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Setting Up Typemill

admin

In this chapter, you will discover how to install Typemill and establish a publishing platform that enables you to create and distribute books in formats like websites, PDFs, and EPUBs, similar to what you can find at https://books.typemill.net. While the installation process for Typemill is quite simple, it does require some technical knowledge. If you lack experience with web software installation, it may be beneficial to seek assistance from someone familiar with setting up WordPress or a comparable CMS. A detailed installation guide is provided in the Typemill documentation.

Install Typemill on Your Server

Typemill is a self-hosted PHP application that operates on your own server. It is very lightweight, requires no database, and can be set up in just a few minutes. You can download it, upload it to your server, and start publishing immediately.

Screenshot of the Typemill homepage with the download button

You can obtain Typemill as a ZIP file from the official website. If you are a developer, you can also clone Typemill from GitHub or use the Docker version. Once you have downloaded it, extract the ZIP file and upload the contents to your web server. Typemill requires PHP 8.1 or higher, an Apache or Nginx server, and some standard PHP extensions, all of which are typically provided by any standard hosting service.

After uploading the files, open your web browser and navigate to your website’s URL. You will be greeted with a registration form to create your first (admin) user. Following this, you can log into the system at /tm/login.

Configure the System

You can start publishing right away, but after your initial articles, you may want to customize Typemill to better suit your needs. In the System section, which is accessible from the top navigation menu, you will find all the configuration options available.

  • System Settings: Modify global settings for content, media, AI assistance, and projects. (We will explore the Project settings in greater detail in upcoming chapters.)
  • Themes: Select and personalize your website theme. To add a new theme, download a ZIP from the Theme Directory, extract it, and upload it to the /themes directory on your server.
  • Plugins: Enhance functionality with features like eBook generation, search capabilities, or analytics. To install plugins, download a ZIP from the Plugin Directory, extract it, and upload it to the /plugins folder.
  • Account: Update your personal account information and preferences.
  • Users: Manage authors and assign roles and permissions for each project (which will be discussed in future chapters).

There is no need to grasp every aspect of Typemill immediately. This guide will lead you through the fundamental steps necessary to configure Typemill for multiple projects that can be published as websites and eBooks.