Documentation.html

<p><h4>Step 1: Set Up the Environment</h4></p>
<p><ol><li><strong>Install Microsoft Visual Studio</strong>: Ensure that Visual Studio 2019 or later is installed with the <strong>.NET desktop development</strong> workload.</li><li><strong>Check .NET Framework Version</strong>: Confirm that the .NET Framework 4.7.2 or later is installed on your system.</li><li><strong>Install XAMPP</strong>: Ensure XAMPP is installed and properly configured on your system, as the application interacts with Apache’s <code>httpd-vhosts.conf</code> file.</li></ol></p>
<p><h4>Step 2: Open the Project</h4></p>
<p><ol><li><strong>Launch Visual Studio</strong>: Open Microsoft Visual Studio.</li><li><strong>Open the Solution</strong>:<ul><li>Go to <strong>File &gt; Open &gt; Project/Solution</strong>.</li><li>Navigate to the folder where the Atex Host Manager project source code is located.</li><li>Select the solution file (e.g., <code>AtexHostManager.sln</code>) and click <strong>Open</strong>.</li></ul></li></ol></p>
<p><h4>Step 3: Compile the Project</h4></p>
<p><ol><li><strong>Restore NuGet Packages</strong> (if applicable):<ul><li>Go to <strong>Tools &gt; NuGet Package Manager &gt; Manage NuGet Packages for Solution</strong>.</li><li>Click <strong>Restore</strong> to install any missing packages required by the project.</li></ul></li><li><strong>Build the Solution</strong>:<ul><li>In the <strong>Solution Explorer</strong>, right-click the solution (or project) and select <strong>Build</strong>.</li><li>Ensure the <strong>Build Output</strong> window shows <strong>Build succeeded</strong> to confirm that there are no compilation errors.</li></ul></li></ol></p>
<p><h4>Step 4: Run the Project</h4></p>
<p><ol><li><strong>Start with Administrator Privileges</strong>:<ul><li>Since Atex Host Manager requires access to system files (hosts file and XAMPP config), it’s recommended to <strong>Run Visual Studio as Administrator</strong>.</li></ul></li><li><strong>Run the Application</strong>:<ul><li>In Visual Studio, click on <strong>Start</strong> (or press <code>F5</code>) to run the application in Debug mode.</li><li>Alternatively, select <strong>Start Without Debugging</strong> (from the <strong>Debug</strong> menu) to run in normal mode.</li></ul></li><li><strong>Confirm Functionality</strong>:<ul><li>Once the application starts, verify it can access and display entries from the Windows hosts file and XAMPP virtual hosts.</li><li>Test adding a new virtual host to confirm that changes are applied correctly to both the hosts file and the <code>httpd-vhosts.conf</code> in XAMPP.</li></ul></li></ol></p>
<p><h4>Step 5: Troubleshooting</h4></p>
<ul><li><strong>Permission Issues</strong>: If you encounter permission errors when modifying files, ensure Visual Studio is running with administrator rights.</li><li><strong>XAMPP Apache Not Reflecting Changes</strong>: Restart the Apache server from the XAMPP Control Panel to apply changes made by Atex Host Manager.</li></ul>