Technote Details :: Installing Wamp5 on your computer

What is Wamp5?

WAMP is an installer for Windows that allows you to work with PHP, MySQL database server, and a web server, in order to develop dynamic web sites. WAMP5 installs automatically the following components on your computer:

• Apache 1.3.31
• PHP 5.0.3
• MySQL database server 4.1.8
• PHPMyAdmin (a web-based tool for managing MySQL databases).
• SQLiteManager (a web-based tool for managing SQLite databases).

Where do you get it from?

You can download the software package form the following address http://www.wampserver.com/en/index.php

How do you install it?

Please follow the next steps in order to install WAMP on your computer.

1. Download the installation package from the above address.
2. Once you have downloaded it to your computer, double click on the icon to begin installation
   
   
   
   
3. Installing WAMP is done through a wizard interface that guides you through the exact steps.
   
   
   
   
4. The program will ask where you want to install your software. You can select any path you want, WAMP5 automatically builds configuration files to reflect your choice. Remember that some scripts and modules do not like long names and special characters, like spaces. We recommend you leave the default directory c:\wamp.
   
   
   
   
   
5. If you want your Apache and MySQL servers to launch on Windows startup, please check this option during installation.
   
   
   
   
   
6. Once you have selected all your options, the software will display your configuration once more. Please check that everything is alright before proceeding.
   
   
   
   
   

7. After you click Install, the process of unpacking the software on your computer begins.
   
   
   

8. You will be asked to select a root folder for your documents created using WAMP. You can either use the default folder or create your own one. This is the folder where you will be testing your web applications.
   
   

9. Next, select your default Internet browser. If you do not use Internet Explorer, make sure you change this default setting.
   
   

10. With this, your installation is complete:
    
    

11. When WAMP is running, you can notice an icon similar to a speed gage in the right side of your system tray.
    
    

12. By clicking on the icon, a menu opens and it allows you: to see what services are running, to close and restart them at any moment, to configure the necessary files.
    
    

13. In order to process image files with InterAKT software (MX Kollection in particular) you have to activate your GD library in the PHP.ini file. The file can be found by clicking on the icon in the system tray in the Config files entry from the menu, as seen in the picture above. For more information on GD, please visit http://www.boutell.com/gd/
                   
    Note: For Windows developers it is enough to enable the GD Library from the PHP.ini file, as described on line 14. If you are using Linux, please compile the GD source code, if you haven't done so already.
                   
14. Search the following line of code:
    ;extension=php_gd2.dll
15. Remove the semicolon from the beginning of this line, to activate the GD library:
    extension=php_gd2.dll
16. You are now ready to begin developing with PHP&MySQL.
17. To start working with WAMP, access Localhost by clicking on the icon in the System Tray and then on the first entry at the top of the menu (see the picture above). You will be able to see your PHPMyAdmin and configure your database structure, as well as view all your projects at a glance.