Into the Void

I recently decided to migrate the main web page to a Wiki. I’ve messed around with a couple of CMSs – Mambo and subDreamer – and decided that the format and size of the site really don’t require that kind of power. A quick look at the features of some popular wiki software led me to choose TikiWiki for the site upgrade. It will be no tour-de-force to convert the database later.
Rather than playing with the wiki software online, using up bandwidth and taking the risk of hosing my WordPress database or forums, I decided to evaluate TikiWiki locally under Windows XP SP2.
Accomplishing this doesn’t require any programming experience or expertise in using *ix, web servers, MySQL, or phpMyAdmin.
This is how to do it:

1. Get PhpTriad
   1. Download PhpTriad from SourceForge. PhpTriad contains Windows versions of the ubiquitous Apache server, MySQL database software, and PHP support.
   2. PhpTriad’s Windows installer unpacks the whole mess under c:\apache. When the install is done, run Apache like any other Windows app. In the version I’m using, a command window named “Start Apache” opens. Minimize the Apache window, but don’t shut it down. Apache is now listening on port 80 for browser requests..
   3. Open your browser to http://127.0.0.1/ and you’ll see the PhpTriad welcome screen.
      Great!
2. Configure a database for TikiWiki.
   1. Updated 3/12 – thanks, Jacques! Run MySQL-D just like any other Windows app.
   2. When you point your browser to http://localhost/phpmyadmin you’ll see the phpMyAdmin welcome page. It’s pretty much self-explanatory.
      It is very important to reload the SQL by revisiting http://localhost/phpmyadmin after every command.
   3. Point your browser to http://localhost/phpmyadmin and create a new database named tiki.
   4. Point your browser to http://localhost/phpmyadmin and go to Users.
   5. In database tiki add a new user tikiadmin and a password. Give the user all privileges. Don’t forget to write down that password!
   6. Point your browser to http://localhost/phpmyadmin and Reload MySQL. It is very important to reload the SQL by revisiting http://localhost/phpmyadmin after every command, so check that out if things don’t work.
3. Get TikiWiki
   1. Download the .zip from http://tikiwiki.org/ and extract it into C:\apache\htdocs\. God, how I hate backslashes… This will create directory C:\apache\htdocs\tikiwiki-1.9.2 Rename the directory to C:\apache\tiki.
   2. Run the installer by pointing your browser to http://127.0.0.1/tiki/tiki-install.php. Make the selections – database type MySQL, server localhost, database “tiki” and enter the user name “tikiadmin” plus the password that you (hopefully) wrote down earlier. When you click Submit Query it should task you to another install page.
   3. Create the BasicEnabled profile in the pulldown menu. You’ll be taken to yet another install page that shows database print operations. Ignore the verbiage in the boxes – some of the writes will fail and that’s ok. Skip down and follow the link that disables the install script.
4. Create your TikiWiki
   1. Login to http://localhost/tiki as admin with password admin. You will be prompted to change the password. This is not the same as the database password above.
   2. Experiment with settings, post entries, create and delete users. TikiWiki is a simple application, suitable for a small to medium wiki, and that is why it is so easy to use.
5. Go back to the TikiWiki project page and donate!
6. Have Fun!

And that’s it. Just remember to periodically export the tiki database via phpMyAdmin. Not only does it protect your data from beginner’s errors, and there will be errors, but when you decide to go live with TikiWiki you can reuse your local data. Your web host has the same phpMyAdmin and you can follow the same steps to create the database, and then import the file.