Installing Tickets CAD on Windows w XAMPP - openises/tickets GitHub Wiki

Installing TicketsCAD on Windows with XAMPP

Recommended: For the easiest setup, use Docker Desktop instead. It handles Apache, PHP, and MySQL automatically.

Prerequisites

  • XAMPP — Download from https://www.apachefriends.org/
    • XAMPP 8.2.x is recommended (includes PHP 8.2, Apache 2.4, MariaDB 10.4)
    • XAMPP 7.4.x also works but PHP 7.4 is end-of-life
    • TicketsCAD supports PHP 7.0 through 8.4+

Step 1: Install XAMPP

  1. Download XAMPP from https://www.apachefriends.org/
  2. Run the installer — accept defaults
  3. Install to C:\xampp (or your preferred location)
  4. Start the XAMPP Control Panel
  5. Start Apache and MySQL services

Step 2: Create the Database

  1. Open phpMyAdmin at http://localhost/phpmyadmin
  2. Click "New" in the left sidebar
  3. Enter database name: tickets
  4. Select collation: utf8mb4_general_ci
  5. Click Create

Create a Database User (Recommended)

In phpMyAdmin, click the SQL tab and run:

CREATE USER 'tickets'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'your_secure_password';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON tickets.* TO 'tickets'@'localhost';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;

Step 3: Download TicketsCAD

Option A: Download Release ZIP

  1. Go to https://github.com/openises/tickets/releases
  2. Download the latest .zip file
  3. Extract to C:\xampp\htdocs\tickets\

Option B: Git Clone

cd C:\xampp\htdocs
git clone https://github.com/openises/tickets.git

Step 4: Run the Installer

  1. Open http://localhost/tickets/install.php
  2. Select Install / Reinstall mode
  3. Fill in:
    • MySQL host: localhost
    • MySQL database: tickets
    • MySQL username: tickets (or root if you didn't create a user)
    • MySQL password: Your password (or blank for root on default XAMPP)
    • Super admin username: admin
    • Super admin password: Choose a strong password (min 6 characters)
  4. Click Do It
  5. Wait for installation to complete (~15 seconds)
  6. Click Go to TicketsCAD

Step 5: Login

  • URL: http://localhost/tickets/
  • Username: admin
  • Password: What you set during installation

Upgrading

  1. Download the latest release
  2. Extract files over your existing C:\xampp\htdocs\tickets\ directory
    • Do NOT delete incs\mysql.inc.php (your database config)
  3. Open http://localhost/tickets/install.php
  4. Select Upgrade mode
  5. Click Do It

Troubleshooting

White screen after login

  • Check C:\xampp\php\logs\php_error_log for errors
  • If on PHP 8.2+, ensure you're running TicketsCAD 3.44.1+ (includes compatibility layer)

"MySQL server has gone away"

  • Open XAMPP Control Panel → MySQL → Config → my.ini
  • Increase max_allowed_packet = 64M
  • Restart MySQL

Map tiles show "Access blocked"

  • Go to Config > Tile Server and switch to Proxy mode
  • Or clear your browser cache (Ctrl+Shift+Delete)

Port 80 in use

  • Skype, IIS, or another web server may be using port 80
  • In XAMPP Control Panel → Apache → Config → httpd.conf
  • Change Listen 80 to Listen 8080
  • Access at http://localhost:8080/tickets/

PHP Version Notes

TicketsCAD 3.44.1+ supports PHP 7.0 through 8.4+. A built-in compatibility layer handles functions removed in newer PHP versions. See PHP Compatibility for details.