XAMPP tutorial: installation

and first steps to Create

Website Database
 XAMPP is the title used for a compilation of free software. The name is an acronym, with each letter
representing one of the five key components. The software packet contains the web server Apache, the
relational database management system MySQL (or MariaDB), and the scripting languages Perl
and PHP. The initial X stands for the operating systems that it works with: Linux, Windows, and Mac
OS X.
 Apache: open source web server Apache is the most widely used server worldwide for delivery of web
content. The server application is made available as a free software by the Apache Software
Foundation.
 MySQL/MariaDB: in MySQL, XAMPP contains one of the most popular relational database
management systems in the world. In combination with the web server Apache and the scripting
language PHP, MySQL offers data storage for web services. Current XAMPP versions have replaced
MySQL with MariaDB (a community-developed fork of the MySQL project, made by the original
developers).
PHP: the server-side programming language PHP enables users to
create dynamic websites or applications. PHP can be installed on all
platforms and supports a number of diverse database systems.
Perl: the scripting language Perl is used in system administration, web
development, and network programming. Like PHP, Perl also enables
users to program dynamic web applications.
Alongside these core components, this free-to-use Apache distribution
contains some other useful tools, which vary depending on your
operating system. These tools include the mail server Mercury, the
database administration tool phpMyAdmin, the web analytics software
solutions Webalizer, OpenSSL, and Apache Tomcat, and the FTP
servers FileZilla or ProFTPd.
Installing XAMPP
Our XAMPP tutorial will take you through the installation process for the
software package on Windows. If you’re using Linux or Mac OS X, then the
steps listed below for the installation process may differ.
Step 1: Download
XAMPP is a release made available by the non-profit project Apache
Friends. Versions with PHP 5.5, 5.6, or 7 are available for download on the 
Apache Friends website.
Step 2: Run .exe file
Once the software bundle has been downloaded, you can start the
installation by double clicking on the file with the ending .exe.
Step 3: Deactivate any antivirus software
Since an active antivirus program can negatively affect the installation
process, it’s recommended to temporarily pause any antivirus software until
all XAMPP components have successfully been installed.
Note: Before installing XAMPP, it is advisable to disable the anti-virus program
temporarily
Step 4: Deactivate UAC
User Account Control (UAC) can interfere with the XAMPP installation
because it limits writing access to the C: drive, so we recommend you
deactivate this too for the duration of the installation process. To find out how
to turn off your UAC, head to the Microsoft Windows support pages.

Note: User account control can affect the installation of XAMPP

Step 5: Start the setup wizard
After you’ve opened the .exe file (after deactivating your antivirus program(s)
and taken note of the User Account Control, the start screen of the XAMPP
setup wizard should appear automatically. Click on ‘Next’ to configure the
installation settings.
 Step 6: Choose software components
Under ‘Select Components’, you have the option to exclude individual components of the XAMPP
software bundle from the installation. But for a full local test server, we recommend you install
using the standard setup and all available components. After making your choice, click ‘Next’.

Note: In the dialog window entitled 'select components', you can choose the software components before installation
Step 7: Choose the installation directory
In this next step, you have the chance to choose where you’d like the XAMPP software packet
to be installed. If you opt for the standard setup, then a folder with the name XAMPP will be
created under C:\ for you. After you’ve chosen a location, click ‘Next’.

Note: For the next step, you need to select the directory where XAMPP should be installed
Step 8: Start the installation process
Once all the aforementioned preferences have been decided, click to start the installation. The
setup wizard will unpack and install the selected components and save them to the designated
directory. This process can take several minutes in total. You can follow the progress of this
installation by keeping an eye on the green loading bar in the middle of the screen.

Note: According to the default

settings, the selected software
components are unpacked and
installed in the target folder
Step 9: Windows Firewall blocking
Your Firewall may interrupt the installation process to block the some components of the XAMPP.
Use the corresponding check box to enable communication between the Apache server and your
private network or work network. Remember that making your XAMPP server available for public
networks isn’t recommended. 
Step 10: Complete installation
Once all the components are unpacked and installed, you can close the setup wizard by clicking on
‘Finish’. Click to tick the corresponding check box and open the XAMPP Control Panel once the
installation process is finished.
The XAMPP Control Panel
Controls for the individual components of your test server can be reached through
the XAMPP Control Panel. The clear user interface logs all actions and allows
you to start or stop individual modules with a single. The XAMPP Control Panel
also offers you various other buttons, including:
•Config: allows you to configure the XAMPP as well as the individual
components
•Netstat: shows all running processes on the local computer
•Shell: opens a UNIX shell
•Explorer: opens the XAMPP folder in Windows Explorer
•Services: shows all services currently running in the background
•Help: offers links to user forums
•Quit: closes the XAMPP Control Panel
In the Control Panel, you can start and stop individual modules
Starting modules
Individual modules can be started or stopped on the XAMPP Control Panel
through the corresponding buttons under ‘Actions’. You can see which
modules have been started because their names are highlighted green under
the ‘Module’ title.

