WordPress's requirements are modest. At minimum, your server should support:

Your host should list these features and version numbers in the description of hosting plans or the support area (or both). Note that PHP 4 reached its end of life in 2008 and is no longer supported by its developers. While WordPress will run on these older versions, I highly recommend using a web host that supports PHP 5.

A number of web hosts offer one-click installation of WordPress via the control panel, usually using the Fantastico application installer. In actuality, it really takes about half a dozen clicks, so I'll walk you through it. (If your host doesn't offer Fantastico or another one-click option, you'll need to see the "Installation using the Web Interface" section of this chapter.)

First, locate the Fantastico icon in your host's control panel. You'll see a list of applications that Fantastico can install for you; WordPress is in the blogs category. Once you've chosen WordPress, you'll see an informational screen letting you know how much disk space is required and that one of your MySQL databases will be used.

On the following screen, you'll be asked to fill in some information. Fantastico will create a database and user for you, but you still need to specify which of your domains (if you have more than one) you want WordPress to be installed on. You also need to specify the administrator account username, email address, and password you want to use for WordPress. Finally, you'll be asked to give your new site a name and a description. All of these things can be changed later in the WordPress settings, so it's OK if you aren't sure yet. Just make up something!

When you're ready, press Install WordPress, and in a moment you'll see a confirmation screen. Make sure you know the password (or copy it to your clipboard), then proceed to the Logging In section later in this chapter.

Figure 2-1. Installing WordPress with Fantastico

To install WordPress without a one-click installer like Fantastico, you'll need to create a database, upload the files, and run the installer. I'll walk through the most common ways to accomplish these tasks. First, you'll need to set up a database for WordPress to use. If your host has already created one for you, simply locate the database name, username, password, and host you were provided (usually in the welcome e-mail you received when you signed up). Otherwise, create a new database according to your host's instructions. Figure 2-2 shows how to do this in PHPMyAdmin (the MySQL web interface most commonly used by commercial hosting companies). If you are asked to specify a character set, choose UTF-8, which will support any language. If you are asked to specify a collation, choose utf8-general-ci. These are the language and character settings WordPress expects, but some older MySQL installations use more restrictive character sets. If you'll be importing content, see Chapter 5 for more detail on these settings.

If you have the option to create a new database user, you should do so. Be sure to grant the new user all permissions on your database, as shown in Figure 2-3.

Once you have your database credentials in hand, you're ready to install WordPress.

Figure 2-2. Creating a database in PHPMyAdmin

Figure 2-3. Granting user privileges on the new database in PHPMyAdmin

Download the installation package from wordpress.org and upload the files to your web host using FTP client software. Simply place the files where you want your WordPress site to be located; that is, if you want the site to be located at mysite.com, upload the files to your web root folder. If you want the site to be located at mysite.com/blog, create a folder called blog and upload the WordPress files to that folder instead.

Figure 2-4. Uploading files via FTP in Transmit

Once you have uploaded the files, visit the site in a web browser. You will immediately be presented with an install screen. Fill in the requested information as shown in Figure 2-5 and press Submit to complete the installation.

Figure 2-5. Filling in the database connection information

Figure 2-6. Creating the admin account

Once the installation is complete, you'll have the opportunity to create your account, as shown in Figure 2-6. In previous versions, the first user was always called 'admin,' but as of version 3.0, you can choose your own username for this account.

Log in using the password you just created (Figure 2-7). You should see your Dashboard with a message at the top prompting you to choose a more easily remembered password (Figure 2-8). We'll go over the Dashboard and the rest of the WordPress settings in the next chapter.

Figure 2-7. The WordPress login screen

Figure 2-8. Logging in to the Dashboard for the first time

If you prefer to edit configuration files rather than rely on the web-based installer, or if you need to use some of the extra configuration options (a default language other than English, for example), you can create the configuration file by hand. Download the installation package from wordpress.org. Unzip it and rename wp-config-sample.php to wp-config.php. Open wp-config.php in a text editor. The sample file contains comments instructing you how to fill in the necessary values. See Listing 2-1 for a completed example. You should fill in:

If you were given a port number as well as a host name, you should include the port in the host definition, separated by a colon, like so: define('DB_HOST', 'localhost:3303'),

If your WordPress database will be shared with other installations or applications, you might need to change the default table prefix from 'wp_' to something less generic. For example, if your web hosting plan allows you just one MySQL database, but you need to create two independent WordPress sites on that account, you'll need to choose another table prefix for one or both of those installations.

