In this appendix, we will walk through downloading, installing, and setting up the XAMPP package. XAMPP is a free package that includes an easy-to-set up web server (Apache), database server (MySQL), and server-side scripting language (PHP), all of which are requirements of ExpressionEngine. Installing XAMPP allows us to experiment with ExpressionEngine on our own computer before we change anything on a live website.
Setting up a local AMP (Apache, MySQL, PHP) environment has typically required configuring the different applications to work on their own, and then to work with each other. With XAMPP, this interplay has already been set up for you, and the system comes configured and ready to go, so we can concentrate our time on learning ExpressionEngine in a risk-free environment.
Note
We are installing XAMPP here as a 'development' or 'testing' environment only. We will only be using XAMPP for testing and exploring ExpressionEngine, and not as a 'production' environment for serving our website to the outside world. Setting up a production web server and a database server and securing and optimizing them is a topic beyond the scope of this text.
There is a version of the XAMPP package available for Windows, Linux, Mac OS X, and the Solaris operating system. XAMPP is free to download, and the package contains the following:
The AMP environment of Apache, MySQL, and PHP needed to install ExpressionEngine.
The software phpMyAdmin, the leading web-based interface to MySQL, which is needed to manage the ExpressionEngine database.
XAMPP also comes with other features such as OpenSSL and FileZilla (an FTP server) that we do not take advantage of in this book, but that you may find useful.
The installation walk-through in this chapter only covers Windows. If you find yourself in need of further help, check out the XAMPP documentation page at http://www.apachefriends.org/en/faq-xampp.html.
If you are running Mac OS X, you may prefer to check out MAMP at http://www.mamp.info/en/index.php as an alternative to XAMPP. This application creates an AMP environment just like XAMPP, but is exclusive to the Mac OS environment. The installation and configuration may be a little different, but the end result is an http://localhost
environment that you can use to test ExpressionEngine. If you decide to use MAMP (or already have it installed), please skip to Setting Up the ExpressionEngine Database at the end of this appendix.
There are multiple ways to download XAMPP. There are four different packages as well as two add-ons:
XAMPP Basic Package
XAMPP Development Package
XAMPP Upgrade Package
Perl (add-on for XAMPP)
Tomcat (add-on for XAMPP)
XAMPP Lite
The packages can be downloaded in multiple ways, through:
Installer
ZIP Archive
Self-extracting ZIP archive
For the purposes of this appendix, we will be downloading the Installer version of the basic XAMPP package. We do not need the development package or the Perl or Tomcat add-ons. However, if you have a slower internet connection, or if you already have XAMPP installed, you may prefer to choose the Lite or the Upgrade package.
2. On that page, there will be a link to the XAMPP version for your particular operating system. We are going to select XAMPP for Windows.
3. Select the Installer version of XAMPP for Windows—it will most likely be one of the first options on the page.
4. Clicking the Installer link takes you to SourceForge where we can download the file. The file download should begin automatically, depending on the security features of your browser.
5. Finally, we will be prompted to save the file. Save it to your Desktop or My Documents area.
Depending on the speed of your internet connection, the file may take some time to download.
Now that we have downloaded the XAMPP file, the next step is to install it.
Note
If you are running the Skype VOIP application, or if you are running IIS Server, you will need to exit them before proceeding. Apache cannot start as a service if Skype or IIS is also running—though when XAMPP is not in use, you can exit XAMPP to use Skype or IIS.
1. Double-click on the file that we downloaded in order to run it.
2. Select the language you wish the installation process to use, and click Ok.
4. Next, we have to choose a place to install XAMPP. This book assumes that XAMPP is installed in
c:\xampp
. Choose a directory and select Next. Note that for Windows Vista, Apache Friends recommends not installing XAMPP into yourc:\Program Files\
folder.5. In the next screen, we are prompted to install Apache and MySQL as services. Doing this will save us from having to start XAMPP every time we switch on our computer (and will allow other applications you may have, such as Skype, to run simultaneously), so check those boxes (but do leave the FileZilla box unchecked). Then click Install.
6. XAMPP will then install. At one point, a command-line window will open; do not be alarmed—this is normal! After the installation is complete, we will get a message indicating so. Click Finish.
7. Next, we are prompted to start the XAMPP control panel, which can also be opened by selecting Start | All Programs | XAMPP | XAMPP Control Panel, or by running
c:\xampp\xampp-control.exe
. Select Yes.
We are now done with the installation.