can i test a php script that isnt on a server?

[SFB]

My site is down and i want to test some php scripts. i was wondering if there is some problem that would allow me to test them on my computer.

[Little Goat]

program you mean?I would recomend XAMPPthe only thing that wouldn't be the same as a server, is that you(or at least I) cant set up the mail functions.LG

[snowboard01]

there is a program called phpnow (or smomething) that launches php files on your computergoogle launch php without a server you will find it

[SFB]

oops, yes i ment program. thanks for the link

[SFB]

hey LG, I downloaded xampp, where do i sart? i am so lost....

[Little Goat]

ok, have you installed it yet? if you have, (you are on windows, aren't you?) go to start menu => programs => apache friends => xampp => CONTROL XAMPP SERVER PANEL (or something like that.)then click the start buttons next to Apache and Mysql if you need it.then go to the directory you installed xampp and click on htdocs. all the files you put in this folder will be accessable. you also might want to rename index.php so it won't redirect you to another page. then go to http://localhost/ in your web browser and if you renamed index.php it should show all the files in the htdocs folder. you can click on the links and your php page will act like it is on your web server.LG

[SFB]

ok thanksis this actually like a real server?could it be used to host my own site?i keep getting this error in my php and i cant figure out what i have to change. Warning: include(/Program Files/xampp/htdocs/template/nav/snav.txt) [function.include]: failed to open stream: No such file or directory in C:\Program Files\xampp\htdocs\sfb\index.php on line 42everything worked on dan's server why doesnt it work on this thing. i changed all of the locations but it still isnt working

[Little Goat]

make sure you use either relative paths or use http://localhost/template/nav/snav.txt instead.I guess you could use it for a server, but that is not what it is made for, and the security has issues...if you wanted to do that you would download everything seperate.LG

[SFB]

ok i got all the errors out

[SFB]

what types of security issues does it have?

[Little Goat]

oh, sorry. didn't see that you had posted.I replied to your PM.LG

[justsomeguy]

Hosting your own web site has many security issues, unless you are a competent system administrator and are able to lock down the OS and server. Linux seems to do a better job on security, but only if it's set up right.

[SFB]

What do you mean by lock down the os? I currently only host my site for myself to see i have to type in http://localhost/ to see it and my computer is only on for a few hours in the evenings. I hope the dcole server gets going soon.

[justsomeguy]

If your website is only accessible on your local network then it's not a problem. But if you are running a publicly-accessible server, you will get login attempts and hack attempts from all over the world (usually China) looking for ways into your server. Also if you host you will either need a static IP address (generally fairly expensive) or a dynamic DNS account, plus the bandwidth to actually run the site. If you want your site to do any emailing, you will need to install a configure a mail server, but it seems that most home ISPs block the outgoing mail ports, so that's another reason why it's better to have a static IP if you are hosting. But if you want to go through the trouble of hosting your own server, you will need to read up on security procedures on how to secure the operating system.