CO-READIT Documentation

Welcome to CO-READIT! Thank you for purchasing our advanced community discussion platform. This comprehensive guide will walk you through the installation, configuration, and management of your CO-READIT community.

CO-READIT is a feature-rich Reddit-style community platform that allows you to create vibrant, interactive communities called "Circles" with threaded discussions, real-time notifications, user voting systems, comprehensive moderation tools, AI-powered features, a complete wallet and monetization system, and much more.

What's Included

• Complete CO-READIT source code
• Database schema and migrations
• Installation wizard
• Multi-language support (11 languages included)
• Comprehensive admin panel
• This documentation

Server Requirements

Before installing CO-READIT, ensure your server meets the following requirements:

Minimum Requirements

Required PHP Extensions

• mysqli - Database connectivity (critical)
• pdo & pdo_mysql - PDO database driver (critical)
• mbstring - Multi-byte string support (critical)
• gd - Image processing
• curl - External API requests (critical)
• zip - Backup functionality
• fileinfo - File type detection (critical)
• json - JSON data handling (critical)
• openssl - Secure connections (critical)
• session - Session management (critical)

Directory Permissions

The following directories must be writable (chmod 755 or 775):

• storage/ - Main storage directory
• storage/cache/ - Application cache
• storage/logs/ - Log files
• storage/sessions/ - Session files
• storage/uploads/ - User uploaded media
• storage/thumbnails/ - Generated thumbnails
• storage/backups/ - System backups

Getting Your License Key

To activate CO-READIT, you'll need your license key from edubrazeal.com. This verifies your license and enables full functionality.

How to Find Your License Key

1. Log in to your edubrazeal.com account
2. Navigate to your Orders page
3. Find your CO-READIT order
4. Click on the order to view details
5. Your license key will be displayed in the order details
6. Your license key is a 19-character string in the format: XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX

License Key Format

A valid edubrazeal.com license key looks like this:

YZE2-ZYSR-TR3E-9L7N

Installation & Setup

Follow these steps carefully to install CO-READIT on your server.

1. Upload Files to Server

1. Extract the CO-READIT package you downloaded from edubrazeal.com to your local computer
2. Connect to your server via FTP/SFTP using FileZilla, WinSCP, or cPanel File Manager
3. Navigate to your website's root directory (usually public_html or www)
4. Upload all extracted files to this directory
5. Wait for all files to upload completely (this may take several minutes)

2. Run the Installation Wizard

1. Open your web browser and navigate to: https://yourdomain.com/install.php
2. The installer will perform an automatic server requirements check
3. Review all requirements - critical items must pass (green checkmarks)
4. If any critical requirement fails, contact your hosting provider
5. Once all checks pass, click "Continue to Installation"

3. License Activation (After Installation)

After completing the installation, you'll need to activate your license:

1. Complete the installation wizard (database setup and admin account creation)
2. After installation completes, you'll be redirected to the activation page
3. Enter your edubrazeal.com License Key (obtained from your order page)
4. Click "Activate License"
5. Once activated, you'll have full access to your CO-READIT installation

4. Database Configuration

You'll need to create a MySQL database before proceeding. Most hosting providers offer this through cPanel or Plesk.

Creating a Database (cPanel)

1. Log in to your cPanel
2. Navigate to MySQL Databases
3. Create a new database (note the database name)
4. Create a new MySQL user with a strong password
5. Add the user to the database with ALL PRIVILEGES
6. Note down: Database Name, Database User, Database Password, and Host (usually localhost)

Enter Database Details

Back in the CO-READIT installer, enter your database credentials:

• Database Host: Usually localhost (check with your host if different)
• Database Port: Usually 3306 (default MySQL port)
• Database Name: The name you created
• Database Username: The MySQL user you created
• Database Password: The password for your MySQL user

Click "Test Connection" to verify, then "Continue"

5. Site & Administrator Account Setup

Configure your site information and create your administrator account:

Site Information

• Site URL: Your full website URL (e.g., https://yourdomain.com) - no trailing slash
• Site Name: Your community's name (displayed throughout the site)
• Site Description: A brief description of your community

Administrator Account

• Admin Email: Your email address for admin notifications
• Admin Username: Your login username (alphanumeric, no spaces)
• Admin Password: A strong password (minimum 8 characters)

6. Complete Installation

1. Review all settings and click "Install CO-READIT"
2. The installer will:
   • Import database tables and structure
   • Create your administrator account
   • Generate configuration files (.env)
   • Set up default settings
   • Create necessary directories
3. Installation typically takes 30-60 seconds
4. Once complete, you'll see a success message
5. Important: Delete or rename install.php for security

Admin Panel Configuration

Access your admin panel by navigating to https://yourdomain.com/admin and logging in with your administrator credentials.