An active module is marked in

green in the Control Panel.

If a module can’t be started as a

result of an error, you’ll be
informed of this straight away
in red font. A detailed error
report can help you identify the
cause of the issue. 
Setting up XAMPP
A common source of error connected with Apache is blocked ports. If you’re using the standard setup,
then XAMPP will assign the web server to main port 80 and the SSL port 443. The latter of these
particularly is often blocked by other programs. In the example above, it’s likely that the Tomcat port is
being blocked, meaning the web server can’t be started. There are three ways to solve this issue:
•Change the conflicting port: Let’s assume for the sake of example that the instant messenger program
Skype is blocking SSL port 443 (this is a common problem). One way to deal with this issue is to change
Skype’s port settings. To do this, open the program and navigate via ‘Actions’, ‘Options’, and
‘Advanced’, until you reach the ‘Connections’ menu. You should find a box checked to allow Skype
access to ports 80 and 443. Deselect this checkbox now.
•Change the XAMPP module port settings: Click the Config button for the module in question and
open the files httpd.conf and httpd-ssl.conf. Replace port number 80 in httpd.conf and port number 443
in httpd-ssl.conf with any free ports, before saving the file data. Now click on the general Config button
on the right-hand side and select ‘Services and Ports Settings’. Customize the ports for the module server
to reflect the changes in the conf files.
•End the conflicting program: The simplest way to avoid port conflicts in the short term is to end the
conflicting program (Skype in this case). If you restart Skype after your XAMPP module servers are
already running, it will select a different port and your issue will be resolved.
Modules that can’t be started will be shown in red. The user will also receive an error
report to help solve the problem
Module administration
You have an ‘Admin’ option located on the Control Panel for every module in
your XAMPP.
•Click on the Admin button of your Apache server to go to the web address of
your web server. The Control Panel will now start in your standard browser, and
you’ll be led to the dashboard of your XAMPP’s local host. The dashboard
features numerous links to websites for useful information as well as the open
source project BitNami, which offers you many different applications for your
XAMPP, like WordPress or other content management systems. Alternatively,
you can reach the dashboard through localhost/dashboard/.
By clicking on the
'admin' button of the
Apache module, the
user will be redirected
to the local dashboard
of XAMPP
You can use the Admin button of your database module to open phpMyAdmin. Here, you can
manage the databases of your web projects that you’re testing on your XAMPP. Alternatively,
you can reach the administration section of your MySQL database via localhost/phpmyadmin/. 

The web project’s databases

are managed by the user in
phpMyAdmin (accessible
via the 'Admin' button in the
database module)
Create Database for you Website
1. Open Xampp Control Panel by Clicking the Xampp Icon, Right Click and
then Choose Run as Administrator.
2. Click The Start Button of Apache, MySql, Filezilla
3. Open Your Browser(Google Chrome,Firefox,Opera) then Type
“localhost/dashboard”
4. In the Menu bar, Click phpMyAdmin.
5. In the phpMyAdmin, Click the “New” button to create new database
6. To Create your Database, Type you Preferred ‘Database Name’ in the
Example I named my DB as “Emerzons_bugan_db”. Note that the DB name
must not have a space on it. After that Click “Create” button.
7. After creating your DB name you will see your DB at the Left side of the
phpMyAdmin page. Click your Database to Create “Table”. The Table is
consists of Columns that will contain the Data/Record of your Website. Type
your Table name, Choose your preferred number of columns depends on your
Number of Data. Then Click “Go”
8. You can Add a number of Column/s if you think the columns you chosen is
not enough for your number of data.
9. You can now add your Column Name, in the Example below shows the
Database for the Registered Users Information primarily for the Log in system
of website. Note that Tables must always have an ID column for easy access of
data. It must be set as Primary in the Null Index because “ID” is the “primary
key” of your DB’s table. Usually ID must be Auto Incremented so Click A. I.
in the Structure.
* The other Columns such as Username, Password or Images must be set as
Varchar. And it length must now exceed to 255 only. If you have a column that
will contain only numbers it must be assign as Int . The Date/Time must not
have length or value though but you can set it as a Default or Current_time
10. Click the Preview SQL so you can see the structure of your Created Table.
11. Click “Save” button to save your created Table for your Database.
11. After saving your Created table, you can now see your created Table under
your Created Database Name. You can ADD Another table by Clicking “New”
button under your DB name for your other features such as Comment Section,
Content Section, Image Section tables etc... In the example given below it is
for Log in section table.
12. Click the Table name so you can Edit your Table under the Action Button if
you Preferred, Click Change button to modify your Column Name, Datatypes
or Length/ Values. Click Drop button if you want to remove the Column.
THANK YOU 