14 DAY TRIAL // For the people having minimal knowledge about computer use, the installation and customization of a PHP application on Windows operating sistem could sound like a complex challenge. But the operations needed to be performed could be simpler than you expect.
First, you must download and setup a web server having support for PHP programming language. Usually, the PHP applications are made with a MySQL database support. In order to simplify the separate installation of all the elements needed to deploy a certain PHP application, you should download and install XAMPP Windows distribution, which provides you with all the necessary features to deploy PHP/MySQL applications.
After you download the phpWebsite you must unzip the distribution archive and copy all the files in a new subdirectory called phpWebsite within the main directory htdocs from your XAMPP installation folder. In a browser window type in the address bar localhost/phpmyadmin and in this window create a new MySQL database called phpwebsite.
Then, in order to install the phpWebsite on Windows, type in your browser address bar localhost/phpWebsite and follow the application wizard requests (the default database user is root and the database name that you have created is phpwebsite). After you finalize the installation you will be able to login to the administration panel to customize the website appearance and functionalities.
The site templates can be customized with some minimal HTML knowledge, because the modification of PHP code is not involved. By installing new modules using phpWebsite administration panel, you will be able to extend and personalize the functionalities of your new website. For advanced users, the customization or creation of modules is very intuitive.
By using this full featured content management system you will be able to deploy various types of websites, ranging from personal websites to blogs or portals, having minimal knowledge of PHP programming language. This algorithm, used for phpWebsite installation, can be extended in case of many other PHP/MySQL based applications with a built-in installation wizard.