OSOL Captcha

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OSOLCaptcha version 2.x.x adds ajax verification of captcha and ease of adding captcha to non core forms .Though initially the plugin might appear more techie friendly,it actually is intended for ease of captcha insertion into non core forms by non coders.

The method of adding captcha in a non core form is very different from that of version 1.x.x.While in version 1.x.x you just have to add a code block in template file,with version 2.x.x you have to actually create a new file with appropriate settings and upload it to plugins/system/osolCaptcha/nonCoreForms/ ( for joomla 1.5) or plugins/system/osolcaptcha/osolCaptcha/nonCoreForms/(for joomla 2.5).As an example I have bundled file for virtuemart

1. I installed the plugin,but i dont see any captcha in the 3 forms mentioned
   
   Ans:You need to publish the plugin
   
   
2. I installed and published the plugin but it doesnt appear in login module
   
   Or
   
   I enabled osolcaptcha for mod login and the effect I get is replication! what needs to be done to avoid this?
   
   Ans:Enabling for mod_login is subject to conditions and is disabled by default.if you enable it, make sure that it is in a unique position ,position must be any of these('left','right','top','user2','user3') .The position occupied by mod_login should not contain any other modules,if 'Use in mod_login' is set to 'Yes'
   
   if you are a coder familiar with mod_login customizations,you can use the php code mentioned above in it without checking the enabe mod login check box in admin panel.
   
   
3. I installed and published the plugin but the captcha is auto added only in contact us form
   
   
   Ans: Make sure default views of other 2 forms are not overridden.Some joomla templates usually come with there own views.(view files overridden by templates are saved like templates/{yourtemplate}/html/{component foder}/{concerned viewfile}.php )
   
   for example : contact us form overridden by your custom template will be in
   templates/<YOUR_CUSTOM_TEMPLATE>/html/com_contact/contact/default_form.php
   similarly
   register:templates/<YOUR_CUSTOM_TEMPLATE>/html/com_user/register/default.php
   login:templates/<YOUR_CUSTOM_TEMPLATE>/html/com_user/login/default_login.php
   login module(which appears in side bars) : templates/<YOUR_CUSTOM_TEMPLATE>/html/mod_login/default.php
   
   To make sure the captcha is not shown becasue of template overrides,try renaming the concerned file in template and refresh the page in browser,the default joomla view will show most likely with the captcha
   
   
4. I used the code JFactory::getApplication()->triggerEvent('onShowOSOLCaptcha', array(false)); in a different form.
   
   But it is only appearing partially
   
   OR
   
   the captcha cells are not properly aligned
   
   Ans:CSS issue,contact the person who is managing your template or the component handling the form

5.  

   Where can I change the Texts (labels and error message)
   
   Texts are set in language files.If you want to change text in english language, you can edit/set all texts pertaining to this plugin in the file administrator/language/en-GB/en-GB.plg_system_osolcaptcha.ini.If you are using a language other than those in the list above,follow the same step but replacing 'en-GB'(in folder and file names) with the language you are using.For this and FTP client like filezilla is required.
   
   Following example assumes that you have an FTP Client(eg:Filezilla) and have a basic idea of accessing your site via FTP.If you are not familar with it,please seek the help of someone who is familiar with it
   
   Example:If you are using russian in joomla you need to create a file administrator/language/ru-RU/ru-RU.plg_system_osolcaptcha.ini.You can use en-GB.plg_system_osolcaptcha.ini (if you are not seeing 'en-GB.plg_system_osolcaptcha.ini' in the server,look inside the plugin zip file where you can see it inside plugins/system/lang folder) and rename it ,change the texts and upload it to the folder mentioned before .Just to make sure the file is uploaded in the correct location,try to view the langusge file with browser inthe format
   "http://<your_russian_joomla_site>/administrator/language/ru-RU/ru-RU.plg_system_osolcaptcha.ini" .
   
   
6. I installed and published the plugin.But the captcha image doesnt show in my forms .Only its alt text,refresh link and text box are shown
   
   Or
   
   Once I moved to a new webhost, the captcha plugin stopped working
   
   Ans:Check with your host wether they have enabled GD library for PHP.You can check the php version by logging into admin panel and selecting.Help >>System Info and then clicking PHP Information Tab.You can also know if gd is enabled in the same page.
   
   In some sites where SEF is enabled its reported that the images are not seen even if GD library is enabled in PHP5.The actual issue is still not identified,but a workaround is to disable SEF first,call the page/form where captcha is added and then reactivate SEF.My special thanks to Joao Sarmento for letting me know about this workaround
   
   
7. What is 'enable second level security' option for?
   
   Ans:As of v1.0.4 there are 3 levels of security for core joomla forms (2 levels for other forms)provided by the plugin.First level(default ) is enabled by default as soon as the plugin is installed and published.Second level is a bit more strict checking.Before enabling this you must make sure that the captcha is appearing (auto added) in the joomla forms login,registration,remind user and reset password forms.if it is not appearing in one or more of them,you need to check 'no' option of the auto add feature for those forms for which they are missing OR make the captcha appear using the above php block or the forms will not be submitted
   
