Having multiple databases (hacking PW2 to work on two different servers)

[Adam Kiss]

Hi Ryan,

is it possible to hack something in PW, so it will work on two different servers? (staging AND live server)

something like (pseudocode):

  $LIVE = (set_by_url) ? true : false;
  if($LIVE){
   $db = 'hujul'; $db_user = 'user'; $db_pw = 'pw'; $db_server = 'this-one.com';
  }else{
   $db = 'staging-db'; $db_user = 'root'; $db_pw = 'root'; $db_server = 'staging.that-one.com';
  }

[ryan]

What you suggest should work just fine. Using your example, here's how I'd code it in your /site/config.php:

Solution 1:

<?php
// If your dev/staging isn't 'localhost' then replace it with 
// whatever $_SERVER['HTTP_HOST'] is on your dev server: 

if($_SERVER['HTTP_HOST'] == 'localhost') {
   // staging or dev server
   $config->dbHost = 'localhost';
   $config->dbName = 'pw2_blank';
   $config->dbUser = 'root';
   $config->dbPass = 'root';
   $config->dbPort = '3306';
} else {
   // live server
   $config->dbHost = 'something';
   $config->dbName = 'db_name';
   $config->dbUser = 'db_user';
   $config->dbPass = 'db_pass';
   $config->dbPort = '3306';
}

Solution 2:

Another solution, and the one I use is to maintain a separate config file called /site/config-dev.php. ProcessWire looks for this file, and if it sees it, it'll use that rather than /site/config.php. If you just keep this file on your staging/dev server, and not on your live server, then that solves it for you. I also added that file to my .gitignore file so that it doesn't ever get deployed, while /site/config.php does.

To get started with this method, just copy your /site/config.php to /site/config-dev.php (on your staging/dev server) and change the database settings in the config-dev.php version.

[Adam Kiss]

This is wonderful information and I believe it fits into FAQ section (having just to have config-dev.php is nice, although I will probably prefer URL based decision–easier to maintain with good–ol' FTP / auto-sync editor (e.g. coda))

Adam

[diogo]

Bumping this very useful information.

[Adam Kiss]

Hah, thanks, I actually use it... a lot