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9# webtrees - online collaborative genealogy
10
11## Contents
12
13* [License](#license)
14* [Coding styles and standards](#coding-styles-and-standards)
15* [Introduction](#introduction)
16* [System requirements](#system-requirements)
17* [Internet browser compatibility](#browser-compatibility)
18* [Installation](#installation)
19* [Upgrading](#upgrading)
20* [Building and developing](#building-and-developing)
21* [Gedcom (family tree) files](#gedcom-family-tree-files)
22* [Security](#security)
23* [Backup](#backup)
24* [Restore from Backup](#restore-from-backup)
25
26## License
27
28* **webtrees: online genealogy**
29* Copyright 2022 webtrees development team
30
31This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
32it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
33the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or
34(at your option) any later version.
35
36This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
37but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
38MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the
39GNU General Public License for more details.
40
41You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
42along with this program. If not, see <https://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
43
44## Coding styles and standards
45
46webtrees follows the [PHP Standards Recommendations](https://www.php-fig.org/psr).
47
48* [PSR-1](https://www.php-fig.org/psr/psr-1) - Basic Coding Standard
49* [PSR-2](https://www.php-fig.org/psr/psr-2) - Coding Style Guide
50* [PSR-4](https://www.php-fig.org/psr/psr-4) - Autoloading Standard
51* [PSR-6](https://www.php-fig.org/psr/psr-6) - Cache
52* [PSR-7](https://www.php-fig.org/psr/psr-7) - HTTP Message Interface
53* [PSR-11](https://www.php-fig.org/psr/psr-11) - Container Interface
54* [PSR-12](https://www.php-fig.org/psr/psr-12) - Extended Coding Style Guide
55* [PSR-15](https://www.php-fig.org/psr/psr-15) - HTTP Handlers
56* [PSR-17](https://www.php-fig.org/psr/psr-17) - HTTP Factories
57
58We do not currently use [PSR-3 (logging)](https://www.php-fig.org/psr/psr-3) - but we plan to do so in the future.
59
60For JavaScript, we use [semistandard](https://github.com/standard/semistandard).
61
62## Introduction
63
64**webtrees** is the web's leading online collaborative genealogy application.
65
66* It works from standard GEDCOM files, and is therefore compatible with every
67major desktop application.
68* It aims to to be efficient and effective by using the right combination of
69third-party tools, design techniques and open standards.
70
71**webtrees** allows you to view and edit your genealogy on your website. It has
72full editing capabilities, full privacy functions, and supports imedia such as
73photos and document images. As an online program, it fosters extended family
74participation and good ancestral recording habits, as it simplifies the process
75of collaborating with others working on your family lines. Your latest information
76is always on your web site and available for others to see, defined by viewing
77rules you set. For more information and to see working demos, visit
78[webtrees.net](https://webtrees.net/).
79
80**webtrees** is Open Source software that has been produced by people from many
81countries freely donating their time and talents to the project. All service,
82support, and future development is dependent on the time developers are willing
83to donate to the project, often at the expense of work, recreation, and family.
84Beyond the few donations received from users, developers receive no compensation
85for the time they spend working on the project. There is also no outside source
86of revenue to support the project. Please consider these circumstances when
87making support requests and consider volunteering your own time and skills to make
88the project even stronger and better.
89
90## System requirements
91
92To install **webtrees**, you need:
93
94* A webserver. Apache, NGINX and IIS are the most common types. To use “Pretty URLs”, you will need to configure URL rewriting"
95* A database. MySQL is recommended, although PostgreSQL, SQL-Server and SQLite can be used. Some features rely on MySQL for collation.  Other database might not sort names according to local rules.  **webtrees** uses a prefix for its table names, so you can install several instances of webtrees in the same database.
96* Approximately 100MB of disk space for the application files, plus whatever is
97  needed for your media files, GEDCOM files and database.
98* PHP 7.1 - 7.4. Servers with PHP 5.3 - 7.0 can use **webtrees** 1.7.