There are many translations available for WordPress. You can change the language setting by entering a language code in the WPLANG line. However, you'll also need to download the corresponding language file. For a complete list of available languages and instructions on installing the files, see http://codex.wordpress.org/Installing_WordPress_in_Your_Language.,

Once you have filled in all the required values, your completed file should look something like Listing 2-1.

// ** MySQL settings - You can get this info from your web host ** //
/** The name of the database for WordPress */
define('DB_NAME', 'my_wp_db'),

/** MySQL database username */
define('DB_USER', 'my_wp_db_user'),

/** MySQL database password */
define('DB_PASSWORD', 'my_wp_db_pass'),

/** MySQL hostname */
define('DB_HOST', 'localhost'),

/** Database Charset to use in creating database tables. */
define('DB_CHARSET', 'utf8'),

/** The Database Collate type. Don't change this if in doubt. */
define('DB_COLLATE', ''),

/**#@+
 * Authentication Unique Keys.
 *
 * Change these to different unique phrases!
 * You can generate these using the {@link https://api.wordpress.org/secret-key/1.1/
WordPress.org secret-key service}
 * You can change these at any point in time to invalidate all existing cookies. This will force all users to have to log in again.
 *
 * @since 2.6.0
 */
define('AUTH_KEY', '%DX<0oKh8Docq=$l6k&+Fy2`J-@qELUUr(U-2BvjS|xu}n=bf;9aPkt5&.FDP@,y'),
define('SECURE_AUTH_KEY', '[3Y7|1jK8?iUyK_VSr5W+!xl_O0v8vG|V1+[^E4I+Ealw@<T@S?:AWK?3m#zT)bD'),
define('LOGGED_IN_KEY', '4q-TS=Y+}hgM9j(bw.[C!j1!zcj{3M8:u@:STF(N R.7E6u1]Ouci FYr.$0~FJK'),
define('NONCE_KEY', 'UdXil[`Wff0[|+Hh*+RR&{z4l4U!T_HS/8oH{SpKe#m!Z6;I2Y,% @mW4ucSfuIQ'),
/**#@-*/

/**
 * WordPress Database Table prefix.
 *
 * You can have multiple installations in one database if you give each a unique
 * prefix. Only numbers, letters, and underscores please!
 */
$table_prefix  = 'wp_';

/**
 * WordPress Localized Language, defaults to English.
 *
 * Change this to localize WordPress.  A corresponding MO file for the chosen
 * language must be installed to wp-content/languages. For example, install
 * de.mo to wp-content/languages and set WPLANG to 'de' to enable German
 * language support.
 */
define ('WPLANG', ''),
/* That's all, stop editing! Happy blogging. */

/** WordPress absolute path to the Wordpress directory. */
if ( !defined('ABSPATH') )
        define('ABSPATH', dirname(__FILE__) . '/'),

/** Sets up WordPress vars and included files. */
require_once(ABSPATH . 'wp-settings.php'),

On most web hosts, PHP errors are logged rather than printed to the screen. This is good security; it prevents you from accidentally exposing your database password or other sensitive information if you mess up your code. However, this feature also prevents you from seeing what's gone wrong if there was a problem during your installation. Instead of a login screen, you'll just see a blank white page.

If you know where your PHP error log is, you can check it to see what the problem was. If you don't know where the log is, you can check your web host's documentation to find out, or you can simply turn on the error display until you resolve the problem. WordPress will not display your database connection information even if there is an error.

To display errors, add the WP_DEBUG constant to your wp-config.php file, as shown in Listing 2-2. You can put it anywhere, but I like to keep it at the top.

define('WP_DEBUG', true);

// ** MySQL settings - You can get this info from your web host ** //>
/** The name of the database for WordPress */
define('DB_NAME', 'my_wp_db'),

/** MySQL database username */
define('DB_USER', 'my_wp_db_user'),

Visit your site again, and you should see the problem. Ignore any warnings and notices, and look for fatal errors. Is there an unknown function? Look for a missing file, or simply re-upload the entire WordPress package. Figure 2-9 shows the error messages you would see if one of the files from wp-includes were missing–in this case, capabilities.php. The first message, a warning, could be safely ignored, but in this case it provides us with a clue as to why the second error occurred. The fatal error is the showstopper. Resolve that problem, and WordPress should work correctly.

When you've solved the problem, switch the value of WP_DEBUG to false, as shown in Listing 2-3.

define('WP_DEBUG', false);

Figure 2-9. Error messages

Once you have WordPress installed, you'll want to make it look good! You can change themes at any time. The new 2010 default theme in WordPress 3.0 is excellent. However, if you want something different, visit www.wordpress.org/extend/themes.

