Answer

If you installed Movable Type into a cgi-bin, certain files (referred to as "static" files), must be situated outside of the cgi-bin in order to be readable by your browser. The rest of this article explains how to make sure Movable Type can find these files.

Which Files Are Static Files?

Version 3.2 and higher

In version 3.2 of Movable Type, all of the required static files are stored by default in a folder named mt-static. You'll upload this entire folder to a location outside of the cgi-bin.

Note that with 3.2, there is no longer a docs folder included with the static files; instead, see the User Manual in the Movable Type Support section of our site.

Versions prior to 3.2

You will need to create your own folder outside of the cgi-bin named mt-static and upload the necessary files to that folder:

• images folder
• docs folder
• mt.js
• styles.css

Upload Files In The Correct Transfer Mode

When uploading the static files, make sure you upload any images in BINARY mode. All other files should be uploaded in ASCII mode.

Set Your StaticWebPath

Set the StaticWebPath in mt-config.cgi¹. For example, if you created or uploaded mt-static in the root of your domain, your setting will look like this:

StaticWebPath http://www.example.com/mt-static/

Make sure to uncomment the setting² so it will be read by the system.

Upgrading

When upgrading, make sure the newer copies of all static files were uploaded to your server. You may also need to refresh your browser cache to see the changes.

If you're upgrading from 3.1 (or lower) to 3.2+, you'll want to remove the old versions of the files from their original locations, and upload the new mt-static folder instead.

So, if you already have a "static" folder where you originally put images, stylesheets, Javascript, etc., upload all the files from the mt-static directory into that folder.

If you don't have a special "static" folder, you can just upload the entire mt-static folder to the same location as the other Movable Type files. Just make sure any StaticWebPath setting in your configuration file is commented³.

¹ In versions prior to 3.2, the configuration file is named mt.cfg.

² To uncomment a setting means to remove the # from the beginning of the line where it appears.

³ To comment a setting means to add a # at the beginning of the line where it appears.