Movable Type Tutorial and Installation How To

Movable Type is Six Apart's powerful, customizable publishing system which installs on web servers to enable individuals or organizations to manage and update weblogs, journals, and frequently-updated website content.

This tutorial describes how to use the Movable Type software with your NEXCESS.NET web hosting account. NEXCESS.NET specializes in hosting Movable Type weblogs and this tutorial is meant to help you quickly setup your journal with our web hosting service.

NEXCESS.NET is an Official Movable Type Hosting Partner. You can purchase a Personal Unlimited Movable Type license package through our order system for $2.95/month. The license purchase includes FREE installation of Moveable Type by the NEXCESS.NET team! We also offer free template installation for owners of the book Create Your Own Photo Blog.

The screenshots in this tutorial will be for the domain 'tutorials.nexcess.net' but in the examples I'll always reference 'www.johnsmith.com' as being the domain name. There are two different ways to install Movable Type on your NEXCESS.NET web hosting account. After the database instructions, you'll need to choose the method you'd like to use and follow the instructions for that particular section.

Movable Type is compatible with two different database methods, MySQL and Berkley DB. The preferred method of data storage is MySQL which is not only faster than Berkley DB in running queries and returning information, it's also much friendlier on the server by using less resources.

1. If you choose to use MySQL for your Movable Type, run through the SiteWorx MySQL tutorial and create a database for Movable Type to use to store the information it needs.

   Create a database called 'mt' and a user named 'mt'. When you do this SiteWorx will prefix the database and user names with some text resembling your domain name.

   With our example domain of johnsmith.com the database name is 'johnsmit_mt' and the username is the same 'johnsmit_mt'.

   If you're going to use BerkleyDB for your database, skip the MySQL step and continue with the tutorial. BerkleyDB method will be explained when it's time for that step.
2. Download the latest version of Movable Type from the Movable Type website and unzip the contents of the zip file to your desktop using http://winzip.com.

   At this point you should have an 'MT-3.15-full-en_US' folder filled with all the necessary files for your Movable Type blog. Change the name of the folder to 'mt'. Open up the 'mt' folder and then the file 'mt.cfg' with your favorite text editing program.

At this point, you need to decide which installation method you'd like to use with your Movable Type weblog. The way you need to configure the 'mt.cfg' file depends on which method of installation you're using. Below you'll see a method of installation followed by the changes you need to make to the 'mt.cfg' file.

NOTE: The following changes are specific to each installation method. Once you've made these changes, you'll need to continue editing the 'mt.cfg' file as instructed after this section.

All Movable Type files in your root or other folder outside of the 'cgi-bin'

NOTE: If you use this method, you'll need to {mailto address="tutorials@nexcess.net" subject="[NEXCESS.NET] Tutorials" text="contact us" encode="javascript"} so we can edit your account to allow CGI files to be executed outside of the 'cgi-bin'.

• Change: CGIPath http://WWW.YOUR-SITE.COM/PATH/TO/MT/ to the path where Movable Type will reside. For this example, your path will be CGIPath http://www.johnsmith.com/mt/

Your screen should look like this:

CGI files in the 'cgi-bin' and static files outside the 'cgi-bin'

• Change: CGIPath http://WWW.YOUR-SITE.COM/PATH/TO/MT/ to the path where the Movable Type CGI files will reside. For this example, your path will be CGIPath http://www.johnsmith.com/cgi-bin/mt/
• Change: # StaticWebPath /path/to/static-files/ to the path where the Movable Type static files will reside. You'll also need to remove the # character to 'uncomment' this line. For this example, your path will be StaticWebPath /mt/

Your screen should look like this:

Getting back to the generic changes to the 'mt.cfg' file, you should see a line in the file that looks like this:

DataSource ./db

If you've already created a MySQL database using the MySQL tutorial above, you can leave this line alone. If you're choosing to use the BerkleyDB method of data storage, this will be the path to a folder you will create to store your data OUTSIDE of your web space. For this example, we'll create a folder in our web hosting account in the same folder as the 'html' folder. You can call this folder what ever you want, but for this example, we'll call it 'db'. You need to change the line in the 'mt.cfg' file to reflect the path to this folder. For this example, we'll use this path:

DataSource /home/johnsmit/johnsmith.com/db

NOTE: There is NO / at the end of this line

Your 'mt.cfg' file should now look like this:

Scrolling down further in the 'mt.cfg' file, you'll see a couple lines that look like this:

# ObjectDriver DBI::mysql
# Database
# DBUser
# DBHost localhost

If you've setup a MySQL database for Movable Type to store information, you'll need change these lines. If you're going to use the BerkleyDB method of data storage, you can skip these lines. Change these lines to reflect the database you created in the MySQL database tutorial. You'll also need to remove the # from the beginning of each line to 'uncomment' those lines. For this example, we'll change the lines as follows:

ObjectDriver DBI::mysql
Database johnsmit_mt
DBUser johnsmit_mt
DBHost localhost

Your screen should look like this:

The rest of the values in the 'mt.cfg' file are optional and you can change those according to your own personal preference. For this example, we'll save and close the 'mt.cfg' file now.

