How to Install eLabFTW on Windows 11

Introduction

eLabFTW is a free laboratory notebook web application that can be used to organize, document, and share your experiments. In this tutorial, we will guide you through the steps to install eLabFTW on Windows 11.

Prerequisites

Before we get started, you need to have the following prerequisites in place:

  • A Windows 11 computer
  • A web browser
  • Internet connection

Installation

Now, let's begin with the installation process.

Step 1: Install XAMPP

eLabFTW requires a web server, PHP, and MySQL to run. To set up all of these components, we can use XAMPP, which is a free and open-source web server solution.

You can download XAMPP from the official website here. Choose the installer for the Windows operating system and follow the installation guide. Choose the components you need to install when prompted, and use the default settings for everything else.

Step 2: Download eLabFTW

Visit the official eLabFTW website here and click on the "Download" button in the main navigation. Choose the latest stable version and download the ZIP file to your local drive.

Step 3: Extract the zip file

Extract the downloaded ZIP file to the htdocs folder in your XAMPP installation directory. The default XAMPP installation directory is C:\xampp, but it may be different depending on your installation.

Step 4: Create a MySQL database

Open your web browser and go to localhost/phpmyadmin. Here, you can create a new database for eLabFTW. Click on the "Databases" tab, enter a name for your database, and click on the "Create" button.

Step 5: Import the eLabFTW database

Go back to the eLabFTW folder you extracted in step 3, and navigate to the database folder. Here, you will find a file named elabftw.sql. Import this file into your newly created database by clicking on "Import" tab in phpMyAdmin, select your elabftw.sql file, and click on the "Go" button.

Step 6: Configure eLabFTW

Navigate to http://localhost/elabftw (or whatever folder name you chose in step 3) in your web browser. Follow the on-screen instructions to configure eLabFTW.

During the setup process, you will be prompted to enter the MySQL database details you created in step 4. Leave the default settings for everything else.

Step 7: Log in to eLabFTW

After completing the setup process, you will be redirected to the eLabFTW login page. Enter your credentials and click on the "Login" button to log in.

Congratulations! You have successfully installed eLabFTW on your Windows 11 computer.

Conclusion

In this tutorial, we have walked you through the steps to install eLabFTW on Windows 11 using XAMPP. You can now start using eLabFTW to document and organize your lab experiments. Happy experimenting!