What you'll need
- A Windows XP computer
(Not already running Apache web server) - Free WAMP server software and MediaWiki
(Available for download)
Set up your local installation of MediaWiki
- Install WAMP. or XAMPP
WAMP is an all-in-one PHP/MySQL/Apache installation for Windows. . Install WAMP in the C:\wamp\ directory. (If you must install it elsewhere, make sure the folder you choose has no spaces or special characters in its name.) Check the Autostart option. When the installation is complete, visit http://localhost/ in your web browser to see the front page of your new web server.
- Change your MySQL database server password.
You're already running a firewall (right?) but just to be on the safe side, we're going to assign a password to your new database server because we're healthily paranoid like that. From the homepage of your WAMP installation (http://localhost/), go to the link on the page on the left under Tools that reads "PHPmyadmin 2.7.0-pl2." From there click on the "Privileges" link. Check all users besides "root" and choose Delete. Then, click the edit button next to the root user, and change the password to something you'll remember and save. Once that's done, PHPmyadmin will no longer be able to access your database because it doesn't have your new password. We can remedy that easily.
Open the C:\wamp\phpmyadmin\config.inc.php file in a text editor. Change the line that reads:
$cfg['Servers'][$i]['password'] = '';to
$cfg['Servers'][$i]['password'] = 'yournewpassword';Where yournewpassword is the password you just set up in PHPmyadmin.
- Install MediaWiki, the software that powers Wikipedia.
- Configure MediaWiki.
Access your new MediaWiki installation at http://localhost/mywikipedia/. Click on the "set the wiki up!" link. The next screen requires all of MediaWiki's configuration options. Be sure to choose a site name (mine is "WebXWIKI") and a WikiSysOp password. Under the Database Configuration, set the Database User to root and the password to whatever you chose in step 2. This seems like a long and complicated questionnaire, but it's not.
Then click the "Install!" button and let MediaWiki work its magic. All goes well, you'll get a message at the bottom of the screen that reads, "Move the config/LocalSettings.php file into the parent directory, then follow this link to your wiki." So let's do just that: Cut and paste the c:\wamp\www\mywikipedia\config\LocalSettings.php file to c:\wamp\www\mywikipedia\LocalSettings.php.
- Visit your brand, spankin' new personal wiki at http://localhost/mywikipedia/.
Congratulations! You got MediaWiki up and running, you big tech stud. You'll notice that the image in the upper lefthand corner isn't very personal. To set it to something prettier than this:
Crop and resize an image of your choice to 135x135 pixels (72 dpi), and save it in C:\wamp\www\mywikipedia\skins\common\images\mywikilogo.jpg. Then, open the c:\wamp\www\mywikipedia\LocalSettings.php file and change the line that reads:
$wgLogo = "$wgStylePath/common/images/wiki.png";to:
$wgLogo = "$wgStylePath/common/images/mywikilogo.jpg";Refresh the page to see your new logo.
- Now you've got a clean, new, customized local installation of MediaWiki all ready for you to use how you please. As evidenced by Wikipedia, the best application of a wiki is open, group collaboration on a set of documents. However, wiki's come in handy for individual use as well, to track lists, notes, links, images, or anything else you want to search or reference over time. Wiki's are especially good for writing projects, as they keep multiple version history and allow for very easy adding and editing of pages. Keith, Adam and I use a Lifehacker MediaWiki installation to collaborate on site ideas and drafts, and I use a wiki to keep personal notes on programming techniques, to track software serial numbers, quotes I like, and other relevant links and articles.
