Social Networking Script

How to Install a Social Networking Script

Posted on 17. May, 2011 by Lena in Social network hosting, Social networking scripts

Installing a social networking script is usually very easy. The method may vary a bit from script to script, but most of the time doing a script installation is pretty much following the instructions below.

1) Download your social networking script

First you have to download your social networking software. In this tutorial I am installing Social Engine since they have a free trial on their website. Locate the .zip file you just downloaded, right click it and choose “extract all”.

2) Upload the script to your server

Next you need to upload all the files to your server. I use the Filezilla FTP client, which you can download here. If you don’t have a hosting account, you need to sign up for hosting first. I personally use hostgator and recommend them. If your social network is growing big, you should get a VPS account or a dedicated server. Hostgator have an excellent live chat you can use if you need any help. Click here to visit hostgator. If you use the coupon code 994COUPONCODE, you will get a 9.94$ discount.

Create a new connection in Filezilla so you have your server information saved. Choose File -> Site Manager. Click the “New Site” button. Enter the information of your hosting account and click connect. When you want to connect to your FTP account the next time, you can click this small button or the triangle next to it: . Files can be uploaded by left clicking the file on your computer on the left side of the software and drag it over to the correct folder at the right side of the software. The files on a hosting account is usually stored in a folder called public_html or www.

If you are using cPanel, a web hosting administration panel that many web hosts use, you can also use the file manager there instead of using an FTP software. If you choose to use this option, then there is no need to extract the .zip file first, because you will be able to do it in cPanel’s file manager. You could also upload the .zip-file first using FTP and then use the file manager to extract it.

3. Set file permissions

After the script has been uploaded you must set folder/file permissions (CHMOD) for the following folders and all the files and folders within that folder to 777.

/install/config/
/temporary/
/public/
/application/themes/
/application/packages/
/application/languages/
/application/settings/

To do that with filezilla FTP. Click the folder you want to change permissions for, right click it and choose file permissions. Enter the numeric value 777, check “Recurse into subdirectories” and click OK.

4. Create a database

Go into your hosting panel and create a new database. If you have cPanel, you click “MySQL Databases”. Enter a name for your database and click create database. I recommend using a name that is descriptive, so you know what the database contains. Then click “Go back”. Scroll down to add a new MySQL user. Enter your desired user information and click “Create user”. Once again, click “Go back”. Scroll down to “Add user to database”. Choose your user and your database and click add. Give the user all privileges and click “make changes”. Save your database information as you will need it in the next step.

5. Run installation wizard

Before starting the installation, make sure you have uploaded your licence.txt file to the same directory as your Social Engine script. To start the installation wizard, simply access your website and it will start automatically. If some of the server requirements are missing, just contact hostgator support through their live chat. They may have to turn off register globals for your domain.

Now you can start playing around with your social networking script, change the settings and get your own design if you wish. Good luck with your social network and feel free to contact me if you have any questions!