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Welcome back everyone to the Web Design with WordPress Course. Last class we showed you how to install WordPress through Bluehost�s one click install option. Today we�ll show you how to manually install the software. This option is good to know for at least two reasons. First off, not all web hosts have a one click install option, so this may the only option to install WordPress depending on the web host you select. It is also a good way to get to know some of the elements of the software, especially if you plan to learn some of the more sophisticated design techniques using the software. Since we�ve been using Bluehost throughout the course I�ll show you how to manually install WordPress on a Bluehost account.
Before we install WordPress we will have to create a SQL database for WordPress. Sql spelled S-Q-L in most contexts is a programming language used to interact with databases. Creating a database will allow WordPress to store the content that you add to your website. We can add a database from the control panel by clicking on the database tab at the top of the page.
Once the database page has loaded scroll down to the �Create New Database� section and enter a database name. Click the �Create Database� button and the next screen will confirm that you�ve created the database. {Pause} Click the �Go Back� button to return to the database page.
Now that we�ve created the database, we�ll have to create a user that�s capable of accessing the database. Once you�ve reloaded the database page scroll down to the section labeled �MySQL Users� and fill out the form to add a new user to your newly created database. You can choose your own password or utilize Bluehost�s password generator. Write down your username and password so we can use them later in the installation process. Also, take note that your user name will be prefaced by your Bluehost account name and an underscore. The same is true of your database name. You�ll need to include the prefix when we use your database name and username later on in the installation process. Click the �Create User� button to finish creating the user.
Click the �Go Back� button to return to the database page once the user has been created. {Pause} Now we have to associate the user we just created with the database. Scroll down on the page to the �Add User to Database� section and select the newly created user name if it�s not already selected in the User field. Make sure the database selected is the database you just created as well. Click the �Add� button to add the user to the database.
The next page that loads will allow you to select the access you�d like the user to have to the database. For our purposes, simply click the �All Privileges� box and click the �Make Changes� button to continue. Once the user has been added to the database were ready to get the WordPress software to install to our web host.
In order to complete the manual install we will have to obtain the software from the WordPress.org website. Once you�ve arrived at the page click the button in the top right corner that says �Download WordPress�. On the next page you�ll notice another button that says Download WordPress and the current version number. Click the button to begin your download of WordPress.
The file that you are downloading is an archived file that will save in the .zip format. If you aren�t already familiar with these types of files you�ll need a program to help you extract the data from the downloaded file. 7zip is a free program that will allow us to open the contents of the downloaded file. You can download the software at www.7-zip.org. Choose the version of 7zip according to the type of windows you are running, either 32bit or 64bit. If you are uncertain of the type of windows that you are running you can check by bringing up your start menu and right clicking the computer tab. Select properties from the drop down box. This will bring up a screen that gives you basic information about your operating system and the hardware installed. Check the �Systems� section and note the �System type� to figure out which version of 7zip you should download from their website.
Once you�ve downloaded 7zip, open the program and follow the prompts to install the software. Run 7zip after you�ve installed it and navigate to where you downloaded the WordPress zip file. Select the WordPress zip file and click the �Extract� button at the top of the program. Select the location you�d like to extract the files to and click �Ok�.
Once the files have been extracted navigate to the new location and open the file. Inside the wordpress folder are all of the files needed for your WordPress installation. We will eventually upload these files to our Bluehost account but first we need to modify a couple of these files before doing so.
Locate the file name wp-config-sample.php and rename it to wp-config.php. We will also need to edit this file so our WordPress installation can access our newly created SQL database. Use the notepad program so we can open and edit the file. For future reference, you will be able to open any file that has the extension .php with the notepad program. We�ll talk more about .php files in a future course.
There are three things we need to change in the file, the database name, username and password. Find the part of the file that says �database_name_here� and replace it with the name of your database. Be sure to keep your database name in the single quotes. Do the same for the �username_here� field and the �password_here� field as well. Once you�ve modified these three to reflect the info you took down earlier when creating the SQL database save the document and close the editor. Keep in mind that your database name and user name will be prefaced by the name of your Bluehost account immediately followed by an underscore.
Now we�re ready to upload the WordPress installation to our Bluehost account. We�ll be using an application that Bluehost provides to transfer our WordPress installation called Unlimited FTP. FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol and is a common way to transfer files across a network such as the internet. There are several stand �alone FTP programs that we could use to accomplish this task, but for convenience sake we�ll be using Bluehost�s built in app. We will discuss some other popular FTP program choices in future classes. Pull up the control panel on your Bluehost account and scroll down to the �File Management� section. Click on the �Unlimited FTP� icon to open the application. You may get a popup asking you to accept the risk associated with running the application, check the �I accept� box and click the �Run� button to continue.
After the page loads you should have two file directories. The one to the left is your computer while the one on the right is the directory for your Bluehost account. Locate the �public_html� folder in the Bluehost directory and double click to open it. This is where we�ll upload our WordPress installation.
Before we upload the wordpress folder it may be a good idea to change the name of the folder itself. This gives your site an added level of security from any hackers that may be trying to exploit your site through your WordPress installation. If the folder where your WordPress installation is named something off topic, it makes it difficult for would be hackers and automated programs to actually find it. Navigate to the extracted wordpress folder and rename it.
Return to the Unlimited FTP application and locate your wordpress folder that you just renamed. Make sure you are still in the �public_html� folder in your Bluehost directory and click the blue arrow pointing towards your Bluehost directory to upload the folder. The transfer will probably take a couple of minutes and may take longer depending on your connection.
Once the files are uploaded we�ll have to make one last change to one of the files in our installation. Navigate back to the wordpress folder on your computer and open the index.php file in notepad. We�ll have to change the line of code in the file that tells WordPress where the software is located. Locate the text that starts off with �require� which should be near the end of the file and modify the directory path to include our name change for the wordpress folder. You�ll add the folder name directly after the first backslash and before wp-blog-header.php. Make sure to include a backslash between your folder name and the wp-blog-header address. Save the file and return to the Unlimited FTP application.
In the Unlimited FTP application select the public_html folder under the Bluehost directory. This is where we are going to upload our new index file. Find the newly modified index.php file on your computer directory in the Unlimited FTP application. Highlight the index.php file and click the right facing arrow to upload it. It�s important to place the index.php file in the public_html folder or our web host won�t know where to locate WordPress.
Now we are finally ready to actually install WordPress. Open a new browser window and type in the following: your domain name plus the renamed wordpress folder followed by /wp-admin/install.php. If everything uploaded right you should be brought to a WordPress installation screen. Pick a title for your site as well as a username and password. It is not recommended to use admin as a user name since it will make hacking your site that much easier. Also, enter an email to associate with your WordPress. If you intend to make your site public then you probably want to click the check box next to Allow search engines to index this site. This makes it possible for people to locate your site through a search engine. Click the �Install WordPress� button to begin the installation.
Once the installation has finished you�ll be prompted to login. Login and you�ll be brought to your WordPress dashboard. That�s it. WordPress is now installed on your site. You can further test the installation by typing in your domain name. A page should appear with the title you selected and some sample posts and pages available to explore.
If you had any issues during your install check out the support section on the wordpress.org site. You can check out their forums to see if another user has had a similar issue to yours or you can check the codex which is the documentation for the WordPress software. You can always try a google search as well for a potential solution to a specific problem you are having.
Just to recap, this list contains the general steps that we took today in installing WordPress to our Bluehost account. Now that we have a working copy of WordPress running on our web host we�ll show you how to utilize WordPress to build a website in the upcoming classes. That�s it for today�s class, thanks for watching on behalf of E3 and stay tuned for our next class in the series.