Association Manager - Project Setup Instructions

Prerequisites

• XAMPP v8.2.12 (includes PHP 8.2.12) - Download Link
• MySQL database (included with XAMPP)

Installation Steps

1. Project Placement

1. Locate your XAMPP's htdocs directory (default: C:/xampp/htdocs)
2. Place the entire association-manager project folder directly in the htdocs directory
   • Correct path should be: C:/xampp/htdocs/association-manager

2. Database Setup

1. Start XAMPP's MySQL service
2. Open phpMyAdmin (http://localhost/phpmyadmin)
3. Create a new database for the project
4. Import the database structure and data:
   • Select your newly created database
   • Click on "Import" in the top menu
   • Choose the TDW.sql file
   • Click "Go" to import the database structure and data

3. Database Configuration

1. Navigate to app/config/database.config.php

2. Update the database connection parameters with your local settings:

   // Example configuration
   const DB_ENGINE = "mysql";
   const DB_HOST = "localhost";
   const DB_PORT = "3306";
   const DB_NAME = "association_manager";
   const DB_USERNAME = "root";
   const DB_PASSWORD = "";

4. Base URL Configuration

1. The project uses a BASE_URL constant defined in app/config/app.config.php:

   const BASE_URL = "http://localhost/association-manager/public/";

2. Important: If you place the project in a different location, you must update this URL to match your setup

   • The URL should point to the public folder in your project
   • Always use HTTP protocol (e.g., http://) instead of file system paths
   • Make sure the path matches your actual project location relative to the web server root

5. Running the Project

1. Start XAMPP's Apache and MySQL services
2. Access the project through your web browser using the BASE_URL
   • Default: http://localhost/association-manager/public/

6. PHP Extensions Setup

If you encounter any PHP extension-related errors while running the project:

1. Locate your php.ini file:
   • Default path: C:/xampp/php/php.ini
2. Open the file in a text editor
3. Find the extension mentioned in the error message (e.g., extension=pdo_mysql)
4. Remove the semicolon (;) at the start of the line to uncomment and enable the extension
5. Save the file and restart the Apache service in XAMPP

Troubleshooting

• If you see a 404 error, verify that:
  1. The project folder is directly in htdocs
  2. The BASE_URL constant matches your actual project location
  3. Apache service is running
• For database connection errors:
  1. Verify your database credentials
  2. Ensure MySQL service is running
  3. Confirm the database exists and has been properly imported
  4. Check that the database name in database.config.php matches the one you created
• For PHP extension errors:
  1. Note the exact extension name from the error message
  2. Enable it in php.ini as described in section 6
  3. Make sure to restart Apache after any php.ini changes