Mathematics 152
Setting up a Windows computer to use EasyPHP and HAPedit


You will need a "PHP Setup 2004" CD, available in class.
Last Modified: September 14, 2004
Note: these instructions are specific to EasyPHP version 1.7, which is on the CD.

1. (Optional) If you want to use the same browser with which things have been tested, install a recent version of Netscape (at least 7.0).  Version 7.1 is on the CD, in the Setup Netscape folder.  Just open this folder, click on SETUP, and follow instructions.  Make Netscape your default browser when offered the opportunity.
If you prefer to use Internet Explorer, things ought to work OK, but the project instructions have not been tested with IE.

2. Click on easyphp1-7 setup on the CD.  Choose "Yes." Choose "Next," accept the license agreement, then choose "Next" again.  Change the install directory to C:\EasyPHP. (Any drive is OK, but you'll find it convenient to have the folder easily accessible.)  Complete the installation. Your browser will come up with a welcome page in French. Just close it.
From the Start menu, drag the shortcut to EasyPHP onto the desktop, and start EasyPHP.   You should now see a large lower-case "e" (the EasyPHP icon) in your system tray at the lower right of the screen. Right-click, choose Configuration...EasyPHP, and change the language to English. If the red dot next to the "e" icon is not flashing, right-click the icon and choose "Start."  Right-click, choose Configuration...PHP Extension, and check php_gd2. Click Apply and then Close. If you do not do this, graphics will not work!

3. You now have a subfolder C:\EasyPHP\www.  Copy the folders affine and geo from the CD into this subfolder.  If you get complaints about read-only files, just try again.

4. Open your browser and type in the URL http://localhost/affine/index.html.  By clicking on links of this Web page, you should now be able to look at affine geometry Web pages, with your own computer functioning as the Web server!  Someone elsewhere on the Internet could see the same Web page.  If you do not see any diagrams, you probably forgot the end of step 2. Close your browser.

5. Open C:\EasyPHP\php and create a new folder called "manual."  Copy the file php_manual_en.chm from the CD into this folder.  Double-click on the file, and you will see the entire PHP manual.

6. On the CD, click on the Zip file hapedit. Extract all files into c:\hapedit.  Open this folder, right-click on HAPedit, create a shortcut, and drag it onto the desktop.
Click on this shortcut, and choose English as your language.  If you are not asked for a choice of language, select Options...Choose your language... from the main menu.
HAPedit may ask you automatically if you want to provide a php manual local folder.  If not, choose Help...Php manual folder.  Select the folder C:\EasyPHP\php\manual.

7. Launch HAPEdit, choose Project...New...Add Project.  Navigate to C:\EasyPHP\www\affine and select this as the root folder.  Double-click the Affine project, then click the file AddPoints.php.  You should now see the PHP source code.
 Press F9, and change the URL to http://localhost/affine.  Now Netscape will launch and show you the result of executing this PHP file.
While you are editing this file, Help...Index should bring up the PHP manual. This manual is so good that you should not need to own any other PHP references.

8. Close Netscape, and use HAPEdit to open AddPoints.html.  Press F9 to start Netscape.  You will now see a complete Web page showing how to add two points in affine geometry (which you will learn how to do later in the course.)

9. Restart your computer.  PHP files will not work.  That's because you need to run EasyPHP to restart the server.  Run it from the start menu, or use a desktop shortcut if you created one earlier. If necessary, right-click the big "e" icon in the tray at the lower right and choose Start. When the red dot is flashing, your server is running.  If by any chance your PHP files don't work from HAPedit, choose a project and right-click on it.  Make sure the associated URL is something like http://localhost/affine.

10 . If you get tired of restarting the server, you can right-click the "e" icon, choose Configuration...EasyPHP, and check the first option (Start on windows startup).  This will start EasyPHP and the server automatically when the computer starts up.  Doing this makes sense only if you are using PHP a good fraction of the time, if you want your friends to be able to see your PHP Web pages, or if you want to submit your homework just by emailing a link to the php file.  You can learn your IP address by going to the Windows control panel, choosing Network Connections, double-clicking your Local Area Connection, clicking the Support Tab, and noting the  IP address.  On the Harvard network, this address, though nominally temporary, appears not to change. If, while your server is running, someone types a URL like http://140.247.xxx.yyy/affine/index.html into their browser (but changes the xxx.yyy to complete your IP address), they should see the affine geometry Web page running off your own server.

11. (Optional) If you want to try create stylish-looking Web pages, click on ts3lite.exe on the CD to install TopStyle 3.10 Lite.  This is a freeware style sheet editor. However, the simple style sheet required for the projects can be created in HAPEdit.