How to Install Moodle on GoDaddy Hosting

UPDATE 2012-02-25: For the most recent information about installing Moodle 2.4+ on GoDaddy, see this discussion at moodle.org: https://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=222941

I recently concluded an email exchange with someone who was very frustrated trying to install Moodle on their GoDaddy.com host. My first recommendation was, "If you can get your money back, switch to DreamHost.com or BlueHost.com and use their one-click installer instead." But he decided to see it through, and a dozen or so emails later we got his Moodle site up and running. In case you're using GoDaddy to host your Moodle site, let me post the instructions for installing Moodle on GoDaddy here.

First, create your MySQL database.

1. Go to godaddy.com and log in with your account number and password using the form on the right-hand side.
2. Once logged in, click the link My Account that appears where the form was.
3. In the Hosting & Servers drop-down, choose My Hosting Account.
4. Under Control Panel for the domain you wish to create a database on, click Open.
5. When your Hosting Manager window opens, and assuming Godaddy have put you on the right account package, under the Databases title click MySQL.
6. Click the CREATE NEW DATABASE button. GoDaddy is different from most hosts. It will ask you to enter a description, username and password. Note that you do not enter a name for the database. Instead, the username also becomes the name of the database. Make a note of the username and password.
   
   Add the name of your domain to the beginning of the username, such as williamrice_moodle. This ensures the name of the database is unique.
7. Determine the host name by clicking on the pencil icon. It probably isn't "localhost." So click the pencil and note the name of the server.

Second, download the latest Moodle zip file

Go to http://download.moodle.org/, and download the latest stable version of Moodle to your PC. Choose the .zip file.

Third, upload the Moodle zip file to your root directory.

The preferred way to upload files to your hosting account is using an FTP client. GoDaddy has documentation on how to set up your FTP client. You can also upload files using a Web-based interface. Since we're going to upload just one file, the Moodle zip file, here are directions for uploading it using the Web based FTP. The text was copied from GoDaddy's support documentation:

1. Log in to your Account Manager.
2. Under the My Products section, select Hosting Account List.
3. Next to the hosting account you want to use, click Open. The Hosting Control Center opens.
4. Under the Content section of the Hosting Control Center, click the FTP Client icon.
5. If a security certificate window displays, click Yes or Trust to accept the certificate and open the FTP program.
6. In the Local System section, go to the location on your computer where you saved the Moodle zip file and select your file.
7. Click the >> arrows to upload the file to your hosting account.

Fourth, unzip the Moodle package on your site

1. Log in to your Account Manager.
2. Under the My Products section, select Hosting Account List.
3. Next to the hosting account you want to use, click Open. The Hosting Control Center opens.
4. Under the Content section of the Hosting Control Center, click the File Manager icon.
5. Assuming you have uploaded moodle.zip to the root, select it by using the check box on the left, then click on Unarchive at the top. In the resulting window, leave Select Destination as your root and don't select Overwrite Existing Files. The File Manager will unzip the files.
6. You should now see a folder called moodle in the root. Click on it to make sure that it contains all the moodle sub-folders.
7. Go back to the root directory and select the moodle folder again by checking the check box on the left.
8. Click on Permissions at the top.
9. In the resulting window, set these permissions for the moodle folder:
   Inherit = unchecked
   Read = checked
   Write = checked
   Reset all children to inherit (All subdirectories will be reset to inherit from current directory) = checked
10. Click OK. The File Manager will set the folder permissions for moodle and all its sub-folders.

Fifth: Create a Moodle data directory

If you've followed the directions above, you should be in the File Manager, at the root of your site. There is a /moodle directory with Moodle unzipped into it. Now, create another directory for the Moodle data. For example, /moodledata.

1. Click the New Directory button.
2. Enter the name of the new directory, such as moodledata.
3. Click OK.
4. Select the moodledata folder by checking the check box on the left.
5. Click on Permissions at the top.
6. In the resulting window, set these permissions for the folder:
   Inherit = unchecked
   Read = checked
   Write = checked
   Reset all children to inherit (All subdirectories will be reset to inherit from current directory) = checked
7. Click OK. The File Manager will set the folder permissions for moodledata.

Sixth: Step through the Moodle setup process

Open a new browser, and to the web address of your new Moodle installation. For example, http://www.williamrice.com/moodle. The setup process will start. Most of it is self-explanatory, but if you want instructions, try the guide at http://www.installationwiki.org/Moodle. That page contains the installation chapter from my book, Moodle E-Learning Development. When the book is updated, the publisher will also update that page.

These instructions should get you through installing Moodle if you've chosen GoDaddy.com as your host. If you have any questions, please contact me via the email address in my profile. Wherever you choose to host, happy Moodling!