TikiWiki 1.8.3 FTP installation guide

by Mykk, July 23, 2004

Introduction:
Greetings. I came to the TikiWiki install page as a newbie looking to see how to install Tiki on a website hosted by a webhost, and found only directions for installing version 1.7.2. Although at the time of this writing the developers are working on versions 1.9.x and even 1.10.x, the latest stable version out there was 1.8.3. My webhost uses Scripta (similar to Fantastico) and makes it very simple to install version 1.8.2 with just a few mouseclicks, but my curiosity demanded I see if I could install 1.8.3 all by myself. After a few tries, I got it to work! A newbie like me can't offer a lot to the Tiki community (yet), but I figured like the person who gave directions to install 1.7.2, I'd "perfect" my method, take notes, then share my results here. Also, I find a lot of directions over my head, so I'm writing this as simple as I can (I HAVE to assume you know some basic Windows file management and clicking and such). I'm not talking down to you, but hey--I LIKE simple, so here goes!

First, some stats. People seem to like stats:

• My computer:
  • AMD 2600
  • Windows XP Professional (I'm a hard drive away from dual-booting into Linux)
  • Mozilla Firefox browser (recent convert thanks to Tiki forums, love it now)

• My webhost:
  • HostDime (http://www.hostdime.com/)
  • Apache 1.3.31 (Unix)
  • Php 4.3.6
  • MySQL 4.0.20-standard
  • Cpanel 9.4.1-stable

• My ftp program:
  • Filezilla (http://sourceforge.net/projects/filezilla/) (Again, another Tiki IRC recommendation)

Step 1: Downloading Tiki

• Visit http://sourceforge.net/projects/tikiwiki/ and click on Files
• Download tikiwiki-1.8.3.zip
  • Why the zip file? Tars and Gzs are for Linux geeks. Although WinRAR seems to unzip them fine, I'm just a dumb Windows user, so give me a zip file!
• Extract the file. Inside you'll find a folder called 'tikiwiki-1.8.3'. Inside that you'll find all the folders and files necessary to run TikiWiki... but don't get too excited, there's a lot to do yet.

Step 2: Create the database

• Databases. You either don't understand them, in which case just accept the fact they create the magic that is a CMS. Or you understand them, but don't know why you can't just browse it with M$ Access. Either way, you need one, so go to your website's control panel. Don't bother with phpMyAdmin like everyone says, it's cool, but I don't think you need it. See if you don't have an option like I do called MySQL, and open that.
• The top third of the page is "Databases:". There's a field called "db:" with a button next to it called "Add Db". In the field, type the name of your database. It doesn't matter so much what you call it--call it 'tiki' if you want. Click the "Add Db" button. You should get an accepted message "Added the database (tiki)". On my Cpanel you can now click "Go Back".
• The middle section of MySQL is about "Users:". In the "UserName:" field, type a user name, like "admin". In the "Password:" field type a password. Remember these well, or write them down, you will need them soon. Click the "Add User" button. Again the confirmation message will appear "Added (username) with the password (password)". Again, I click "Go Back".
• In the top section "Databases:" There is a "User" field that might already be populated with the username you selected, and a "db" field that might also be populated with the database you created. They are drop-down combo fields, so if you had previous users and/or databases, you might have to use the drop-downs to choose the ones you just created. Because there are multiple accounts on each server, whatever your sign-on for Cpanel is, that is appended to the front of these fields. So in "User:" it might say "smith_(username, ie admin)" and in the "Db:" field it might say "smith_(database name, ie tiki)". Underneath that is a bunch of "Privileges:" check-boxes, but the first one should say "ALL" and it should already be checked. If this is all as I've stated, you just have to click the "Add User to Db" button, and you'll get the "Added the user (cpanel signon)_(user name) to the database (cpanel signon)_(database name)" message. Done!
• The above could be confusing, and Cpanels may be different, or maybe you don't have a MySQL and only have phpMyAdmin. The bottom line is you need a database, you need a user, and that user needs to have ALL privileges to that database. I used phpMyAdmin in a different installation, and there was no "ALL" option, so I had to make sure to check every privilege I could possibly check.
• Hopefully this all went smoothly, and you are done with the database process.

