Tutorial Installing a MyBB Forum

[Mark]

I have had quite a few people ask me to upload forum software for them in the past and I was actually quite shocked that so many have trouble with it. It isn't really complicated at all and MyBB has made the instructions fairly clear.

Nevertheless it obviously confusing to some so I have decided to make a tutorial to illustrate the process.

Copying the files

One of the first stumbling blocks seems to be getting the files transfered to the correct location. When uploading a website you have to be careful to place the files in the correct location or they cannot be seen by those viewing those URL. This is especially true of free web hosts like 000webhost.com and others.

Some web hosts provided a directly labeled "public_html" or "root", you just have to read the documentation provided by your web host.

I recommend that you use Filezilla for no other reason than it is simple to use and gets the job done. It has a fairly dated look about it, but functions well to upload/download files, changing file permissions, etc.

What is CHMOD?

File permissions tell the server who can access the files and folders that make up your website and what they can do with them. To set these permissions in a lot of FTP clients you use a command named CHMOD.

In Filezilla it is much easier, just right-click the file or folder and select 'Change permissions...' from the context menu

For single files or folders you can simply change the permissions simply.

For folders you can also apply the permissions to all files and folders recursively.

Creating a database

Before you can proceed with the installation you have to create an empty database for MyBB to work with. Every host has a little different setup but just find phpMyAdmin in your hosts control panel.

You will need to record all of the following information for later use:

• SQL hostname
  
• SQL databasename
  
• SQL username
  
• SQL password

Once you have a database, you can go on to installing your forum.

Installing the forum

Once the files have been copied and given the correct permissions, you still have to install the software. Much like downloading and install program and then running it to set up software on your home computer, MyBB forum software must be configured before it can function as it should with your specific host and configuration.

To install the software, just type the name of your site (the url) and add "/install" to it. Like this:

yoursite.com/install

This begin the install process and a series of pages will guide you through the process. At some point you will be required to link to the database you created earlier. Just be sure that all the details are correct and everything will go smooth. MyBB creates all the tables and populates them for you so you can just click 'Next' and look like a pro

When this process is complete, you can just make you Administrator account and view your forum.

[karpackie]

The best tut i could ever and i mean ever come accross go on the mark/thanks

[auen1]

I think there is even an easier way. I have not used the options yet, but many host include free software. Softaculous and Fantastico offer auto installation of scripts. They say a few clicks and minutes and for example, your MyBB forum is installed. Softaculous is the best, from what I have read, offering 264 scripts and 500 PHP classics. Fantastico has less. It's a server wide app so if your on a shared server, your host will have needed to install the software. On my host, I only had Fantastico as an option, but I asked if they could install Softaculous, and they did. Something to consider when shopping for a new host. Like I said, I haven't actually tried it out yet, but if what they say is true, this software could save a lot of time and headaches. Check out the links to see all the scripts they provide.

[auen1]

UPDATE: (Sorry a little off topic, but applies) I just installed one of Softaculous scripts on my website, ClipBucket, a YouTube clone. Took all of 20 seconds for everything. I spent more time logging onto cPanel. It created a subdirectory, data base, passwords, everything. Ready to roll. NICE.

[karpackie]

mark can you do a step by step guide on how to install using filezilla,i still cannot get the hang of this

[Mark]

I thought I already did

It works just like Explorer- just drag and drop the files into the correct folder on the server. The entire contents of the 'Upload' folder should be copied into the public folder of your web site.

[karpackie]

I thought I already did

It works just like Explorer- just drag and drop the files into the correct folder on the server. The entire contents of the 'Upload' folder should be copied into the public folder of your web site.

The MyBB Group thanks you for your support in installing our software and we hope to see you around the community forums if you need help or wish to become a part of the MyBB community.

Your installer has been locked. To unlock the installer please delete the 'lock' file in this directory.

You may now proceed to your new copy of MyBB or its Admin Control Panel.

where is the lock file

ok i'm in how do i get rid of this ''upload''

http://footieforum.site90.net/Upload/

[Mark]

You don't copy the upload folder, just the contents. In FileZilla just select the contents of the upload directory and move them to the root (one level up)

[karpackie]

You don't copy the upload folder, just the contents. In FileZilla just select the contents of the upload directory and move them to the root (one level up)

ok i have this http://footieforum.site90.net/Upload/ if i get rid of the upload/ i won't get the site,how do i do it in admin cp??

[lightbulb]

is there's a way to "test" the forums without have to upload it first to my Web host?
some sort Offline virtual hosting service?