function checklogin($email, $password){
   try
   {
        // Connection
        $conn;
        include_once('connect.php');
        // Build Query
        $sql = 'SELECT pkUserID, Email, Password, fkUserGroupID FROM tbluser WHERE Email = :email AND Password = :password';
        // $sql = 'SELECT pkUserID, Email, Password, fkUserGroupID FROM tbluser WHERE Email = "a" AND Password = "a"';
        // Prepare the SQL statement.
        $stmt = $conn->prepare($sql);
        // Add the value to the SQL statement
        $stmt->bindParam(':email', $email, PDO::PARAM_STR);
        $stmt->bindParam(':password', $password, PDO::PARAM_STR);
        // Execute SQL
        $stmt->execute();
        // Get the data in the result object
        $result = $stmt->fetchAll(); // $result is NULL always...

        // echo $stmt->rowCount(); // rowCount is always ZERO....

        // Check that we have some data
        if ($result != null)
        {
            // Start session
            if (session_status() == PHP_SESSION_NONE) {
                session_start();
            }
            // Search the results
            foreach($result as $row){
                // Set global environment variables with the key fields required
                $_SESSION['UserID'] = $row['pkUserID'];
                $_SESSION['Email'] =  $row['Email'];
            }
            echo 'yippee';
            // Return empty string
            return '';
        }
        else {
            // Failed login
            return 'Login unsuccessful!';
        }
        $conn = null;
     }
    catch (PDOexception $e)
    {
        return 'Login failed: ' . $e->getMessage();
    }
}

<?php


$servername = 'localhost';
$username = 'admin';
$password = 'password';

try {
    // Change this line to connect to different database
    // Also enable the extension in the php.ini for new database engine.
    $conn = new PDO('mysql:host=localhost;dbname=processfgi', $username, $password);
    // set the PDO error mode to exception
    $conn->setAttribute(PDO::ATTR_ERRMODE, PDO::ERRMODE_EXCEPTION);
    // echo 'Connected successfully';
    }
catch(PDOException $e)
    {
    echo 'Connection failed: ' . $e->getMessage();
    }