In this tutorial, we will download and install Sendcard on a local server for development and testing. I have the MAMP install on my Mac for testing purposes. MAMP is a free Apache package containing MySQL and PHP. You will need to make the appropriate changes to the instructions below to accommodate your own setup.

You can download a copy of Sendcard from the Sendcard website (see link below). When you unzip the file, you will have two folders called docs and sendcard. It is the sendcard folder that you will want to upload to your testing environment.

Before you begin to install the script, create a new database and call it "sendcard" or the name of your choice. Then paste the following link in your browser and login using the password "password".

https://yourdomain/sendcard/admin/index.php

The installation wizard has three links for three steps. The first link is for the script's configuration settings. Keep the defaults unless your testing environment is different. Save your settings and close the window to return to the main menu.

The second step in the set up is for the General Settings. The first part of the General Settings is for some basic settings for the script. You will want to install Sendcard as a stand-alone program. For the number of days to hold ecards in the system before purging them, 30 days is the usual. You will want to set the default language for your website and templates.

The third part will set up the database settings. You will want to keep the MySQL and localhost settings. Change the database name to "sendcard" (or the name you gave to your database in the previous step) and the username to "root". Set the password to "root". Finally, keep the default setting for the database table name. Note: To run MAMP on localhost you will need to set the Apache Port to 80 and the MySQL Port to 3306.

The fourth part will set the Advanced Options for the script. Keep the default settings for these options. However, if you are storing your swfs on a different server or directory, change the path to the images from "images/' to where your swfs are stored. You can use the full https:// path if necessary.

The fifth part will set up the mail server options. For testing on your local machine, leave the defaults. When you move the program to your website's server, you will need to make changes to these settings for the mail system of your choice.

The last part is Security Options. The default option is to prevent PHP in the Templates. Because we will be adding some php functions to the templates, we need to change this to Yes. To prevent users from overpowering your server, you will want to set a limit on the number of ecards that one user can send durning a set amount of time. Keep the defaults for most servers. Most of your users will not know HTML and will not need to include HTML in their personal message to accompany the ecard. Keep the default setting of No. If you have API keys for ReCaptcha, inset them where indicated. Keep the rest of the default setting. Save your settings and return to the main menu. Note: Always check the Sendcard website for the latest instructions for security settings.

The last menu link will take you to the Create Table command. Click the Create the Tables button and return to the main menu. You can change any of these settings later through the Configure link in the Admin area. Close the main menu window.

https://www.mamp.info/en/mamp/index.html

Sendcard Copyright by Peter Bowyer and licensed under the GPL-compatible Artistic License.