Clipboard - Collaborative Clipboard Application

A secure, feature-rich web-based clipboard application built with PHP and MySQL. Create boards, share snippets, and collaborate with your team.

Features

User Management

• User registration and authentication
• Secure password hashing with password_hash()
• Session-based authentication

Board Management

• Create unlimited boards with custom names
• Automatic URL-friendly suburl generation
• Three public access levels:
  • Private: No public access
  • Public View: Anyone can view clips
  • Public Add: Anyone can view and add clips
• Optional password protection for boards
• Toggle clip editability (read-only mode)

Access Control

• Owner: Full admin access to their boards
• Collaborators: Three permission levels
  • View: Can only view clips
  • Edit: Can view, add, edit, and delete clips
  • Admin: Full access including board settings
• Smart permission system: checks user-specific roles first, then falls back to public access
• Temporary password access for protected boards

Clip Management

• Add, edit, and delete text-based clips
• Automatic timestamp tracking
• User attribution for clips
• Respects board editability settings
• Clean, readable presentation

Technology Stack

• Backend: PHP 8.1+
• Database: MySQL with PDO (prepared statements)
• Frontend: HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript
• Framework: Bootstrap 5 (responsive design)
• Routing: Front-controller pattern with .htaccess

File Structure

CLIPBOARD/
├── config.php              # Configuration and database credentials
├── index.php               # Main router (front controller)
├── .htaccess               # URL rewriting rules
├── src/
│   ├── db.php              # PDO database connection
│   └── functions.php       # Core business logic
├── templates/
│   ├── header.php          # HTML header and navigation
│   ├── footer.php          # HTML footer
│   ├── home.php            # Homepage
│   ├── login.php           # Login form
│   ├── register.php        # Registration form
│   ├── board.php           # Board view with clips
│   ├── board_settings.php  # Board settings and collaborators
│   └── password_prompt.php # Password entry for protected boards
└── assets/
    └── style.css           # Custom CSS styles

Installation

Prerequisites

• PHP 8.1 or higher
• MySQL 5.7 or higher
• Apache web server with mod_rewrite enabled
• XAMPP, WAMP, or similar local development environment

Setup Steps

1. Clone or Download this repository to your web server directory

2. Create Database

   • Open phpMyAdmin or MySQL command line
   • Create a new database: clipboard_db
   • Import the database schema from database.sql

3. Configure Database Connection

   • Open config.php
   • Update the database credentials:

     define('DB_HOST', 'localhost');
     define('DB_NAME', 'clipboard_db');
     define('DB_USER', 'root');
     define('DB_PASS', '');

4. Update Site URL

   • In config.php, update the SITE_URL constant to match your setup:

     define('SITE_URL', 'http://localhost/CLIPBOARD');

5. Verify .htaccess

   • Ensure RewriteBase in .htaccess matches your directory:

     RewriteBase /CLIPBOARD/

6. Set Permissions (Linux/Mac)

   chmod 755 CLIPBOARD/
   chmod 644 CLIPBOARD/*.php

7. Enable mod_rewrite (Apache)

   • Make sure mod_rewrite is enabled in Apache
   • For XAMPP, it's usually enabled by default

8. Access the Application

   • Open your browser and navigate to: http://localhost/CLIPBOARD

Usage Guide

Getting Started

1. Register an Account

   • Click "Register" in the navigation
   • Enter username, email, and password (min 6 characters)
   • You'll be redirected to login

2. Create a Board

   • After logging in, use the "Create New Board" form
   • Set a name, choose access level, and optionally add a password
   • Click "Create Board"

3. Share Your Board

   • Copy the board URL (e.g., http://localhost/CLIPBOARD/b/my-board)
   • Share with collaborators

Managing Boards

Board Settings

• Click "Board Settings" button on your board
• Update name, access level, editability, or password
• Add/remove collaborators with specific permissions
• Delete the board (danger zone)

Access Levels Explained

• Private: Only you and invited collaborators can access
• Public View: Anyone with the link can view clips
• Public Add: Anyone with the link can view and add clips

Password Protection

• Set a Password: In board settings, enter a password to protect your board
• Change Password: Enter a new password to update the existing one
• Remove Password: Check the "Remove password protection" checkbox to disable password protection entirely
• How it Works: Visitors must enter the password to gain temporary view access
• Use Case: Great for sharing with non-registered users securely

Working with Clips

Adding Clips

• If you have edit permission, use the "Add New Clip" form
• Enter your text content
• Click "Add Clip"

Editing Clips

• Click "Edit" button on any clip (if you have permission)
• Modify the content
• Click "Save"

Deleting Clips

• Click "Delete" button on any clip (if you have permission)
• Confirm the deletion

Collaborating

1. As Board Owner/Admin:

   • Go to Board Settings
   • Select a user from the dropdown
   • Choose permission level (View, Edit, or Admin)
   • Click "Add"

2. Permission Levels:

   • View: Can see all clips but cannot add/edit/delete
   • Edit: Can add new clips and edit/delete existing ones (respects board's editable flag)
   • Admin: Can do everything including manage board settings

Security Features

• SQL Injection Protection: All queries use PDO prepared statements
• XSS Prevention: All output is escaped with htmlspecialchars()
• Password Security: Passwords hashed with password_hash() (bcrypt)
• Session Security: HTTP-only cookies, secure session handling
• CSRF Protection: Consider adding CSRF tokens for production use
• Permission Checks: Every action validates user permissions

Production Deployment

Before deploying to production:

1. Update Configuration

   • Set proper database credentials
   • Update SITE_URL to your domain
   • Enable HTTPS and set session.cookie_secure to 1

2. Disable Error Display

   error_reporting(0);
   ini_set('display_errors', 0);

3. Enable Error Logging

   • Configure PHP to log errors to a file
   • Monitor logs regularly

4. Add CSRF Protection

   • Implement CSRF tokens for all forms
   • Validate tokens on POST requests

5. Set Up Backups

   • Regular database backups
   • File backups

6. Use HTTPS

   • Install SSL certificate
   • Force HTTPS in .htaccess

7. Security Headers

   • Add security headers in Apache config or PHP
   • Content-Security-Policy, X-Frame-Options, etc.