General Settings

Navigate to Admin → Settings to configure your site's basic information:

Site Information

• Site Name: Your platform's name (displayed throughout the site)
• Site Title: Browser title and SEO
• Site Description: Meta description for search engines
• Site Keywords: SEO keywords
• Contact Email: Default contact email for users
• Support Email: Support-related inquiries email

User Registration

• User Registration: Enable/disable new user signups
• Email Verification: Require users to verify email before accessing site
• Default User Role: Role assigned to new users

SMTP Configuration

Configure email sending for notifications, verifications, and alerts:

1. Navigate to Admin → Settings → Email
2. Enter your SMTP credentials:
   • SMTP Host: Your mail server (e.g., smtp.gmail.com)
   • SMTP Port: Usually 587 (TLS) or 465 (SSL)
   • SMTP Username: Your email address
   • SMTP Password: Your email password or app password
   • SMTP Encryption: TLS or SSL
3. Click "Test Email" to verify
4. Save changes

Payment Gateways

Navigate to Admin → Wallet → Gateways to set up payment processing for wallet top-ups.

Stripe Integration

1. Create a Stripe account at Stripe.com
2. Access your Stripe Dashboard → Developers → API Keys
3. Copy your Publishable Key and Secret Key
4. In CO-READIT Admin Panel:
   • Paste keys in respective fields
   • Choose between Test Mode or Live Mode
5. Save settings

PayPal Integration

1. Create a PayPal Business account at PayPal Business
2. Access your PayPal Developer Dashboard
3. Create a REST API application
4. Copy your Client ID and Secret Key
5. In CO-READIT Admin Panel:
   • Paste Client ID in "PayPal Client ID"
   • Paste Secret Key in "PayPal Secret Key"
   • Select Mode: Sandbox (testing) or Live (production)
6. Save and test a small transaction

CoinPayments (Crypto) Integration

1. Create an account at CoinPayments
2. Get your Merchant ID and IPN Secret
3. Configure in CO-READIT admin panel
4. Enable cryptocurrencies you want to accept

Bank Transfer

Configure manual bank transfer options for users who prefer traditional payment:

• Enter your bank account details
• Set up verification process
• Configure admin approval workflow

Themes & Languages

Theme Settings

Navigate to Admin → Settings → Appearance to customize your site's look:

• Default Theme: Light, Dark, or Auto (follows system preference)
• Primary Color: Main brand color (default: #00ba7b)
• Logo: Upload your platform logo (PNG format recommended)
• Favicon: Upload site favicon (32x32px ICO or PNG)
• Custom CSS: Add custom styling
• Custom JavaScript: Add custom scripts

Languages

CO-READIT includes 11 languages out of the box:

• English (en)
• Spanish (es)
• French (fr)
• German (de)
• Portuguese (pt)
• Arabic (ar) - RTL supported
• Russian (ru)
• Japanese (ja)
• Chinese (zh)
• Hindi (hi)
• Polish (pl)

Users can choose their preferred language in their settings.

Wallet System

Navigate to Admin → Wallet to manage the platform's wallet system:

Wallet Settings

• Enable Wallet: Turn user wallet system on/off
• Currency: Set your platform currency (USD, EUR, etc.)
• Currency Symbol: Display symbol ($, €, etc.)
• Minimum Deposit: Minimum amount users can add
• Minimum Withdrawal: Minimum amount for withdrawal requests
• Withdrawal Fee: Platform commission on withdrawals (%)

Withdrawal Management

View and process user withdrawal requests:

• Review pending withdrawal requests
• Approve or reject withdrawals
• View transaction history
• Credit/debit user wallets manually

Key Features Overview

CO-READIT comes packed with features to create a comprehensive community discussion experience:

Circles (Communities)

Circles are the heart of CO-READIT - themed communities where users can discuss specific topics.

• Create Circles: Users can create their own communities
• Circle Customization: Avatar, banner, description, rules
• Privacy Settings: Public, restricted, or private circles
• Circle Flairs: Custom post tags for organization
• Circle Rules: Define community guidelines
• Member Management: Invite, approve, ban members
• Moderator Roles: Assign moderators with permissions
• Favorites: Users can favorite circles for quick access
• Notifications: Toggle notifications per circle

Threads & Comments

• Create Threads: Text posts, links, images, polls
• Rich Text Editor: Markdown support for formatting
• Threaded Comments: Nested replies for discussions
• Voting System: Upvote/downvote threads and comments
• Karma System: Users earn karma from upvotes
• Pin Threads: Moderators can pin important posts
• Lock Threads: Prevent new comments
• Crossposting: Share threads across circles
• Save/Bookmark: Save threads for later
• Hide Threads: Users can hide unwanted content
• Report System: Report inappropriate content

Moderation Tools

Comprehensive tools for circle and site-wide moderation:

