Requirements

• Apache
  • with mod_rewrite enabled
• PHP, version 5.2 or later
  • you'll need either PHP with --enable-zip, or the program unzip on your server
  • with SQLite and PDO, which are enabled by default
• MySQL, version 4.1 or later

The latest versions available are recommended. Earlier versions than those listed might work, but haven't been tried.

Standard installation

For easy installation, get the zip archive (cms-[something].zip) and unpack.php files, and upload them to your server. Then point your browser at unpack.php, and you'll be guided through the install process.

Developers can create their own zip file for installing this way, as described below.

Notes

• You should only install in an empty folder. Don't blame me if your files are overwritten.
• Your webserver software will need to have write access to the folder you're working in. If your web hosting company is any good, this will already be set up properly. If they're not you'll need to find out how to fix it.

Getting the source

If you wish to make your own changes, you can either get a snapshot of the code and unpack it yourself, or clone the Mercurial repository. In either case you'll need to alter the files common/mysql.inc and .htaccess in order to make it work on your server.

I recommend using Mercurial as you'll be able to easily grab later changes and apply them. See http://mercurial.selenic.com/learn/ for a good introduction.

Tips

• Minification: You should minify your javascript and CSS files, it makes loading much faster. There's a tool for checking minified files are up to date at common/tools/uptodate.php. You'll need to modify it to make it work on your server before use. It uses the YUI Compressor, so your server will need to be able to run Java from the command-line.
• Mercurial: Use the Mercurial Queues (mq) extension. It will save you time and hassle. I recommend creating a changeset of everything required to make the CMS run on your server, and keeping it as the first changeset in your queue.

Roll-your-own install archive from source

If you're running a test/development server and you want to easily upload changes to your real website, you can create your own zip file and follow the instructions above. To do so, point your web browser at install/pack.php. The script uses install/pack.list for guidance on what to pack.