The following instructions cover installation of additional products for Plone in Windows. WinSCP program was used for demonstration purposes.
Every time you intend to install additional product, look for README.txt and INSTALL.txt files within product folder, which may include helpful information on product specific features and installation. Installation methods and product dependencies may change with product versions. These files may specify dependencies: requirements that must be satisfied for a product to work. These may be specific Python, Zope, or Plone versions, or other products. The texts should also let you know whether your new product requires a traditional install, an egg installation, or a hybrid of the two.
Installation Procedure
Installation of additional products for your Plone website, in general, requires completion of the following steps:
- Downloading and unpacking the product
- Zope Installation- Installation of the product file on the filesystem so that it becomes a part of your Zope instance
- Plone Installation - Activation of the products on a Plone site
Exact steps depend on version of Plone you use and type of Plone products you want to install.
Products Distribution
Old-style Plone products are usually distributed in zip, .tgz, or .tar.gz archives (these are for example qPloneComments, qPloneCaptchas), while new-style products are usually distributed in .tgz or .egg files (these are for example quintagroup.plonecomments, quintagroup.plonecaptchas).
Suppose, you want to install Plone SEO product, developed by Quintagroup. Download the latest product version that works with version of Plone you use. Note, that Plone versions of your instance and of the desired Plone product should coincide. Otherwise, product might not work correctly or even break your site.
Example: Plone SEO works on all Plone versions, you should use Plone SEO release starting from 4.0 release for Plone 4, use the latest 3.x release - 3.0.7 release for Plone 3 version, and use Plone SEO 1.6.1 release for Plone 2.0, 2.1, 2.5 versions.
Step-by-Step Instructions
The following are some general rules on installing additional products for Plone: both traditional and buildout-based.
- How to Install old-style Plone Products on Plone 2.1, 2.5 or non-buildout Plone 3 Instance
Installation of additional Plone products, distributed in a .zip, .tar.gz or .tgz file, on Plone 2.1, 2.5, and non-buildout Plone 3 instance. - How to Install old-style Plone Products on buildout-based Plone 3 instance
Installation of old-style Plone products, distributed in a .zip, .tar.gz or .tgz file, on buildout-based Plone 3 instance. - How to Install new-style Plone Products on non-buildout Plone 3 instance
Installation of Plone products, distributed in a .tgz or .egg file, on non-buildout Plone 3 instance. - How to Install new-style Plone Products on Plone 4 and Plone 3 buildout
Installation of Plone products, distributed in a .tgz or .egg file, on Plone 4 and buildout-based Zope instances for Plone 3.