SQLite Configuration Guide for Poweradmin

Overview

This guide explains how to configure Poweradmin to use SQLite as your database backend.

Requirements

• PHP with PDO SQLite extension enabled
• Write permissions on the directory where the SQLite database will be stored

Configuration Steps

1. Create a configuration file at /config/settings.php based on the example below:

<?php
/**
 * Poweradmin SQLite Configuration
 */
return [
    /**
     * Database Settings
     */
    'database' => [
        'type' => 'sqlite',           // Set database type to SQLite
        'file' => '/path/to/your/poweradmin.sqlite',  // Absolute path to SQLite database file
        'host' => '',                 // Not used for SQLite
        'port' => '',                 // Not used for SQLite
        'user' => '',                 // Not used for SQLite
        'password' => '',             // Not used for SQLite
        'name' => '',                 // Not used for SQLite
        'charset' => 'utf8',          // Character set
        'debug' => false,             // Set to true to debug SQL queries
    ],

    // Other configuration sections remain the same as in settings.defaults.php
];

1. Ensure the directory containing the SQLite database file has appropriate permissions:

   • The web server user (e.g., www-data, apache, nginx) needs read/write access to both the directory and database file

2. Initialize your database structure using the appropriate SQL file:

   • Use sql/poweradmin-sqlite-db-structure.sql for a new installation
   • For upgrades, use the appropriate upgrade script from the sql/ directory

Database Initialization

You have two options to initialize a new SQLite database:

Option 1: Manual Setup

# Create the database file
touch /path/to/your/poweradmin.sqlite

# Set proper permissions
chmod 664 /path/to/your/poweradmin.sqlite
chown www-data:www-data /path/to/your/poweradmin.sqlite  # Replace with your web server user

# Import the schema
sqlite3 /path/to/your/poweradmin.sqlite < /path/to/poweradmin/sql/poweradmin-sqlite-db-structure.sql

Option 2: Using the Automated Script

You can use the provided script from the Poweradmin repository: https://github.com/poweradmin/poweradmin-scripts/blob/master/create_sqlite_db.sh

Running the Installer

After creating your SQLite database, run the Poweradmin installer and select SQLite as the database type, then provide the full path to your database file:

When the installation is complete, copy the generated configuration to inc.config.php:

Troubleshooting

• Check file permissions if you encounter "unable to open database file" errors
• Verify that the PHP PDO SQLite extension is enabled with php -m | grep pdo_sqlite
• Ensure the path to the SQLite file is absolute and accessible to the web server user
• Check PHP error logs for detailed error messages