README
======
![PrestaShop](http://www.prestashop.com/images/banners/general/banner-github_728x90.png "PrestaShop")

ABOUT PRESTASHOP
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PrestaShop is a free and open-source e-commerce web application, committed to providing the best shopping cart experience for both merchants and consumers.

ABOUT THIS REPOSITORY
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This repository contains two branches of PrestaShop: version 1.5 and version 1.6. The default one is the 1.6 branch, which means that clicking the "Download ZIP" button from the root of this repository will download the current state of PrestaShop 1.6 -- a branch that is currently under development, and thus unstable. You can learn more about the upcoming features of version 1.6 by going to [the progress page][6].

If you want to download the latest stable version of PrestaShop from Github, you need to switch to the 1.5 branch of this repository: click on the "Branch" selector and choose the "1.5" branch (or directly go [this URL][7]), and then click on the "Download ZIP" button, which will download the latest version of the 1.5 branch.
Note that you can also simply download the latest 1.5 version from [the download page][8] on the official PrestaShop site.


SERVER CONFIGURATION
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To install PrestaShop, you need a web server running PHP5 and any flavor of MySQL5 (MySQL, MariaDB, Percona Server, etc.).
You will also need a database administration tool, such as phpMyAdmin, in order to create a database for PrestaShop.
We recommend the Apache or Nginx web servers.

If your host does not offer PHP5 by default, [here are a few explanations][2] about PHP5 or the .htaccess file for certain hosting services (1&1, Free, Lycos, OVH, Infomaniak, Amen, GoDaddy, etc.).

If you want your online store ready to go, visit [http://www.prestabox.com][1]: it lets you create your online store in less than 10 minutes without any technical knowledge.


INSTALLATION
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With your web browser, go to the root of your PrestaShop directory, and the installer will start. Follow the instructions until PrestaShop is installed.

If you get any PHP error, it might be that you don't have PHP5 or you need to activate it on your web host. See the page linked above.
If you don't find any solution to start the installer, please post on [the PrestaShop forums][3].


DOCUMENTATION
--------

The official PrestaShop documentation is available online [on its own website][4].


FORUMS
--------

You can discuss, help and contribute with PrestaShop community on [the PrestaShop forums][5].

Thank you for downloading and using PrestaShop e-commerce Open-source solution!

[1]: http://www.prestabox.com
[2]: http://www.prestashop.com/forums/topic/2946-pre-installation-settings-php-5-htaccess-for-certain-hosting-services/
[3]: http://www.prestashop.com/forums/forum/7-installing-prestashop/
[4]: http://doc.prestashop.com
[5]: http://www.prestashop.com/forums/
[6]: http://www.prestashop.com/fr/progression-1-6
[7]: https://github.com/PrestaShop/PrestaShop/tree/1.5
[8]: http://www.prestashop.com/en/download
