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Tutorial: Installing Bootstrap Templates in CodeIgniter

CodeIgniter is a popular PHP framework used for developing dynamic websites and web applications. One of the ways to make your CodeIgniter projects more visually appealing is by using Bootstrap, a powerful front-end development framework. In this tutorial, we'll walk you through the process of installing Bootstrap templates in a CodeIgniter project.

Prerequisites

  1. Make sure you have CodeIgniter installed on your local development environment. You can download it from CodeIgniter official website.
  2. Familiarize yourself with the basics of Bootstrap and CodeIgniter before proceeding.

Step 1: Download the Bootstrap Template

Head to the Bootstrap Templates page and choose a template that suits your needs. Once you've chosen the template, download it as a .zip file.

Step 2: Extract the Downloaded File

Extract the contents of the downloaded .zip file into a new folder in your CodeIgniter project. You can create a subfolder for this within your 'application/views/' or 'assets/' folders, depending on your preference.

Step 3: Include Bootstrap CSS and JS Files

In your index.php file located in the 'application/config/' folder, add the following lines inside the <head> tag to include the Bootstrap CSS and JS files:

<link rel="stylesheet" href="<?php echo base_url(); ?>assets/templates/your_template/css/bootstrap.min.css">
<script src="<?php echo base_url(); ?>assets/templates/your_template/js/jquery.min.js"></script>
<script src="<?php echo base_url(); ?>assets/templates/your_template/js/popper.min.js"></script>
<script src="<?php echo base_url(); ?>assets/templates/your_template/js/bootstrap.min.js"></script>

Replace your_template with the name of your downloaded template folder.

Step 4: Update the view file

Edit your view files (e.g., 'application/views/welcome_message.php') and replace their existing code with the new Bootstrap HTML structure. For instance, you can update your welcome message to look like this:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
    <meta charset="UTF-8">
    <title>CodeIgniter with Bootstrap</title>
    <!-- Include your CSS and JS files here -->
    <?php echo link_tag('styles.css'); ?>
    <?php include 'templates/your_template/assets/js/scripts.js'; ?>
</head>
<body>
    <div class="container">
        <h1>Welcome to CodeIgniter!</h1>
        <!-- Add your content here -->
    </div>
</body>
</html>

Step 5: Start Building Your Project

Now you're ready to start building your project using the Bootstrap templates. Create new view files, update them with the appropriate HTML structure and add your own content. Make sure to include the necessary CSS and JS files at the beginning of each file as shown in step 3.

Conclusion

By following these steps, you've successfully installed a Bootstrap template into your CodeIgniter project. With this newfound knowledge, you can now build visually appealing web applications using both CodeIgniter and Bootstrap. Happy coding!

Published July, 2017