Figure 2-10. The theme repository

You can download the theme files and upload them to your wp-content/themes folder if you wish, or you can use the automatic theme installer. From your Dashboard, visit Appearance

Figure 2-11. Choosing themes

Figure 2-12. Installing and previewing themes

Once the themes have been installed, they'll appear in your list of themes under Appearance. Click the theme's thumbnail image to see a preview of the theme on your site. If you like it, you can activate the theme by clicking Activate in the upper right corner (Figure 2-13).

Click Visit Site (next to your site's title at the top of the screen) to see how the theme looks.

Figure 2-13. Previewing and activating a theme

While WordPress includes most of the features you would want in a basic site, sooner or later you'll probably find that you want something more. Visit www.wordpress.org/extend/plugins to see all the things–over 9,000!–you can add to your site.

Figure 2-14. The plugin repository

You can download the plugin files and upload them to your wp-content/plugins folder, just as you did with themes. However, there is also an automatic plugin installer. From your Dashboard, visit Plugins

Figure 2-15. Searching for plugins

Once a plugin has been installed, it will appear in your plugin list. You'll see a brief description of what the plugin does, a link to its home page, and a link to activate it.

Try activating Hello Dolly, the sample plugin that comes with WordPress. When the plugin list reloads, you'll get a message confirming the activation. You should also see a lyric from "Hello, Dolly" in the upper right corner of your screen, as shown in Figure 2-16.

Figure 2-16. Plugin list after activating Hello Dolly

Some plugins will not activate. They might contain coding errors, or they might conflict with something else you've installed, or they might not run properly with your version of PHP. When a plugin will not activate, you'll see a message containing the PHP error that caused the problem, as shown in Figure 2-17.

Figure 2-17. Plugin activation error

Upgrading Plugins

New versions of plugins are released often. They'll contain new features, security improvements, or compatibility with newer versions of WordPress. When newer versions of your plugins are available, you'll see a number next to the plugin menu item on every administration screen and automatic upgrade links in your plugin list, as shown in Figure 2-18.

You can upgrade the plugins one at a time, or you can use the bulk upgrade feature to do them all at once.

Figure 2-18. Plugin upgrades available

Bulk Upgrades

If you have several plugins that need to be upgraded, you can process them all at once. Put a checkmark next to the plugins' names, then choose Upgrade from the Bulk Actions dropdown at the top of the plugin list (Figure 2-19). WordPress will place your site into maintenance mode automatically, then upgrade each plugin in turn. You'll see a running status report as each plugin is upgraded, and when they're all finished, WordPress will take your site out of maintenance mode.

Figure 2-19. Bulk plugin upgrades

It's important to stay current with the new releases. In addition to providing you with new features, the updated version often includes corrections for newly discovered security problems. Keeping your installation up to date is the most important thing you can do to prevent your site from being hacked.

When a new version of WordPress is available, you'll see a banner message on every administration screen. You'll also see an announcement in the WordPress blog, which appears in one of the Dashboard widgets.

Figure 2-20. The Update screen

If you don't log in to your WordPress site very often, you might want to subscribe to the RSS feed or the e-mail announcement list for new releases. You can find both at wordpress.org/development/. The WordPress blog includes general news as well as release announcements. If you want alerts about new versions only, subscribe to the Releases category instead, at wordpress.org/development/category/releases/feed/.

WordPress can upgrade itself automatically, or you can download the files and upload them to your web server.

Automatic Upgrades

Automatic upgrades couldn't be simpler. The banner announcement includes a link to upgrade automatically. Follow it, and you'll be taken to the core upgrade screen (also available under Dashboard |TRA Update). Here, you'll be reminded to make a backup of your database and files before upgrading. If you have installed WP-DB-Backup, you should use it now (Figure 2-21). Otherwise, use your web host's database administration tool (such as PHPMyAdmin) to make a complete dump (structure and data) of your MySQL database. To back up your files, you'll need to use your favorite FTP client. You can back up your entire WordPress installation if you wish, or you can just copy the files that are unique to your site: wp-config.php and the wp-content directory.

Figure 2-21. Backing up the database with the DB Backup plugin

Automatic Upgrades via FTP or SSH

In order for the automatic upgrades to work, all the files in your WordPress installation must be owned by the same user Apache runs under. If you're prompted to enter connection information when you try to upgrade, you can enter the information and let WordPress upgrade through an FTP or SSH connection, or you can change the file owner.

