WordPress MU

Newbie question warning :)

I did some searching of topics here to try to answer my question but didn't quite find it.

I see that the individual blogs, when created, create a new table in the database. I've found that. Looks like WP MU puts this in a separate database with the suffix of network. Is that correct?

But...if I want to access the php files of an individual blog, can I? Say I want to make an edit or customize on of those files, is it possible? If so, how do I do it?

Thanks for helping. I'm learning a lot fast and appreciate the info that all of you are providing me!

The WPMU does not create any individual file for each blog. Although if you want to work on individual blog then you may do it using templates & plugin. You may use different plugins & templates in different blog.

As a warning, if you choose a different template for your blog, and edit it, any of those changes will appear on any other blog that uses the same template. If you wish to create custom changes for a blog, find the template you like, make a copy of it and change the name of the folder as well as the name in the styles.css file and select it for your blog. Once you select it, you can disable it in site-admin from the main blog so no other blogs can use it.

Thanks grandslambert. That's helpful...and a very important note.

tanvir...I didn't quite understand your part about plugins and templates. I think you're saying that for users to change the look of their own individual blog, they can of course use plugins.

But there isn't any editor in MU, I understand, as there is in regular WP so if you want to create customizations of a template, you would have to do as grandslambert has said.

Thanks!

When faced this kind of problem few days ago where, In that project i had 30 blogs where i had to maintain a common theme & option for 28 blogs & 2 blogs should have different options & theme. Among those 28 blogs 1 blogs should have common theme but different option.

For last blog which share the common theme, i made a different theme directory & copy the theme files there then change the style.css then for the options I made the plugin first then add the plugin from control panel of that particular blog.

But there isn't any editor in MU, I understand, as there is in regular WP so if you want to create customizations of a template, you would have to do as grandslambert has said.

In MU, many blogs may share the same theme, and it would be very bad for one person to change something that would appear on other blogs. So yes, the only solution is to have a site admin make the changes for the blog. It's a security issue, and one I am sure you will not be able to overcome.

Hi,

I am gonna jump in on this discussion since it is on the same topic i was about to post about.

I too am wondering how this works. I just created a second blog on my site worldblogosphere.com . . . it is prosportswrapup.worldblogosphere.com in a subdomain.

Now my first question is, where do the files for that subdomain blog now exist? I wish to add in a header image. To do this on my main site I had to copy the theme I wanted to use, give it a new name, and put the image into the header.php file. Is this the same case here?

I intend to have many users and give them the option to pick from about 180 different themes/templates. Will I have to repeat this same process for every one? Will i also have to do the editing for them or is it possible for a user to add a header image through the admin panel?

One final question - If I were to create a folder named prosportswrapup.com and put all the theme folder in there would it still all be seen by the main page? Or would it just mess everything up? (Which if it would work i would do for each other blog as they are added.)

Sorry to latch on to your post rainfrog, but I am thinking these are some of the same questions you might have too.

Thanks,
Gene :-)

@Gene: for your first question.. the second domain will use the same core file of first one as WPMU just a warper on the basic wordpress for Multiuser environment. If no option comes with the template to change the header then you have to change it manually using that process.

second: if you have 180 different template then just put them on the 'wp-content/template/' directory. To make the header change automated for user u have do a little bit hard coding.

In that case, first you have create a function.php in your theme directory then a write a register the option in the sidebar, like

if ( function_exists('register_sidebar') )
    register_sidebar(array(
        'before_widget' => '<li id="%1$s" class="widget %2$s">',
        'after_widget' => '</li>',
        'before_title' => '<h2 class="widgettitle">',
        'after_title' => '</h2>',
    ));
function changeable_head(){ //your code for changeable head}

If u the prosportswrapup.com inside the wordpress theme directory then it'll desplay all the theme at the main admin panel with a warning at the bottom of the theme page that "you have a broken theme"

http://wpmututorials.com/themes/enabling-a-theme-for-just-one-blog/
http://wpmututorials.com/themes/giving-your-users-changeable-custom-headers/

and maybe

http://wpmututorials.com/category/themes/