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This script allows you to deploy multiple installations of Joomla using one Joomla full source directory.

If you’re a Joomla Web Developer like us, you probably have a lot of Joomla installations in your local server. Everytime you install Joomla, you have to duplicate the full source files. This is very inefficient if you don’t modify the core files anyway. The solution is to use symlinks(symbolic links or aliases). This script will create symlinks to a Joomla source directory. But it doesn't symlink the directories that can have dynamic contents like /components and /modules. This script takes everything in consideration so your symlinked Joomla installations will work as if they are full copies of Joomla.

A default Joomla 1.5 installation takes around 45MB of disk space. Using this script, each of your symlinked Joomla! installation directory will occupy only 2MB. It will also make the upgrades easier because you only have to upgrade one directory.

Instructions

1Extract the downloaded file. It contains one php script named symlink-joomla.php.

2Edit symlink-joomla.php and configure $install_path and $source_path

3Note that the $source_path can be a directory that contains sub-directories of different Joomla! 1.5 full versions (don't use patch files). If the $source_path contains sub directories, you'll be allowed to choose which one to use.

4By default, $install_path is the directory where symlink-joomla.php is located

5Put symlink-joomla.php within your web server's document root. It can be located at any subdirectory of the document root.

6Run symlink-joomla.php through your web browser.

7You can install a symlinked Joomla as a subdirectory of $install_path. Just put something on the "Where do you want to install Joomla?" field. If left blank, it will install the symlinked Joomla to $install_path.

8Proceed with the installation

Notes: