Downloading and Installation

As Publii is a desktop application rather than a server-side CMS, installation is as easy as can be. First, you'll need to grab the app from the Official Publii Download Section; there are downloads available for Windows, Mac and Linux versions of Publii. Pick your OS, and click the download button! When the download is complete double-click on the downloaded file to run the installer.

Once done, Publii will start automatically; for future use a shortcut will be added to the desktop and program folder if you're using Windows or Linux, or to the Launchpad on Mac so you'll have easy access to Publii next time around.

Publii File Locations

After installation Publii will store its files in two separate locations on your computer, which will differ depending on whether you are using Windows, Linux or MacOS:

For Windows

In Windows-based systems, the app files, which control the app interface and functionalities, are stored in the Publii install location (typically C:\Users\USER NAME\AppData\Local\Publii). These files should not be modified except by experienced developers, otherwise you may cause crashes or other issues with the app.

The content files for Publii, which contains the files for the websites and other content that Publii generates, are stored separately in the Documents area for the current user e.g. C:\Users\USER NAME\Documents\Publii. These files include folders for the currently-installed themes, folders for each website currently managed by the installed instance of the Publii app (containing all the key files, tags, posts data etc.), and configuration files that store the current option settings for Publii. These files may be modified by web-developers with experience of .json, .hbs and .css files in order to modify core elements of a theme, the Publii settings, or created sites.

For MacOS

Just as with Windows, Publii separates its files on MacOS into two types, the app files, which control the app and its functionalities, and the website files, which contains all the content that Publii uses to make websites. The app files are stored in the standard area for apps, /Applications/Publii. These do not need to be modified except by experienced web-developers looking to modify the core functions of the Publii app; making changes to these files can result in crashes or other instabilities.

The content files, which covers folders containing the installed themes' files, website content such as tags, posts and images, and configuration files containing the active settings in the installed instance of Publii, are stored in a separate location; /Users/USER NAME/Documents/Publii/. These files affect the website that Publii generates, rather than the app itself; once again, they should only be modified by users with experience of .css, .json and .hbs files such as theme developers or web designers.

For Linux

The Linux version of Publii stores the app files that provide the app functionality and interface in the /opt/Publii/resources/app/ folder. Users that wish to make changes to the core functionality of the app may make their changes in these files, though care should be taken; making such changes can result in instabilities or crashes.

The content files, which store the actual website content, including tags, posts and images as well as themes, plus the configuration files that store the user's individual app settings, are stored in a different location; /home/USERNAME/Documents/Publii. Users with experience of web development who wish to make changes to the themes, or have more direct access to the site CSS, may do so through the files stored in this location.

Changing where Publii stores its Website Files

You may set your own storage location for Publii's website files, allowing you to, for example, automatically save your website files to your Dropbox folder so that your site is automatically backed up to the cloud. To modify the storage location, open Publii's App Settings by clicking on the Three-Dots Icon at the top-right of the app window, and clicking on App Settings:

This will open the App Settings screen. The second block of options in this section is titled Files Location; click on the Sites Location field to automatically open the file explorer and select which folder you wish the files to be saved. Once done, click the Save Settings button at the top of the screen to save changes. If you wish to return to using the default storage location, click the red 'X' button next to the Sites Location field; this will erase the existing location and replace it with the default path once the settings are saved.