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Version: 2.0

Windows Installation Guide

Installing ABCD in a Windows environment is most efficiently done using a web server package like XAMPP or WAMP. These packages install and pre-configure Apache and PHP, which are essential prerequisites for ABCD.

This detailed guide focuses on using these packages for a robust installation.

Step 1: Setting Up the Environment (XAMPP/WAMP)​

  1. Install a Local Server: Download and install a web server package. The most common options are:

  2. Enable Required PHP Extensions: ABCD requires certain PHP extensions to be active. To enable them, locate and edit your php.ini file (in XAMPP/WAMP, you can usually access this through the program's control panel). Remove the semicolon (;) from the beginning of the following lines to uncomment them:

    extension=gd
    extension=mbstring
    extension=xsl
    extension=xmlrpc
    extension=yaz
    extension=curl
    extension=ldap
    extension=zip

    If a line does not exist, add it. Save the file and restart the Apache services for the changes to take effect.

Step 2: Download and Prepare ABCD Files​

  1. Download the latest version of ABCD from the official GitHub repository.
  2. Unzip the downloaded file into a temporary folder.
  3. Inside the unzipped folder, you will find several directories. Make the following changes to prepare the files for Windows:
    • Delete the bases-examples_Linux folder.
    • Rename the bases-examples_Windows folder to bases.
    • Delete the cgi-bin_Linux folder.
    • Rename the cgi-bin_Windows folder to cgi-bin.
    • The extra, zz_installation, and zz_miscellaneous folders can be deleted as they are not needed for execution.

You will now have three main folders ready for installation: bases, cgi-bin, and htdocs.

Step 3: Configure Apache (Virtual Host)​

To ensure Apache knows how to serve the ABCD files, it is highly recommended to configure a "Virtual Host". This isolates the ABCD configuration from other sites you might host.

  1. Locate the example vhost_ABCD_9090_Windows.conf file that came in the zz_installation folder of your download.

  2. Copy this file to your server's virtual hosts configuration folder. The location may vary:

    • XAMPP: C:\xampp\apache\conf\extra\
    • WAMP: C:\wamp\alias\

  3. Edit the vhost_ABCD_9090_Windows.conf file to ensure the paths are correct. The example file is pre-configured for a default structure (C:\ABCD\www), but you can adjust it if needed. Here is an example of the file's content:

    # Define the port and root path for easy relocation
    Define ABCD_PORT 9090
    Define ABCD_ROOT "/ABCD/www"

    Listen ${ABCD_PORT}
    <VirtualHost *:${ABCD_PORT}>
        ServerName abcd.localhost
        
        # Path to the ABCD PHP scripts
        DocumentRoot "${ABCD_ROOT}/htdocs"
        
        # Alias and permissions for the executables (cgi-bin)
        ScriptAlias /cgi-bin/ "${ABCD_ROOT}/cgi-bin/"
        <Directory "${ABCD_ROOT}/cgi-bin">
            AllowOverride None
            Options +ExecCGI -MultiViews +SymLinksIfOwnerMatch
            AddHandler cgi-script .cgi .exe
            Require all granted
        </Directory>

        # Alias for the databases folder
        Alias /docs/ "${ABCD_ROOT}/bases/"
        <Directory "${ABCD_ROOT}/bases/">
            Options -Indexes -FollowSymLinks +MultiViews
            AllowOverride None
            Require all granted
        </Directory>
        
        # Log files specific to this ABCD instance
        CustomLog ${ABCD_ROOT}/logs/access_${ABCD_PORT}.log combined
        ErrorLog  ${ABCD_ROOT}/logs/error_${ABCD_PORT}.log
    </VirtualHost>

  4. Activate the configuration: Open the main Apache configuration file (httpd.conf) and ensure the line that includes the virtual host files is active (with no # at the beginning).

    # Virtual hosts
    Include conf/extra/httpd-vhosts.conf

Step 4: Copying Files and Finalizing Installation​

  1. Create the final folder structure: As defined in the Virtual Host file, create the following directory structure on your disk: C:\ABCD\www.
  2. Copy the ABCD folders (prepared in Step 2) into C:\ABCD\www\. The final structure should be:
    • C:\ABCD\www\bases
    • C:\ABCD\www\cgi-bin
    • C:\ABCD\www\htdocs
  3. Create the logs folder: Create the C:\ABCD\www\logs folder so Apache can write the access and error log files.
  4. Create the ABCD configuration file:
    • Go to the htdocs/central folder.
    • Copy the file config.php.template and rename the copy to config.php.
    • [cite_start]Open config.php in a text editor and review the settings, especially the path variables like $ABCD_path [cite: 13] [cite_start]and $db_path[cite: 13], to ensure they match your environment. This file is not overwritten during updates.

Step 5: Starting and Testing the Installation​

  1. Restart the Apache services via the XAMPP or WAMP control panel to apply all new configurations.
  2. Open your web browser and navigate to the URL: http://localhost:9090

You should see the login screen for the ABCD Central module.

Default Credentials:

  • Central Module:

    • URL: http://localhost:9090
    • User: abcd
    • Password: adm

  • Site Administration:

    • URL: http://localhost:9090/site/admin
    • User: adm
    • Password: x

Final Recommendation: After logging in for the first time, immediately change the default passwords for all administrative users to ensure the security of your system.