Circle Moderation

• Mod Queue: Review reported content
• Mod Log: Track all moderation actions
• Mod Mail: Private communication with moderators
• Ban Management: Temporary or permanent bans
• Content Removal: Remove threads/comments
• User Warnings: Issue warnings before bans

AutoModerator New

• Rule-based Automation: Create auto-moderation rules
• Keyword Filtering: Auto-remove posts with banned words
• Spam Detection: Auto-flag suspicious content
• Account Age Rules: Restrict new account posting
• Karma Requirements: Minimum karma to post
• Action Logs: Track AutoMod actions

Site Moderators

• Site-wide Moderation: Moderate across all circles
• Global Queue: All reported content in one place
• User History: View user's moderation history

Awards & Badges

Gamification features to increase engagement:

• Awards: Users can give awards to threads/comments
• Purchasable Awards: Buy awards with wallet coins
• Award Hub: View all available awards
• Leaderboards: Top award givers/receivers
• Badges: Achievement badges for users
• Badge Display: Show badges on profile

Messaging System

• Direct Messages: Private user-to-user messaging
• Conversation Threads: Chat-style conversations
• Unread Counts: Track unread messages
• Archive: Archive old conversations
• Mute: Mute conversation notifications
• Block Users: Block unwanted contacts
• Search: Search through messages

Promotions & Advertising

• Promoted Threads: Users can promote their posts
• Targeting Options: Target specific circles
• Budget Control: Set daily/total budgets
• Analytics: View impressions, clicks, engagement
• Admin Approval: Review promotions before going live
• Pricing Control: Admin sets promotion pricing

AI Features Pro

• Smart Replies: AI-suggested reply options
• Post Context: AI summarizes long threads
• AI Chat: Built-in AI assistant
• Configurable Models: Use OpenAI, Anthropic, or custom models

Additional Features

• User Profiles: Customizable with avatar, banner, bio
• Follow System: Follow other users
• Trending: Discover trending threads and circles
• Search: Full-text search across content
• Notifications: Real-time notification system
• Analytics: User and circle analytics
• Media Uploads: Image support with thumbnails
• SEO Optimized: Meta tags, sitemaps
• PWA Ready: Progressive Web App support

Third-Party Integrations

Payment Processing

Stripe

Navigate to Admin → Wallet → Gateways → Stripe

• Get API keys from Stripe Dashboard
• Supports credit cards, digital wallets (Apple Pay, Google Pay)
• Built-in fraud protection
• Webhook support for payment confirmations

PayPal

Navigate to Admin → Wallet → Gateways → PayPal

• Get credentials from PayPal Developer
• Supports both Sandbox (testing) and Live modes
• Express checkout integration

CoinPayments

Navigate to Admin → Wallet → Gateways → CoinPayments

• Accept Bitcoin, Ethereum, and 100+ cryptocurrencies
• Automatic currency conversion
• IPN webhooks for confirmations

Cloud Storage Integration

Offload media storage to cloud services for better performance and scalability.

Amazon S3

Navigate to Admin → Settings → Storage

1. Create an AWS account at AWS
2. Create an S3 bucket in your preferred region
3. Create IAM user with S3 permissions
4. Generate Access Key ID and Secret Access Key
5. Enter credentials in CO-READIT admin panel
6. Enable S3 storage

Other S3-Compatible Services

• Wasabi: 80% cheaper than AWS S3
• DigitalOcean Spaces: Simple developer-friendly storage
• Backblaze B2: Cost-effective cloud storage

Email Services

SMTP Configuration

Configure any SMTP service:

• Gmail (with App Password)
• SendGrid
• Mailgun
• Amazon SES
• Postmark
• Your hosting provider's SMTP

Social Authentication

Navigate to Admin → Settings → OAuth to enable social login:

Google Login

1. Go to Google Cloud Console
2. Create a new project
3. Enable Google Sign-In API
4. Create OAuth 2.0 credentials
5. Add authorized redirect URI: https://yourdomain.com/api/v1/auth/google
6. Copy Client ID and Client Secret to CO-READIT

Other Integrations

Google reCAPTCHA

Prevent spam and bot registrations:

1. Get keys from Google reCAPTCHA
2. Choose reCAPTCHA v2
3. Add your domain
4. Copy Site Key and Secret Key to CO-READIT settings

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Debug Mode & Log Files

CO-READIT includes a comprehensive debug system to help troubleshoot issues. Debug mode is disabled by default for security and performance reasons.

