Install with the setup wizard

Before you start

• Your server meets the requirements.
• You have an empty database, with its name, username and password.
• You have your purchase key: on CodeCanyon it's under Downloads License certificate & purchase code; on StartMyMarketplace it's in your account. You can also sign in to your StartMyMarketplace account in the wizard instead of typing a key.
• SSL is switched on for the domain.

Upload the files

1. Unzip the download on your computer

   Inside is the store itself: folders such as admin/, install/, plugins/, plus .htaccess and index.php.

2. Upload everything to your domain's web root

   In cPanel's File Manager that's usually public_html/ for the main domain, or the folder your subdomain points to. Upload the zip and extract it there, so that index.php sits directly in the web root.

   Hidden files

   .htaccess starts with a dot and is hidden by default. In File Manager, turn on Settings Show Hidden Files and check it was uploaded.

3. Open your domain in a browser

   Until the store is installed, every page sends you to /install/, where the wizard starts.

The seven steps

The wizard shows its steps down the side. Steps 2 to 4 have a Back button until your tables exist; after that, the earlier steps are locked.

1. Check your server

   The wizard checks PHP, its extensions, your folders and the bundled libraries. Continue stays off until every check passes, and each failed check says how to fix it.

   It also runs advisory checks that never stop you: whether private files can be downloaded, whether page addresses reach the store, and whether your PHP has its latest security fixes.

2. Store and licence

   • Store name, up to 100 characters.
   • Coin price: what a customer pays for one coin when they top up their wallet, in your currency. You can change it later.
   • Logos for light and dark mode (optional; PNG, JPG, WebP or GIF up to 5 MB).
   • Purchase key, your name and email. Phone and country are optional.

   The wizard checks the key with the licence server and binds it to this domain. You can't go on without a verified key.

   Install on the domain you'll keep

   Each website, including each subdomain, takes one place on your licence. Moving to another domain later is done from your StartMyMarketplace account and can have a fee, so install on the domain you'll keep. See Licences and domains.

3. Database

   Enter the database host (usually localhost), name, username and password. The wizard tries to create the database and, on shared hosting where that isn't allowed, connects to the one you made. If the connection fails, the error is explained in plain words, for example when the username or password is turned down.

4. Tables

   The wizard creates the store's tables. If your host stops a long import partway, Finish setting up carries on from where it stopped.

   If the database already holds a store, you choose what happens: Keep the data and continue, Use a different database, or Delete this data and start empty (you type the database name to confirm). Keeping the data is also how you move an older PrizeX store onto this version.

5. Admin account

   Your name, the email you'll sign in with, and a password of at least 8 characters. You can add a short store description (up to 300 characters) too.

6. Theme and add-ons

   The wizard lists everything your licence includes, whether or not it came in the zip. The usual setup for PrizeX is already ticked. Add-on gateways are behind Show add-on gateways.

   Nothing here is final: you can add, switch on or remove any of it later from Plugins and Themes in the admin.

7. Install

   Each theme and add-on you picked is downloaded and switched on, one at a time, with a progress bar. You can close the page; opening /install/ again carries on. If one fails, Try all of them again retries it.

   Finish setup registers your licence, fills in your site address and switches the store on. The last screen, Your store is ready, shows your store, admin sign-in, theme, add-ons and licence.

Right after installing

1. Add the scheduled task

   Without it, auctions and draws don't end on time and emails don't go out. See First setup.

2. Follow the Finish setup checklist

   The admin sidebar shows a checklist built from your store's real state: branding, currency, a payment method, your first listing, email, the scheduled task, and going live.

If something goes wrong

The wizard saves its progress after each step: reopen /install/ to carry on. For every message and how to start over cleanly, see The setup wizard stops or fails.

Still stuck? Email [email protected] with what you see on screen.

Something wrong or unclear on this page? Tell us at [email protected], or see how to get help.