Hi,
This is my first article on How2CMS.com. Please note that English is not my native language, so you might have some strange feeling reading my blog. However, I’ll try to improve it — I hope so 
Elgg is an opensource social networking platform that allow you to build up your Social Networking site easily and free!
About
Elgg is an open, flexible social networking engine, designed to run at the heart of any socially-aware application. Building on Elgg is easy, and because the engine handles common web application and social functionality for you, you can concentrate on developing your idea.
Elgg is open source. That means, when you use Elgg, you have the benefit of being part of a large developer community, with the security and stability that hundreds of eyes can provide. It’s also headed and used by Curverider and its partners, so you can be assured that it’s in commercial use and will cope with the demands of a popular application. read more…
Okay, now let’s proceed with installing Elgg 1.2 (latest version at the time I’m writting this) on your web server.
Firstly, you will have to download Elgg 1.2 from this URL http://elgg.org/getelgg.php?forward=elgg1.2.zip. It’s full package.
Oh.. I forgot to tell you something. In this article, I’ll install Elgg on a subdomain of How2CMS.com Let’s say it’s elgg.how2cms.com
After you have downloaded Elgg 1.2 full package. Next, you will have to extract the package and upload them to your server via the FTP client.
Below are the list of files and folders of Egg.
account
actions
admin
CONTRIBUTORS.txt
crontab.example
_css
dashboard
engine
entities
friends
_graphics
htaccess_dist
index.php
install.php
INSTALL.txt
javascript
languages
LICENCE.txt
mod
README.txt
search
services
settings
upgrade.php
UPGRADE.txt
vendors
version.php
views
You will also have to create an external data directory for Elgg to store the uploaded files in the future and it need to be out side of Elgg installation path. In my case, I will install Elgg to /home/how2cms/domains/how2cms.com/public_html/elgg/ so the external data directory will be /home/how2cms/domains/how2cms.com/elgg_data/ for example. Don’t forget to CHMOD 777 it, too.
Another CHMOD step is, chmod 777 to engine/ and root directory of Elgg installation. Otherwise, you will have to manually create setting.php and .htaccess as advised in the installation.
We will now proceed to install Elgg. Just point your favorite web browser to http://domain.tld/ You will see the following screen.
Elgg Installation
Fill it with your database details such as username, database name and pasword then hit Save.
If everything is okay, you will see the following screen.
Elgg Instllation | System settings
For the full path to the directory where uploaded files will be stored, this should be the path outside Elgg installation path as suggested early. Don’t forget the trailing slash.
Check the rest if needed and hit Save.
Let’s proceed with the last step.
Elgg Insallation | Register
Just fill in details in the boxes to create your first account on Elgg.
Elgg Installation | Done!
That’s all.
Hmm… probably not you still have a lot of works to do from now on.
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test..
Hey, nice article. I have elgg 1.0 installed via godaddy, and I downloaded the 1.2 file, decompressed it, and am ready to upload it to my server. Can you tell me where this would be installed?
Thank you
Hi Jeremiah! Thanks for reading my blog
Upgrading Elgg 1.0 to 1.2 you will have to…
1. Download Elgg 1.2
2. Decompress it
3. Upload the decompressed file to Elgg installation path and overwrite the existed files.
4. Once you have done with uploading. Point your web browser to http://domain.tld/upgrade.php
That should work
i can’t install in my localhost !!!
We will now proceed to install Elgg. Just point your favorite web browser to http://domain.tld/ You will see the following screen.
I dont get this part.. how would my server know to serve this page
@ash
Just replace domain with your domain name and tld with your top level domain extension (.com for example).
more novice questions
1, I was able to upload the elgg via ftp
2, Once i have created the “external data directory” how will elgg know of that directory
3, How do i chmod 777
Thanks
Ciao interessante articolo, sono riuscito ad arrivare alla prima pagina di installazione, dove bisogna completare le informazioni sul database, quando poi però vado avanti mi esce questo errore \Elgg couldn’t connect to the database using the given credentials @ (pw: ****).\ eppure i dati sono tutti giusti compresa la pass. Sai aiutarmi?
@ash
1. That’s good
2. You have to manually create a directory and point to it on the System settings screen when you install elgg
3. It depends on your FTP client, usually it’s on the context menu when you right click on a directory/folder name. If you use FileZilla you will see the “File Attributes” menu
@Shinji
Sorry I can’t speak Italian. I used Google Translate and understood that you can’t get pass the database information screen. In this case, you will have to check whatever database user/password, database name and hostname are correct. You may have to ask your host.
Hola seria posible de publicar el manual o pasos como lo hiciste en un servidor propio,porque estoy intentando en linux debian, pero me sle muchso errores..y no logro abrir la pagina de elgg.
gracias….
Hola, Ya instale elgg 1.2 y parece que todo funciona correctamente, pero mi duda es como acceder como administrador a elgg, habría qué crear una cuenta nueva como otro usuario?
