Interactive Decision Tree

A web-based tool that guides users through decision-making processes using an interactive, user-friendly flow chart interface.

Think of it as a choose-your-own-adventure for decisions. Decision tree data is stored as plain XML, viewed with a lightweight client-side viewer, and edited through a PHP-driven visual editor — no database required.

Live demo: emaag.github.io/interactive-decision-tree

Status at a glance

Feature	State
XML-based data storage	✅ Implemented
Client-side viewer (HTML/CSS/JS)	✅ Implemented
Visual PHP editor (no manual XML editing)	✅ Implemented
File-based storage (no database)	✅ Implemented
Responsive design	✅ Implemented
Cross-platform hosting (any web server)	✅ Implemented

Table of Contents

• Demo
• Environment Requirements
• Setup Instructions
• Usage
• Architectural Decisions
• Contributing
• License
• Support

Demo

View Live Demo

Environment Requirements

Requirement	Notes
Web server	Apache, Nginx, or any HTTP server
PHP	7.4+ (8.x recommended)
Write permissions	Required on the xml/ directory

Setup Instructions

Quick Start

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/emaag/interactive-decision-tree.git
   cd interactive-decision-tree

2. Set directory permissions:

   chmod 755 xml/
   # Or, if necessary:
   chmod 777 xml/

3. Configure your web server to point to the repository directory.

4. Access the editor in your browser:

   http://your-domain.com/interactive-decision-tree/editTree.php
   

Docker Installation

docker compose up --build

Then open http://localhost:8080 in your browser.

Usage

Creating a Decision Tree

1. Navigate to editTree.php in your browser.
2. Click "Create New Decision Tree".
3. Add questions and decision paths using the visual editor.
4. Save your decision tree (stored as XML in the xml/ directory).

Viewing a Decision Tree

1. Navigate to index.php to see a list of all available trees.
2. Click View next to any tree to open it in the interactive viewer.

Setting an Editor Password

By default the editor is unprotected. To require a password:

php -r "echo password_hash('yourpassword', PASSWORD_BCRYPT);"

Paste the output into config.php:

define( 'EDITOR_PASSWORD_HASH', '$2y$10$...' );

Example XML Structure

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<tree>
  <title>My Decision Tree</title>
  <description>A short description</description>
  <branch id="1">
    <content>What is your question?</content>
    <fork target="1.1">Answer A</fork>
    <fork target="1.2">Answer B</fork>
  </branch>
  <branch id="1.1">
    <content>You chose A. Another question?</content>
    <fork target="1.1.1">Yes</fork>
    <fork target="1.1.2">No</fork>
  </branch>
  <!-- Branch id="1.2" etc. -->
</tree>

Architectural Decisions

File layout:

interactive-decision-tree/
├── xml/                  # Decision tree XML files (needs write permission)
├── css/                  # Stylesheets
├── js/                   # JavaScript files
├── index.php             # Public listing of all trees
├── showTree.html         # Interactive viewer for a single tree
├── editTree.php          # Editor for creating/editing trees (password-protected)
├── login.php             # Editor login page
├── logout.php            # Editor logout
├── config.php            # App configuration (password hash)
├── class.decisiontree.php  # DecisionTree and Branch classes
├── inc.general.php       # Shared functions and session/auth helpers
├── Dockerfile            # Docker image definition
├── docker-compose.yml    # Docker Compose setup
├── LICENSE               # MIT License
└── README.md             # This file

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please see CONTRIBUTING.md for details.

How to Contribute

1. Fork the repository.
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/AmazingFeature).
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some AmazingFeature').
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/AmazingFeature).
5. Open a Pull Request.

Bug Reports

Found a bug? Please open an issue on GitHub with:

• Description of the problem
• Steps to reproduce
• Expected behavior
• Screenshots (if applicable)

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License — see the LICENSE file for details.

Support

Found a bug or have a question? Open an issue on GitHub.

Author

Eric Maag

• GitHub: @emaag

Acknowledgments

• Thanks to all contributors who have helped improve this project
• Inspired by the need for simple, accessible decision-making tools

Project Stats

This project has been forked by organizations including legal service providers and educational institutions to help users navigate complex decision-making processes.

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