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Support Guide

Welcome to the SPLWD (Student Profiling for Learners with Disabilities) support resources! This guide will help you find the assistance you need, whether you're a developer, educator, or system administrator.

📞 Getting Help

🚀 Quick Start

Before reaching out for support, please:

  1. Check the documentation in the /docs folder
  2. Search existing issues on GitHub
  3. Review the FAQ section below
  4. Try the troubleshooting steps for common issues

📧 Contact Information

Primary Support Contact:

  • Email: izeno.contact@gmail.com
  • Response Time: Within 24-48 hours
  • Best For: Technical issues, bug reports, feature requests

Project Repository:

🎯 Types of Support

🔧 Technical Support

For developers and system administrators:

  • Installation and setup issues
  • Configuration problems
  • Database connectivity issues
  • Performance optimization
  • Security concerns
  • Integration questions

What to include in your request:

  • System specifications (PHP version, MySQL version, OS)
  • Error messages (full text)
  • Steps you've already tried
  • Screenshots (if applicable)

👩‍🏫 User Support

For educators and school staff:

  • User interface questions
  • Feature explanations
  • Best practices for data entry
  • Report generation help
  • Account management issues

What to include in your request:

  • Your role (teacher, principal, secretary, etc.)
  • Specific feature or page you need help with
  • What you're trying to accomplish
  • Screenshots of any issues

🏫 Institutional Support

For school districts and administrators:

  • System deployment planning
  • User training coordination
  • Data migration assistance
  • Compliance questions (FERPA, etc.)
  • Custom feature requests

📋 Support Request Template

When contacting support, please use this template for faster resolution:

Subject: [SPLWD Support] Brief description of issue

**Issue Type:** [Technical/User/Institutional]

**Priority:** [Low/Medium/High/Critical]

**Environment:**
- PHP Version: 
- MySQL Version: 
- Operating System: 
- Browser (if applicable): 

**Description:**
[Detailed description of the issue]

**Steps to Reproduce:**
1. 
2. 
3. 

**Expected Behavior:**
[What should happen]

**Actual Behavior:**
[What actually happens]

**Error Messages:**
[Any error messages you see]

**Screenshots:**
[Attach relevant screenshots]

**Additional Context:**
[Any other relevant information]

❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Installation & Setup

Q: What are the minimum system requirements? A: PHP 8.0+, MySQL 8.0+, 4GB RAM, and 10GB storage. See the full requirements in README.md.

Q: I'm getting a database connection error. What should I check? A:

  1. Verify your .env file has correct database credentials
  2. Ensure MySQL service is running
  3. Check if the database exists and user has proper permissions
  4. Test connection manually: mysql -u username -p database_name

Q: The application shows a blank page. How do I debug this? A:

  1. Check PHP error logs
  2. Enable error reporting in PHP
  3. Verify file permissions (755 for directories, 644 for files)
  4. Ensure all dependencies are installed: composer install

User Management

Q: How do I reset a user's password? A: Administrators can reset passwords through the user management interface. For forgotten admin passwords, contact support.

Q: What are the different user roles and their permissions? A:

  • Administrator: Full system access
  • Principal: School-level oversight and reporting
  • Secretary: User management and administrative support
  • Teacher: Student data entry and progress tracking
  • Parent: View child's progress and add observations

Q: Can parents access multiple children's profiles? A: Yes, parents can be linked to multiple student profiles through the user management system.

Data Management

Q: How do I backup the system data? A: Use the built-in backup feature in the admin panel, or manually backup the MySQL database:

mysqldump -u username -p sc_district > backup_$(date +%Y%m%d).sql

Q: What file types are supported for document uploads? A: PDF, DOC, DOCX, JPG, PNG files up to 10MB each.

Q: How do I generate reports? A: Navigate to the Reports section in your user dashboard. Select the report type, date range, and filters needed.

Security & Privacy

Q: Is the system FERPA compliant? A: Yes, the system is designed with FERPA compliance in mind, including role-based access controls and audit logging.

Q: How is student data protected? A: Data is encrypted at rest and in transit, with role-based access controls and comprehensive audit logging.

Q: Can I export student data? A: Yes, authorized users can export data in various formats through the reporting interface.

