PHP Locally ...

[Rapidex]

I am building a website that uses some PHP. My webhost has PHP 4 compatability. I need to test my entire site locally however, so how do I set up my Windows 2000 pc so that it will treat all my files exactly the same as they will be treated when live on the internet on my host's server.

I think what I need is here - http://www.php.net/downloads.php - but can anyone confirm exactly which download from that page I need and what to do with it (if anything other than just double-clicking the download)

Sorry, I am an amatuer at back-end stuff so imagine you are talking to a complete novice.

Any help is seriously appreciated.

Thanks,
Stephen.

[TheDefender]

Well, if you want an automated PHP install, then you need to get the .exe file. This distribution doesn't include the extensions though, so download both, use the .exe to install, and the .zip to install the extensions... That's the easiest...

You also need to consider MySQL (mysql.com) or something like that for your database... You also need to look into a webserver... Apache (apache.org), or IIS (default in Windows 2K or XP). To simulate your webhost, you should go with Apache... There is quite a bit of work to installing it all, but well worth it... Dig into the manuals, and post your questions at the Install forum here at PHPBuilder.com.

[sid]

for beginners i always suggest easyphp, since it comes with apache, php and mysql, handy as one installer file. www.easyphp.org

[Rapidex]

Thanks guys > I will look into it now 🙂