Changing the owner might not be the best choice if you're on a shared server, and it will be a hassle: you'll have to create a group that includes you and the Apache user so you can still write to the directory, and you'll have to make sure to change the owner again on any new files you upload.

However, if you simply fill in the requested information on the upgrade screen, it won't be saved, and you'll have to enter it again every time you upgrade the WordPress core, a theme, or a plugin.

A far better option is to save your connection information in your wp-config.php file, as shown in Listing 2-4. With your connection settings saved, WordPress won't have to prompt you every time you upgrade. You'll need to fill in the full path to your WordPress installation as well as your wp-content and plugin directories.

Example 2-4. FTP connection settings in wp-config.php

define('FTP_BASE', '/home/user/wordpress/'),
define('FTP_CONTENT_DIR', '/home/username/wordpress/wp-content/'),
define('FTP_PLUGIN_DIR', '/home/username/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/'),
define('FTP_USER', 'username'),
define('FTP_PASS', 'password'),
define('FTP_HOST', 'ftp.example.com:21'),
define('FTP_SSL', false);

If your files are no longer visible to the public after you upgrade using FTP, ask your host if default permissions are set on newly uploaded files when using FTP. On many servers, a umask setting is in place. This is a way of adjusting permissions on newly uploaded files. If this is the case on your server, you'll need to ask the host to change this setting for you, or you'll need to upgrade WordPress through some other method.

If the SSH library for PHP is available on your server, the upgrade screen will give you an option to use SSH instead of FTP. To use SSH, leave the password field blank. Instead, generate a pair of keys: one public, one private. Place both files on your server, and fill in their locations to your configuration file, as shown in Listing 2-5. See www.firesidemedia.net/dev/wordpress-install-upgrade-ssh/ for more details on generating SSH keys for use in WordPress.

Example 2-5. SSH connection settings

define('FTP_BASE', '/home/user/wordpress/'),
define('FTP_CONTENT_DIR', '/home/username/wordpress/wp-content/'),
define('FTP_PLUGIN_DIR', '/home/username/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/'),
define('FTP_USER', 'username'),
define('FTP_PUBKEY', '/home/username/.ssh/id_rsa.pub'),
define('FTP_PRIKEY', '/home/username/.ssh/id_rsa'),
define('FTP_HOST', 'ftp.example.com:21'),
define('FTP_SSL', false);

Tip

Pass phrase protected keys do not work properly in WordPress. You should generate your SSH keys without a pass phrase.

If you ever need to move your WordPress installation from one server to another, start by reversing the installation process.

Step 1: Download the WordPress files from your server. Make sure you have a complete copy of your wp-config.php and .htaccess files and your wp-content directory.

Step 2: Export your database. If you have installed any plugins that create new tables, be sure to include them in your backup. They will share the prefix (e.g. 'wp_') you specified during the installation. You can install Austin Matzko's WP-DB-Backup plugin or use your host's control panel (e.g. PHPMyAdmin) to export your WordPress database.

Step 3: Put your old site into maintenance mode so your visitors can't continue to submit comments and trackbacks to your old database. Michael Wöhrer's Maintenance Mode plugin works well.

Step 4: Edit your wp-config.php file. Change the database connection settings to correspond with the values on your new server. You should also define your site and blog URLs in the configuration file, as shown in Listing 2-4. This will override the settings in your database so you can log in on your new server. (Otherwise, WordPress would constantly redirect you to your old site!) See codex.wordpress.org/Editing_wp-config.php for details on these and other advanced configuration settings.

define('WP_SITEURL', 'http://example.com);
define('WP_HOME', 'http://example.com'),

Step 5: Upload your files, including the modified wp-config.php, to your new web server.

Step 6: Import the database backup you made in Step 2 to your database on your new server using your new web host's control panel tools.

Step 7: Log in to your WordPress site at its new location (e.g.example.com/wp-admin).

Step 8: If you changed your site's URL, your posts and pages probably contain many hardcoded paths to your uploaded media files. Use the Search and Replace plugin to change these to your new URL, as shown in Figure 2-22.

Figure 2-22. Replacing URLs with the Search & Replace plugin.

In this chapter, you've learned how to install and upgrade WordPress. I've talked about things that can go wrong and how you can correct the problems, and I've shown you a few ways to make your WordPress site more secure. You've also learned how to install themes and plugins. Lastly, I've shown you how to move a WordPress installation from one site to another.

You're ready to begin building your site! In the next chapter, I'll go over the options that will determine how your site will work.