# Enabling OpenSSL Extension in PHP (Windows)

## Problem
Your PHP installation doesn't have the OpenSSL extension enabled, which is required for secure SMTP connections (TLS/SSL).

Current error: `Unable to find the socket transport "ssl"` or `TLS/SSL transports not available`

## Solution

### Option 1: Enable OpenSSL in php.ini (Recommended)

1. **Find your php.ini file:**
   ```powershell
   php --ini
   ```
   
   If it shows "Loaded Configuration File: (none)", you need to create one:
   ```powershell
   # Find PHP installation directory
   where.exe php
   
   # Copy the example php.ini
   cd C:\path\to\php
   copy php.ini-development php.ini
   ```

2. **Edit php.ini** and find this line:
   ```ini
   ;extension=openssl
   ```
   
   Remove the semicolon to uncomment it:
   ```ini
   extension=openssl
   ```

3. **Restart your PHP server** (or command line if using built-in server)

4. **Verify OpenSSL is enabled:**
   ```powershell
   php -m | Select-String -Pattern "openssl"
   ```
   
   Should output: `openssl`

### Option 2: Enable OpenSSL temporarily via command line

You can enable OpenSSL for a single command:

```powershell
php -d extension=openssl test_email.php
```

Or for the built-in server:

```powershell
php -d extension=openssl -S localhost:8000
```

### Option 3: Install Composer and PHPMailer

If you can't modify php.ini, install PHPMailer which may handle SMTP better:

```powershell
# Install Composer first (https://getcomposer.org/)
# Then in the php/ directory:
composer require phpmailer/phpmailer
```

The application will automatically detect and use PHPMailer if available.

## Verifying the Fix

After enabling OpenSSL, run the test:

```powershell
cd C:\Users\aky547\GitHub\SemapForm\php
php test_email.php
```

You should see:
- `Available transports: tcp, udp, ssl, tls` (or similar)
- `TLS encryption enabled successfully`
- `Email sent successfully via SMTP`

## Alternative: Use a Different SMTP Port

If you absolutely cannot enable OpenSSL, you could try:

1. Contact your email administrator to see if there's an unencrypted SMTP port (not recommended for security)
2. Use a different email solution (e.g., send via a web service API instead of SMTP)

## Production Deployment

On a production server (Linux/shared hosting):

- OpenSSL is usually enabled by default
- Check with `php -m | grep openssl`
- If not available, contact your hosting provider
- Most shared hosting environments have it pre-configured