LearnHub Setup
Step-by-Step Guide

1.1 Verify PHP Version Required

Moodle 4.x requires PHP 8.1 or higher. Set this in Hostinger hPanel.

1. Log in to hPanel → go to Hosting → Manage
2. Click Advanced → PHP Configuration
3. Select PHP 8.1 or 8.2 from the dropdown
4. Click Save

1.2 Configure PHP Settings

In PHP Configuration → php.ini editor, ensure these minimum values:

1.3 Set Up Your Domain / Subdomain

Decide where Moodle will live. Two common options:

2.1 Create the Database Critical

1. In hPanel, go to Databases → MySQL Databases
2. Under Create New Database, enter a name e.g. learnhub_db
3. Click Create
4. Under Create New User, enter username learnhub_user and a strong password
5. Under Add User to Database, select both and grant All Privileges
6. Click Add

2.2 Verify via phpMyAdmin (Optional)

In hPanel → Databases → phpMyAdmin, run the following to confirm setup:

Expected: charset = utf8mb4, collation = utf8mb4_unicode_ci

3.1 Download Moodle

1. Go to download.moodle.org
2. Download the latest stable .zip package (e.g. Moodle 4.3)
3. Extract the ZIP — you'll get a folder named moodle

3.2 Upload via File Manager Easiest

1. In hPanel → Files → File Manager
2. Navigate to public_html/
3. Click Upload Files → upload the moodle folder (or upload the ZIP and extract there)
4. Result: public_html/moodle/ should contain index.php, config-dist.php, etc.

3.3 Create the Moodle Data Directory

Moodle needs a writable directory outside the web root for storing uploaded files.

1. In File Manager, navigate up one level from public_html
2. Create a new folder named moodledata
3. Full path: /home/u123456789/moodledata/ (your home dir)
4. Set permissions to 755 (right-click → Permissions)

3.4 Set Folder Permissions

4.1 Run the Installer

1. Open your browser and go to: https://yourdomain.com/moodle
2. The installer will start automatically
3. Select language: English (or your preferred language) → Next

4.2 Confirm Paths

4.3 Database Settings Use Your Credentials

4.4 Server Checks

Moodle will show a requirements check page. All items should show ✅ OK. Common issues:

• ❌ max_input_vars — fix in php.ini: set to 5000
• ❌ OPcache — enable in PHP extensions if shown as recommended
• ⚠️ Warnings (yellow) are OK to proceed through; Errors (red) must be fixed

4.5 Install & Create Admin Account

1. Accept the license and click Continue
2. Moodle installs ~300 database tables — this takes 2–5 minutes
3. Create your Admin account: fill in username, password, email
4. Set Site Name: e.g. LearnHub
5. Click Save Changes — installation complete! 🎉

5.1 Upload index.html

1. In File Manager, navigate to public_html/
2. Upload landing/index.html from this package
3. The file should sit at public_html/index.html
4. Visit https://yourdomain.com — your landing page should appear

5.2 Customize the Landing Page

Key items to personalize in index.html:

• Site name — find LearnHub and replace with your name
• Course cards — update titles, prices (₱), and emoji icons
• Stats — update learner count and course count
• Colors — edit --teal and --gold CSS variables in :root
• CTA links — all links point to /moodle/ — update if you used a subdomain

6.1 Upload Theme Files

1. Rename the moodle-theme/mytheme/ folder to learnhub
2. In File Manager, navigate to public_html/moodle/theme/
3. Upload the entire learnhub/ folder there
4. Result: public_html/moodle/theme/learnhub/config.php should exist

6.2 Activate the Theme in Moodle Admin

1. Log in to Moodle as admin → Site Administration
2. Go to Appearance → Themes → Theme Selector
3. Click Change theme for Default theme
4. Find LearnHub in the list and click Use theme
5. Confirm — the site will reload with the new look

7.1 Create a New Course

1. In Moodle Admin → Courses → Add a New Course
2. Fill in the Course full name (e.g. "Full-Stack Web Development")
3. Set Short name (e.g. FSWD101)
4. Set Category (create one if needed: Site Admin → Courses → Manage categories)
5. Set Course format to Topics format
6. Set Number of sections to 8 (one per module)

7.2 Recommended Module Structure (Template)

Use this structure for every course you create:

7.3 Enable Course Completion & Certificate

1. In Course Settings → Completion tracking: Enabled
2. Add a Certificate activity (install plugin: mod_certificate or use Custom Certificate)
3. Set the certificate to issue when: Course is marked complete

8.1 Enable HTTPS / SSL

1. In Hostinger hPanel → SSL → Install SSL (free Let's Encrypt)
2. In Moodle: Site Admin → General → HTTP Security
3. Enable Use HTTPS for logins
4. Update config.php — set $CFG->wwwroot to https://

8.2 Configure Cron Job (Critical!)

Moodle needs cron to run every minute for emails, completions, etc.

1. hPanel → Advanced → Cron Jobs
2. Add new cron with schedule: * * * * * (every minute)
3. Command:

8.3 Email / SMTP Setup

1. Site Admin → Server → Email → Outgoing mail config
2. Set SMTP host (use Hostinger's SMTP or an external like Mailgun/SendGrid)
3. Send a test email to confirm delivery

8.4 Final Checklist

• ✓
  SSL certificate installed and HTTPS enforced
• ✓
  Cron job configured and running
• ✓
  Outgoing email tested successfully
• ✓
  LearnHub theme active
• ✓
  Landing page live at domain root
• ✓
  First course created with all sections
• ✓
  Admin password changed from default
• ✓
  Self-enrollment enabled on courses
• ✓
  Moodle notifications cleared (Site Admin → Notifications)
• ✓
  Mobile app access tested (Moodle app)