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Everyman’s Guide to WordPress Section I: Using WordPress 3 Introduction: 3 Who this guide is for 3 Using this guide 3 A note about the copyright 4 Chapter 1: Installing WordPress Yourself 5 Why install WordPress yourself? 5 Before you begin 5 What your host needs 6 What you need 6 • An FTP program 6 • A means to create a blank database on your host 7 • A text editor 7 Planning for your new blog 9 • Where to put WordPress 9 • What categories will you need for your posts? 10 Before you install checklist 10 Installing WordPress: The Famous 5 Minute Install 11 The WordPress Codex 11 Installation at a glance 12 Step 1: Download WordPress 12 Step 2: Extract the WordPress files 14 • Extracting files using Windows: 14 • Extracting Files using Mac OSX 15 Step 3: Creating a MySQL database for WordPress 17 • Using cPanel to create a database 17 • Using phpMyAdmin to create a database 19 Page 1 © Brandon Booth, 2006. www.lucidgreen.net Everyman’s Guide to WordPress Step 4: Editing the wp-config file 23 Step 5: Upload the files 26 • Uploading files at a glance 26 • Using FileZilla to upload the files (Windows users) 26 • Using Cyberduck to upload the files (Mac OSX users) 28 Step 6: Running the install script 30 Step 7: Changing your password 32 Optional step: Edit file permissions 34 • Using FileZilla to change permissions (Windows users) 37 • Using Cyberduck to change permissions (Mac OSX users) 38 Extra Bonus: How to install multiple blogs 39 Extra, Extra Bonus: Migrating from another blog system to WordPress. 39 Page 2 © Brandon Booth, 2006. www.lucidgreen.net Everyman’s Guide to WordPress Section I: Using WordPress Introduction: Who this guide is for Welcome to the Everyman’s Guide to WordPress. This guide is aimed at every WordPress user who has ever wished for a book on WordPress, but it is especially aimed at those who are brand new to WordPress. I’ve been there myself, and I know how hard it is to get started. Sometimes you don’t even know what to search for when you get stuck. With that in mind I’ve tried to put everything you need to know into easy step-by-step instructions. There are screen shots of just about every step, and I’ve tried to define any terms that might be confusing. I’ve also tried to notify you of helpful hints and dangers with call-out boxes. Nevertheless, I’m sure I’ve missed some things. If you get stuck, DON’T DESPAIR! You can always search the Codex (http:// codex.wordpress.org) or ask a question on the WordPress forums (http:// wordpress.org/support/). Finally, please remember that this is a work in progress. There are certain to be spelling and grammatical errors. I know there are clunky and poorly written sentences. I just don’t have the time I need to properly proofread. If you find a horrifying error please let me know by emailing me at [email protected]. My dignity thanks you. Eventually I plan to write chapters on Using WordPress and on Customizing WordPress (my family and degree work take precedence however). If you like this guide, and find it useful, I would love to know about it. Please email me at the above address and let me know your thoughts. You can see all the guides currently available by visiting http://codex.wordpress.org/User:Anselm1109. Using this guide Most of what follows is self explanatory, but keep an eye out for the following kinds of notes. This is denotes a helpful tip. Usually a link or a definition of a term or an important clarification. Page 3 © Brandon Booth, 2006. www.lucidgreen.net Everyman’s Guide to WordPress This denotes a REALLY helpful link or resource. Warning! This denotes a pitfall to avoid or an easy and often made mistake. Pay attention to these! A note about the copyright While this document is copyrighted by the author, Brandon Booth, I hereby authorize you to copy and distribute it in any format for personal and non-profit uses. You must you give full credit to the author on every copy. You MAY NOT sell or profit from it in anyway without the express written consent of the author. Questions may be directed to [email protected]. Page 4 © Brandon Booth, 2006. www.lucidgreen.net Everyman’s Guide to WordPress Chapter 1: Installing WordPress Yourself Why install WordPress yourself? Sure you can set up a free blog at wordpress.com, and you can even apply fancy styles to your blog to make it more personal. But sometimes you want more control. Let’s say you own a small business selling hamster balls. You’re devoted to keeping hamsters everywhere healthy and fit by providing the highest quality rodent exercise equipment you can