ianxian wrote:browser URL = file:///C:/xampp/htdocs/index.php
And that is your problem. file:/// is a protocol which uses your local filesystem, not your webserver.
You can't simply open a .php file in your browser or doubleclicking it.
You have to request files with your browser, otherwise your webserver don't get the request and will never process it.
The correct url to start is
http://localhost/index.php which request your file C:/xampp/htdocs/index.php (localhost = your Apaches DocumentRoot = C:\xampp\htdocs)
for further reading about the differences of file:/// and http://
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File_URI_schemehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTTPbest wishes,
Altrea