Step 3: Create a folder on your website where Tiki will go

• I've seen in various documentation that you REALLY want a separate folder for all this (avoids bugs), so why fight it.
• Use your webhost's Cpanel or your ftp program, whichever you are more comfortable with.
  • Cpanel: Log in, click 'File Manager', click the 'public_html' folder, click the 'Create New Folder' folder, enter a distinct name like 'tiki' and click the Create button. OR
  • Filezilla (ftp): Logon to your website, navigate into the 'public_html' folder, right-click and choose Create Directory, then again come up with a folder name like 'tiki'.
• Note: The folder name will appear on all your future URLs to your tiki site, ie. www.yoursitename.com/thefoldername/index.php

Step 4: Upload Tiki

• This is a step that different CMSs I researched seem to think is sooooo easy. All you have to do is "untar the file" and you're set to go. I'm a dumb Windows user, remember? I don't know my "untar" from my "(insert unix command here)". Well, my research tells me that if you have root access to your server, they are right. "Untarring" is to .tar and .gz files as "unzipping" is to .zip files, and sure, if you were at the server and could "untar/unzip" the file right to the directory it would take about 10 seconds. But not us. We're paying a webhost $10/mo, and we're just praying this thing works at all. So break out that ftp program and upload all the files. Yes, it will take a while this way. Get a drink, have a smoke, check the mail, watch tv, whatever you are into.
• In Filezilla (ftp), the right window pane is your website if you're still logged in from Step 2. If not, re-log in. Navigate into your 'public_html' folder again, and this time there should be the folder you created in Step 3 (which I have named 'tiki'). Navigate into the folder. (If you were still logged in from Step 3, double-clicking the new folder should get you inside it.)
• In the left window pane, navigate to that 'tikiwiki-1.8.3' folder we unzipped earlier. Select all the folders INSIDE it. In Filezilla, the top folder is a folder with two dots next to it (..). That's what you click to navigate up a level, so you don't need to select that one. Select all the rest (I click the top one, then while holding Shift down, click the bottom one). When I do it the top folder under the ".." folder is the 'backups' folder, and the last file is 'xmlrpc.php'. Select them all.
• Drag all the selected files from the left side to the right side, and hopefully they will begin uploading. If not... well, it's more of an FTP/FileManagement issue, not a Tiki issue, so you need to figure out ftp'ing yourself somewhat, sorry.
• On my cable modem, I just did this, and it took 25 minutes. If you're still using dial-up... umm... it will take somewhat longer.

Step 5: Assigning permissions to the right folders

• If you're as new to websites as I am, this will be new. If you read CMS install documents, they refer to this as "CHMOD"ing a folder/file. CHMOD. There's another *nix term for you. If you have the ability and can "CHMOD", go ahead and assign these folders full rights.
• If "CHMOD" doesn't mean much to you, open your Cpanel and log into your website.
• Open your File Manager.
• Click your "public_html" folder, then your newly created tiki folder. Inside you should see all your Tiki folders and files.
• Click on the name of the folder "backups" such that Cpanel shows you the options to "Delete this folder and all files under it", "Rename this folder", "Change permissions", "Move this folder", and "Copy this folder". Choose "Change permissions".
• There are 3 modes and 3 categories. The 3 modes are Read, Write, and Execute. The 3 categories are User, Group, and World. There is a fourth line with permissions, and numbers for each column, like "7-5-5". There is also a "Change" button.
• Chances are the folder "backups" has all the boxes checked except for two, the Write-group and the Write-world, and the number is probably "7-5-5". You want to check those two boxes, so that all 9 are checked. The permission numbers will change automatically to "7-7-7". Then click the "Change" button. You'll get a confirmation message.
• Joy! Do this to the following folders:
  • backups
  • db
  • dump
  • games and games/thumbs and games/flash
  • images
  • img/wiki and img/wiki-up
  • lib/Galaxia/processes
  • modules/cache
  • styles
  • temp
  • templates
  • templates_c
• The previous install instructions had these two notes: One, is that some webhosts might not like "7-7-7" permissions, but it didn't say what to do if that happens. The second was that if you use an ftp program to set permissions, and if it asks you if you want to include all the files in the folder to the permission change, do so.
• I'm basing my list mostly on the list from the previous instructions. Except when I followed the those instructions, the install failed and told me "Tiki Installer cannot proceed: The directory '/styles' is not writeable." (You'll see I added this above now.) If you get a similar message, just do what is says and change the permission of the offending folder to "7-7-7".