Enabling Debug Mode

To enable debug logging, edit your .env file in the root directory:

1. Open .env file using FTP/SFTP or cPanel File Manager
2. Find the line: APP_DEBUG=false
3. Change it to: APP_DEBUG=true
4. Save the file

# Enable debug mode (set to false in production)
APP_DEBUG=true

Log File Locations

When debug mode is enabled, log files are stored in the storage/logs/ directory:

Viewing Log Files

To view log files:

• Via FTP/SFTP: Navigate to storage/logs/ and download the relevant log file
• Via cPanel: Use File Manager to browse to storage/logs/
• Via SSH: Run tail -f storage/logs/error.log to watch logs in real-time

Disabling Debug Mode

After troubleshooting, always disable debug mode:

1. Edit .env file
2. Set APP_DEBUG=false
3. Save the file
4. Optionally, clear log files: delete contents of storage/logs/*.log

Installation Problems

Invalid License Key

Error: "Invalid or unauthorized license key"

Solutions:

• Verify you copied the license key correctly (no extra spaces)
• Ensure you're using the license key from CO-READIT, not another product
• Check that your edubrazeal.com account owns the license
• If you've reached the maximum activations, deactivate an existing site first

Database Connection Failed

Error: "Database connection failed" or "Access denied for user"

Solutions:

• Verify database credentials are correct
• Ensure database user has ALL PRIVILEGES on the database
• Check if database host is correct (try localhost or 127.0.0.1)
• Verify the database name is correct (case-sensitive on some servers)
• Contact your hosting provider to verify MySQL service is running

White Screen After Installation

Solutions:

• Check PHP error logs in storage/logs/ directory
• Ensure all files were uploaded completely
• Verify file permissions on storage/ directories
• Clear browser cache and cookies
• Check if .htaccess file exists in root directory

500 Internal Server Error

Solutions:

• Check Apache/Nginx error logs
• Verify .htaccess syntax (Apache only)
• Check PHP version meets minimum requirement (8.1+)
• Ensure mod_rewrite is enabled (Apache)
• Check file permissions aren't too restrictive

Performance Issues

Slow Page Loading

Solutions:

• Enable cloud storage (S3, Wasabi) to offload media
• Increase PHP memory limit to 256MB or higher
• Enable OPcache for PHP
• Use a CDN for static assets
• Optimize database with periodic maintenance

Media Upload Failures

Solutions:

• Check storage/uploads/ directory is writable
• Increase PHP upload_max_filesize and post_max_size
• Increase max_execution_time for large files
• Verify GD extension is installed for image processing
• Check available disk space on server

Email & Notification Issues

Emails Not Sending

Solutions:

• Test email in admin panel settings
• Verify SMTP credentials are correct
• Check SMTP port (587 for TLS, 465 for SSL)
• For Gmail, use App Password instead of regular password
• Check if emails are in spam folder
• Verify sender email domain has proper SPF/DKIM records

Payment Issues

Payments Not Processing

Solutions:

• Verify payment gateway API keys are correct
• Check if using Test/Sandbox keys in production (or vice versa)
• Ensure webhook URLs are configured correctly
• Check payment gateway dashboard for error logs
• Verify SSL certificate is valid (required for payments)

Security Issues

Forgot Admin Password

Solution:

1. Access your database via phpMyAdmin
2. Navigate to users table
3. Find your admin user record
4. Generate a new password hash using: password_hash('yournewpassword', PASSWORD_BCRYPT)
5. Update the password field with the new hash
6. Log in with your new password

Support & Updates

Getting Support

Updates & Changelog

CO-READIT receives regular updates with new features, bug fixes, and security patches.

Checking for Updates

1. Log in to admin panel
2. Navigate to Admin → Settings
3. Check current version displayed
4. Visit edubrazeal.com to check for newer versions

Installing Updates

1. Create a full backup (Admin → Backups)
2. Download the latest version from edubrazeal.com
3. Upload new files (exclude .env file and storage/ folder)
4. Run any included migration scripts
5. Clear cache if needed
6. Test your site thoroughly after updating

Best Practices

• ✅ Keep CO-READIT updated to the latest version
• ✅ Regular automated backups (daily or weekly)
• ✅ Use strong passwords for admin accounts
• ✅ Enable reCAPTCHA to prevent spam
• ✅ Monitor server resources and scale as needed
• ✅ Use HTTPS/SSL for security and trust
• ✅ Configure proper file permissions
• ✅ Review and moderate reported content regularly
• ✅ Set up AutoModerator rules for automated moderation
• ✅ Test payment systems in sandbox mode first

Server Optimization Tips

• Use PHP 8.2+ for better performance
• Enable OPcache for PHP
• Use Redis or Memcached for caching
• Offload media to cloud storage (S3, Wasabi)
• Use a CDN for static assets
• Enable gzip compression
• Optimize MySQL/MariaDB configuration
• Use HTTP/2 for faster page loads

Community & Resources

• Demo: https://co-readit.edubrazeal.com
• Author Website: https://edubrazeal.com
• Purchase: CO-READIT on edubrazeal.com
• Documentation: This file (keep it handy!)