BeamReactor — Getting Started #

Requirements #

• PHP 8.3 or higher
• MySQL / MariaDB
• FTP access to your server
• phpMyAdmin (or any SQL client)
• No Composer, no Node, no build tools required

Quick Install (5 minutes) #

1. Upload #

Upload the entire BeamReactor directory to your web server via FTP. That's it — no dependency installation, no build step.

2. Database #

Import the default SQL schema into your database using phpMyAdmin:

1. Create a new database (e.g. `beamreactor`)

2. Import `conf/sql_default.sql`

3. Configure your database credentials in `conf/sql.ini.php`

3. Configure `conf/cfg.php` #

Open `conf/cfg.php` and adjust the following values to match your setup:

Site identity

• `$cfg[1]` — Site name
• `$cfg[2]` — Homepage file (default: `home.php`)
• `$cfg[9]` — Webmaster nickname
• `$cfg[10]` — Webmaster email
• `$cfg[11]` — Contact email addresses (general, commercial, technical, legal, noreply)
• `$cfg[19]` — Site description (used in meta tags)
• `$cfg[21]` — Browser titlebar suffix
• `$cfg[27]` — Titlebar fallback text when a plugin is called

Localisation

• `$cfg[5]` — Currency symbol (default: `€`)
• `$cfg[22]` — Base language (`fr`, `en`, etc.)
• `$cfg[30]` — MySQL timezone offset (e.g. `+1:00`) or `FALSE` for server time
• `date_default_timezone_set()` — PHP timezone (default: `Europe/Paris`)

Security (change these immediately)

• `$cfg['security_pepper']` — 64+ random characters, unique to your installation
• `$cfg['fake_salt_secret']` — 64-char hex string, unique to your installation
• `$cfg[23]` — Customer key (provided with your licence)

Paths (usually fine as defaults)

• `$cfg[3]` — Skins path (default: `user/skins`)
• `$cfg[4]` — Data path (default: `user/data`)
• `$cfg[6]` — Images path (default: `user/images`)
• `$cfg[33]` — Fonts path (default: `user/fonts`)

Company details (for invoicing / legal pages)

• `$cfg[34]` — Company registration, address, phone
• `$cfg[35]` — Banking details (IBAN, BIC)

Payment gateways (if using e-commerce plugins)

• `$cfg[36]` — Stripe keys and mode (`test` / `live`)
• `$cfg[37]` — PayPal keys and mode (`sandbox` / `live`)
• `$cfg[38]` — Cheque payment configuration

4. Create your account #

Navigate to your site in a browser and register through the standard sign-up form. Fill in your email, nickname, name and password.

5. Promote to webmaster #

In phpMyAdmin, open the `users` table and set your account's privilege level to `1500` (OVERMIND). This grants full administrative access.

The privilege hierarchy is:

• `0` — USER (default)
• `100` — HIGHUSER
• `500` — MODERATOR
• `1000` — ADMIN
• `1500` — OVERMIND (full control)

6. Done #

Your BeamReactor installation is live. From the admin panel you can:

• Install plugins from the Package Manager
• Customise your skin with the Skin Generator
• Configure individual plugins via their settings
• Start creating content

Guided Install (licence key) #

If you purchased a licence with a registration key, you can use the automated installation script instead of manual setup:

1. Upload BeamReactor via FTP

2. Run the installation script in your browser

3. Enter your credentials (email, nickname, name) and registration key (UUID)

4. Create your password

The script handles database setup, library installation, default skin, member zone and security includes automatically. It redirects you through a guided flow:

1. Package Manager — Select and install the plugins you need from the catalogue. Packages install automatically (decompressed into `/plugins/`)

2. Skin Generator — Create your default skin and buttons. Buttons are saved in skinconfig, styles in CSS

3. System ready

During this flow, `login_success` is temporarily replaced by the installation script to keep the user on track until configuration is complete.

File structure overview #

/conf/
  cfg.php               # Main configuration
  sql.ini.php           # Database credentials
  sql_default.sql       # Default schema
/lib/                   # Core engine libraries
/plugins/               # Plugin directory (one folder per plugin)
/widgets/               # Front-page widgets
/user/
  /data/                # User data, MD files
  /skins/               # Skin files
  /images/              # Uploaded images
  /fonts/               # Font files
/members/               # Member zone
/javascript/            # JS libraries (jQuery, dialogs)

Next steps #

• Plugin Architecture — How plugins work
• Sanitizer Documentation — Input validation system
• SQL Guide — Database abstraction layer
• Widgets Guide — Front-page widget system