Step 6: Installing Tikiwiki

• What? Installing? What have I been doing this whole time then? You've been just setting things up, getting everything in it's place, ready for the big moment. You've got the files uploaded, and the database is created and ready to go. Might as well close out of your Cpanel, close out of ftp program--if this is going to be successful, you're just going to need your browser from here on out. Open up your browser, and head to the following address: www.(yourwebsitename).com(net,etc)/(tikifoldername, ie tiki)/tiki-install.php
  • Ex. www.tikisite.com/tiki/tiki-install.php
• IF everything is in place (step 2-4), and IF you've set up all your permissions (step 5), instead of an error page telling you which permission you forgot, you'll get a page with the heading "Tiki installer v1.8.3 (CVS)". Under that it says "reload"--ignore that. Under that, it has the message "Tiki cannot find a database connection" which seems like an error, but it's not, if you're this far, you're doing great.
• In the "Database type:" row, use the drop-down box to choose MySQL 4.0.x (or the default 3.x if that's what your website supports)
• In the "Host:" row, it should say "localhost" (or "localhost.localdomain"). Leave that alone.
• In the "User:" row, enter the user name you created in Step 2.
• In the "Password:" row, enter the password you created in Step 2.
• In the "Database name:" row, enter the database name from Step 2.
  • Don't forget, your Cpanel added your login prefix to the User and Database name. See step 2.
• Click the "Submit Query" button
• If this went right, you'll be on a similar looking screen with the message, "Welcome to the installation script!"
• The first choice is "Create database with profile" and another drop-down combo box. The default choice is "Basicenabled profile for easy use" and that works for me. Click the button next to it called "create". (Don't worry about the rest of the page).
• The new page has a top window and a bottom window. For me at least, the top window is "Print operations executed successfully" and has a bunch of code in it. The bottom window says "Print operations failed" and is empty. I hope your's looks the same!
• If you scroll down, you see a hyperlink for "Click here to remove the install script and proceed into tiki". Click it.
• I then got a message about "Security Alert! Tiki installer failed to rename tiki-install.php. Please remove or rename the file, tiki-install.php, manually. Others can potentially wipe out your Tiki database if you do not remove or rename this file. Proceed to your site after you have removed or renamed tiki-install.php" What does that tell me? Maybe I should've changed the permissions to that file? Not sure. Using my ftp program (or File Manager in Cpanel), I either remove or rename the file like it says to do. Then I click the hyperlink "Proceed to your site" (which is a link to http://www.yoursitename.com/foldername/index.php).

That should be it! You should be looking at the Home Page of your new Tiki site! From there, you should log in as username=admin and password=admin. Note, the username/password is admin and admin. This has nothing to do with the username and password you created for your database in step 2. It's "admin" and "admin". (Then first thing it does is make you change the password! This is a good thing for security.)

Next, start enjoying Tiki! I'm sure everyone has their own strategy for attacking the new website, but for the record, I do the following:

• Create a new user with all permissions. I'd rather have my welcome page say "created by Creativename" than "created by admin". See CreatingNewUserWithAllPermissions.
• Go to admin - features, and select the features you think you will actually use. You can always change them later.
• Create a new menu, just with Home Page in it, just for starters.
• Create a new module called "Main Menu", and put the new menu in it. Assign it "anonymous" permission. This becomes the menu visitors to your site see, meanwhile that huge admin menu should only be something you see when you are personally logged in as an administrator.
• Then personally, I start modifying the theme, but I like doing that! With so many themes to choose from, many of you will be happy just playing around with all the new features. But I guess that's the fun of Tiki.

I'll leave you with a few useful links:
Troubleshooting: http://tikiwiki.org/InstallTikiTroubleShootingDoc
Documentation: http://tikiwiki.org/TikiDocumentation
PHP Memory Limit Requirements: http://tikiwiki.org/tiki-read_article.php?articleId=82
Themes: http://tikiwiki.org/tiki-index_raw.php?page=ThemesDoc

If you have issues or questions, I recommend the forums and the Tiki IRC channel.