How to Install b2Evolution 0.9.0.11 "Paris"

What is b2Evolution?

b2Evolution is a web log (or blog) system that allows you to post your thoughts online easily. A simple interface allows you to write your formatted text and publish it online. You can also edit or delete a blog post. Your visitors may also comment on your posts. You can control the level of membership your visitors may have in order to comment. In addition, you can have others add their own blog entries. b2Evolution is also supports many languages.

Note that b2Evolution may sometimes be referred to as simply "b2". However, this is not to be confused with the original "b2" web blog system which is now called WordPress. We also have a WordPress Tutorial.

Requirements:

To use b2Evolution, you need to be sure your CGI account is set up. Please see How To Request A CGI Account for more information. You may also need to have a MySQL account set up if the script accesses a MySQL database. Most PHP-based scripts require this. Please see How To Request A MySQL Database. You will also need to download a copy of b2Evolution. The version used in this tutorial was 0.9.0.11 (also known as "Paris").

Restrictions:

Remember that only your main account can access CGI scripts on your server. Any hosting or extra FTP accounts that access these scripts may cause your account to be deactivated and you'll have to contact support.

For b2Evolution to work correctly, please do not put it or it's directories inside your cgi-bin directory. If you do, the script may not work. It's best to use a separate directory and leave the cgi-bin directory for your smaller scripts.

Installation:

1. Extract the files from the b2evolution archive. Create a directory on your CGI server (suggested name would be blog). Change the file permission of this directory to 777. Upload the files and directories from the b2evolution/blogs directory to your new blog directory on your CGI server.

2. Change the file permissions for the file conf/_config.php and all files in the skins/custom directory to 666. Change the permissions for the media directory to 777.

3. Rename the file sample.htaccess in your blog directory to .htaccess. Move to the admin folder and rename the sample.htaccess in the that folder to .htacess as well.

Configuration:

1. Point your browser to http://cgi.yourdomain.com/blog/install/ replacing yourdomain.com with your actual domain name. Fill in the fields on this page. Note that items in brackets [] should be changed to fit your site. For example, yourdomaincom should be replaced with your actual domain name, omitting the dot.

   mySQL Username:	[yourdomaincom]
   mySQL Password:	[Your MySQL database password]
   mySQL Database:	[yourdomaincom]
   mySQL Host:	localhost
   Base URL:	http://cgi.yourdomain.com/blog
   Your email:	[Type in your actual email address here.]

   Click on the Update config file button.

2. How do you want to install b2evolution? Select: New Install. Click the GO! button.

3. Scroll down to the bottom of the next b2evolution page to get your username and password. Be sure to write it down so you can log in.

4. Point your browser to http://cgi.yourdomain.com/blog/ replacing yourdomain.com with your actual domain name. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the Go to backoffice! link.

5. Log in with the username and password you were given in step 3 above.

6. Click on the Users tab at the top. Under Administrators, you'll see a user named admin user. Look in the Edit column of the admin user for a hand holding a card file and click on that icon.

7. Fill in the fields on the profile page. Type in a new password and confirm it. Be sure you write down or somehow can remember your new password. Click the Save! button when done.

8. In the Users page, you can click on the red X to delete a user if you wish. Do not delete the admin user!

9. Log back into your CGI server and delete the blog/install folder.

Adding, Editing and Deleting Entries and Categories:

You can click on the Edit tab and then delete the demo posts in your blog. From there you can click on the Categories tab and delete the categories by clicking on one of the blog buttons (ie. Blog A, etc.) and then the r ed X's next to the categories. These are used as demos to show you how you can set up categories for your blog.

If you wish to post an entry to your blog, click on the Write tab. Be sure that you have created a new category (from the Categories tab) before attempting to add an entry to your blog.

Troubleshooting:

I get a database error when I try to run b2Evolution.

Be sure that you have set up the configuration properly. For more information, please see I get a database error when I try to run a script that accesses the MySQL database.

b2Evolution isn't remembering my settings (or cookies are not being remembered).

For some reason, if you have edited your conf/_config.php file in a text editor and re-uploaded it to the server, you may have this problem. Delete any extra blank lines at the start or end of the file.

Support:

If you have any problems or questions about b2Evolution, please contact the author at the b2Evolution Site.

Active Web Hosting may not be able to provide support for this program or it's installation.

Alternative Software:

Below you'll find a list of alternative software that you may also want to try. Click on the program name to go to the author's site. Click on the 'Tutorial' link to view our installation tutorial.

• bBlog
• GreyMatter 1.3
• WordPress 1.5