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                PHPPayroll — Open Source HR & Payroll Software
                INSTALLATION & SETUP GUIDE
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System Requirements:
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• PHP 7.4 or higher (PHP 8+ recommended)
• MySQL / MariaDB database
• Apache or Nginx Web Server
• Enabled PHP Extensions:
  - mysqli
  - pdo_mysql (optional for future updates)
  - openssl
  - mbstring
  - json
  - curl
• mod_rewrite enabled (optional for clean URLs)

Folder Structure (important paths):
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/public               → Public root where index and modules are accessed
/app                  → MVC application files
/app/controllers      → Controller files
/app/models           → Data models
/app/views            → Views/templates
/app/config           → Application configuration + database connection
/database             → Contains installation SQL file

Installation File Location:
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The SQL file required for database setup is located at:
    /database/phppayroll_install.sql

Installation Steps:
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1. Download the PHPPayroll source code and extract it to your web directory.
2. Create a new MySQL database (UTF8MB4 recommended).
3. Import the SQL file located at:
       /database/phppayroll_install.sql
4. Open file:
       /app/config/database.php
   and update the database credentials:
       DB_HOST, DB_NAME, DB_USER, DB_PASS
5. Open file:
       /app/config/config.php
   and update company / payroll system settings if required.

Accessing PHPPayroll (URL):
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After successful installation, open your browser and enter:

    http://localhost/your-payroll-folder/public/

Example:
    http://localhost/phppayroll/public/

If uploading to online server:
    https://yourdomain.com/public/

Admin Login Credentials:
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Default credentials after installation:
• Email: admin@phppayroll.com
• Password: 123456

(If login fails, verify that the `password_hash` field in table
`phppayroll_users` is VARCHAR(255) and the value is not truncated.)

File & Folder Permissions:
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• /public/uploads   → Writable for uploads (if enabled)
• /app/logs         → Writable for system logs (if enabled)

Security Notes:
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• Delete /database/phppayroll_install.sql after installation.
• Change admin password immediately after first login.
• Keep database configuration private and secure.
• Do not expose /app/config folder via the web.

Recommended PHP Settings:
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• max_execution_time = 300
• memory_limit = 512M
• upload_max_filesize = 32M
• post_max_size = 32M

Support & Community:
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Website: https://www.phppayroll.com
Live Demo: https://www.phppayroll.com/demo/
Download: https://www.phppayroll.com/download/
Documentation: https://www.phppayroll.com/documentation/
Features: https://www.phppayroll.com/features/
Contact: https://www.phppayroll.com/contact/

License:
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PHPPayroll is licensed under the MIT Open Source License.
You may use, modify, rebrand, and deploy commercially
while preserving this copyright notice.

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            Thank you for choosing PHPPayroll Open Source!
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