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Introduction To PHP: Julie Scott OIT, Faculty Support Program Lead, Learning Technology

This document provides an introduction to PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor), an open source, server-side scripting language used to create dynamic web pages. It discusses what PHP is, how it is executed on the server and embedded within HTML, basic syntax like variables and functions, and resources for learning PHP like books, tutorials, editors, and examples. It also provides WMU-specific information on using PHP with databases and files for creating dynamic web content.

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Batyr Murat
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74 views

Introduction To PHP: Julie Scott OIT, Faculty Support Program Lead, Learning Technology

This document provides an introduction to PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor), an open source, server-side scripting language used to create dynamic web pages. It discusses what PHP is, how it is executed on the server and embedded within HTML, basic syntax like variables and functions, and resources for learning PHP like books, tutorials, editors, and examples. It also provides WMU-specific information on using PHP with databases and files for creating dynamic web content.

Uploaded by

Batyr Murat
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Introduction to PHP

Julie Scott
OIT, Faculty Support
Program Lead, Learning Technology

What is PHP?
• PHP = Hypertext Preprocessor
• Why not HP or HPP?
• PHP is a recursive acronym.
• An acronym in which the first letter of the
first word represented by the acronym is
the acronym itself.
• For example: GNU “GNU is Not UNIX!”

More….What is PHP?
• An open source, server-side, HTML
embedded scripting language.
• It is used to create dynamic Web pages.
• PHP script is enclosed within special PHP
tags.
• This allows you to jump between HTML
and PHP.

1
More….What is PHP?
• PHP is executed on the server.
• The client cannot view the PHP code.
• PHP can perform any task that any CGI
program can do.
• Its strength lies in its compatibility with
many types of databases.
• Also, PHP can talk across networks using
IMAP, SNMP, NNTP, POP3, or HTTP

PHP versus Perl


• Shorter development time.
• Easy-to-use scripting language.
• PHP code is significantly easier to
maintain and update than comparable Perl
or ASP code.
• Cross-platform compatibility – will work on
any of the existing Internet servers.

Learning PHP
• Some Books

Publisher Book Title

O’Reilly Programming PHP


PHP Cookbook
Wrok PHP Programming

SAMS PHP Developers


Handbook

2
Learning PHP

• Online Tutorials
• Zend http://www.zend.com/zend/tut/
• PHP.net
• Dev Shed:
http://www.devshed.com/c/b/PHP/
• PHP and Postgres
http://pgsql.designmagick.com/

PHP Editors
• Dreamweaver MX in code view
• Homesite

Free editors
• PHP Edit (Windows)
• BBEdit Lite (Macintosh)

For a comparison of editors see


• http://www.php-editors.com

Basic PHP syntax


PHP TAGS: <?php ?>
PHP statements end in a semicolon ;

// this is an inline comment

###################
# another comment #
###################

/* this is another type of multi-line


comment */

3
More….Basic PHP
• Variable names begin with a “$” sign and
are case sensitive
• Function names are NOT case sensitive
• Class names are NOT case sensitive
• Data can be stored in arrays
• Arrays are associative or indexed
• Arrays can have more than one data type

More….Basic PHP
• Variables can be local or global
– Global variables can be used anywhere
– Local variables are local to a function or class
• Most variables are treated as strings
• Special variables exist
– Server variables
– Form variables
– Session variables

WMU Specifics
• wwwtest.wmich.edu
• For SQL database access contact Derek
– We support PostgreSQL
– Note most online tutorials use mySQL
• You can read and write flat files
– Files must be protected so the server can
read and write to them

4
Some Examples
• Reading and Writing Flat Files
– http://www.wmich.edu/~scott/
– (click on the PHP-Workshop Link)
– http://www.wmich.edu/itc/workshops
• Check WebCT workshop registeration

• Reading SQL database


– http://www.wmich.edu/itc/workshops/
• Old workshops not displayed
• New workshops displayed on separate link

What is a Dynamic Web Page


A dynamic Web page is a
page that interacts with the
user, so that each user visiting
the page sees customized
information
[back]

Exercise One

<body>
<?php
$today = "Wednesday" ;
echo " <h2>Hello World</h2>";
echo " Today is $today";
echo phpinfo();
?>
</body>

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