99   * PHP should be configured to allow sufficient server resources (memory and
100     execution time) for the size of your system. Typical requirements are:
101      * Small systems (500 individuals): 16–32 MB, 10–20 seconds
102      * Medium systems (5,000 individuals): 32–64 MB, 20–40 seconds
103      * Large systems (50,000 individuals): 64–128 MB, 40–80 seconds
104
105## Browser compatibility
106
107  **webtrees** is tested on recent versions of popular browsers such as Edge, Firefox,
108  Chrome, and Safari.  Support for other browsers and older versions is on a case-by-case basis.
109
110## Installation
111
1121. Download the .ZIP file for latest stable version from [github.com](https://github.com/fisharebest/webtrees/releases/latest).
1132. Unzip the files and then upload them to an empty folder on your web server.
1143. Open your web browser and type the URL for your **webtrees** site (for example,
115   ``https://www.yourserver.com/webtrees`` into the address bar.
1164. The **webtrees** setup wizard will start automatically.
117
118Your first task will be to create a family tree.
119
120If you have a GEDCOM file, you can import it into the tree. If not, just start
121entering your family tree.
122
123There are lots of configuration options. You'll probably want to review the
124privacy settings first. Don't worry too much about all the other options - the
125defaults are good for most people. If you get stuck, you can get friendly help
126and advice from the [help](https://webtrees.net/forums) forum.
127
128## Upgrading
129
130Upgrading **webtrees** is quick and easy. It is strongly recommended that you
131upgrade your installation whenever a new version is made available. Even minor
132**webtrees** version updates usually contain a significant number of bug fixes
133as well as interface improvements and program enhancements.
134
135* **Automatic upgrade**
136
137  **webtrees** has an automatic upgrade facility. An administrator upon logging in
138will receive notification when a new version is available and an option to start
139the automatic upgrade. If for some reason the automatic upgrade should fail
140then a manual upgrade should be performed.
141
142* **Manual upgrade**
143
144  1. Now would be a good time to make a [backup](#backup).
145  2. Download the latest version of **webtrees** available from
146   [webtrees.net](https://webtrees.net/)
147  3. While you are in the middle of uploading the new files,
148   a visitor to your site would encounter a mixture of new and old files. This
149   could cause unpredictable behavior or errors. To prevent this, create the
150   file **data/offline.txt**. While this file exists, visitors will see a
151   “site unavailable - come back later” message.
152  4. Unzip the .ZIP file, and upload the files to your web server, overwriting the existing files.
153  5. Delete the file **data/offline.txt**.
154
155### Note for Macintosh users
156
157Step 4 assumes you are using a copy tool that **merges** directories rather than
158replaces them. (**Merge** is standard behavior on Windows and Linux.) If you use
159the Macintosh Finder or other similar tool to perform step 3, it will **replace**
160your configuration, media and other directories with the empty/default ones from
161the installation. This would be very bad (but you did take a backup in step 1,
162didn't you!). Further details and recommendations for suitable tools can be found
163by searching [google.com](https://google.com).
164
165## Building and developing
166
167If you want to build webtrees from source, or modify the code, you'll need to install
168a couple of tools first.
169
170You will need [composer](https://getcomposer.org/) to install the PHP dependencies.
171Then run this command::
172
173* php composer.phar install
174
175You will need [npm](https://www.npmjs.com/get-npm) to install the Javascript dependencies.
176Then run the commands:
177
178* npm install
179* npm run production
180
181You will need to re-run the second of these any time you modify the file `webtrees.js`.
182
183## Gedcom (family tree) files
184
185When you import a family tree (GEDCOM) file in **webtrees** the
186data from the file is transferred to the database tables. The file itself
187remains in the **webtrees/data** folder and is no longer used or required
188by **webtrees**. Any subsequent editing of the **webtrees** data
189will not change this file
190
191When or if you change your genealogy data outside of **webtrees**, it is not
192necessary to delete your GEDCOM file or database from **webtrees** and start
193over. Follow these steps to update a GEDCOM that has already been imported:
194
195* Go to ``Control panel`` -> ``Manage family trees`` On the line relating to this particular family tree (GEDCOM)
196  file (or a new one) select IMPORT.
