Running LOCAL – No input file specified
LOCAL is an web development software, created and maintaned by WP Engine, with aim to help web developers who work with WordPress to work locally, on their PC. Something like you go somewhere in the wild in order no one to disturb you and have all your time to work on an WordPress project but in the wild there is no internet… So you install this software which creates an local development environment (server – apache or nginx, database server – mysql or mariadb, php – few versions) on your laptop/PC and can work on project while you are offline. And when you finish or catch some internet from the air 🙂 you can sync you project.
I wrote a little bit more about on an separate article “about LOCAL (WP)“, but also you can visit their website is: https://localwp.com.
After just finishing installation of my Windows 10 pc, I revised the default settings of the app and proceed to creating first WordPresswebsite to work on, locally. I have chosen Apache as server, MariaDB as database, and PHP version 7.4.1 and finished install an fresh copy of WP, version 5.8.3. I launched the website to see the wonder and… a bad taste have felt… Error was: “No input file specified”, as bellow:
I go their community website to look for help and I have found that many others have similar issue. After reading few threads I concluded that one main reason for my case can be the fact that I installed WordPress on an folder on H:\ drive (and from LOCAL WP staff opinion, is an Apache related issue) and I installed again, this time creating an folder on C:\ drive, more specific “c:\Users\_localWP-C-drive\” – please note that not on C:\ root because LOCALWP don’t like this, instead in C:\Users 🙂
So I have installed again WordPress, this time into an folder on C drive, keeping same settings like on my first attempt, and now it worked. I mean I can access the front and also the back-office of the website, which is fine.
Now one thing it bothers me. I don’t want to keep stuff on C drive, more than necessary. Usually I keep there only what windows OS need, and rest of stuff (installed programs) I keep on D drive. Probably because I remain with bad memories from days when I was using Windows 95 / 98 / ME / NT and OS crashes happened too often, and what you had on C were chances to lose them 🙁
In order to satisfy the LOCAL WP software, I mean to install WP on an subfolder on C drive, but also to cover my fears and to have the data on another drive, I found the solution of symbolic links.
In fact, I have moved the content of “C:\Users\_localWP-C-drive\” to “D\_localWP-D-drive\” and after that I ran the command:
mklink /D “c:\Users\_localWP-C-drive” “d:\_localWP-D-drive”
and now everyone is happy. Data is in safe place on my D:\ drive, LOCAL look for it on C:\ and he (think it) found it 🙂
Please note that the command need to run in command prompt with administrator privileges.
I hope this clue will help someone.
NOTE (update): it seems that if you want to work on many projects in the same time, having all projects in one folder and sym linked as suggested above, each project having it’s own sub-folder, will not work, you will receive “No input file specified” again, when you install a new site (into an sub-folder of an sym linked folder). So, for evey project/site you will need to have it’s own folder on C:\Users and use the symbolic link trick.