phpBanner consist of two main sections: a client interface and an administration module. The client interface allows clients to manage their own banners, while the administration module allows the site administrator(s) to manage client accounts, view and delete banners, and perform other administrative tasks.

Now that the application is functional, it's time to start adding clients to it (in case you're wondering, these are the clients who pay you to advertise on your site, not the browsers people use to see it). You can use the "Registration" link on the index page to register your clients (or even ask them to do it themselves). Here's what the registration page looks like:

Once you sign a client up and create an account, you also need to jump through one more hoop -- enabling the client's account so that he or she can begin uploading banners to your site. If you're the only person creating the accounts, this step is redundant; however, in a system where each client registers themselves, this approval step helps to weed out unwanted/false registrations and provides the administrator with a degree of control over the system.

To enter the administration module, use the "Admin Page" link on the main menu:

NOTE  This administration module is "open" to all users by default, so you should make it a point to secure it using HTTP authentication at installation time itself. Not doing so allows any of your users access to privileged administrative functions.

Use the "Client" link to get to the Client Manager, where you'll see a list of all the clients who've registered. This module allows you to edit the details provided at the time of registration, delete unwanted registrations and view the files uploaded to the application by each client (more on this last feature as we proceed). For the moment, click on the "Edit" link next to a client name and when you get the client registration form, simply change the "Active" parameter (near the end of the page) to read "enable".

Behind the scenes, phpBanner activates the client account and also automatically creates a directory on the server to store the client's banners and images.