Before we begin: Make sure your site supports PHP and MySQL databases, you can find MySQL in your cpanel. If you are subdomain you may have to ask your host about these options.

1. First you have to download the lastest version of Fan Update, you can find it here. When it finishes downloading, extract the files and put it on your desktop.

2. Next before you upload all your files to your FTP server open your Fan Update folder and then locate your blog-config.php file and open it in your text editor. You will get a page that looks something like below and we will only be focusing on the highlighted areas.



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3. Now you have to change the information of the highlighted areas. Admin Variables are the username and password you would like to choose you can change those to anything. Make sure you change the right info (i.e. settings go in the single quotes to the right of the = NOT in the square brackets on the left. E.g., $fanupdate['admin_username'] = 'my_login_name').



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4. PAY ATTENTION CLOSELY! You are going to open your control panel to set up the MySQL databases, you can find your cpanel most like at http://www.yoursite.com/cpanel/. If you have a search bar in your cpanel search for "MySQL databases", if not just poke around.

5. After you have found your MySQL database create a new one, call it something like "fanupdate" so you can find it easily.



Your databases now should look like this.



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6. Now you want to add a new user to the database, it should be at the bottom of your page, if you haven't already have a new user just put something like your name and a password that is secure. Then add the user to the database by selecting a user and selecting the create database.



The next thing that will pop up is a page of "privileges", click on "All Privileges" and then "Make Changes"



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Your databases should now look like this.



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7. Now go back to your blog-config.php file to fill in the rest of the "database variables":

dbhost is usually "localhost" if this doesn't work you may have to contact to your host on what this could be
dbuser is the user that you just uploaded to your database it should be something like "didtech_ashley" or cpanel username_database user
dbpass is the password to your database, most like your "user" password that you filled in
dbname is the database it should be something like "didtech_fanupdate" or cpanel username_database

Save your changes to the file and upload all the files onto your server.

8. After all files have uploaded onto your server type in your fanupdate file into your URL something like http://yoursite.com/FANUPDATE_FOLDER/install.php. An installation screen and settings should appear. If a "Error: Could not connect to database server" check that all of your database variables are correct and the host is correct. Continue installation if no errors occur.

9. Adjust all the settings, you can always adjust settings later if you need too and then hit "create fresh installation". After it is installed make sure you delete install.php in your fan update folder and go to http://yoursite.com/fanupdate/ to login.

10. After you add your blog/update, go to your homepage and then hit the link "how to display your blog", they will provide codes for you to put fanupdate onto your site!

11. I hope you enjoy this easy, safer blogging system that lets you do so much more than Cutenews!


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