SkillXchange

A skill-based collaboration platform connecting individuals and organizations for project-based learning and teamwork.

🚀 Technology Stack

100% Vanilla Stack - No Frameworks or Libraries

• Frontend: Pure HTML5, CSS3, Vanilla JavaScript
• Backend: PHP 8.2+ (no frameworks)
• Database: MariaDB 10.4+
• Server: Apache 2.4+ (XAMPP)
• Architecture: Custom MVC Pattern

No external dependencies:

• ✅ No npm/Node.js required
• ✅ No Composer packages
• ✅ No CSS frameworks (Bootstrap, Tailwind, etc.)
• ✅ No JS libraries (jQuery, React, Vue, etc.)
• ✅ Pure, lightweight, fast

📋 Requirements

• PHP 8.2 or higher
• MariaDB 10.4 or higher
• Apache 2.4 or higher
• XAMPP recommended for local development

🛠️ Installation

1. Clone or download the repository

   git clone https://github.com/UmayaWalpola/SkillXchange.git
   cd SkillXchange

2. Set up database

   • Import insert-test-data.sql into your MariaDB database
   • Update database credentials in app/config/config.php

3. Configure XAMPP

   • Place project in C:\xampp\htdocs\SkillXchange
   • Start Apache and MySQL in XAMPP Control Panel

4. Access the application

   • Navigate to: http://localhost/SkillXchange/public/

📁 Project Structure

SkillXchange/
├── app/                # Application Layer (MVC)
│   ├── config/         # Database configuration
│   ├── controllers/    # Controllers (Business Logic)
│   ├── models/         # Models (Data Layer)
│   ├── views/          # Views (Presentation Layer)
│   ├── helpers/        # Helper functions
│   ├── middlewares/    # Request/response middleware
│   └── validators/     # Input validation
├── core/               # Core Framework
│   ├── Controller.php  # Base controller
│   ├── Core.php        # Router (URL dispatcher)
│   └── Database.php    # Database wrapper (PDO)
├── public/             # Public Web Root
│   ├── index.php       # Front Controller (entry point)
│   ├── .htaccess       # URL rewriting
│   ├── assets/         # Static assets
│   │   ├── css/        # Stylesheets (vanilla CSS)
│   │   └── js/         # JavaScript (vanilla JS)
│   ├── uploads/        # User uploads
│   └── api/            # API endpoints (optional)
├── database/           # Database files
│   └── migrations/     # SQL migration files
├── scripts/            # Development utilities
│   ├── tests/          # Test scripts
│   └── debug/          # Debug utilities
├── README.md           # Project documentation
├── SETUP_INSTRUCTIONS.txt
├── TESTING_GUIDE.md
└── MVC_STRUCTURE.md    # Complete MVC architecture guide

📖 For detailed MVC architecture documentation, see MVC_STRUCTURE.md

🎯 Features

• User Management: Registration, login, profiles
• Organizations: Create and manage organizations
• Projects: Post and manage collaborative projects
• Applications: Apply to projects and manage applications
• Team Management: Assign roles, manage members
• Task Tracking: Create, assign, and monitor tasks
• Progress Dashboard: Real-time metrics and analytics
• Communities: Join and participate in skill communities
• Chat System: Real-time project communication
• Wallet: Track earnings and transactions

🎨 Design System

Color Palette:

• Primary Blue: #658396
• Accent Blue: #9cc7df
• Blue Background: #d5eaf6
• Dark Background: #12120D
• White: #FFFFFF

Typography:

• Font Family: Poppins, system-ui, sans-serif
• Base Font Size: 18px
• Line Height: 1.6

🔐 Security Features

• Password hashing with PHP's password_hash()
• SQL injection prevention via prepared statements
• XSS protection with htmlspecialchars()
• Session-based authentication
• Role-based access control

📱 Responsive Design

• Mobile-first approach
• Breakpoints: 480px, 768px, 1024px
• Flexible grid layouts
• Touch-friendly UI elements

🧪 Testing

Refer to TESTING_GUIDE.md for comprehensive testing procedures.

📖 Documentation

• README.md - Project overview (this file)
• MVC_STRUCTURE.md - Complete MVC architecture guide
• SETUP_INSTRUCTIONS.txt - Setup guide
• TESTING_GUIDE.md - Testing procedures
• insert-test-data.sql - Test data for development

🤝 Contributing

This is a university project. For collaboration inquiries, please contact the repository owner.

📄 License

Educational/Academic Project

👥 Author

Umaya Walpola

• GitHub: @UmayaWalpola
• Project: SkillXchange Platform

🌟 Acknowledgments

Built with pure web technologies for optimal performance and learning.

---

Note: This project demonstrates modern web development using vanilla technologies without relying on frameworks or external libraries.