Introduction

This is the getting started article for developers who are using the framework for their websites. The article will cover manual set up for the environment and how to configure the application for it to work.

This guide applies to the following releases:

• Version 1.2b Preview 1
• Version 1.2b Preview 2

Downloading

Head over to the Download List and download the framework package in a ZIP file.

Prerequisites

phpRaise requires the following in order for it to work properly:

• mod_rewrite (aka URL Rewrite Module, rewrite_module) in Apache HTTP Server / IIS to be enabled
• php_sockets in PHP to be enabled

Structure

In the package, there are 2 folders to extract in order for the framework and application to work.

Here's a brief overall folder structure explanation:

• phpraise - The framework folder containing all the framework classes
• Raise.php - The framework loader class
• public - The application folder containing public accessible resources and application classes
• public/raise - The folder containing configuration, templates, and classes of the application
• public/static - The folder containing public accessible resources such as Javascript, CSS, and image files.
• public/index.php - Front Controller Pattern where all requests to the web application will be directed to. The file will also load the framework, create the RaiseApplication object, and execute the URL routing process.
• public/.htaccess - URL Rewrite Rule definition. The rewrite rule existing in this file is required for the application to work properly.
• public/raise.js - The Javascript helper for phpRaise client related functionality.

Installation

Extracting Framework

Firstly, you will need to extract the framework folder and its content, "phpraise", to a non-public accessible location on the web server.

The folder can be extracted to "C:\phpraise", "/usr/bin/phpraise" or any non-public accessible location on the disk, where your PHP application from your server root folder can access. Remember the path name to the folder as we will need to use it to configure the application later.

Extracting Application Structure

Next, extract the contents of the application folder, "public", to your Web Browser Hypertext Document root.

Configuring Application

Open up the Front Controller file index.php on your application root folder. Modify the include statement, which is originally:

include('../phpraise/Raise.php');

Change the pathname of the include statement to point to where you have put the framework at, e.g. "C:\phpraise\Raise.php" or "/usr/bin/phpraise/Raise.php".

Then proceed to the "config" folder in the framework holder. Open up phpRaise.ini and modify the following entries:

• phpRaise.baseUrl - change it to the URL that the application root resides
• phpRaise.appRoot - modify this to point to your application root folder
• Session.storeData - change it to the sessionStore folder of the raise folder in your application folder. i.e. %app%/raise/sessionStore

Running your application

After configuring your application, you should be able to run it via your web browser. On the homepage, something like this should show up:

This is the current default view of the homepage.

Executing Framework Tests (optional)

If you wish to run the tests for phpRaise, you can extract the "test" folder and put it in your web server root.

Run the tests through your web browser and something like this should show up:

Simply enter the pathname to the Framework folder's Raise.php file and submit the form. This action is only required for the first time.

If the configuration is done properly, the tests will run and this will show up: