Error message installing WordPress Locally via MAMP

  • Hi I am completely new to all of this and I have installed WordPress to my host successfully, but installing it locally I am having issues. I am on a Imac so I have installed MAMP successfully, then followed these instructions https://michaeldoig.net/4/installing-wordpress-locally-using-mamp.htm
    I have put all the codes in correctly and put the WordPress folder in the MAMP one as instructed but when I go to the webpage mentioned I get this error…

    Can’t select database
    We were able to connect to the database server (which means your username and password is okay) but not able to select the WordPress database.

    Are you sure it exists?
    Does the user root have permission to use the WordPress database?
    On some systems the name of your database is prefixed with your username, so it would be like username_WordPress. Could that be the problem?
    If you don’t know how to set up a database you should contact your host. If all else fails you may find help at the WordPress Support Forums.

    Does anyone know where I have possibly gone wrong and able to point me in the right direction? Thank you in advance

Viewing 7 replies - 1 through 7 (of 7 total)

  • The instructions at that website are 5 years old. Use the new ones:
    https://www.mamp.info/en/documentation/index.html

    We were able to connect to the database server (which means your username and password is okay) but not able to select the WordPress database.

    Or look in your current install on how to check the DB name and see if it was creaetd to begin with.

    Thread Starter WANE

    (@wane)

    Thank you I didnt realise how old that information was. But the link you sent me was for MAMP only and that is installed fine.
    I found the ‘read me’ page in the WordPress docs and followed it but still nothing.

    I get to here and I am lost…
    Open up wp-config-sample.php with a text editor like WordPad or similar and fill in your database connection details.

    Where should I be getting these database details from?
    My host? MySQL?

    As I said this is the first time I have ever tried anything like this and these vague instructions don’t help me?

    Thanks for your help
    Dannii

    Read the MAMP docs:

    https://documentation.mamp.info/en/mamp/first-steps

    You create a mySQL database on your host’s server (if that option is included in your package)
    eg a database name, user and password

    the ‘host’ field is normally left as ‘localhost’

    When you have done that, you then fill in the fields in ‘wp-config-sample.php’ – save file as wp-config.php – then upload to server.

    hope this helps

    sorry I meant the host field in wp-config.php

    @davidcope; read the thread; they’re not on a webhost, they’re using MAMP locally on their iMac under OS X.

    Thread Starter WANE

    (@wane)

    Thanks for your help.
    I followed the MAMP docs, but it still wouldn’t work.
    I have it set up on my host and it is working but I can’t use the slideshow plugins I was trying to activate so I thought I would set it up locally so I could move files as explained in the troubleshooting.

    But it’s ok I am going to make slideshows with Photoshop instead.

    Thanks for all the tips, I think I just confused myself, but I’m getting there now ??

Viewing 7 replies - 1 through 7 (of 7 total)
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