PmWiki Tutorial: How to Build Your First Wiki Site Fast PmWiki is a lightweight, flexible wiki engine written in PHP. Unlike complex content management systems, it requires no database. It stores information in plain text files directly on your server. This makes it incredibly fast, highly portable, and remarkably easy to back up.
This guide will take you from a blank server to a fully functional, customized wiki website in minutes. Prerequisites Before You Begin
Before installing PmWiki, ensure you have the following ready:
Web Hosting: Any standard Linux or Windows hosting environment.
PHP Support: PHP version 5.4 or higher installed on your server.
FTP Client: An FTP program like FileZilla, or access to your hosting account’s cPanel File Manager. Step 1: Download and Extract PmWiki First, you need to acquire the official software files. Go to the official PmWiki Download Page.
Download the latest stable .tgz or .zip file to your computer.
Extract the archive folder on your local machine. You will see a directory containing files like pmwiki.php, index.php, and folders named pub, scripts, and wikilib.d. Step 2: Upload Files to Your Web Server
Next, you need to move the extracted files to your hosting server. Open your FTP client or cPanel File Manager.
Connect to your web server and navigate to your root directory (usually public_html or www).
Create a new folder named wiki if you want your site at ://yourdomain.com. If you want it to be your main website, stay in the root directory.
Upload all the extracted PmWiki files and folders into this directory. Step 3: Configure Folder Permissions
PmWiki needs permission to create and edit text files on your server. Locate the file named pmwiki.php in your server directory.
Rename pmwiki.php to index.php. This allows your wiki to load automatically when someone visits your URL.
Open your web browser and navigate to your website URL (e.g., http://yourdomain.com).
The first time you load this page, PmWiki will automatically attempt to create a directory named wiki.d.
If you see a permission error, use your FTP client to manually create a folder named wiki.d in your main wiki directory, and change its file permissions (CHMOD) to 777 or 755 depending on your host’s security setup.
Refresh your browser, and your basic, functional wiki homepage will appear. Step 4: Basic Configuration
To secure and customize your wiki, you need to create a local configuration file. Look inside the local/ folder on your server.
If it does not exist, create a file named config.php inside the local/ directory.
Open config.php in a text editor and add the following basic PHP setup script:
<?php if (!defined(‘PmWiki’)) exit(); // Set your Wiki Site Title \(WikiTitle = "My First Wiki"; // Set default passwords for editing and admin privileges \)DefaultPasswords[‘edit’] = pmcrypt(‘choose_edit_password’); \(DefaultPasswords['admin'] = pmcrypt('choose_admin_password'); </code> Use code with caution.</p> <p>Replace <code>choose_edit_password</code> and <code>choose_admin_password</code> with secure passwords of your choice. Save the file and upload it back to the server. Step 5: Start Creating Content</p> <p>PmWiki organizes content into Groups and Pages using the syntax <code>Group.PageName</code>.</p> <p>Click the <strong>Edit</strong> link at the top or bottom of your new homepage. Type in your content using simple markup rules.</p> <p>To create a link to a new page, wrap the name in double square brackets, like this: <code>[[Project Planning]]</code> or <code>[[KnowledgeBase.SetupGuide]]</code>. Click <strong>Save</strong>.</p> <p>Click on the newly created link (which will have a question mark next to it if the page is blank) to start writing content for that new page. Quick Markdown Cheatsheet: <strong>Bold text:</strong> <code>'''''Bold text'''''</code> (five apostrophes) <strong>Italic text:</strong> <code>''Italic text''</code> (two apostrophes) <strong>Headings:</strong> <code>! Heading 1</code>, <code>!! Heading 2</code>, <code>!!! Heading 3</code> <strong>Bullet lists:</strong> Start the line with one or more asterisks <code>*</code> Step 6: Customizing the Appearance (Skins)</p> <p>The default look of PmWiki is functional but minimal. You can change the design easily using skins. Browse the PmWiki Skin Library to find a layout you like. Download the skin file and extract it.</p> <p>Upload the skin folder to the <code>pub/skins/</code> directory on your server.</p> <p>Open your <code>local/config.php</code> file and add the following line to activate it: <code>\)Skin = ‘name-of-the-skin-folder’; Use code with caution.
Refresh your homepage to see your brand-new, professional layout. Your fast, secure, database-free wiki site is now complete and ready for public or private collaboration. If you’d like to customize your setup further, let me know: Will this wiki be public or restricted to private users? Do you need features like file uploads or image galleries? Are you interested in SEO-friendly clean URLs?
I can provide the exact config file snippets to expand your site’s capabilities.
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