Im trying to run a apache webserver with php support, now i installed them both, and they seem to be running. the php work when i use phpinfo() so that seems ok. but the issue arrives when i try to create a file that needs to write. like a counter that needs to write +1 to a txt file. first i thought it was my software, but then i tried it with notepad aswell, still does not work. the counter displays and gives a value of 1, but does not increase, it cannot write to the txt file. then i thought it was the code, but i used that exact same code on a friends server, and it worked. so now, the only thing that remains is the apache server. im running apache from my linux machine but use windows to develop the pages. if someone could give me some advice pls...?

So far, so good.

OK. I believe it is a permission issue. You web servcer runs under a certain username, like wwwrun, or apache, or some other name. The file you are trying to write probably doesn't have the proprer permissions since it might have been written under you own user name or root, and only that user is allowed to write on this file.

Now I won't address any specifics about file permissions on Linux since it's a topic on its own, so I'll let you do your homework on how to set them up, etc. In the meantime, setting you text file with 'chmod 777 <my_text_file>' usually fixes many similar problems. BUT ... it would be wise to think of other stragtegies like using directory locks or databases if you want to make your site public and avoid the security pitfalls such solution will eventualy cause.

Good luck.

narc.

damn im gonna cry, is there perhaps a nice tutorial on file permissions somewhere. becuase im having username and permission errors with mysql aswell

When I type: "Linux file permissions tutorial" on Google, I get many hits ;-)

Try this one: http://www.hostingmanual.net/other/permissions.shtml

Maybe a more complete reference on administering your system would be more helpful with this link:
http://linux.about.com/od/embedded/l/blnewbie_toc.htm

MySQL's persmissions can be tricky, depending on the problem you have: it has its own set of permissions and user management for accessing data on top of the basic Unix/Linux file-system. If you have a MySQL question or trouble configuring it, redirect your questions to a MySQL-related forum. Take some time to read the manual
(http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/4.1/en/index.html).

Good luck.

narc.