Please do note that your domain name should not be tied to this particular class<\/strong> (we\u2019ll get to a site for this class\u00a0later, when you set up your subdomain). Check out this post on choosing a domain name<\/a> before you make your final decision. You are not purchasing a web site! You are registering a domain name and server space, upon which you can build many other web sites, amongst other things.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Registering your domain claims stake to that address on the internet. Now you need to build something on that space:<\/p>\n Even though it\u2019s your \u201cprimary\u201d domain, it\u2019s not necessarily where the bulk of your content will go. For now, your primary domain is most useful because it\u2019s a single\u00a0URL you can put on a resume or add to a social media profile or tell a friend to, which then collects together all the other stuff you\u2019re doing online.<\/p>\n The subdomain you’ll create next\u00a0is the main\u00a0space that you\u2019ll be using for this class. You can create as many subdomains as you would like on the server space you\u2019ve acquired. Your class subdomain is a second, separate web site, with its own address and its own dashboard, that will be devoted just to this course.\u00a0This help document walks you through the steps for building\u00a0a class subdomain<\/a>.<\/p>\n Your domain is really akin to a folder on your computer. When I point my web browser to davidmorgen.org<\/a>, it goes to that address and looks in the folder of files stored in that space, finds an index file and loads it in the browser. So\u00a0the first thing you need in order to create the class subdomain is to create a subfolder, which is the simple process of going to the Subdomains area in your cPanel and naming a subfolder. You probably want the subdomain for this class to be eng221 but you can use some other term if you prefer (note that this is just the address in the URL, not necessarily the title for your site). I am using the subdomain eng221s17 for this class because if I teach eng221 again next year, I’ll need to be able to distinguish that class site from this one. When you click on the create button after entering the subdomain name, all it does is create that subfolder on your server.<\/p>\n The next step is to install files in that subfolder, which you do by installing WordPress<\/a>. Even though you installed WordPress in your primary domain already, you need to install WordPress again, but this time in your subdomain’s folder.<\/strong> The second time you install WordPress, choose the subdomain you created from the location menu, and make certain you delete the \/blog\/ subdirectory that Installatron suggests.<\/p>\n Make certain when you install WordPress that you name your site something other than \u201cMy blog.\u201d<\/p>\n (Note that these instructions are copied over from last semester and refer to the default theme for last year, Twenty-Sixteen, instead of the new default theme that will install for you, Twenty-Seventeen. The instructions all still apply, but the images at the bottom of this page won’t line up exactly.)<\/p>\n Just like you did with your primary directory, you need to configure your WordPress<\/a>\u00a0settings. In this case, I\u2019ve got some\u00a0additional directions to add though.<\/p>\n Just as you did with your primary domain, create two new pages — one will be your static front page and the other will be your posts page.<\/p>\n Once you\u2019ve created those two pages go to Customize > Static Front Page\u00a0to make a static\u00a0front page<\/strong> that displays the new home page and to designate the other as your posts page. Make sure to assign your posts page too.<\/p>\n Next, go to Settings > Discussion. The first box at the top of the page says \u201cAttempt to notify any blogs linked to from the article<\/strong>\u201d and by default is unchecked. Make certain to check that box. Save the changes to this page.<\/p>\n Notice in the Menu area to the left, you have a palette of items that you can add to the menu. In the default setup, you can add Pages, Posts, Custom Links, or Categories. Pages, Posts, and Categories are just those items that\u00a0you\u2019ve created in the dashboard.<\/p>\n Add another Custom Link, <\/strong>this time directed at the class page<\/a>.<\/p>\n Save your menu.<\/p>\n (Later, go the dashboard for your primary domain, create a menu, then add a Custom Link for your class subdomain too.)<\/p>\n\n
Subdomain<\/h1>\n
Create the subdomain folder<\/h2>\n
Install WordPress<\/h2>\n
Configure WordPress & Create a Menu<\/h2>\n
![\"Create_a_menu\"](\"http:\/\/eng181f16.davidmorgen.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/Create_a_menu-150x150.jpg\")
<\/a>Go to Appearance > Menus and create a new menu<\/strong>. You can call it Main or whatever you want. Once you\u2019ve created the menu, you need to tell the site where to display the menu, so check the location box (different themes will have different locations available. The image shows the default theme for 2016, but if you\u2019ve changed themes you might have other options). I generally advise that when you\u2019re starting out, you automatically add new top-level pages, which you can always turn off later if you want more manual control.<\/p>\n![\"Custom_Links_in_Menu\"](\"http:\/\/eng181f16.davidmorgen.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/Custom_Links_in_Menu-150x150.jpg\")
<\/a>Custom Links allows you to add a link to anything on web in your menu. Add a Custom Link that connects to your primary domain<\/strong> by entering the address for your primary domain in the URL<\/em> box and a title in the Link Text<\/em> box.<\/p>\n
![](\"http:\/\/eng181f16.davidmorgen.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/Menus_%E2%80%B9_David_s_Sandbox_Test_Site_%E2%80%94_WordPress-1-150x150.jpg\")
<\/a>If it didn\u2019t add automatically, make sure you add your Posts page to the menu as well. You should have a menu which looks basically like the one on the left.<\/p>\n![](\"http:\/\/eng181f16.davidmorgen.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/David%E2%80%99s_Sandbox_Test_Site_%E2%80%93_For_Demos_and_Stuff-1-300x168.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n