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Quick Start Guide

A beginner-friendly, step-by-step guide to running TidyFactor-Go locally and deploying your website in under 5 minutes.

⏱️ 5-Minute Quick Setup Overview

1. Prerequisites  ➜  2. Start Backend  ➜  3. Start Frontend  ➜  4. Log into Admin  ➜  5. Deploy
 (Node.js + PHP)    (Port 8000)          (Port 3000)           (default: change-me)   (Zip & Upload)

🛠️ Step 1: Prerequisites

Before starting, ensure you have installed:

  • Node.js (v18 or higher): Download Node.js
  • PHP (v8.1 or higher with SQLite PDO extension enabled): Available on Windows via WAMP / XAMPP / Herd or CLI.

🚀 Step 2: Start the Backend API (PHP Server)

  1. Open your terminal or Command Prompt and navigate to the project directory: 
    cd TidyFactor-Go
  2. Navigate into the backend folder: 
    cd backend/cms-api
  3. Start the built-in PHP server on port 8000: 
    php -S localhost:8000 -t public

    [!NOTE] Keep this terminal window open. The backend API is now running at http://localhost:8000.

💻 Step 3: Start the Frontend App (React & Vite)

  1. Open a second terminal window in the project root folder (TidyFactor-Go).
  2. Install frontend dependencies: 
    npm install
  3. Start the Vite development server: 
    npm run dev
  4. Open your browser and visit: http://localhost:3000
  5. You will see the live TidyFactor-Go website rendering in English and Arabic!

🔐 Step 4: Access the Admin Control Panel

  1. Navigate to http://localhost:3000/admin in your browser.
  2. Enter the default administrator credentials:
  3. Username: admin
  4. Password: change-me
  5. Click Log In. You are now inside the split-workspace Admin Control Panel!

✏️ Step 5: Make Your First Content Edit

  1. In the Admin sidebar, click on Content \(\rightarrow\) Home.
  2. Edit the Headline or Subtitle text field.
  3. Click Save Changes in the top-right header bar.
  4. Open http://localhost:3000 in a new tab — your edits are updated instantly!

📦 Step 6: Deploy to Live Production Hosting

When you are ready to publish your website to shared hosting, cPanel, or a VPS:

  1. In your project root terminal, run: 

    npm run build
node package-release.js
    This compiles assets, checks type safety, and creates a ready-to-deploy zip package in dist-release/tidyfactor-go-v1.6.0.zip.

  2. Upload tidyfactor-go-v1.6.0.zip to your server's public_html/ folder via cPanel File Manager or FTP, then right-click and Extract.

  3. Open https://yourdomain.com/install/ in your browser to run the automated 1-click web installer wizard:

  4. Enter your Brand Name, new Admin Password, and click Install Website.

  5. Security Final Step: Delete the /install directory from your server once completed.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions & Troubleshooting

[!TIP] Q: How do I change language between English (LTR) and Arabic (RTL)?
A: Use the language pill switcher (EN / ع) in the top navigation header bar or footer.

[!WARNING] Q: What if images don't load when deployed in a subfolder (e.g., yourdomain.com/demo/)?
A: TidyFactor-Go dynamically resolves subfolder depths via resolveApiUrl(). Simply ensure your web server root .htaccess is uploaded cleanly.