ajaxmike

OK great thanks.

I figured out how to protect directories and that does exactly what I want. Thank you.

The domain and the subdomain are probably on the same server, since I am using my web host. After the initial install, I will have a production system and a development system. Won’t I need a database for each system? Will the script handle that?

Thanks Catacaustic

I tried changing permissions, but I just got a 403 unauthorized. I’ll check control panel.

Any recommendation on how to move sites from development to production? I have seen a few plugins that seem to do that.

Thanks for that Chris. I hope it helps out some others. I had already figured out some of that and I now have it running, but your approach would have saved me a lot of time.

I now see that the “Famous 5 Minute Install” is only for those who fully understand how WP works and have been through the install before. I think I could do it in 5 minutes now.

The official WP instructions mostly assumes that you are installing on a web-host. It would have been helpful if there was a section on how to install to your own Linux server. A line like “do NOT use the Ubuntu apt package” would have been REALLY helpful. In fact I installed to the 1and1 web-host manually and that wasn’t too bad. WP should strongly advise against using the one click install on a host unless you are building a really simple site (maybe they do and I missed it).

It would also be really helpful if WP provided an overview of how WP is architected. For instance:
1. The WP files, themes, plugins, code, etc, reside in a set of files and directories that are uploaded to a webserver.
2. The webserver must already be running webserver software, a SQL database, and PHP. This is typically Linux, Apache, mySQL, and PHP (often referred to as a LAMP stack, although there is a Microsoft option).
3. The website is built through a browser, which connects to a dashboard, where themes and plugins are installed and content added.
4. Your content/data is stored on the database.
5. If you are building a commercial site, a site that will updated frequently, or a site that cannot be down, you are advised to have a separate environment for development and testing. See this link for how to set that up: <link>

Sorry to be negative. As a jaded 30 year IT veteran, I should have known that a “5 minute install” was only for experienced installers. WP should back off on that. Even though it was very frustrating, I think I will grow to love WordPress.

OK I went back and searched some more. I came across a post that explained that apache’s root directory is /var/www so I figured it needed to find the install.php from there. Localhost didn’t work but homeserver/wp-admin/install.php did work.

So how do I setup separate directories for each site that I am working on? homeserver/wp-admin goes to the default site. Do I setup a full WP install in homeserver/site1, homeserver/site2, etc? Or do I just load the site into homeserver/wp-admin/site1, homeserver/wp-admin/site2, etc?

That’s a good point. It would have been nice if they gave an overview of the architecture in the codex though. I guess unix server developers though don’t see things from the windows desktop POV. I am sure i get it, but it’s been a lot longer than 5 minutes, that’s for sure :^))

Thanks for your help.

Oh, so it’s WYSIWYG running on the server and viewing through a browser? I guess I was assuming that the server wouldn’t be supporting the editing (I’m stuck in the client server days, I guess)

That’s pretty easy. I think that was what you were talking about above. The only thing I’d be giving up then is the ability to work without an internet connection. I guess it would be bit slower too vs. a local connection. Not a huge deal.

I gather the way WP works is that I download a page/file to a text editor, save the changes and view online. I didn’t realize WP wasn’t WYSIWYG. I guess I should try it the simple way first. I can always add the desktop environment later if it’s not working out.

Ha. yeah I know nothing about Asynchronous JavaScript and XML, but I live in Ajax. In the 1970s Ajax was probably a town of 20K. It’s 100K now and the radio station is long gone.

So, is it just a matter of copying the live system to a sub-folder and then moving it back when changed and tested? I have been reading about Serverpress and Instant wordpress, but it’s not clear if it is a simple upload to the live site.

OK, that makes sense. Thanks. I found some more articles on the Codex and I am doing some google searches, so maybe I’ll find an article that actually explains how you get started and omits the “5 minute” phrase.

I was attracted to WP because because of the five minute install. Install a theme and a few plugins, enter some content, and you have a website. Thanks for your thoughtful answers guys, but virtual machines, PHP, Apache, SQL server, all seem a bit much for knocking off websites. Could the answer to my question be “unless you are very technical, WordPress isn’t really designed to work that way.”

I did read the installation guidelines. Lots of flexibility. It said you can install it on a desktop and since that is what I am familiar with I selected that. I assumed there would be a button to upload (FTP) the files to the webserver when I finished entering the content. After the install finished, I couldn’t find an entry in the start menu, no desktop icon. How do I start?

Is there a different guide somewhere that explains how WP works, how I boot it, how I enter my content, how I do backups, how I keep development and production separate? Do most people just work in real time on the production files?

Thanks for you help guys, but I am totally confused here. I don’t usually have any trouble using software, so WP isn’t sounding so easy to use so far.