Installing and Configuring Typecho

I installed Typecho on a subdomain in my spare time. These notes cover the installation, then how to add themes and plugins.

# Installing Typecho

# Before you start

I used the BT Panel again. Have these ready:

1. A domain or subdomain that resolves to the server.
2. A PHP-enabled site and its document root, for example /www/wwwroot/your-domain .
3. A MySQL database for the site. Keep the database name, username and password handy.

BT Panel can create the directory and database when you add the site. The relevant steps are in Setting up WordPress with BT Panel. Stop once you’ve added the site; you don’t need to install WordPress.

You can upload the package through the panel’s file manager or use your usual file transfer method.

# Download the package

Get the stable release from the Typecho download page. I originally used Typecho 1.1; that link identifies the version in the screenshots.

# Upload and extract

Open the site’s document root in the file manager. Choose Upload, select the archive and start the upload.

Extract the archive. The release I used produced a folder named build :

Open build , select its files and directories, cut them and paste them into the document root.

Check that index.php , admin and usr now sit directly under the site root.

If visiting the domain still brings up the panel’s welcome page, check whether your server gives the default index.html precedence. Once you’ve confirmed it’s just the placeholder created with the site, move it aside so the server can reach Typecho’s entry point.

# Complete the installer

Visit the domain you configured. You should see Typecho’s installation wizard:

Resolve any server requirement warnings it reports. When the checks pass, click “我准备好了，开始下一步” (“I’m ready, go to the next step”).

Enter the database settings and choose a MySQL adapter for a MySQL database.

• Username, password and database name. Use the values from the database you created in BT Panel. The screenshot’s root and typecho are examples.
• Database host. This is usually localhost if the site and database share a server. For a remote database, use its actual address.
• Table prefix. The default typecho_ usually works. If another Typecho installation shares the database, use a different prefix so they don’t write to the same tables.

The next section is for the site and its administrator. Those credentials are for the Typecho dashboard and are separate from the database login.

• Site URL. Check the detected domain, scheme and installation directory. For a site already configured for HTTPS, use its working HTTPS address.
• Username and password. Choose an administrator username and a strong password and save them. The old version in the screenshot could generate a random password if you left the field blank; in that case you had to record the one shown after installation.
• Email. Replace the example address with one you use.

Click “确认，开始安装” (“Confirm and start installation”). This is the success screen:

# Basic configuration

On the success page, click “访问您的控制面板” (“Visit your control panel”) to open the dashboard.

Under Write, you can create posts and pages using Markdown. Manage lets you manage posts, pages, comments and categories. Adjust your profile as you like. Here I’ll focus on adding plugins and themes.

Download the package from the plugin or theme author and check it supports your Typecho release. Upload and extract it in the appropriate directory:

• Plugins: usr/plugins/
• Themes: usr/themes/

Both are relative to the Typecho installation. If your site lives at /www/wwwroot/your-domain , the plugin directory is /www/wwwroot/your-domain/usr/plugins/ . The server’s top-level /usr is a different directory.

Each plugin or theme should have a directory of its own, without an extra wrapper directory from the archive. If a plugin requires a particular directory name, follow its author’s instructions.

In the dashboard, find the uploaded plugin under Control Panel → Plugins and enable it. For a theme, use Control Panel → Appearance. If it’s missing from the list, check the extraction path and directory nesting first.

From there, follow the individual plugin or theme’s configuration instructions.