Chisimba is a PHP framework for building web applications and applications that need a web API. It implements a model-view-controller (MVC) design pattern, implemented on a modular architecture. There is a core framework, and numerous modules that implement functionality ranging from blogs through CMS to a eLearning system. The interface design is flexible and implemented via canvases (skins, or themes). There is an online package management system, and developers can build modules rapidly by generating a working module from which to code. In order to fully install and use the Chisimba framework to its full potential, it is necessary to install a number of PHP extensions, as well as to have a few PEAR objects on hand. The word “Chisimba” is the Chichewa (Malawi) word for the framework used to build a traditional African house.
Chisimba was created as a product of a collaboration of the 13 African universities involved in the African Virtual Open Initiatives and Resources (AVOIR) project. Its main purpose is to foster capacity building in Software Engineering among African universities through the collaborative development of Free Software. However, it is an awesome technology for running and building web applications. See http://chisimba.com for more information.
Please make sure that you have a working Apache installation, as well as a functional database hosted on one of the following database servers:
- MySQL - 5.1.x
- PostgreSQL - 8.1 (note that we have not done much testing on PostGreSQL, so MySQL is a safer bet).
You will also need PHP version 5.1.2 or above.
The web based installer found in /path/to/webroot/chisimba_framework/installer/index.php will help you configure and der to use the mail to blog functionality, you will need the IMAP PHP extension. On most GNU/Linux distributions, this is a simple command to the package manager. On Windows based systems, it is as simple as uncommenting the extension in php.ini and downloading the required .dll.
If you have any questions, comments or other issues, please do not hesitate to post a message to our users mailing list found at:
http://groups.google.com/group/chisimba‐dev
Have fun! Enjoy Chisimba!