Saturday 20 July 2013

Common WordPress Installation Problems



Error Message        Common Cause                     Solution


Error                         The database name, user-


Connecting            name, password, or host

to the                      was entered incorrectly.

Database


Revisit your MySQL data-
base to obtain the database
name, username, and pass-
word and then reenter that
information.


 

Headers                     A syntax error occurred      Open the wp-config.php

Already                     in the wp-config.                        file in a text editor. The first

Sent Error                  php file.                             line needs to contain only

Messages                                                                         this line: <?php. The last

line needs to contain only

this line: ?>. Make sure that
those lines contain nothing
else — not even white space.
Save the file changes

Friday 19 July 2013

Running the installation script

9. Click the Log In button to log in to WordPress.

If you happen to lose this page before clicking the Log In button, you can
always find your way to the login page by entering your domain followed
by the call to the login file (for example, http://yourdomain.com/
wp-login.php — where yourdomain is your domain name).

 

You know that you’re finished with the installation process when you see

the login page, as shown in Figure 4-8. Check out Table 4-1 if you experience any problems during this installation process; it covers some of the common problems users run into.

So do tell — how much time does your watch show for the installation? Was it
five minutes? Stop by Lisa’s blog sometime at http://lisasabin-wilson.
com and let Lisa know whether WordPress stood up to its famous five-minute installation reputation. She’s a curious sort.

The good news is — you’re done! Were you expecting a marching band? WordPress isn’t that fancy . . . yet. Give them time, though. If anyone can produce it, the folks at WordPress can.

Running the installation script

 Your E-Mail: Enter the e-mail address you want to use to be notified
of administrative information about your blog. You can change this
address later, too.

 Allow My Blog to Appear in Search Engines Like Google and Technorati:
By default, this check box is selected, which lets the search engines
index the content of your blog and include your blog in search results.
To keep your blog out of the search engines, deselect this check box
(see Book III).

8. Click the Install WordPress button.

The WordPress installation machine works its magic and creates all the tables within the database that contain the default data for your blog. WordPress displays the login information you need to access the WordPress Dashboard. Make note of this username and password before you leave this page. Scribble them on a piece of paper or copy them into a text editor, such as Notepad.

After you click the Install WordPress button, you’re sent an e-mail with
the login information and login URL. This information is handy if you’re
called away during this part of the installation process. So go ahead
and let the dog out, answer the phone, brew a cup of coffee, or take a
15-minute power nap. If you somehow get distracted away from this
page, the e-mail sent to you contains the information you need to log
in to your WordPress blog.

Running the installation script

 Username: This is the name you use to log in to WordPress. By default,
the username is admin, and you can leave it that way. However, for
security reasons, I recommend you change your username to some-
thing unique to you. This username is different from the one you set
for the MySQL database in previous steps. You use this username
when you log in to WordPress to access the Dashboard (see Book III),
so be sure to make it something you’ll remember.

 Password, Twice: Type your desired password in the first text box
and then type it again in the second to confirm that you’ve typed
it correctly. If the two versions of your password don’t match,
WordPress alerts you with an error message. If you don’t enter

a password, one is generated automatically for you. For security                    Book II

reasons, it’s a good thing to set a different password here than the               Chapter 4

one you set for your MySQL database in the previous steps — just don’t get them confused.

For security reasons (and so other people can’t make a lucky guess),
passwords should be at least seven characters long and use as many
different characters in as many combinations as possible. Use a
mixture of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols
(such as ! “ ? $ % ^ &).

 

Running the installation script

5. After you fill in that information, click the Submit button.

You see a message that says, “All right, sparky! You’ve made it through this part of the installation. WordPress can now communicate with your database. If you’re ready, time to run the install!”

6. Click the Run the Install button.

Another welcome page appears with a message welcoming you to the famous five-minute WordPress installation process.

7. Enter the following information, as shown in Figure 4-7:

 Site Title: Enter the title you want to give your site. The title you

enter isn’t written in stone; you can change it later, if you like. The site title also displays on your site.

Running the installation script

2. Click the Create a Configuration File button.

The Welcome to WordPress page appears, giving you the information you need to proceed with the installation.

3. Click the Let’s Go button at the bottom of that page.

4. Dig out the database name, username, and password that you saved
in the earlier section “Setting up the MySQL database,” and use that

information to fill in the following fields, as shown in Figure 4-6:

 Database Name: Type the database name you used when you created
the MySQL database before this installation. Because hosts differ in

configurations, you need to enter the database name by itself or a combination of your username and the database name, separated by an underscore mark (_).

If you named your database wordpress, for example, you enter that in this text box. If your host requires you to append the database name with your hosting account username, you enter username_ wordpress, substituting your hosting username for username. Lisa’s username is lisasabin, so she enters lisasabin_wordpress.

 User Name: Type the username you used when you created the
MySQL database before this installation. Depending on what your host

requires, you may need to enter a combination of your hosting account username and the database username separated by an underscore

mark (_). In Figure 4-6, you can see both: lisasabin_username.

 Password: Type the password you used when you set up the MySQL
database. You don’t need to append the password to your hosting

account username here.

 Database Host: Ninety-nine percent of the time, you leave this field
set to localhost. Some hosts, depending on their configurations,
have different hosts set for the MySQL database server. If localhost
doesn’t work, you need to contact your hosting provider to find out
the MySQL database host.