   
8. How does backend protection layer work with this plugin? OR What are the botscout.com options?
   
   Ans:botscout.com is a free spam filtering service which collects and keeps a database of spam attack. They provide and API to check wether the form submissions are suspected spam based on IP and email.Inorder to add backend spam protection we have decided to add options to make use of their service.Following options are added to OSOL Captcha v1.0.3.For those who are not familiar botscout.com and want to make use of their service to have added protection( backend spam protection) for your site, we would reccomend the following settings
   
   1.BotScout Protection:Stop Execution and Mail
   2.Botscout API key:get Key from http://botscout.com/getkey.htm and enter it in this field
   3.Report -ve results from botsout ip verification:Set it to an email address.Details of variables posted to the site form ips in the botscout database with a field 'email' will be mailed to the email.If you dont want reporting,leave it blank
   
   This options are in the beta stage now.Once testing is completed you could even use this plugin as invisible spam protection without even prompting the users to enter captcha codes!
   
   
9. What are that options available(main options to note) in admin panel for this plugin
   
   Ans:Check the screenshot below
   
10. Where can I edit the layout of the captcha controls?
    
    Ans:the css could be edited in
    
    plugins/system/osolCaptcha/captchaStyle.css
    most likely your issue will be fixed if you set width:auto for the css class 'osolCaptchaBlock'
    
    
    if you want to edit the html of the captcha ,the html part of the captcha could be edited in
    
    function GetCapthcaHTML($vertical = false)
    in
    plugins/system/osolcaptcha.php
    
    
11. When I installed this and tried out a form with incorrect letters typed in I expected an error alert/popup before the form is submitted. All it did was refresh the screen and clear all the boxes(data loss). Is this a bug or did I miss a step? When I try your contact form in this site I get a pop up box not allowing me to go ahead.
    
    Ans:Regarding the contact us form in our site,it is custom coded to check the captcha value via AJAX before posting it inorder to avoid data loss.Being a general purpose plugin its not possible to add this AJAX check functionality out of the box to the auto added forms out of box since different forms use different checks before submitting.We are looking into it so as to add this in a future version.
    
    Regarding data loss(texts going blank with wrong captcha submission) becasue of wrong submission is a joomla issue.you can check this by submitting a form with wrong or blank contents for other fields after disabling javascript in the browser.A solution for this is to alert the users that data loss may occur if they submit captcha code wrongly by changing ENTER CAPTCHA VALUE in the language file Please check http://www.outsource-online.net/#changeTexts for changing texts associated with the captcha
    
    
    
12. When using the Contact Us form, the form works OK if captcha is correct. But there seems to be no warning if the incorrect captcha code has been entered. The form appears to have been sent but in fact has not.
    
    Ans:The custom template you are using doesnt have the block <jdoc:include type="message" />.Check index.php of your template,search for <jdoc:include type="component" /> , add <jdoc:include type="message" /> just before it.Check submitting the form with incorrect value for captcha
13. Some users complain that they are getting the 'incorrect captcha code' even if they enter the captcha code correctly.Is there something worng?for example they are able to login if they call http://www.mysite but not when they call http://mysite/
    
    Ans:The explanation is a bit technical but the soultion is non technical.This plugin set coookies based on JURI::base() call of joomla.A live site could be called wither as http://yourlivesite/ or http://www.yourlivesite. JURI::base() is set upon the installation of joomla which can be either of them,which will render the other way of calling problematic and gives 'incorrect captcha' error.
    Solution:
    Try installing http://extensions.joomla.org/extensions/site-management/seo-a-metadata/5355 ,publish it and set plugin parameter 'Correct Host' to the url where you are able to login without the 'incorrect captcha' error.
14. If someone enters an incorrect CAPTCHA when signing up as a Candidate to the website,It redirects them to the homepage and displays the error message.Is there a line of code that I can replace to redirect to the same page, instead of Home?
    
    Ans:Only meant for those who are fmailiar with editing plugin code safely.
    try replacing $mainframe->redirect(JURI::base());
    in plugins\system\osolCaptcha.php
    with
    $mainframe->redirect('your chosen url ' or $_SERVER['REQUEST_URI']));
15. I've installed your plugin and changed some settings and the plugin kills my access to the administrator folder, I just keep getting a redirect to the main site... have you experienced anything like this before?
    
    Ans:You changed "Administrator Pass Phrase".If you set a value for 'Administrator Pass Phrase' ,admin login page will be accessible only like 'http://yourjoomlasite/administrator/?osolPP=pass phrase you set for Administrator Pass Phrase'
    
    
    

PS:

Like most joomla extension providers suggest,we also reccomend you to keep a backup of your site(files and db) before installing this plugin

The auto add feature of captcha for the 3 forms are tested in joomla 1.5.14 and 1.5.15 versions.If it is not working in a different version,please inform us and we will find a remedy asap

Feel free to post your doubts,suggestions,reccomendations and any issues with this plugin and we will reply here asap.
For queries on other joomla issues,enquiries on hiring joomla programmers,request for quote on joomla customizations,creating joomla custom extensions(components,modules,plugins) or outsourcing a joomla project as a whole, kindly use our Contact Us form

What's in the next version?

IP blacklisting