Question2Answer takes 5 minutes (or less!) to install.

In most cases, installing Question2Answer for your website should be dead easy. Please follow the steps below.

Before you install Question2Answer

Make sure you have:

And make sure your web server is running:

  • Web serving software such as Apache.
  • PHP 4.3 or later (PHP 5.x is fine too).
  • MySQL 4.1 or later (or MySQL 5.x).

If you are not sure about this, please check with your web hosting provider.

Installing Question2Answer for the first time (without single sign-on)

The instructions below are for installing Question2Answer where it manages user accounts and logins for you. If you would like Question2Answer to integrate with your existing user database and account system (single sign-on), see the advanced installation.

  1. Download the latest version of Question2Answer to your computer or web server.
  2. Unzip the download using a tool such as WinZip (or unzip in the Unix shell).
  3. If you want to run a non-English site, download the appropriate language files, and install in the qa-lang folder.
  4. Create a MySQL database, and a MySQL user with full permissions for that database.
    If you're interested, the privileges actually needed are: CREATE, ALTER, DELETE, INSERT, SELECT, UPDATE, LOCK TABLES
  5. Note down the MySQL details: username, password, database name and server host name. If MySQL is running on the same server as your website, the server host name is likely to be 127.0.0.1 or localhost.
  6. Find qa-config-example.php in the unzipped question2answer folder, and rename it to qa-config.php.
  7. Open qa-config.php in your text editor, insert the MySQL details at the top, and save the file. Do not use a word processor such as Microsoft Word for this, but rather Notepad or another appropriate text editing program.
  8. Place all the Question2Answer files (including .htaccess) in the appropriate location on your web server:
    • To serve Question2Answer at the root of a domain (e.g. http://www.mysite.com/), move or upload all the contents of the unzipped question2answer folder into the root directory for that domain on your web server.
    • To serve Question2Answer in a subdirectory of a site (e.g. http://www.mysite.com/qa/), create the subdirectory inside the root directory for the site, then move or upload all the contents of the unzipped question2answer folder into this subdirectory.
  9. Open the appropriate web page for Question2Answer in your web browser, for example:
    • If you installed Question2Answer at the root of a domain, http://www.mysite.com/
    • If you installed Question2Answer in a subdirectory, http://www.mysite.com/qa/
  10. Follow the on-screen instructions to set up your database and administrator account. That's it!

Upgrading to the latest version of Question2Answer

The instructions below are for upgrading from a previous version of Question2Answer. Click for a full version history.

  1. Before upgrading, it is recommended to make a backup of your MySQL database using mysqldump or a similar tool.
  2. Download the latest version of Question2Answer to your computer or web server.
  3. Unzip the download using a tool such as WinZip (or unzip in the Unix shell).
  4. Replace all the Question2Answer files and directories (including .htaccess) on your web server with the new ones.
    • Your custom qa-config.php file will not be affected, nor will your qa-external directory.
    • If you have made changes to other files, you may have to apply those again, so be sure to make a backup first.
  5. Open the page for Question2Answer in your browser, and look around the admin center. If appropriate, you will be prompted to upgrade the database, so follow the on-screen instructions. You've now successfully upgraded - congratulations!

Languages, themes and more, created by users

This section will link to add-ons created by Question2Answer users. These are not endorsed for quality or suitability, but we hope they are useful. If you have something to contribute, please get in touch - your help is much appreciated!

Some language files are linked below, marked by the corresponding Question2Answer version. You can safely install a language file from a different version, but some phrases may be missing. To install a language, place its directory (such as fr or ru) in the qa-lang folder, then open the Admin panel and choose the language from the menu provided.

The following third-party theme is available:

Advanced Installation (optional)

See the advanced installation page for information on how to integrate with your existing user database, optimize Question2Answer for speed or security, translate it to another language, or create your own visual theme.

Question2Answer © Gideon Greenspan 2010