197* Take careful note of the media items option (_“If you have created media objects
198  in **webtrees**, and have edited your data off-line using software that
199  deletes media objects, then tick this box to merge the current media objects
200  with the new GEDCOM.”_) In most cases you should leave this box **UNCHECKED**.
201* Click “SAVE”. **webtrees** will validate the GEDCOM again before importing.
202  During this process, **webtrees** copies your entire family tree (GEDCOM file)
203  to a 'chunk' table within your database. Depending on the coding of your file,
204  its file size and the capabilities of your server and the supporting software,
205  this may take some time. **No progress bar will show while the data is being
206  copied** and should you navigate away from this page, the process is suspended.
207  It will start again when you return to the Family Tree management page.
208
209## Security
210
211**Security** in _webtrees_ means ensuring your site is safe from unwanted
212intrusions, hacking, or access to data and configuration files. The developers
213of _webtrees_ regard security as an extremely important part of its development
214and have made every attempt to ensure your data is safe.
215
216The area most at risk of intrusion would be the **/data** folder that contains your
217config.ini.php file, and various temporary files. If you are concerned there
218may be a risk there is a very simple test you can do: try to fetch the file
219config.ini.php by typing **``url_to_your_server/data/config.ini.php``** in your web
220browser.
221
222The most likely result is an “access denied” message like this:
223
224    Forbidden
225
226    You don't have permission to access /data/config.ini.php on this server.
227
228This indicates that the protection built into **webtrees** is working, and no
229further action is required.
230
231In the unlikely event you do fetch the file (you will just see a semicolon),
232then that protection is not working on your site and you should take some further
233action.
234
235If your server runs PHP in CGI mode, then change the permission of the **/data**
236folder to 700 instead of 777. This will block access to the httpd process,
237while still allowing access to PHP scripts.
238
239This will work for perhaps 99% of all users. Only the remaining 1% should consider
240the most complex solution, moving the **/data** folder out of accessible web
241space. (**_Note:_** In many shared hosting environments this is not an option anyway.)
242
243If you do find it necessary, following is an example of the process required:
244
245If your home folder is something like **/home/username**,
246and the root folder for your web site is **/home/username/public_html**,
247and you have installed **webtrees** in the **public_html/webtrees** folder,
248then you would create a new **data** folder in your home folder at the same
249level as your public_html folder, such as **/home/username/private/data**,
250and place your GEDCOM (family tree) file there.
251
252Then change the **Data folder** setting on the ``Control panel`` ->
253``Website`` -> ``Website preferences`` page from the default **data/** to the new
254location **/home/username/private/data**
255
256You will have **two** data directories:
257
258* [path to webtrees]/data - just needs to contain config.ini.php
259* /home/username/private/data - contains everything else
260
261## Backup
262
263Backups are good. Whatever problem you have, it can always be fixed from a good
264backup.
265
266To make a backup of **webtrees**, you need to make a copy of the following
267
2681. The files in the *webtrees/data* folder.
2692. The tables in the database. Freely available tools such as
270   [phpMyAdmin](https://www.phpmyadmin.net) allow you to do this in one click. Alternatively, You can also make a backup running a mysqldump command (just replace the words *[localhost]*, *[username]*, *[password]* and *[databasename]* with your own):
271
272    `mysqldump --host=[localhost] -u [username] -p[password] --databases [databasename] > dump_file.sql`
273
274    Note that '*-p[password]*' goes together with no space in between.
275
276Remember that most web hosting services do NOT backup your data, and this is
277your responsibility.
278
279## Restore from backup
280
281To restore a backup on a new server:
282
2831. Follow the steps in [Installation](#installation) to get a clean new installation.
284
2852. Replace the *data* folder with backup copy.
286
2873. Restore your mysql database using phpmyadmin or running the following command line on your database server using your mysqldumpfile (just replace the words *[username]*, *[password]* and *[databasename]* with your own):
288
289    `mysql -u [username] -p[password] [database_name] < [dump_file.sql]`
290
2914. Confirm the file *data/config.ini.php* contains to correct information to connect to the database and update it if needed.
292