devilbox/docs/examples/setup-contao.rst

Setup Contao

This example will use composer to install Contao CMS from within the Devilbox PHP container.

Important

Using composer requires the underlying file system to support symlinks. If you use Docker Toolbox you need to explicitly allow/enable this. See below for instructions:

• Docker Toolbox and howto_docker_toolbox_and_the_devilbox_windows_symlinks

After completing the below listed steps, you will have a working Contao CMS setup ready to be served via http and https.

Table of Contents

local

Overview

The following configuration will be used:

Project name	VirtualHost directory	Database	TLD_SUFFIX	Project URL
my-contao	/shared/httpd/my-contao	my_contao	loc	http://my-contao.loc https://my-contao.loc

Note

* Inside the Devilbox PHP container, projects are always in /shared/httpd/. * On your host operating system, projects are by default in ./data/www/ inside the Devilbox git directory. This path can be changed via env_httpd_datadir.

The following Devilbox configuration is required:

Service	Version	Implications
Webserver	Apache 2.4	Apache is required instead of Nginx as Contao provides default .htaccess files for routing
PHP	PHP-FPM 7.2	Chosen for this example as it is the Devilbox default version
Database	MariaDB 10.3	Chosen for this example as it is the Devilbox default version

Note

If you want to use Nginx instead, you will need to adjust the vhost congfiguration accordingly to Contao CMS requirements.

Walk through

It will be ready in eight simple steps:

1. Enter the PHP container
2. Create a new VirtualHost directory
3. Install Contao via composer
4. Symlink webroot directory
5. Add MySQL database
6. Setup DNS record
7. Visit http://my-contao.loc in your browser

1. Enter the PHP container

All work will be done inside the PHP container as it provides you with all required command line tools.

Navigate to the Devilbox git directory and execute shell.sh (or shell.bat on Windows) to enter the running PHP container.

host> ./shell.sh

* enter_the_php_container * work_inside_the_php_container * available_tools

2. Create new vhost directory

The vhost directory defines the name under which your project will be available. ( <vhost dir>.TLD_SUFFIX will be the final URL ).

devilbox@php-7.2.15 in /shared/httpd $ mkdir my-contao

env_tld_suffix

3. Install Contao

Navigate into your newly created vhost directory and install Contao with composer.

devilbox@php-7.2.15 in /shared/httpd $ cd my-contao
devilbox@php-7.2.15 in /shared/httpd/my-contao $ composer create-project contao/managed-edition contao

How does the directory structure look after installation:

devilbox@php-7.2.15 in /shared/httpd/my-contao $ tree -L 1
.
└── contao

1 directory, 0 files

4. Symlink web

Symlinking the actual webroot directory to htdocs is important. The web server expects every project's document root to be in <vhost dir>/htdocs/. This is the path where it will serve the files. This is also the path where your frameworks entrypoint (usually index.php) should be found.

Some frameworks however provide its actual content in nested directories of unknown levels. This would be impossible to figure out by the web server, so you manually have to symlink it back to its expected path.

devilbox@php-7.2.15 in /shared/httpd/my-contao $ ln -s contao/web/ htdocs

How does the directory structure look after symlinking:

devilbox@php-7.2.15 in /shared/httpd/my-contao $ tree -L 1
.
├── contao
└── htdocs -> contao/web

2 directories, 0 files

As you can see from the above directory structure, htdocs is available in its expected path and points to the frameworks entrypoint.

Important

When using Docker Toolbox, you need to explicitly allow the usage of symlinks. See below for instructions:

• Docker Toolbox and howto_docker_toolbox_and_the_devilbox_windows_symlinks

5. Add MySQL Database

devilbox@php-7.2.15 in /shared/httpd/my-contao $ mysql -u root -h mysql -p -e 'CREATE DATABASE my_contao;'

6. DNS record

If you have Auto DNS configured already, you can skip this section, because DNS entries will be available automatically by the bundled DNS server.

If you don't have Auto DNS configured, you will need to add the following line to your host operating systems /etc/hosts file (or C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc on Windows):

127.0.0.1 my-contao.loc

• howto_add_project_hosts_entry_on_mac
• howto_add_project_hosts_entry_on_win
• setup_auto_dns

7. Open your browser

Open your browser at http://my-contao.loc or https://my-contao.loc and follow the installation steps.

setup_valid_https

7.1 Frontend page

• Follow the presented instructions and go to:

  • either http://my-contao.loc/contao/install
  • or https://my-contao.loc/contao/install

7.2 Accept license

Accept the license by clicking on Accept license

7.3 Set install tool password

Set a password for the install tool itself

7.4 Database setup

• Database host: mysql
• Database port: 3306
• Database user: root
• Database pass: empty (if not otherwise set during Devilbox configuration)

7.5 Update database

Click on update database to populate the database.

7.6 Set admin user

The admin user is required to setup Contao itself and to gain access to the backend.

7.7 Finished

Installation is done, click on the Contao back end to continue to setup the CMS itself.

7.8 Login

Use the admin user credentials created earlier to login in.