Personally, I have always been a fan of a subdirectory install, rather than subdomain, as a development site that will eventually go live on the root of the domain. This explains how to make it go Live: https://codex.wordpress.org/Giving_WordPress_Its_Own_Directory#Using_a_pre-existing_subdirectory_install
Not sure why /wp-admin/ doesn’t work. I have done subdomain installs before, as pure test sites, so I know it can work.
I don’t really understand what you are suggesting. My website is grafix.co.nz and I set that up by going to softaculous and installing wordpress for grafix.co.nz. Do you mean that I need to install wordpress on grafix.co.nz/wordpress instead? And then when I make this other website, it references that location? It’s a little over my head. What about setting up a domain that I only use for developing the website, then change the domain once it is done?
I think the simplest thing to do is a sub-domain accessed via domain.com/subdomain/. Then when it is time to make the switch, just copy /wp-content/ to the parent, save the domain.com URL in both boxes at Settings and edit wp-config.php for domain.com to switch to the new database.
How do I set that up in the cPanel?
I can only see how to make subdomain.domain.com I don’t know how I create domain.com/subdomain and if I set that up, do I edit it but going domain.com/subdomain/wp-admin?
There is nothing to be done at cPanel. Just place fresh copies of all wp-folders and wp-files into domain.com/wordpress/, and then set its wp-config file for a new set of tables and user in the same server database domain.com is using and then go to domain.com/wordpress/ to complete the new installation. That will not get you a working clone to develop, but there are ways to deal with that after you get a new WordPress running.
I obviously need to read more somewhere, because I honestly don’t know how to do what you are suggesting (place fresh copies of all wp-folders and wp-files into domain.com/wordpress/). Plus you are saying I still won’t be able to develop it? I really really appreciate you helping me though, please don’t think I am just being awkward.
Also, why is http://soulsvibration.grafix.co.nz/wp-admin/ not taking me to a login page?
grafix.co.nz is not the root domain on the server, it is an add-on. The root domain is actually still pointing to a different server, as the website has not been moved yet. Could this be the cause?
Maybe I am trying to hard to be brief! At my own host, ‘/public_html/’ is my “root” and I have this:
/public_html/.htaccess redirecting primarydomain
/public_html/primarydomain/index.php (all of WordPress)
To that I would add:
/public_html/primarydomain/wordpress/index.php (all of WordPress in subdomain)
At that point, and with wp-config prepared as I have mentioned, domain.com/wordpress/wp-admin/index.php or whatever would incite the new installation.
Also, I had meant to only say that would not make a clone and not that a clone could not then be made and developed.
grafix.co.nz is not the root domain on the server, it is an add-on
That should not matter. Just add the unzipped /wordpress/ folder in its folder, make wp-config.php as I have mentioned and then go to grafix.co.nz/wordpress/.
I am sure that is difficult for you to understand why, but it is not clear exactly what to do 🙁 I literally need a step by step of WHERE you are doing these things. You can stop helping me if it is too much of a headache, I understand. I am really trying though.
Do you want me to:
Go and download WordPress
Upload that file into grafix.co.nz in “file Manager”
Then I copy the files from /public_html/soulsvibration into /public_html/grafix.co.nz/wordpress ?
Then I log into wordpress admin how?
If not, I am sorry for being a noob! I want to understand, I really really do.
No problem here, just know I am far from being any kind of expert. I have simply learned all of this actually can be done very simply.
Here is where you began:
I am trying to make my first website for someone else. I want to build it first, as they are already using their domain for their current website.
The very best way to do that is to get a development site running locally on your own machine, do your work there and then later transfer/copy what you have done to the online or “Live” site. Have you considered that?
In any case, here is the simplest way to get a WordPress sub-domain running at an existing “Live” domain:
1. Using File Manager or FileZilla, go to the folder wherever the existing “Live” site is located and upload a freshly-unzipped ‘/wordpress/’ folder into that location where the “Live” site’s wp-folders and wp-files are located. At that point, you should have this in that location:
‘https://www.dropbox.com/s/z11j2gd3v8756h5/wordpress-as-subdomain.jpg?dl=0’
Next, simply go to domain.com/wordpress/ where you can, if you wish, begin a new installation of WordPress without having to do anything more anywhere.
note: I am *not* suggesting you do that and actually complete the installation just yet since there are issues to be considered and address. However, you can, if you wish, go at least that far and then place this .htaccess file inside that /wordpress/ folder to block all traffic from there while you prepare your database and make a wp-config.php file:
## temporary .htaccess for new /wordpress/
# block all access for now
order deny,allow
deny from all
# set permissions for this file to 0404 to prevent tampering
I have just done all of the above and here is my current result:
‘http://www.nonametestdrive.net/wordpress/’
Wow, thank you so much for all your help! The subdomain I made apparently just needed some time to allow me to log in. I am now working at dev1.grafix.co.nz I will try what you suggested too, so I can see what is best for me. I can’t use an FTP right now, as the main domain is not pointing at the server, so it can’t connect. Once I sort that, I will try it out.
Thank you again, you rock!
