Installing SPIP

SPIP’s installation is very simple indeed: in particular, no files are to be modified "manually" with abstruse variables. The procedure is very simple (it is explained in details below):

1. Fetch the SPIP file from our server and decompress it on your personal computer. You will have a "SPIP…" folder which contains all the files of the SPIP system.
2. Install the content of this folder on your site (by FTP, as you usually do to install your site’s pages).
3. From within your browser, go to your site into the folder "ecrire", where SPIP will provide you with a graphical interface allowing you to configure the system. Once you provide the configuration information, SPIP will be completely installed and you can start working on your site.

Required configuration

You should have a web hosting offering:
-  an FTP access to install the files;
-  PHP3 support;
-   an access to a MySQL database.

Prior to the installation, you should have an available MySQL database. With many hosts, you have to either request the activation of a MySQL database from the administrator, or follow an automated activation procedure online (anyway, the database activation has nothing to do with SPIP; if you encounter problems during this procedure, only your host will be able to provide you with the necessary passwords and explain to you how to activate your MySQL account).

You have to know the details of your MySQL connection (provided to you by the host):

• the database address: for example sql.free.fr or localhost or blank;
• the name of the database to be used: it is often the same login as your web account.
• you MySQL login: it is often the same login as your web account.
• you MySQL password: it is often the same password as your web account.

Example: if your account’s name is "mysite" hosted by Free (at the address http://mysite.free.fr), the address of the MySQL database will be "sql.free.fr", its name will be "mysite", your login will be "mysite" and the password will be the same as the one you use to access your account. You only have to activate the database for php .

These settings are essential: if you do not know them, contact your host and ask him to give them to you.

No special configuration is required on your personal machine as SPIP is totally manageable over the web. All you need is a web browser (any web browser) and an FTP client to transfer the files to your account.

Automated installation ("spip_loader")

There is a simpler installation procedure for SPIP: a file to upload to your server and the installation will proceed automatically. Warning: this procedure does not work on all the server. If it does not work (you will notice it immediately), go to step 1 below.

Fetch the file spip_loader.php3 at the following address (if the file appears in your browser, choose "save as…"):
-  http://rezo.net/spip-dev/INSTALL

and upload it as is to your server (at your host’s) by FTP. "Visit" this page in your usual browser (at an address like: http://www.myaccount.com/spip_loader.php3) and follow the displayed procedure.

If the procedure works, this small file (7 kb) will fetch SPIP to your own server and install it at your host’s. Then the configuration procedure starts automatically (step 3 below).

1. Fetching SPIP

SPIP is available for web downloading at the address: Downloading SPIP

In this folder you will find:

• a file spip.zip: it is the complete version of SPIP including all the existing translations;
• a sub-folder containing the monolingual versions of SPIP (identified by their language codes consisting of two or three letters); these versions could be useful to minimize the download time and the disk space on the server.

Choose the version you want and extract the archive on your computer in the directory of your choice, then install the files at your host by FTP.

2. Installing the files

Install all the SPIP files in your site at the location from where you want the site managed by the scripting language to be accessible to the public: more often than not, this will be at the root of your site, but it is not compulsory.

The main structure is as follows:

• root directory
  • index.php
  • spip.php
  • htaccess.txt (to rename to .htaccess to support "clean" urls)
  • INSTALL.txt et UPGRADE.txt (to read)
  • inc-public.php3 (to support the old template)
  • folder /CACHE (empty)
  • folder /IMG
  • folder /dist (do not remove)
  • folder /formulaires
  • folder /oo (for the text-only display)
  • folder /ecrire (the most important)
    • file inc_connect.php
    • folder /AIDE (help)
    • folder /inc
    • folder /img_pack
    • folder /data (empty)
    • folder /lang
    • folder /upload (empty)

Historic: In the versions prior to SPIP 1.9, the structure was:

• root directory
  • templates .html
  • many .php3 files
  • folder /CACHE (empty)
  • folder /IMG
  • folder /NAVPICS
  • folder /ecrire
    • many .php3 files
    • folder /AIDE
    • folder /img_pack
    • folder /data (empty)
    • folder /lang
    • folder /upload (empty)

3. Configuration procedure

From now on everything is performed online. You just have to go to the folder "/ecrire" over the web.

Example: according to our previous example, the address will be http://mysite.free.fr/ecrire.</...

At the first connection to this address, a step by step installation procedure starts. The interface is very simple, you just have to enter the required modifications (mainly the information concerning the MySQL database detailed above). Once this is done, the system will ask you to enter the identifiers you just specified and you can start managing your site. Subsequently, you will always go to this "/ecrire" folder with your identifiers to perform your tasks.

At every step of the installation procedure you will see a help link (like this ) that displays an online help explaining every detail on using SPIP. (The only task which is rather complicated appears on some servers: you could have to modify the "permissions" on some folders; this operation is pretty straightforward and the online help provides you with all the necessary details.)

If everything went according to plans, the installation procedure will be over and you can start creating and managing your site without any awkward manipulation…

If a serious error appears (such as you forgetting your own access identifiers – which could be frequent at the beginning…), you will have to run this installation procedure again after connecting to your server by FTP and deleting the following files:

— /ecrire/inc-connect.php3
— /ecrire/.htaccess (if it exists)

The next connection to the folder "ecrire" will launch the configuration procedure again (in fact, it is the absence of the file "inc-connect.php3" which triggers the installation procedure).

Your testimony

To help us improve the installation procedure, please tell us about your own experience in the forum below or write to us at spip-en@rezo.net. If you perform the installation yourself, please indicate:

-  your host’s name (this is important because it gives us a clear view on the various compatible hosts, mainly those who are free of charge);

-  the possible problems that you have come across (including interface problems and problems related to the understanding of the installation process, in order for us to improve the interface or the documentation);

-  even if your installation went smoothly, we thank you for letting us know (it is an interesting information).