web folders that /aren't/ in htdocs

[Rob L.]

I'd like to keep certain sites I'm working on in their original locations on my computer but also be able to run them through the server to use & test PHP, etc. I'm using mini-XAMPP for local development only; I'm not serving web pages publicly and have no plans to.

I'm pretty sure there's a way to specify that certain directories should be server directories too, but have no idea where to start and haven't found anything in the Apache documentation yet. Can someone outline the process or point me to a link that's noob-friendly?

Also wondering: are there any security steps I need to take since I /don't/ want outside access to my server? I start Apache only when I need to use it; I use a DSL connection and a basic Linksys router that claims to include some type of simple firewall but has no details on its actual capabilities... Thanks for any advice on this too.

[MAGnUm]

search apache.org or google for virtual directories. you will also need to find how to allow php scripting for the dir you map. good luck.