Question & Answer Platform

A fully functional web-based Q&A platform similar to Stack Overflow, built with PHP, MySQL, and Bootstrap.

Features

User Management

• User registration and authentication
• Secure password hashing
• User profiles with statistics
• Session management

Question Features

• Post questions with title, description, and category
• View question details
• Track question views
• Like/upvote questions
• Category-based filtering
• Related questions display

Answer Features

• Post answers to questions
• Like/upvote answers
• Answer sorting by likes
• Multiple answers per question

Interactive UI

• Responsive design with Bootstrap 5
• AJAX-based like system
• Real-time notifications
• Clean and modern interface
• Mobile-friendly layout

Technologies Used

• Backend: PHP 7.4+
• Database: MySQL 5.7+
• Frontend: HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript
• Framework: Bootstrap 5.3
• Libraries: jQuery 3.6
• Icons: Bootstrap Icons
• Tools: XAMPP, phpMyAdmin, VS Code

Installation Instructions

Prerequisites

• XAMPP (or any PHP + MySQL environment)
• Web browser
• Text editor (VS Code recommended)

Step 1: Setup XAMPP

1. Download and install XAMPP from https://www.apachefriends.org/
2. Start Apache and MySQL services from XAMPP Control Panel

Step 2: Clone/Download Project

git clone https://github.com/HarshadaPatilS/Question-Answer-Platform.git

Or download ZIP and extract to C:\xampp\htdocs\qa-platform\

Step 3: Database Setup

1. Open phpMyAdmin (http://localhost/phpmyadmin)
2. Create a new database named qa_platform
3. Import the database/setup.sql file
   • Click on the qa_platform database
   • Go to "Import" tab
   • Choose setup.sql file
   • Click "Go"

Step 4: Configure Database Connection

Open config/database.php and update if needed:

private $host = "localhost";
private $db_name = "qa_platform";
private $username = "root";
private $password = "";
private $port = "4306";

Step 5: Run the Application

1. Open your browser
2. Navigate to http://localhost/qa-platform/
3. Sign up for a new account or use demo credentials:
   • Username: john_doe
   • Password: password

Project Structure

qa-platform/
├── config/
│   └── database.php          # Database connection
├── includes/
│   ├── header.php           # Common header
│   ├── footer.php           # Common footer
│   └── functions.php        # Helper functions
├── assets/
│   ├── css/
│   │   └── style.css        # Custom styles
│   ├── js/
│   │   └── script.js        # Custom JavaScript
│   └── images/              # Images
├── auth/
│   ├── login.php            # Login page
│   ├── signup.php           # Registration
│   └── logout.php           # Logout
├── questions/
│   ├── ask_question.php     # Create question
│   ├── view_question.php    # View details
│   └── like_question.php    # Like handler
├── answers/
│   ├── post_answer.php      # Submit answer
│   └── like_answer.php      # Like handler
├── user/
│   ├── profile.php          # User profile
│   └── my_questions.php     # User's questions
├── database/
│   └── setup.sql            # Database schema
├── index.php                # Homepage
└── README.md                # Documentation

Database Schema

Tables

1. users - User accounts
2. questions - Posted questions
3. answers - Question answers
4. question_likes - Question upvotes
5. answer_likes - Answer upvotes
6. tags - Question tags (optional)
7. question_tags - Question-tag relationships

Usage Guide

For Users

1. Register: Create account with username, email, password
2. Login: Access your account
3. Ask Question: Post new questions with details
4. Answer: Help others by answering questions
5. Like: Upvote helpful questions and answers
6. Profile: View your statistics and activity

For Developers

1. Clone the repository
2. Set up local environment
3. Import database
4. Configure settings
5. Start development

API Endpoints (AJAX)

• POST /questions/like_question.php - Like a question
• POST /answers/like_answer.php - Like an answer
• POST /answers/post_answer.php - Submit answer

---