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Home > Standalone Quiz Management System FAQs

FAQs - Online Quiz Management System

1. Basic Information


2. Problems in Installation

2.1 Installation environment


3. Service


1. Basic Information


1.1 What is Standalone QMS?

  • Compared with Wondershare Online Quiz Management System, Wondershare Standalone Quiz Management System (short for Standalone QMS) is an assessment management system which can be installed on your own server for tracking and analysing quiz results.
    This system works with QuizCreator 3.2 or later version. When Quiz publishers finish the quiz creation, they can upload the quizzes to the Standalone QMS. Then the quiz takers can open the quiz on Web with the generated URL, and submit the quiz results to this system when they finish the quiz.
    Integrated with QuizCreator and Standalone QMS, this assessment solution provides an easy way to upload quizzes, take quizzes online, collect the results and compile the statistics to generate reports.

    • 1.2 What can you do with this system?

  • With this system, you can effectively manage the assessment of an organization, more details as follows:
    Manage the users in the organization, including: Administrator, Publisher, and Participant.
    Publishers can create and publish quizzes to Standalone QMS.
    Participants can take quizzes on SQMS with the provided quiz URL and submit results to SQMS.
    Administrator and Publishers can collect the quiz results submitted by quiz takes and compile statistics to generate reports.

    • 1.3 What are the software and hardware requirements of Standalone QMS installation?

  • Standalone QMS is based on C/S architecture. Data exchange requires support from network, no matter LAN or the WAN.
    The running environment includes:
  • Hardware Environment
    • 1 GB RAM;
    • 256 MB available hard disk space, and enough space for quiz uploading
    • 100 Mbps network adapter card
    Software Environment
    Supported Operation System: Microsoft Windows 2000 server/Microsoft Windows 2003 server(Windows Platform); Centos/Ubuntu server edition(Linux Platform).
    Supported Web Server: Apache 2.0 or above. Free to use. You may download it from: http://www.apache.org;
    Supported Database: Mysql 5.0 or above. Free to use. You may download it from http://www.mysql.com;
    FTP Program：Upload all files to your server, using your favorite FTP program. Filezilla is recommended and free. You may download it from: http://filezilla-project.org;
    Mail server: Sending e-mail to inform publishers when they publish new quizzes or invite participants to take quizzes. You may use software like ExchangeServer or Postfix.
    Others Software Requirements:
    PHP: You may use PHP 5.0 or later to parse the SQMS. You may download it from http://www.php.net.

    • 1.4 Can I do the Secondary development to Standalone QMS?

  • This edition is a single user license which only allows you to conduct an independent installation on one server. You may not rent, lease, sublicense, sell, assign, pledge the Software and its services.
    As this system is on your own servers, all the quiz data are stored in your database. You may operate and manage them yourself.

2. Problems in Installation


2.1 Installation environment


  • 2.1.1 How to configure the server environment?
  • Find a server whose operating system is based on Windows or Linux platform.
    Then install Web server software, database, FTP software and optional mail server software on the server. XAMPP is recommended to prepare the software environment. It is an easy-to-install Apache distribution containing MySQL, PHP and Perl. More details can be checked from this link: http://www.apachefriends.org.
  • Standalone QMS EULA

  • 2.1.2 Where to put the decompressed Standalone QMS files?
  • Decompress the Standalone QMS files into a folder.
    After the server configuration, you can put the decompressed files to the default directory “htdocs”. Then enter the address of the Web server to go to the installation wizard of Standalone QMS.
    If you have set your virtual host, you can put them to the accessible directory of you virtual host. Then you can visit the host and go to the installation wizard of Standalone QMS.

  • 2.1.3 Can not pass the environment checking?
  • There are 3 sections needed to be checked in installation: software and hardware environment, directory and file permission, and function.
    Checking the software and hardware environment:
    • Operating System: Windows or Linux platform. If not, it will alert that installation is not allowed.
    • PHP Version: PHP 5.0 or above.
    • Attachment Uploading: If the current settings of the system do not meet the requirements, please check upload_max_filesizein php.ini, and change the variable to a higher value.
  • • Disk Space: The minimum requirement of disk space is 256 MB. It will alert you if there is not enough space to store the files in this system. In that case, you may change the installation directory path or expand the disk space.
  • Checking the directory and file permissions:
    Please make sure that all the directories and files listed on the page are writable. If not, you should add “write” permissions to them.
    In Windows, you can go to the directory of Standalone QMS installation files, right-click the installation folder and select Properties, remove “Read-only” attribute and add “write” permission to the selected files.
    In Linux, you may use command line to change the attribute of files. For unwritable files “./config.inc.php”, you can go to the directory of Standalone QMS, and run the command “chmod 777 ./config.inc.php”.
    Checking functional dependency
    If the checking result shows “not supported”, please find the corresponding solution in the following table according to the problem.
    • Checking Results Windows Linux
    MySQL_connect：Please check whether MySQL section is correctly loaded. 1.Install MySQL.
    2.Reinstall PHP.    		 1.Install MySQL.
    2.Reinstall PHP, add ” --with-MySQL=/usr/local/MySQL” to the compiling parameter.
    file_get_contents：This function requires that the allow_url_fopen option in php.ini should be open. Set allow_url_fopen = On in Php.ini Set allow_url_fopen = On in Php.ini
    xml_parser_create：This function required that PHP should support XML. This function needs the XML support. Expat XML Parser is recommended to installed.
    (http://sourceforge.net/projects/expat/)
    		 This function needs the XML support. Expat XML Parser is recommended to installed.
    Reinstall PHP, and set with-libexpat-dir as the installation directory.
    fsockopen：This function requires that the allow_url_fopen option in php.ini should be open. Set allow_url_fopen = On in Php.ini. Set allow_url_fopen = On in Php.ini.


