How can I move my Buzztouch.com app to self-hosted? This question keeps coming up every month or two it seems, so I finally decided to do something about it. Introducing the App Copier. Usage is incredibly easy. Simply enter the dataURL to your app and press copy. In a few seconds you will have copied your entire app over! https://buzztouchmods.com/market/crcopy/crcopy.html Note: As with any powerful tool, there is potential for use by the dark side. Please don't abuse this. Would hate to have to come find you and hunt you down! Seriously, though, this will also let us create app templates! One more note: you will need to have all the plugins installed that the app uses, otherwise those screens won't copy over.

Interesting idea, app templates!! Nice

Well done Chris! Congratulations Best Regards, Danny

Nice indeed! :) Cheers! -- Smug

@chris is this a addon to the self hosted install, a plugin? any screenshots. sounds interesting whats the setup? thanks ed

Install is easy. Just copy the script into your admin directory and point your browser to the file. It will add a link to your admin links for easy reference. I'll post a screenshot soon.

Here's a screenshot: https://www.dropbox.com/s/mhoikj6y4os5qc5/cr_copyApp.png

gotcha

Wondering if you are using the future-proof approach by taking advantage of the BT Server API. One way into the database is through the JSON Data section for each Screen. This is a much needed capability. Thanks for creating it. Please make an update on the Readme if the Files are copied or not. A warning for the future ... Buzztouch may close that capability to thwart the app pirates. ( it was mentioned in the Year in Review post by David Book ) -- Niraj

yep, if people abuse this, it will come down immediately. Buzztouch can also revoke people's API credentials if it comes to that. But hopefully that doesn't happen. Frankly, it was always possible to copy a Buzztouch app by copying the BT_config.txt file and placing it on your own server. This just makes things a bit easier from a content-management perspective. This tool works by analyzing the JSON from the BT_config.txt file and creating all the same screens on the new server. So, it should be "future proof" from that perspective. Not sure what you mean by "Please make an update on the Readme if the Files are copied or not. "?

The Files as in images, docs, etc. that are hosted on a BT server. Does the tool copy those files to another BT Server?

Ah - no, those are not copied over, since they are not in the BT_config.txt file. That's one copy protection people will still have - it's possible, but not easy, to get the graphics, etc out of an existing app and copy it to a new one.

A feature request: Allow me to alternatively specify a BT_config.txt file that resides on my own computer. I often will manually create a JSON file. This will help me get all that JSON easily into the database. --Niraj

Thought about that, but wanted to make it really simple to use. One thing you should be able to do, though, is upload that file to an online site (probably could even use the Buzztouch file manager), and then point the link to that.

thank you already. ok…its official..I’m going self hosted

I love you guys for making my life easier!

Yep - anyone who creates similar apps for clients (like for a particular industry) definitely needs this tool. Create one app, then copy it to a second one and start changing the details.

Just caught the post, impressive Chris1, you've made many very happy. Will check this out.

This is great Chris1! Finally... time to go self-hosted.

Way to go Chris 2014 is your year!

If it gets abused and has to be taken down does it self destruct for existing purchasers.. Thank you Mr. Hunt this mod will self destruct in 5.4.3.2.1 ka blam...

You are da man! Awesome! Tim

No way to self-destruct, sorry. Maybe version 2.0...

Fantastic Chris. Congrats. Miguel

hi, Chris Really nice tool, help me a lot... There is just one thing unclear for me, when I want to copy the app in my local server, as the "template function" you mentioned above, but I can't find the "core properties" in the control panel, so I can't get the dataURL of the APP. do you know how to solve this problem? thanks, Regards, SKywalker

In your BT or Self Hosted control panel, select an app (or create one, if it's new and has no apps). The 'core' control panel page is in the 'App' control panel, not the 'server' control panel… Depending on the way the app control panel is displayed, it will be a link either on the left side, or on the top… It will only say 'Core'. (App Icon/*Core*/Layout/Themes/Screens/Menus/App Users/Files Media/Json Data (config data in BT)/Publish Changes) Cheers! -- Smug

I find it. Thanks, Smug Cheers! Skywalker

There's another problem occurred, when I finished coping the app from buzz server to my server, uploaded the app icon(It seems that I should reset the tab-layout option, no configuration there), download the project source code etc. The problem is that when I finally run the new copied app in my test device, I found that the app is not operatable, it react nothing when I click on the new tab icon,,, it just shows the home page.... what's wrong with this? Do you guy has encountered this? Thanks, Skywalker

What's your dataURL?

hi, Chris it's not convenient to paste the URL here... My mailbox is [email protected], we can contact personally.. Thanks, Skwalker

it seems that the custom html/text item can't not be copied correctly, the new copied app is still get content from buzz server, not my own server, hope this can be fixed.... Regards, Skywalker

The issue with Custom HTML plugin is that it's actually using a saved file. If you look at your BT_Config.txt file, you'll notice that the JSON for that screen simply has a dataURL pointing to a HTML file on the server. The App Copier tool doesn't copy files, only configuration data. The screen will still work in the copied app, as the dataURL will be copied over the same (and thus pointing to your old server). To update, you'll just need to copy the HTML from the old server and paste it into the Custom HTML editor on the new one. I'd recommend copying the source code of the HTML rather than the WYSIWYG content, to make sure your formatting stays the same.

OK, I got, Thanks

hi, chris if I copy the html content from buzz server to my own server, and this will not change the dataURL in the config.txt file, right? the app will still request and update content from buzz server, right? what If I want the change the dataURL to my server in the config.txt? should I only do it manually? Regards, Skwalker

I could be wrong, but I think it will automatically update the dataURL on the new server for that screen when you hit save. Have you tried it yet?