How to install CMS Made Simple?

It is written with the PHP programming language and uses the MySQL database.

Cutting Edge Content Management

CMS Made Simple is one of the powerful Open Source Content Management Systems . It is used all over the world for everything from simple websites to complex corporate applications. It is easy to install, simple to manage, and reliable.

Installing CMS Made Simple Server on Windows 2000, XP and Windows Server 2003

This has been tested on Windows 2000 and XP, should work fine on Windows 2003 Server. I am assuming an install into a directory and not into the root of the site, to install into the root just follow the same instructions and substitute your web server root directory, usually C:\Program Files\Apache Software Foundation\Apache2.2\htdocs, I am assuming this is where your Apache root is. For these instructions I am assuming an install to C:\Program Files\Apache Software Foundation\Apache2.2\htdocs

Install Apache

Make sure you have Apache running, Once installed http://localhost will bring up a web page saying It Works! do not go any further if this is not the case.

Install PHP

Once you have a web server running and you can browse http://localhost then it’s time to install PHP. Download PHP from www.php.net the best way to do this for Apache is to download the PHP x.x.x Installer, which will install PHP and configure IIS at the same time.

Test PHP

Make sure your PHP installation works, copy the following code into a text file and save it as C:\Program Files\Apache Software Foundation\Apache2.2\htdocs\test.php

Installing CMS Made Simple on Localhost

Step 1 : Extracting the C:\Program Files\Apache Software Foundation\Apache2.2\htdocs

Step 2 : Create config.php file on the C:\Program Files\Apache Software Foundation\Apache2.2\htdocs\cmsmadesimple

Step 3 : Install CMSms on your localhost

You are going to install CMSms which is PHP software. The webserver now needs to respond to it. Update your webserver configuration like this :

DirectoryIndex index.html index.php (still an Apache example)

Open your browser, type http://localhost/cmsmadesimple/install/index.php. Now the system is checking for the PHP setting and permissions.

If all tests passes, please click the Continue button.

Step 4 : Admin account information

You have to create the admin username and password in order you to login to the admin page. See picture below. Click the Continue button.

Step 5 : Create Site information name and database name.

Make sure you already create the database and put the granted full privileges to a user to use the database. Click the Retry button after you already put the information below. See the below picture for examples.

Step 6 : Installing CMS Made Simple

CMS Made Simple now is installing on your localhost. Click the Continue button. See the below picture.

Step 7 : Finish installation

CONGRATULATIONS!!! You are all setup. Click on the CMS site to go to the front page. You also can add or install additional module from this page.

Step 8 : Front Page

This is your front page. You can change themes, text, graphics, photo and etc on the admin page.

Step 9 : Deleting install directory.

You have to delete the install directory on the C:\Program Files\Apache Software Foundation\Apache2.2\htdocs\cmsmadesimple to proceed other tasks.

After you already delete the install directory, the alert of deleting install directory is disappear. See the picture below.

To see the login page, you have to logout. Please logout from the admin page by clicking on the logout.

Step 10 : Login page

Here are the CMS Made Simple Admin Login Page.

For the next lesson will be how to use the admin page to manage your site.
You have now a dynamic site. You are able to manage more pages (and several editors) and keep harmony thanks to templating. But you get more than that :

* Menus are dynamic. You can customize them with Menu Manager.
* The map of your site is generated by a simple {sitemap} in any template.
* Play with the News module and export an RSS feed.
* Try other modules : RSS, Front End Users, AdSense…