the TestBanq

the lecturer's best friend

Description

The testbanq is a web interface to a data bank of questions used to assess students in an academic institution.
This project is free, powered by the LAMP statck, and versioned by Git.

Project core implements the MVC design pattern.

Installation

Clone this repository to your document root, and with web services running on your localhost, try accessing website from your web browser with the loopback address.

NOTE: Some systems might require user to append colon, followed by port number, to loopback address, when accessing a website in Document Root.

Requirements

• Apache2 (web server)
• MariaDB/MySQL 5.7 (database server)
• php 7.2 (server-side scripting)
• Git (version control system)

File System

Your web server needs to be given privileges to allow full control of the testbanq and it's sub directories.
Originaly, the root of the testbanq directory should contain the following files (in bold are directories)

• main/
• profile/
• work/
• .git/
• index.php
• README.md
• .gitignore

Accessing website from web browser should created the 'connection.ini' file, inside the main/config/ path. Use this file to give values of the connection string.

[SQL]
host = <database host ip address>
user = <database username>
password = <database user password>
dbname = <database schema>

Database

The subdirectory main/config/ also contails files that set up the testbanq database using files found in the main/usr/sql/ path.

These files assume that the path to MariaDB/MySQL bin directory has been added to the Environment Variable.
If not, please see manual of your system on how to do so, before executing these files.

GNU/Linux systems

The db-gnu.sh shell script must be executed from the main/config/ working directory, for it use relative paths from its directory to reference files in the main/usr/sql/ path. Executing this shell script from a different working directory will result in a "FILE NOT FOUND" exception.
This script is designed to work with bash , and related shells.

Windows system

Executing the db-win32.bat batch file opens a terminal window to perform the same function as the db-gnu.sh shell script, but on Windows systems.
The terminal window then disappears when processes are completed.

SQL files

The subdirectory main/usr/sql/ contails the following .sql files.

• db-admin.sql (creates database user and grants SELECT to 'world' database)
• db-schema.sql (creates relevant schema objects)
• db-data.sql (provides required data)

SMTP

The testbank uses the 'phpmailer' library to handle outgoing mails.
To use library however, essentially 5 arguments must be provided, by means of the main/config/connection.ini file.
The following code segment illustrates the 5 arguments to be catered for to use SMTP.

[mail function]
;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
; Account Info ;
;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
smpt_host = <account smtp host address>
smpt_secure = <security mode>
smtp_port   = <port number>
email_acc = <account email address>
email_pass = <email account password>

Append these details to the main/config/connection.ini file.