Installation

What it is

The installation wizard guides you through uploading files, configuring the database, and creating the first administrator account. It creates all required tables, runs schema migrations, and writes includes/config.php with your database credentials.

How it works

When you visit https://yourdomain.com/install, the installer:

1. Checks PHP version and required extensions
2. Verifies writable directories
3. Prompts for database host, name, username, and password
4. Creates the database schema (tables)
5. Runs any migration files in install/sql-files/
6. Creates your first staff account (admin)
7. Writes includes/config.php and creates storage/.installed to prevent re-running

How to set up

Step 1: Upload files

Upload all WHMDC files to your web root via FTP, SFTP, cPanel File Manager, or Git. Ensure the document root points to the directory containing index.php.

Step 2: Set permissions

chmod 755 includes uploads
chmod -R 755 uploads/news uploads/tickets uploads/profiles

Step 3: Run the installer

Navigate to https://yourdomain.com/install in your browser. Follow the on-screen steps.

Step 4: Configure cron

Add a cron job to run every 15 minutes. Example for cPanel:

*/15 * * * * /usr/bin/php -q /home/username/public_html/cron/run.php

Replace /home/username/public_html with your actual path. The cron handles invoice renewals, payment reminders, service suspensions, late fees, and other automated tasks.

Step 5: Remove installer (security)

After installation, delete or rename the /install directory to prevent unauthorised re-installation.

Troubleshooting

If the installer does not run, ensure storage/.installed does not exist (delete it to re-run).