How to setup a WordPress Multisite?

In this presentation, I'll first explain what is a WordPress Multisite and why big website and large organization can benefit from it. Then I'll give a step by step tutorial to explain how to setup a WordPress Multisite and manage it.

For more tutorials and articles about WordPress, check out my blog at: http://www.julienklepatch.com/blog

Transcript

1. How to Setup a WordPress Multisite? Taipei WordPress Meetup – December 2014 Julien Klepatch - julienklepatch.com / @jklepatch
2. Summary • Why using a WordPress Multisite? • Overview of WordPress Multisites • Installing a WordPress Multisite • Managing a WordPress Multisite • Customizing a WordPress Single Site
3. Summary • Why using a WordPress Multisite? • Overview of WordPress Multisites • Installing a WordPress Multisite • Managing a WordPress Multisite • Customizing a WordPress Single Site
4. Why using a WordPress Multisite? (1) • Multisites allows us to create a network of websites • With one installation, you can update all themes and plugins at once • Users can be shared across websites
5. Why using a WordPress Multisite? (2) • Big websites can : – Create ‘sub-sections’ to better organize their content • Large organization can: – Give some autonomy to their branches – While keeping some control on the admin • Examples: – WordPress.com – A lot of colleges in the US
7. Summary • Why using a WordPress Multisite? • Overview of WordPress Multisites – Types of WordPress Multisites – User Roles in Multisites – Databases in Multisites – Folder Structure in Multisites • Installing a WordPress Multisite • Managing a WordPress Multisite • Customizing a WordPress Single Site
8. Types of WordPress Multisites • Path Based (more simple) – www.example.com/blog1 – www.example.com/blog2 – www.example.com/blog3 – … • Domain bases – www.blog1.example.com – www.blog2.example.com – www.blog3.example.com – …
10. User Roles in Multisites • Super admin => Manage whole network • Admin => Manage a single site within the network • Editor • Author • Contributor • Subscriber
12. Databases in Multisites Single site (11 tables) Multisite (17 tables)
14. Folder Structure in Multisites • Same folder structure as for a standard WordPress Website • No separate folders for single sites of the network • Slight differences in some areas (ex. For uploaded files)
16. Summary • Why using a WordPress Multisite? • Overview of WordPress Multisites • Installing a WordPress Multisite – Step #1: Standard WordPress install – Step #2: Setup wp-config.php – Step #3: Install a network – Step #4: Configuring wp-config.php & .htaccess • Managing a WordPress Multisite • Customizing a WordPress Single Site
17. Step #1: Standard WordPress install • Install a standard WordPress website – First setup a database – Then copy paste the WordPress files – Finally launch WordPress 5 mins install
19. Step #2: Setup wp-config.php (1) • In wp-config.php, add: define( 'WP_ALLOW_MULTISITE', true );
21. Step #2: Setup wp-config.php (2) • Refresh your admin panel • There is a New menu item ‘Network Setup’ in Tools
23. Step #3: Install a network
25. Step #4: Configuring wp-config.php & .htaccess (1) Copy paste into: wp-config.php Copy paste into: .htaccess
26. Step #4: Configuring wp-config.php & .htaccess (2) • Wp-config.php • .htaccess
28. Summary • Why using a WordPress Multisite? • Overview of WordPress Multisites • Installing a WordPress Multisite • Managing a WordPress Multisite – Super-Admin Dashboards – Network Dashboard – Adding a new single site • Customizing a WordPress Single Site
29. Super-Admin Dashboards • Super admin has two different dashboards: – The Network Dashboard => Can setup options for whole network => Cannot create content => Can access each single site dashboard – The Network site dashboard (~home website of the network) => Can manage this website => Cannot setup network-wide options
31. Network Dashboard (1)
32. Network Dashboard (2) • In ‘All Sites’ menu, we can Manage each single site – Create new one – Edit existing one • Click on one of your single site (ex: ‘blog1’)
33. Network Dashboard (3) • Can manage settings on a per-site basis • Click on ‘Users’, right of ‘Info’
34. Network Dashboard (4) • Can manage users of a specific site • Click on ‘themes, right of ‘Users’
35. Network Dashboard (5) • Can manage themes of a specific site
36. Network Dashboard (6) • We can also manage themes and plugins on a network-wide basis with ‘Plugins’ and ‘themes’ menus on the left-hand sidebar
37. Network Dashboard (7) • Finally, in Settings=>Network Settings, other network-wide settings
39. Add a new single site (1) 1 2
40. Add a new single site (2)
41. Add a new single site (3) • Now check out your new single site at: www.yourdomainename.com/blog1/
42. Add a new single site (4) • Let’s visit the admin of our new single site, blog1 • With another browser, login with admin credentials of blog1: www.yourdomainename.com/blog1/wp-admin (also accessible from super-admin dashboard at the top, blog1 => edit site)
43. Add a new single site (5) • Contrary to super- admin, no network admin on top • Cannot install plugin / themes • Can just activate themes and use plugins made available by super- admin
45. Summary • Why using a WordPress Multisite? • Overview of WordPress Multisites • Installing a WordPress Multisite • Managing a WordPress Multisite • Customizing a WordPress Single Site – What can a single site admin do? – Let’s change the theme
46. What can a single site admin do? • Content – Content created in a single site is just visible in this site • User – Admin can create new users in this website • Themes – Admin can switch themes, among those enabled by super-admin • Plugins – Admin can just use plugins already enabled by super- admins
48. Let’s change the theme (1) • Just one theme enabled, no option to choose another one:
49. Let’s change the theme (2) • Go back to the super-admin dashboard and enable another theme for the network:
50. Let’s change the theme (3) • Go to your single site admin (blog1) • Now we can choose another theme
51. Let’s change the theme (4) • Single site is now different from network site: Blog1 (theme: twentyTwelve) Network site (theme: twentyFourteen)
53. Questions?