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The MPADQ is a server-rendered PHP web application backed by a MySQL database. Before uploading any application files, make sure your hosting environment satisfies every item below. A standard LAMP or LEMP stack — Linux, Apache or Nginx, MySQL, and PHP — covers the full list of requirements.

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Technology Stack

PHP (Server-Side)

All page logic, session management, and database interaction is handled in PHP. The MySQLi extension and native session support must both be enabled. The mail() function is used for license key delivery emails, and curl is required for PayPal IPN validation.

MySQL (Database)

All tables use the InnoDB storage engine for foreign-key enforcement. The application expects a database named Quiz. See Database Setup for the full schema.

Frontend

Pages are rendered as HTML5 with CSS3 styling. jQuery 1.12.2 is bundled at src/jquery-1.12.2.min.js — no CDN dependency is required.

Web Server

Apache or Nginx with PHP support. A standard LAMP or LEMP stack is the recommended setup. No special modules beyond standard PHP support are required.

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Required PHP Extensions

The following PHP extensions must be enabled before deploying the application:
ExtensionPurpose
mysqliDatabase connections throughout the application
Sessions (session_start)User authentication and quiz state across pages
mail()Sending license key delivery emails to purchasers
curlPosting back to PayPal for IPN validation
On most cPanel-based shared hosts, mysqli and curl can be enabled in the PHP Extensions panel without editing php.ini directly. Confirm all four are active before running the database setup scripts.

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Session Timeout

The application enforces a server-side session timeout controlled by a single variable in src/timeout.php: 
<?php
$timeout = 1800;
?>
The default value of 1800 seconds (30 minutes) is applied across every page that requires an authenticated session. Adjust this value before going live if your deployment requires a shorter or longer idle timeout.

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File System Write Permissions

The PHP process must have write access to the following paths. Most are used for debug logging or CSV data exports; without write permission the relevant features will silently fail or produce errors.
PathPurpose
admin/dashboard/data-view/view-1/View1.csvCSV export — respondent data view 1
admin/dashboard/data-view/view-2/View2.csvCSV export — respondent data view 2
demographics/output.mysqlDebug log for demographic submissions
likert/output.mysqlDebug log for Likert answer submissions
finish/debug.txtDebug log for score calculation
purchaseSuccessful/ipn.logPayPal IPN request/response log
Set these paths to be writable by the web server user (www-data on Debian/Ubuntu, apache on RHEL/CentOS): 
chmod 664 admin/dashboard/data-view/view-1/View1.csv
chmod 664 admin/dashboard/data-view/view-2/View2.csv
chmod 664 demographics/output.mysql
chmod 664 likert/output.mysql
chmod 664 finish/debug.txt
chmod 664 purchaseSuccessful/ipn.log

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Database Credentials File

Database credentials are stored in src/login.php. This file is not distributed with the application source and must be created manually on the server after deployment.
Never commit src/login.php to version control. It contains your database hostname, username, and password in plain text. Add it to your .gitignore before your first commit and verify it is excluded before pushing to any repository.
The format expected by the application is: 
<?php
$host = "your-db-host";
$user = "your-db-user";
$pass = "your-db-password";
$dtbs = "Quiz";
?>
The variable names $host, $user, $pass, and $dtbs are referenced directly throughout the application via require_once. Do not rename them.

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Pre-Deployment Checklist

Work through these steps in order before uploading your application files.
1

Provision a LAMP or LEMP Server

Confirm your hosting environment runs Linux with Apache or Nginx and has PHP available. A shared host, VPS, or cloud instance running Ubuntu 20.04+ or equivalent is suitable.
2

Enable Required PHP Extensions

Verify that mysqli, session, mail, and curl are all active. Run php -m | grep -E 'mysqli|curl' on the server or check your host’s PHP configuration panel.
3

Create the Quiz Database

Log in to MySQL and create the Quiz database. See Database Setup for the full schema and script execution order.
4

Create src/login.php

Create src/login.php on the server with your database credentials as shown above. Confirm the file is excluded from version control.
5

Set Write Permissions

Grant write access to the six paths listed in the File System Write Permissions section above.
6

Configure Session Timeout

Review the $timeout value in src/timeout.php and adjust it to match your institution’s session policy.
7

Configure PayPal IPN

Set the IPN notification URL in your PayPal account to point to purchaseSuccessful/authenticate_ipn.php over HTTPS. See PayPal Integration for full details.

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