One strong recommendation is to create a testing ground in which to install WordPress and the WP e-Commerce plugin that is independent from your production server. That way, you can test and re-test any changes without fear of breaking your live site.
Turning your personal computer into a testing platform is simple. We only need a few different tools in order to create a development environment, including:
- A web server, such as Apache
- A database server, such as MySQL
- PHP
- Supporting libraries
Fortunately, a few different free software packages exist that bundle all these tools together into one centralized program.These packages include:
- WampServer (http://www.wampserver.com/en – Windows only)
- XAMPP (http://www.apachefriends.org/en/xampp.html – can be used on Mac OSX)
- Microsoft Web Platform (http://www.microsoft.com/Web/)
- MAMP (http://www.mamp.info – Mac only)
In this section, we will discuss installation, setup, and basic usage of WampServer.
Note: WAMP Server is only available for windows, please see the XAMPP section for creating a local environment on Mac OSX.
Download and Install WampServer
First things first, let’s download the WampServer package. Visit the URL above and click the Downloads link, which will yield a page displaying a link to the latest available package.
Once the file finishes downloading, it’s time to install it. Launch the executable, and just like installing any other software program on Windows, follow the prompts to complete the installation.
Note: you must have administrative privileges to install WampServer.
The installation prompts are straightforward, and the only issue one needs to consider is the installation directory. By default, the installation path is c:wamp, and this is the recommended location.
At the end of the installation, you will be prompted to choose the browser that you would like to have WampServer launch automatically whenever you access your test site. By default, Internet Explorer is already chosen for you, but you can pick any other installed browser.
As the program launches for the first time, any software firewall that you are running will likely prompt you for a security alert. This is expected behavior since the Apache web server requires access to port 80 on your computer, so you can safely unblock it. You will also be prompted for PHP mail parameters. Our testing ground has no real need for this, so we can safely click Next.
At this point, WampServer should be successfully installed and running.
Overview and Configuration
When WampServer is running, you will see its icon in your system tray. To access its services at any time, just click the icon to display the full menu.
Notice that the menu expands for Apache, PHP, and MySQL. If you ever need to add/edit components or gain quick access to the main configuration files for each service, you can do so there.
Note: the Put Online option is not necessary for our development work. In fact, it is dangerous to enable this option without tightening the security of the various services. Putting WampServer online will make your computer accessible on your local network and possibly over the Internet, creating a potentially serious security risk.
Enable the Rewrite Module
Though not necessarily required, it’s a good idea to enable the rewrite_module within the Apache web server. What this module does is allows Apache to rewrite URLs so that they look more practical and SEO-friendly. WordPress relies on the rewrite_module to alter the structure of permalinks.
To enable it, open the WampServer menu and browse to Apache, then Apache modules. Add a check next to rewrite_module.
We’re now ready to install WordPress on our test server.
Running a Test Server
Our testing platform is now fully operational as a development server. The only thing missing is WordPress itself, so let’s add it now.
First, let’s create a new empty database. From the WampServer menu, launch phpMyAdmin. Under the MySQL localhost section, type a name for your new database and click the Create button.
Install WordPress
To install WordPress, download the software package from www.wordpress.org. The archive that you download contains a folder called wordpress. Extract that folder and its contents to the www folder inside the location where you decided to install WampServer. If you chose the default location, the full path will be C:wampwww.
Manual installation
Next, navigate into your wordpress folder. Find the file called wp-config-sample.php and rename it to wp-config.php. Naturally, this file contains the configuration details for properly installing WordPress.
Now you will need to open the wp-config.php file with a text editor (such as Notepad) and change a few details.
- Database name – wordpress (or whatever name you entered in the previous step)
- Database username – root
- Database password – leave it blank (check with your host or local settings in some cases like with MAMP this will be root)
- Hostname – localhost
That’s all. Remember that these settings are for development and testing purposes only. You definitely should not open WampServer to your network or to the Internet without securing it further.
You are now ready to complete the install of WordPress. In your browser, navigate to http://localhost/wordpress/wp-admin/install.php and follow the short prompts, just as in any other typical WordPress installation.
You’re finished!
WordPress 4 Minute install – Automatic
This is the fastest easiest way to install WordPress. After creating your new database, downloading the installation and coping it to your site folder simply navigate in your web browser to your website folder. WordPress will as you to put in the following details about your server:
- Database name – wordpress (or whatever name you entered in the previous step)
- Database username – root
- Database password – leave it blank (check with your host or local settings in some cases like with MAMP this will be root)
- Hostname – localhost
WordPress will check that they are all correct and will continue with the install where you will create your first administrator user.
Summary
WampServer is a fantastic and simple way to test our WordPress shop before we roll out changes to our production server. It’s free, open-source, flexible, and easy to use. By using a testing platform, we can experiment to our hearts’ content with both WordPress and the WP e-Commerce plugin without fear of breaking anything on the live site.
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