April 5, 2010 
In case you missed it over the weekend, an early Beta version of WordPress 3.0 is now ready for download. Yes, that includes the merge of WordPress and WPMU. Many of you have been waiting for this and now you can get it set up and start testing so you’re ready to go when it’s stable. Here are some great reasons to start playing with WP 3.0:
Exciting Updates to Check Out in WordPress 3.0 Beta 1
- Custom Post Types – This is a pivitol addition to WordPress CMS capabilities. Check out a great article about what you can do with custom post types.
- WP and WPMU Merge – The standard WordPress core now supports multiple sites handled by one installation. For right now you will need to follow the steps below to get it working.
- Custom Menus System – This is a new menu item under the Appearance tab that will make customizing WordPress menus much simpler for those who don’t want to dig into the code.
How to Set Up the Merged WPMU Features With WordPress 3.0
This is very simple and only requires a few configuration additions. First, install WordPress as you normally would with a single user install:
1. Download WordPress 3.0 Beta 1.
2. Edit wp-config.php with your database details.
3. Upload all the files and visit your site to install.
4. Add the following to your wp-config.php file:
define ('WP_ALLOW_MULTISITE', true ) ;
This will reveal the Network item under Dashboard >> Tools, as seen below:
5. Select subdomains or subdirectories and name your network. Click install.
6. Create a blogs.dir directory under /wp-content/ . Make sure this directory is writeable by the server.
7. Add the extra lines provided to you for your wp-config.php file and .htaccess file.
8. Save and upload these files and refresh your dashboard to see your new multisite capabilities.
Not everything works perfectly yet, but setting up your test environment will let you explore some of the new options available and decide what kind of changes you might add to some of your existing sites. Have fun playing with the new features and leave us a comment or catch us on Twitter if you have any questions!
Sarah Gooding on Google+Featured Plugin - WordPress + Google Maps = Perfect
Simply insert google maps into posts, sidebars and pages - show directions, streetview, provide image overlays and do it all from a simple button and comprehensive widget.
Find out more
Featured Plugin - Host sites, get paid, just like WordPress.com
If you've ever wondered how you could offer a paid site management and hosting service, then this is the plugin for you. Offer a freemium or paid service, for any niche you like, it's powered Edublogs.org to success already!
Find out more
Featured Plugin - Easily integrate your WordPress site with Facebook
Would you like to add Facebook comments, registration, 'Like' buttons and autoposting to your WP site? Well, The Ultimate Facebook plugin has got that all covered!
Find out more
Featured Plugin - Start your own Quora / StackOverflow / Yahoo Q&A site
It's now incredibly easy to start your own Q&A site using nothing more than WordPress - The Q&A plugin simply and brilliantly transforms any site, or page, into a perfect support or Q&A environment.
Find out more
Featured Plugin - Every great SEO tweak you need, in one snazzy bundle
Fully integrated with the SEOMoz API, complete with automatic links, sitemaps and SEO optimization of your WordPress setup - this is the only plugin you need to help you rank your site number 1 on Google - nothing else compares.
Find out more
Featured Plugin - Open an Online Store with MarketPress
Out of all the WordPress ecommerce plugins available, this has got to be the winner - easy to configure, powerful functionality, multiple gateways and more. A simply brilliant plugin!
Find out more
Featured Plugin - Start Your Own Powerful Membership Site
If you're thinking about starting a paid, or just private, membership site then this is truly the plugin you've been looking for. Easy to use, massively configurable and ready to go out of the box!
Find out more
Featured Plugin - Send beautiful html email newsletters, from WordPress!
Now there's no need to pay for a third party service to sign up, manage and send beautiful email newsletters to your subscriber base - this plugin has got the lot.
Find out more
Featured Plugin - Turn any WordPress page into a fully featured wiki!
To get a wiki up and running you used to need to install Mediawiki and toil away for days configuring it... not any more! This plugin gives you *all* the functionality you want from a wiki, in WordPress!!!
Find out more
How about existing (sandbox) installs? Just get everything out of wp-content and then reput it in there?
If it’s a WPMU test install, you should be able to just overwrite the files.
Hi – I’m getting this error after following the steps outlined above:
“You don’t have permission to view this site. Please contact the system administrator”
Has anyone else encountered this please? Any ideas on how to solve?
Many thanks
Richard
Sorry. Fixed this problem. I placed the added security-related code at the bottom of the config file, rather than before:
/* That’s all, stop editing! Happy blogging. */
Placing the code in the right place fixed the problem.
R.
I’ve added the code but don’t see the “Network” item in the Dashboard.
Amit – Where did you place the line in your wp-config.php file? Put it right before the: /* That’s all, stop editing! Happy blogging. */
Sarah, I put it right before the line but still I don’t see it.
When I upgraded, the dashboard was showing an error an I had to add the following before the same line
define( ‘NONCE_SALT’, ‘tx6aigM!^Bq@PQD*uL7iFCL(‘ );
btw there’s something else I see:
“The wp-content/blogs.php file is deprecated. Please remove it and update your server rewrite rules to use wp-includes/ms-files.php instead.”
I did not do a frswh install and just overwrote the files. Let me know if I need a fresh install.
Thanks!
Pingback: Create an Unlimited Network of WordPress Sites With Multiple Super Admins and a Central User Base - WordPress MU and BuddyPress plugins, themes, support, tips and how to's
Pingback: Create an Unlimited Network of WordPress Sites With Multiple Super Admins and a Central User Base - WordPress MU and BuddyPress plugins, themes, support, tips and how to's
Hi, I am getting the same error message as Amit (The wp-content/blogs.php file is deprecated.). I also did an upgrade of an existing WP install, could that be the problem?
Rose,
You may wanna try the best possible solution.. what I did….a fresh install!
If it gives you any comfort, the fresh install is a breeze actually!
You won’t have to worry about the multi steps that you have been following for the earlier installs. It takes less than a minute!
Another great way to explore WordPress 3.0 I guess! :-)
Can you guys help me with this:
http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu22/s2ne1/myblogsremove.png