🛠️ Troubleshooting Guide

Common Issues and Solutions

1. Installation Problems

Issue: Composer install fails Solution:

# Update composer
composer self-update

# Clear cache and reinstall
composer clear-cache
composer install --no-cache

Issue: Database migration errors Solution:

  1. Check database user permissions
  2. Verify database exists
  3. Ensure MySQL version compatibility
  4. Check for existing tables that might conflict

2. Performance Issues

Issue: Slow page loading Solutions:

  • Enable PHP OPcache
  • Optimize MySQL queries
  • Check server resources (CPU, RAM)
  • Review error logs for bottlenecks

Issue: Database timeouts Solutions:

  • Increase MySQL timeout settings
  • Optimize database indexes
  • Check for long-running queries
  • Consider database server resources

3. User Interface Issues

Issue: Charts not displaying Solutions:

  • Check JavaScript console for errors
  • Verify Chart.js library is loaded
  • Ensure data is properly formatted
  • Clear browser cache

Issue: File upload failures Solutions:

  • Check file size limits in PHP configuration
  • Verify upload directory permissions
  • Ensure file type is allowed
  • Check available disk space

🔍 Debugging Steps

  1. Enable Debug Mode:

    • Set DEBUG=true in .env file
    • Check error logs in /logs directory

  2. Check System Status:

    # Check PHP version
php -v

# Check MySQL status
systemctl status mysql

# Check disk space
df -h

# Check memory usage
free -m

  3. Review Logs:

    • Application logs: /logs/app.log
    • PHP error logs: Check php.ini for log location
    • MySQL logs: /var/log/mysql/error.log
    • Web server logs: Apache/Nginx access and error logs

📚 Documentation Resources

📖 Available Documentation

  • README.md: Project overview and quick start
  • CONTRIBUTING.md: How to contribute to the project
  • docs/SRS.pdf: Software Requirements Specification
  • docs/TechnicalDocumentation.pdf: Detailed technical documentation
  • CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md: Community guidelines
  • SECURITY.md: Security policies and reporting

🎓 Training Materials

For Educators:

  • User interface walkthrough
  • Data entry best practices
  • Report generation guide
  • Privacy and security awareness

For Administrators:

  • System setup and configuration
  • User management procedures
  • Backup and recovery processes
  • Security maintenance

For Developers:

  • Code architecture overview
  • API documentation
  • Testing procedures
  • Deployment guidelines

🚨 Emergency Support

Critical Issues

For issues that affect system availability or data security:

Contact: izeno.contact@gmail.com
Subject: "URGENT: SPLWD Critical Issue"
Response Time: Within 2 hours during business hours

What Constitutes a Critical Issue:

  • System completely unavailable
  • Data corruption or loss
  • Security breaches
  • Privacy violations
  • Complete loss of functionality for all users

Emergency Response Process:

  1. Immediate Assessment: We'll evaluate the issue severity
  2. Rapid Response: Critical fixes deployed within hours
  3. Communication: Regular updates on resolution progress
  4. Post-Incident Review: Analysis and prevention measures

🤝 Community Support

Getting Involved

  • GitHub Discussions: Share ideas and ask questions
  • Issue Tracking: Report bugs and request features
  • Pull Requests: Contribute code improvements
  • Documentation: Help improve guides and tutorials

Community Guidelines

  • Be respectful and professional
  • Search before posting duplicate questions
  • Provide detailed information when reporting issues
  • Help others when you can
  • Follow our Code of Conduct

📊 Support Statistics

We track our support performance:

  • Average Response Time: 24-48 hours
  • Resolution Rate: 95% of issues resolved
  • User Satisfaction: Based on feedback surveys
  • Common Issues: Tracked for documentation improvements

🔄 Support Process Improvement

We continuously improve our support based on:

  • User Feedback: Regular surveys and feedback collection
  • Issue Analysis: Identifying common problems for better documentation
  • Response Time Monitoring: Ensuring timely support delivery
  • Knowledge Base Updates: Regular documentation improvements

📞 Alternative Support Channels

Self-Service Options

  1. Documentation Search: Use Ctrl+F to search documentation
  2. GitHub Issues: Search existing issues for solutions
  3. Code Comments: Review inline code documentation
  4. Test Cases: Check test files for usage examples

Community Resources

  • Educational Technology Forums: General EdTech discussions
  • PHP Communities: For technical PHP questions
  • MySQL Communities: For database-related questions
  • Accessibility Communities: For inclusive design questions

🎯 Support Scope

What We Support

✅ Installation and setup assistance
✅ Bug fixes and troubleshooting
✅ Feature explanations and usage help
✅ Security guidance and best practices
✅ Performance optimization advice
✅ Documentation clarifications

What We Don't Support

❌ Custom development for specific institutions
❌ Third-party software integration (beyond documented)
❌ Server administration and hosting
❌ Training beyond documentation provided
❌ Legal advice regarding compliance

📝 Feedback and Suggestions

We value your feedback! Help us improve by:

  • Reporting Issues: Use GitHub issues for bugs
  • Suggesting Features: Submit feature requests with detailed descriptions
  • Documentation Feedback: Let us know what's unclear or missing
  • User Experience: Share your experience using the system

Feedback Email: izeno.contact@gmail.com
Subject: "SPLWD Feedback: [Your Topic]"

Last Updated: May 28, 2025
Version: 1.0

Thank you for using SPLWD! We're here to help you succeed in supporting learners with disabilities through technology.