Installing Wordpress on a Local Computer for Easy Development

apocalypsefu · Aug 29, 2009

Table of contents
I. Introduction
II. WAMP

a. About
b. Downloading
c. Installing
III. Wordpress

a. Downloading Wordpress
b. Confirgering Wordpress
IV. Final Thoughts

I. Introduction
Greetings Sythe, I am apocalypsefu and here is my guide on installing wordpress on your computer so you can develop on it without the need of a server were you will have to upload files and waste time that you may not have. This is a windows only guide, I know that there is a way to do this for Mac, itâ€™s just I do not know how since I do not have one.

II. WAMP

a. About

Basically WAMP is like a online server were you can create MySQL, PHP, and Apache web applications. But the major difference is WAMP can be used offline without the need of a online server so you can develop with ease. So you can then install web apps like Wordpress on your local desktop and you can develop any were.

b. Downloading WAMP

Ok well first off you will have to go to http://www.wampserver.com/en/download.php and you should come to a screen like below.

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Once there click on the circled area or "DOWNLOAD WampServer". It will then take you to a site were it should start to download the WAMP installer.

Once your download is done, open the file and you will get a screen like this

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Just click on next, and then click that you accept the agreement, choose a location for WAMP to be installed, choose if you would like a quick launch icon or desktop icon and hit next again, and finally you should get a screen like this

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Just hit install and let it do its thing. Once its done, it will ask if you wish to launch WANP now and check the box and then hit finish. Ok now that WAMP is installed lets get the server up and running.

If you check the box to start wamp, or opened WAMP from desktop icon go to your tool bar and you should see a little speed gauge. Click it and then select "Put Online" like below (you only have to do this if when you hover over the icon it says "WAMPSERVER - server Offline".

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Ok now that the server is installed and running we can download wordpress.

III. Wordpress

a. Downloading Wordpress

If you know how to download wordpress, just skip this step, its the same for WAMP as it is if you are going to be uploading to a ftp.

But if you dont (and you really should if your gonna be developing on Wordpress) then follow this step.

First go to http://wordpress.org/download/ and click the "Download Wordpress" button like below.

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It will download a .zip file and just save/move it to your desktop. Once thats done open it and extract it to: C:\wamp\www\ (or were ever you installed wamp just make sure it goes in the "www" folder).

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The "www' folder is were anything that needs a server goes. You can even put your regular html files in there if you want. But anyway once thats done you need to configure the wordpress server so you can use it.

b. Confirgering Wordpress

Well first, we need to make a database that will store all the info wordpress uses. So go to http://localhost/ and that will take you to your WAMPSERVER homepage. You do not need to be online for this. Then go to phpmyadmin and create a new database called wordpress or something. I am not going in to detail for you should already know how to install wordpress if you are developing on it.

Once you got it created go into the www folder and open wp-config-sample.php and edit it.

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And then enter the following details were needed:
DB_NAME: Wordpress (or whatever you named it)
DB_USER: root
DB_PASSWORD: (there is none, and none is needed)
DB_HOST: localhost

and then scroll down abit and enter in the key stuff, you can enter your own or just go to https://api.wordpress.org/secret-key/1.1/ and then just copy and paste the codes it gives you.

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Now just save the file and rename it wp-config.php and you can now install wordpress like normal. Just go to http://localhost/wordpress/ to start the install

After you fill in everything and such, copy the password and log in using admin and the pass that it gives you and your done!

Woooooo :nuts: now you may want to change the password to something you can remember. But your done so you can now just start developing like normal.

IV. Final Thoughts

Ok well you now have WAMP installed and wordpress ready to go. So what you waiting for? Go and start making those wordpress themes, apps, whatever! If you get a error saying the server is down or something when you try to connect to your wordpress site just start wamp as shown above. If you have any questions, comments, concerns just post them here and I will do my best to answer. If you see any mistakes that need correcting post here and I will try to fix them. Hope you liked my guide and I hope you found it useful and just let me know what you think (its my first real guide :laugh: )

Apocalypsefu