Hola au8ust,
como hago con la carpeta DATA si mi hosting me dice que solo puedo subir e instalar cosas en mi public_html?
Yo habia puesto todas las cosas en /home/usuarioquemedan/public_html/data/ que es en la misma altura que donde deseo instalar el elgg (/home/usuarioquemedan/public_html/elgg/)
Esta bien o como puedo hacer?
Por otro lado al poner la carpeta motor (engine) con CHMOD 777 y la carpeta elgg con CHMOD 777, me salto el error 500 internal server error!!! Entonces probe como dice el archivo de instalacion, cambiando el htacces y el settings, pero al proceder con la instalacion (luego de llenar los datos de la BD, usuario y etc y al apretar save) me salto el siguiente error:
“Elgg couldn’t connect to the database using the given credentials {{bd000509_userelg}}@{{localhost}} (pw: ****)”
Que puedo o deberia hacer!!!
Te agradesco si me puedes ayudar
@ Helena
The first account you created on the last step is administrator account.
@ Babsy
Elgg should be installed on /home/usuarioquemedan/public_html/ and data folder should be in /home/usuarioquemedan/data/
Please reply in English so I can understand the question better than using Google Translate
Hello August,
Thank you very much for your answer, I will try to install all again and then I tell you how it was!!
Tank again
olá, estou com um pequeno problema, o Elgg instalou tudo certinho, mas quando vou fazer o login, ele me pede a SSL. Alguém teve este problema?
@Marcelo
Please make sure that the URL is http://domain.tld/ and not https://domain.tld/
If the problem still not solve, you may have to contact your hosting provider.
Witaj jak byś mi jeszcze powiedział którym dokładnie folderom trzeba nadać prawa chmod 777
wiem ze folderowi \data\ i \engine\
en el system settings luego de poner la ruta para los datos externos q es:
/home/vol3/host/usuario/data/
me dice este error
Your data directory /home/vol3/host/usuario/data/ is not writable.
ya le he puesto todos los permisos de chmod en 777 pero sigue saliendome ese error
What is Elgg??
I don’t know what that isL
Can you tell me, what’s thatL
au8ust
how to register
I can’t find it?
muy bueno el articulo me ayudo mucho tengo una duda realize la instalacion del elgg y me sale el siguiente error despues de que me pide que me loguee
Lo sentimos mucho, el archivo que estás buscando no existe, lo mas seguro es que lo hayamos movido a otra dirección.
Si necesitas ayuda, te invitamos a charlar con un operador en línea:
si alguien me puede colaborar se lo agradeceria
Impossible de le telecharger, a croire que le site officiel est DOWN !
Si quelqu’un pouvait avoir la gentillesse de m’envoyer le dernier elgg à dreadoune@yahoo.fr çà serait tres sympa
hello sir, i installed elgg in my system having path //localhost/elgg/
after registration the email validation need to process but there is no internet for this system so how can i go with this and how to enable to go inside with registration
continue.. with last posting
is there any possiblity to modify the database to active my accounts pls help me to go inside of the elgg site
@ayyappa,
The first account is admin account. It needs no activation. For addition accounts you can use the admin panel to manually activate them.
@au8ust
Hi.i chmoded the data directory and engine directory to 777 but still when i clik the save button..it shows me the msg
data directory is not writable..whts the problem….i hv done this 3 times almost..
Hi Amit,
Can you ask your host to confirm the file/directory permission and also owner?
hey can u tell me that from where i could get the link point payment system api for virtuemart????
I don’t use VirtueMart so I have no idea. Sorry.
I have uploaded all the elgg folder and files in my cpanel(public_html) at http://www.000webhost.com. When I pointed the domain in my browser after uploading all the elgg, it says “Welcome to Elgg
Elgg couldn’t connect to the database using the given credentials.”
Please help me. What should I do ahead.
Thanks alot
@Nitin Raz Sharma
Did you try install.php?
hi there..could u plese help me with my problem?
after i succesfully completing step 2 why it didn’t go to step 3 ( admin registration)..Therefore i can’t go to admin page..please help me…
@Akida
Is there any error message?
@au8ust
I already solved the problem by reinstalling elgg. But now a new problem just occur after completion of the installation. I thought the system already went well but when i try to register a new member it says ” u need to verified your account by clcking the link we just sent”. Then i check to the email i used to register ( as a user not an admin) but there’s no validation link sent. So the user can’t login. Do u know What’s the problem?
Thanks before.
Maybe it’s in the spam or junk folder in your mailbox?
there’s also nothing in my junk or spam mailbox..Hfff so annoying..is it something wrong with the installation?
Did you try it on a different host?
i will test , very interesting
Dear au8ust i already solved it..d problem is on the hosting provider…Now i wanna ask do u know how to changet the Elgg logo on the top left page..???
It should be in the header.php located at /views/default/page
Continuing the Discussion