 Table Prefix: Leave this field set to wp_.

You can change the table prefix to create an environment secure from outside access. See Chapter 5 for more information.

Running the installation script

The final step in the installation procedure for WordPress is connecting

the WordPress software you uploaded to the MySQL database. Follow
these steps:

1. Type the URL of your Web site into the address bar in your
Web browser.

If you chose to install WordPress in a different folder from the root

directory of your account, make sure you indicate that in the URL for
the install script. For example, if you transferred the WordPress soft-
ware files to the /blog folder, for example, you point your browser to
the following URL to run the installation: http://yourdomain.com/
blog/wp-admin/install.php. If WordPress is in the root directory,
use the following URL to run the installation: http://yourdomain.com/
wp-admin/install.php (where yourdomain is your domain name).

Assuming that you did everything correctly (see Table 4-1 for help with
common installation problems).

Uploading the WordPress files via FTP

✦ You can choose a different folder from the root. You aren’t required to
transfer the files to the root directory of your Web server. You can choose
to run WordPress on a subdomain or in a different folder on your account.
If you want your blog address to be http://yourdomain.com/blog,
you transfer the WordPress files into a /blog folder (where yourdomain
is your domain name).

✦ Choose the right file permissions. File permissions tell the Web server
how these files can be handled on your server — whether they’re files
that can be written to. Generally, PHP files need to have a permission
(Chmod is explained in Chapter 2 of this minibook) of 666, whereas file
folders need a permission of 755. Almost all FTP clients let you check
and change the permissions on the files, if you need to. Typically, you
can find the option to change file permissions within the menu options
of your FTP client.

Some hosting providers run their PHP software in a more secure format —
safe mode. If this is the case with your host, you need to set the PHP files to
644. If you’re unsure, ask your hosting provider what permissions you need
to set for PHP files.

Uploading the WordPress files via FTP

Here are a few things to keep in mind when you upload your files:

✦ Upload the contents of the /wordpress folder to your Web server —

not the folderitself. Most FTP client software lets you select all the files
and drag and drop them to your Web server. Other programs have you
highlight the files and click a Transfer button.

✦ Choose the correct transfer mode. File transfers via FTP have two

forms: ASCII and binary. Most FTP clients are configured to autodetect the transfer mode. Understanding the difference as it pertains to this WordPress installation is important so that you can troubleshoot any problems you have later:

 Binary transfer mode is how images (such as JPG, GIF, BMP, and PNG
files) are transferred via FTP.

ASCII transfer mode is for everything else (text files, PHP files,
JavaScript, and so on).

For the most part, it’s a safe bet to make sure that the transfer mode of your FTP client is set to autodetect. But if you experience issues with how those files load on your site, retransfer the files by using the
appropriate transfer mode.

Uploading the WordPress files via FTP

If you don’t know what your root directory is, contact your hosting provider

and ask, “What is my root directory for my account?” Every hosting provider’s
setup is different. On Lisa’s Web server, her root directory is the public_
html folder; some of her clients have a root directory in an httpdocs folder.
The answer really depends on what type of setup your hosting provider has.
When in doubt, ask!

 

Uploading the WordPress files via FTP

To upload the WordPress files to your host, return to the /wordpress folder (shown in Figure 4-4) on your computer where you unpacked the WordPress software that you downloaded earlier. If you need a review on using FTP (File Transfer Protocol) to transfer files from your computer to your Web server, review Chapter 2 in this minibook.

Using your FTP client, connect to your Web server, and upload all these files to your hosting account, into the root directory.

Downloading the WordPress software

Before you install WordPress on your Web server, you need to make

sure that you have the MySQL database set up and ready to accept the WordPress installation. Be sure that you’ve followed the preceding steps to set up your MySQL database before proceeding.

Downloading the WordPress software

Without further ado, get the latest version of the WordPress software at

http://wordpress.org/download.

WordPress gives you two compression formats for the software: .zip and
.tar.gz. We recommend getting the Zip file because it’s the most common
format for compressed files and both Windows and Mac operating systems
can use the format. Generally, the .tar.gz file format is used for Unix
operating systems.

Download the WordPress software to your computer and then decompress
(unpack or unzip) it to a folder on your computer’s hard drive. These steps
begin the installation process for WordPress. Having the program on your
own computer isn’t enough, however. You also need to upload (or transfer)
it to your Web server account .

Setting up the MySQL database

11. Click the Make Changes button.

A page opens with a confirmation message that you’ve added your selected user to the selected database.

12. Click the Go Back link or the Back button on your browser toolbar.
You return to the MySQL Databases page.

The MySQL database for your WordPress Web site is complete and you’re
ready to proceed to the final step of installing the software on your
Web server.

Setting up the MySQL database

8. Click the Go Back link or the Back button on your browser toolbar.
The MySQL Databases page displays in your browser window.

9. In the Add Users to Database section of the MySQL Databases page,
choose the user you just set up from the User drop-down list and then

choose the new database from the Database drop-down list.

The MySQL Account Maintenance, Manage User Privileges page appears in cPanel.

10. Assign user privileges by selecting the All Privileges check box.

Because you’re the administrator (or owner) of this database, you need to
make sure that you assign all privileges to the new user you just created.