If you're using the MySQL database storage, you'll now need to open the 'mt-db-pass.cgi' file and replace the 'database_password' line with the password for the database user you created in the MySQL tutorial. For this example, we'll change the line to 'mypassword'. Your screen should look like this:

Save and close the 'mt-db-pass.cgi' file.

Now you're ready to upload the Movable Type files to your web hosting account. You can upload the files to your account using an FTP Program. If you don't know how to do this, check out the FTP tutorials on our tutorials page. See below for where to upload the files depending on how you're installing Movable Type:

All Movable Type files in your root or other folder outside of the 'cgi-bin'

Upload the whole 'mt' folder into the 'html' folder on your web hosting account.

CGI files in the 'cgi-bin' and static files outside the 'cgi-bin'

Create an 'mt' folder in the 'html' folder on your web hosting account and upload the 'images' folder, 'docs' folder, 'styles.css' file and 'mt.js' file to it. Create an 'mt' folder in the 'cgi-bin' folder on your web hosting account and upload the remaining files to it.

NOTE: When uploading files, you'll want to make sure that the 'images' folder is uploaded in BINARY format and all the other files and folders are uploaded in ASCII format for Movable Type to function properly. If you don't know how to do this, check out the FTP tutorial on our tutorials page for your specific FTP program.

Once the files and folders finish uploading, you'll need to change the permissions on some of the files and folders in order for them to function properly. You can change file and folder permissions using the CHMOD command in your FTP program. If you don't know how to do this, check out the FTP tutorials on our tutorials page. Change the file and folder permissions as follows:

CHMOD all the '.cgi' files in the main 'mt' folder to 755

If you're using the BerkleyDB system, you need to create the 'db' folder you specified in the 'mt.cfg' file. For this example, we'll create a folder called 'db' in the same folder our 'html' folder is located, or inside /home/johnsmit/johnsmith.com. Once you create this folder, you need to CHMOD the folder to 777.

Once the files and folders are uploaded, we need to run the Movable Type check script to make sure all the necessary modules are installed on the server. The location of the check file will depend on which installation method you've chosen.

All Movable Type files in your root or other folder outside of the 'cgi-bin'

For this example, we'll run the check file here:

http://www.johnsmith.com/mt/mt-check.cgi

CGI files in the 'cgi-bin' and static files outside the 'cgi-bin'

For this example, we'll run the check file here:

http://www.johnsmith.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-check.cgi

Your should now be on the Movable Type check page. Your screen should look like this:

There should only be two things that aren't installed, DBD::Pg and DBD::SQLite. These aren't supported on our servers and can safely be ignored. If any other modules are being shown as not installed, let us know and we'll get them installed for you.

Once you've run the 'mt-check.cgi' file, you'll need to run the 'mt-load.cgi' file that is located in the same folder. This file will setup all your database information. On the 'mt-load.cgi' page, your screen should look like this:

If you see any errors on the 'mt-load.cgi' page, you'll need to go back to your 'mt.cfg' file and make sure that the paths and database information are correct. If the 'mt-load.cgi' file ran successfully, you need to delete it from your web hosting account. It's a HUGE security risk to leave it in your webspace.

Once the 'mt-load.cgi' file has been run successfully, your Movable Type installation is complete. You will now need to login and configure your Movable Type weblog to your preference. Where you login will depend on which installation method you chose.

All Movable Type files in your root or other folder outside of the 'cgi-bin'

For this example, we'll login here:

http://www.johnsmith.com/mt/mt.cgi

CGI files in the 'cgi-bin' and static files outside the 'cgi-bin'

For this example, we'll login here:

http://www.johnsmith.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt.cgi

The default username is 'Melody' and the default password is 'Nelson'. Those values are case sensitive so make sure you capitalize the first letter. Your screen should look like this:

If your login screen looks like the image below, the path to your Static Files is incorrect. You'll need to revisit your 'mt.cfg' file and adjust the path to the static files.

Click the 'Login' button to continue. You should now be logged into the admin control panel area of your Movable Type weblog. Your screen should look like this:

Your installation and Movable Type Web Hosting Installation Tutorial are now complete!

For more information on how to use Movable Type once it's installed, check out the Movable Type manual.

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