find at the lowest possible price. You have a website, and it looks great, but it’s just a web store. You’re an expert on rodent fitness equipment and are looking for a way to share your knowledge with your customers. Enter WordPress. By installing a copy of WordPress on your website you can start publishing your expert opinions and advice. WordPress does all the hard work of categorizing, archiving, and presenting your articles. It is even ready to publish RSS feeds, support Podcasts, and get you listed in blog rolls all over the internet. In short, with WordPress you can go from being just “an expert” on rodent fitness equipment to being “a recognized expert” on rodent fitness equipment. One other great benefit of installing WordPress yourself is full customizability. Unlike wordpress.com, your own copy of WordPress allows you to create your own themes, install your own plugins or even hack the code yourself! You get complete control over every aspect of the program. You are only limited by your imagination and skill. Before you begin Installing WordPress is almost as easy as setting up an account with wordpress.com, but there are a few bits of business that you need to take care of before you can enjoy the benefits of having WordPress fully under your control. First, While WordPress is a beautifully simple application it still requires a certain level of knowledge to install it yourself. If you aren’t comfortable with basic computing skills then installing WordPress yourself probably isn’t for you. On the other hand, if you are somewhat comfortable with terms like “Files” and “Folders”, and have a basic understanding of how to navigate your computer’s file structure, then you can probably handle the installation. It is also assumed that you have a basic understanding of how your host’s server operates. Choosing a host is discussed next, but once you have one you should take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with their help files. Page 5 © Brandon Booth, 2006. www.lucidgreen.net Everyman’s Guide to WordPress ✦What your host needs The first thing you need to install WordPress yourself is a web host with the proper specifications. The minimum WordPress requires is: PHP version 4.2 or greater MySQL version 3.23.23 or greater This requirement isn’t really all that hard to meet. Most good hosts are probably running higher versions of this software already, but it is worth checking just in case. In addition, the WordPress website also recommends that you run WordPress on either Apache or Litespeed server software. Probably any server software that supports PHP and MySQL will also work, but you may not have access to all the fancy features supported by Apache or Litespeed.1 Please do take a few minutes to read your host’s help documentation. While WordPress will run on a Windows server, it is highly recommended that you use a Linux server. This guide assumes that will be using a Linux server. This guide assumes that you are installing WordPress to a remote host rather than to a local machine. The only real difference between the two is how you get your files to your desired location. Once your files and blank database are in place the installation process is identical. ✦What you need In order to install WordPress you need a few things: - An FTP program There are a wide variety of FTP programs available. Below are some recommended FTP programs, listed by operating system, that you may like to experiment with. 1 http://wordpress.org/about/requirements/ Page 6 © Brandon Booth, 2006. www.lucidgreen.net Everyman’s Guide to WordPress Name URL Price Windows XP FileZilla http://filezilla.sourceforge.net/ Free WS_FTP LE http://www.download.com/ $34.95 3000-2160-10018456.html 30 day free trial Mac OSX Cyberduck http://cyberduck.ch/ Free These are just a few suggestions, there are many more that you can find by searching the web. Ideally you should find one that is easy to use and also has the ability to change file permissions. Although you don’t necessarily need to change any file permissions, being able to do so will allow you to take full advantage of all of WordPress’s features. All of the above FTP programs have this ability. File Permissions refers to the ownership settings associated with every file and folder on a Unix/Linux computer. Don’t worry, if you don’t understand this. The steps to change permissions for the right files will be detailed below. - A means to create a blank database on your host The next thing you need before you begin to install WordPress is a method of creating a blank database on your host’s MySQL server.