This step-by-step tutorial will guide you to create multiple websites in Magento.
I suppose that Magento is installed in the website’s root folder. Let’s assume the website URL to be your-website.com. Magento is already installed in your-website.com. Now, we will be setting up for new website from Magento admin.
Let our new website be your-new-website.com.
Create Website, Store, and Store View
1) Create Website
– Go to System –> Manage Stores
– Create Website
– Name = My Website
– Code = mywebsite
– Sort Order = 10
– Save Website
2) Create Store
– Go to System -> Manage Stores
– Create Store
– Website = My Website
– Name = Main Store
– Root Category = Root Catalog
3) Create Store View
– Go to System -> Manage Stores
– Create Store View
– Store = My Website -> Main Store
– Name = English
– Code = English
– Status = Enabled
– Sort Order = 10
4) Change Base URL
– Go to System -> Configuration -> GENERAL -> Web
– Change ‘Current Configuration Scope’ to ‘My Website’
– Unsecure -> Base URL = http://your-new-website.com/
5) (Optional) Change Theme: If you want different design for your new website
– Suppose your new design template and skin folder is named ‘mywebsite’
– Copy ‘mywebsite’ template folder to magento/app/design/frontend/default/
– Copy ‘mywebsite’ skin folder to magento/skin/frontend/default/
– Go to System -> Configuration -> GENERAL -> Design
– Change ‘Current Configuration Scope’ to ‘My Website’
– Themes -> Default = ‘mywebsite’
– Uncheck ‘Use Default’
– Save Config
6) Copy index.php of magento folder into your-new-website’s folder
– Open index.php of your-new-website folder
– Change
$compilerConfig = 'includes/config.php';`
to
$compilerConfig = '../includes/config.php';
– Change
$mageFilename = 'app/Mage.php';
to
$mageFilename = '../app/Mage.php';
– Write
$mageRunCode = 'mywebsite'; // your new website's code
$mageRunType = 'website';
just before
Mage::run($mageRunCode, $mageRunType);
7) Copy .htaccess file from magento folder to your-new-website’s folder
8) Create symbolic links for the following folders:
ln -s ../your-new-website/app ./app
ln -s ../your-new-website/errors ./errors
ln -s ../your-new-website/includes ./includes
ln -s ../your-new-website/js ./js
ln -s ../your-new-website/lib ./lib
ln -s ../your-new-website/media ./media
ln -s ../your-new-website/skin ./skin
ln -s ../your-new-website/var ./var
If you don’t have shell access, then you can do this with the help of PHP as well.
<?php
define('MAGENTO_ROOT', getcwd());
$realpath = realpath(MAGENTO_ROOT . '/../your-main-website-folder'); // main website means the base website directory
symlink($realpath.'/app', './app');
symlink($realpath.'/errors', './includes');
symlink($realpath.'/js', './js');
symlink($realpath.'/lib', './lib');
symlink($realpath.'/media', './media');
symlink($realpath.'/skin', './skin');
symlink($realpath.'/var', './var');
?>
– Write the above code in a PHP file.
– Upload it on your new website’s folder.
– Run it.
– This will create symbolic link on your new website’s folder.
That’s all.
Finally, you have created a new website for your magento shop. Your base installation can be browsed by http://your-website.com/ and your new website can be browsed by http://your-new-website.com/
Hope this helps. Thanks.