📝 Gratitude Letter Generator

A web form that helps users craft meaningful letters of gratitude. Users can create, preview, print, and download personalized letters while optionally sharing them with the community.

🌟 Features

• Real-time letter preview
• Customizable themes with different colors
• Multiple greeting and closing options
• Structured sections for meaningful content
• Print functionality
• Download as Word document (.docx)
• Optional community sharing
• Responsive design
• Cross-browser compatibility

🛠️ Technologies Used

• PHP 8.2+
• MySQL/MariaDB
• JavaScript (Vanilla)
• HTML5
• CSS3
• PHPWord Library
• Apache Server

📋 Prerequisites

• PHP 8.2 or higher
• MySQL/MariaDB database
• Apache web server
• Composer (for PHP dependencies)
• mod_rewrite enabled

🚀 Installation

1. Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/yourusername/gratitude-letter-generator.git

2. Install PHP dependencies:

composer install

3. Create a new MySQL database and run the following SQL:

CREATE TABLE gratitude_letters (
    id INT AUTO_INCREMENT PRIMARY KEY,
    letter_title VARCHAR(50) NOT NULL,
    theme_color VARCHAR(7) NOT NULL,
    greeting VARCHAR(20) NOT NULL,
    recipient_name VARCHAR(50) NOT NULL,
    relationship_to VARCHAR(50) NOT NULL,
    history_together TEXT NOT NULL,
    shared_memories TEXT NOT NULL,
    impact_statement TEXT NOT NULL,
    admired_qualities TEXT NOT NULL,
    thanks_for TEXT NOT NULL,
    formal_closing VARCHAR(20) NOT NULL,
    signature VARCHAR(50) NOT NULL,
    created_at TIMESTAMP DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,
    updated_at TIMESTAMP DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP ON UPDATE CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,
    INDEX idx_recipient (recipient_name),
    INDEX idx_created_at (created_at)
) ENGINE=InnoDB DEFAULT CHARSET=utf8mb4 COLLATE=utf8mb4_unicode_ci;

4. Configure database connection:
   • Copy db_config.example.php to db_config.php
   • Update the database credentials in db_config.php

🔧 Configuration

Update the database configuration in db_config.php:

define('DB_HOST', 'your_host');
define('DB_NAME', 'your_database_name');
define('DB_USER', 'your_username');
define('DB_PASS', 'your_password');

📁 Project Structure

gratitude-letter-generator/
│
├── .private/
│   └── db_config.php
│
├── vendor/
│   └── [composer dependencies]
│
├── db_config.php
├── form_processing.php
├── index.php
├── error.php
├── composer.json
├── style.css
├── gratitude-form.js
└── README.md

🔒 Security Features

• CSRF Protection
• Input Sanitization
• Prepared SQL Statements
• XSS Prevention
• Error Logging
• Secure File Downloads
• Private/Public Toggle for Letters

🎨 Customization

Adding New Theme Colors

Add new radio buttons to the theme section in index.php:

<input type="radio" id="theme-custom" name="letterTheme" value="#YOUR_COLOR">
<label for="theme-custom">Custom Color</label>

Modifying Letter Sections

Edit the letter structure in both form_processing.php and gratitude-form.js to add or modify sections.

🚧 Error Handling

The application includes comprehensive error handling:

• Database connection errors
• Form submission errors
• File processing errors
• CSRF token validation
• Input validation

📱 Responsive Design

The application is fully responsive and works on:

• Desktop browsers
• Tablets
• Mobile devices
• Different screen sizes

🔍 Testing

1. Local Testing:

# Using PHP's built-in server
php -S localhost:8000

2. Database Testing:

-- Test query to verify letter storage
SELECT * FROM gratitude_letters ORDER BY created_at DESC LIMIT 1;

📝 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

🤝 Contributing

1. Fork the project
2. Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/AmazingFeature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some AmazingFeature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/AmazingFeature)
5. Open a Pull Request

👏 Acknowledgments

• PHPWord library for document generation
• Font Awesome for icons
• Inter font family
• Community contributors

📞 Support

For support, open an issue in the GitHub repository.

🔮 Future Enhancements

• TBD