  • Check server configuration

    • 2.2 Server Configuration


  • 2.2.1 Can not pass the environment checking?
  • There is a list of definitions for each parameter in database configuration. You may do the database configuration according to the instruction.
    Database: Database style, MySQL is the database for this system.
    Host: The IP address of database server. If the database and program files are on the same host, the default address is localhost; If the database is on another server, just fill out the IP address of the server which is available on Web.
  • Port: The port of database connection, which can be set in the database configuration. For Windows, the value of variable MySQL_port can be checked in my.ini, which is under the installation directory of MySQL. For Linux, the port value is the variable MySQL_port in my.cnf under the installation directory of MySQL or default installation path /etc .
    Username and password: The username and password of MySQL, both can be added or modified in database management tools. For example, with phpmyadmin provided in XAMPP, user information can be added or modified in permission option.
    Table Prefix: Table prefix for multiple systems on one database (if you don't need it just keep the default settings).

    • Set server configuration

    Setting server configuration

  • 2.2.2 How to configure the FTP server?
  • There is a list of definitions for each parameter in FTP configuration. You may follow the guide to do the settings.
    Host: The IP address FTP server. For XAMPP installation, the FTP server and Web server are on the same host, the default address is localhost.
  • Port: The port value of FTP server. The default port value of FTP software is 21. You may check it on the management side if the port is changed. For FileZilla in XAMPP, you may open the Admin management window, edit -> Setting -> general settings, the value of Listen on these ports is the port value for the FTP. For security purposes, you may change the port value, and correspondingly modify the port value in system configuration.
  • Username and password: The username and password for FTP server. FTP user information can be added or modified in FTP admin management window. For example, with FileZilla provided in XAMPP, you may open the Admin management window, Edit -> Users -> General, add or modify the FTP user information, and set default FTP storage path as the program directory of this system: ./userdata/quizes/upload.

  • 2.2.3 How to configure the Mail server?
  • There is a list of definitions for each parameter in Mail Server configuration. You may follow the instruction to do the settings.
    Host: The IP address Mail server. If the mail server and Web server are on the same host, the default address is localhost.
    Port: The port value of Mail server. The default value is 25.
    Auth User and Auth Password: Username and password for e-mail authentication. Both can be added and modified in mail server.
    Validate or not: This part requires that settings of some mail servers pass the validation. If you do not do the configuration to the mail server, just keep the default settings.
    Set the administrator and site information
    Admin E-mail: A valid e-mail address and the Account of administrator. This address is unique and unchangeable after installation. The Standalone QMS will send alert e-mail to this address.
    Admin password: Password of Administrator Account, which can be changed later.
    First name and Last name: The name of administrator shown on the system.
    Site name: It will show as the page title. The default name is Quiz Management System. You may change it as your need.
  • 2.2.4 How to modify the server configuration after successful installation?
  • Go to include folder under the installed Standalone QMS directory, select and open config.inc.php, then you can see a list of or Variables. You may change the corresponding parameters to modify the server configuration.
Configuration of Database Server
Database name $db_server[‘main’][‘db’]
Host & Port $db_server[‘main’][‘host’]
User name $db_server[‘main’][‘user’]
Password $db_server[‘main’][‘pass’]
Configuration of FTP Server
Host $config[‘ftp_host’]
Port $config[‘ftp_port’]
User Name $config[‘ftp_username’]
Password $config[‘ftp_password’]
Configuration of Mail Server
SMTP Host $config[‘mail_host’]
SMTP Port $config[‘mail_port’]
User Name $config[‘mail_username’]
Password $config[‘mail_password’]
Authentication $config[‘mail_auth’]
  • All these settings are correspondingly done in the in Standalone QMS configuration in installation.

2.3 System configuration


  • 2.3.1 What is the Admin information used for?
  • Admin account: A valid e-mail address for system alters and mail sending. This e-mail address is unique in the system, and it can not be changed after installation.
    Admin password: You may set it in installation process, which can be modified later.
    First name and Last name: The name of administrator shown in the system.

  • 2.3.2 Can I have two Admin accounts?
  • There can be only one Administrator in the Standalone QMS, who is able to publish quizzes, and manage all the quiz content and user information on the system. While there can be multiple publishers to create and publish quizzes to the system.
  • 2.3.3 Are there some requirements for filling the site information?

    Site url: Site url: This url filling in this part should be the same with the address for you to visit the home page of your Standalone QMS.

    Site name: It will be displayed as the title of the system pages. The default site name is Quiz Management System. You may change it as you wish.

    • Set system parameter


    3. Service

    3.1 What service can you offer besides the help document?

  • The document and FAQ are development and perfecting. And users may get more support with the Online Form.

    • 3.2 How to send our questions and problems to the support staff?

  • You may ask questions on the Online Form. Describe the problem (it would be better if the screenshots can be attached to the questions) and send them to us. We will reply the questions in 24 hours.

    • 3.3 How to upgrade the Standalone QMS if there is a new version.

  • There will be the upgrading notice on the official website http://www.quiz-creator.com when a new version releases. You may receive the upgrade newsletter. For minor release, you can upgrade your Standalone QMS with no cost. But you may pay some additional cost for upgrading if it is a major release. Contact us to get the new installation file, then reinstall and upgrade the Standalone QMS. This will do no influence with the original quiz data.

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