73
Time for action – changing key values in security.xml 73
Testing your Roller installation 74
Time for action – testing Roller 75
The mod_jk connector for Apache and Tomcat 77
Time for action – installing the mod_jk connector 77
Summary 87
Chapter 3: Installing Roller on Linux 89
Checking your environment 90
Installing Apache, Java, Tomcat, and MySQL 90
Apache web server 90
Time for action – installing the Apache web server 91
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This material is copyright and is licensed for the sole use by ALESSANDRO CAROLLO on 18th December 2009
6393 south jamaica court, , englewood, , 80111
Table of Contents
The Java SE Development Kit 94
Time for action – installing a JDK 94
Tomcat servlet engine 96
Time for action – installing Tomcat 97
MySQL database server 102
Time for action – installing MySQL 102
Downloading and installing Apache Roller 104
Files required for Apache Roller 104
The JavaMail API 105
Time for action – downloading the JavaMail API 105
The JavaBeans Activation Framework API 108
Time for action – downloading the JAF API 108
The MySQL JDBC driver 111
Time for action – downloading and installing MySQL connector/J 5.1 111
Deploying Roller files to Tomcat 114
Time for action – downloading and deploying Roller 115
Creating the Roller database 118
Time for action – creating a MySQL database for Roller 118
Roller properties and context files 119
The roller-custom.properties file 120
Time for action – creating roller-custom.properties 120
The Context.xml file 121
Time for action – creating Context.xml 121
Changing keys in security.xml 123
Time for action – changing key values in security.xml 124
Testing your Roller installation 125
Time for action – testing Roller 126
The mod_jk connector for Apache and Tomcat 128
Time for action – installing the mod_jk connector 128
Summary 137
Chapter 4: How to Start Working with Roller 139
Your first steps with Roller 139
Creating your first user and weblog 140
Time for action – creating your first user and weblog 140
Adjusting basic server settings 145
Time for action – basic server settings 145
Creating/editing your first entry 148
Time for action – creating/editing entries 148
Defining weblog categories 152
[ iii ]
This material is copyright and is licensed for the sole use by ALESSANDRO CAROLLO on 18th December 2009
6393 south jamaica court, , englewood, , 80111
This material is copyright and is licensed for the sole use by ALESSANDRO CAROLLO on 18th December 2009
6393 south jamaica court, , englewood, , 80111
Table of Contents
Time for action – define a category for your blog 153
Enhancing your weblog 157
Adjusting basic weblog settings 158
Time for action –basic weblog settings 158
Creating/editing bookmarks (blogroll) 162
Time for action – managing bookmarks in Roller 162
Using a Rich Text Editor 172
Time for action – using Roller's Rich Text Editor 172
The Summary field 175
Time for action – using the Summary field 176
Summary 181
Chapter 5: Spicing Up Your Blog 183
Before the action begins 183
Uploading files to your weblog 184
Using images on your posts 184
Time for action – uploading images into Roller 184
Changing file upload size limit 192
File upload settings 192
Time for action – changing Roller's file upload settings 192
The struts.properties file 195
Time for action – modifying the struts.multipart.maxSize property 196
Using videos in your posts 197
Time for action – uploading and inserting videos on your posts 197
Using sound files in your posts 202
Time for action – uploading and inserting sound files in your posts 203
Google Maps, YouTube, and SlideShare 207
Including Google Maps in your posts 208
Time for action – using Google Maps 208
Including YouTube videos in your posts 214
Time for action – including a YouTube video 214
Including SlideShare presentations in your posts 218
Time for action – including a SlideShare presentation 218
Summary 222
Chapter 6: Roller Themes and Blog Promotion 223
Before the action begins 223
Choosing a weblog theme 224
Time for action – choosing a Roller theme 224
Exploring the differences between themes 227
Time for action – differences between the Brushed Metal and Basic themes 227
Downloading and installing additional themes 230
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