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#1 2014-02-19 16:37:04

skewray
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From: Sunny Southern California
Registered: 2013-04-25
Posts: 225
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Multi-Site Installations

Can someone point towards a painfully detailed step-by-step set of instructions for converting an existing single-site textpattern installation over to multi-site? There is a set of instructions that come along with textpattern as a text file, but I find them boggling. Thanks!

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#2 2014-02-19 21:57:45

mrdale
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From: Walla Walla
Registered: 2004-11-19
Posts: 2,215
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Re: Multi-Site Installations

Yeah, I’d actually love to run most of my sites off one codebase If it was a more straightforward process.

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#3 2014-02-20 01:26:16

jstubbs
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From: Hong Kong
Registered: 2004-12-13
Posts: 2,395
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Re: Multi-Site Installations

skewray wrote #279101:

Can someone point towards a painfully detailed step-by-step set of instructions for converting an existing single-site textpattern installation over to multi-site? There is a set of instructions that come along with textpattern as a text file, but I find them boggling. Thanks!

There is this tutorial over at TXP Tips but that was written for a Joyent/TextDrive setup and your mileage might vary. As Dale says, its not a straightforward process.

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#4 2014-02-20 03:54:04

skewray
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From: Sunny Southern California
Registered: 2013-04-25
Posts: 225
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Re: Multi-Site Installations

I really don’t mind myself how complex the procedure is for converting to multi-site. I just want sensible instructions. For example, the README.txt file starts out with:

There are two slightly different sets of instructions, depending upon whether you prefer to: A. Create separate subdomains for your Textpattern admin areas (recommended), or B. Allow access to the admin area through a subdirectory of your site (the traditional setup).

So this leads me to a large number of questions: What is an admin area? My current installation has none. What is in it, and what does it do? Why do I want one? Do I need one for multi-site, or is it optional? Why is A recommended over B? What are the practical considerations that would help me make a choice?

Last edited by skewray (2014-02-20 15:42:33)

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#5 2014-02-20 17:25:04

maverick
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From: Southeastern Michigan, USA
Registered: 2005-01-14
Posts: 976
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Re: Multi-Site Installations

Every Textpattern install has an admin area. Sometimes it is called the backside vs. the front side. It is where you log in, write articles, administer users, manage sections, pages, forms, etc. In other words, administers the CMS functions of Textpattern. This as opposed to the published website powered by Textpattern.

The choice they are referring to is this:

TextpatternAdmin.YourWebsite.com vs. www.YourWebsite.com/textpattern

The first sets up the admin to be accessed at a subdomain. The latter as a directory within the main domain.

If I recall correctly, part of the reason for using the subdomain option was increased security.

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#6 2014-02-20 18:48:35

maverick
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From: Southeastern Michigan, USA
Registered: 2005-01-14
Posts: 976
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Re: Multi-Site Installations

skewray

Here’s a link where we started collecting Multi-site install wisdom. fwiw.

Multi-site help

Also, fwiw,

I played around with multisites when they first came out, but time-wise it was really easier to go with stand alone sites most of the time rather than hassle with plugins that didn’t work well w/ multi-sites (in particular when the admin was a subdomain), with potential security issues, or with the added complexity of the directory structure.

Last edited by maverick (2014-02-21 03:46:04)

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#7 2014-02-20 23:56:18

jstubbs
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From: Hong Kong
Registered: 2004-12-13
Posts: 2,395
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Re: Multi-Site Installations

Like maverick, I also found multi-sites in its present incarnation to be difficult to update, and there were some criticisms over on this thread which is worth reading.

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#8 2014-02-21 03:11:15

skewray
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From: Sunny Southern California
Registered: 2013-04-25
Posts: 225
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Re: Multi-Site Installations

It sounds to me like I was asking the wrong questions. I should have started out asking if multi-site was worth doing at all. I will have to study up on that first, using the helpful liks provided. Thanks!

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#9 2014-02-21 16:27:02

mrdale
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From: Walla Walla
Registered: 2004-11-19
Posts: 2,215
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Re: Multi-Site Installations

Multi site is really just an afterthought in the land of TXP. I think it should either be a solid feature or jettisoned from core as it confuses people at present.

Drupal has a solid multi-site mechanism, but the downside is… it’s drupal.

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