Lecture 19
Introduction to PHP (Part-1)
Mr. Mubashir Ali
Lecturer (Dept. of Computer Science)
dr.mubashirali1@[Link]
1
Outline
• Setting the environment
• Overview of PHP
• Constants and Variables in PHP
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Computer Science).
1. Setting the environment
• A web server
• PHP WAMP Server
• MySql
• [Link]
• Editor
– Macromedia Dreamweaver /Adobe
Dreamweaver
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1. Setting the environment ….
• Checking WAMP status:
WAMP is working properly
• [Link] is missing
– Install Microsoft Visual C++ 2010 SP1
Redistributable Package
• Port conflict with skype
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2. PHP: an Overview
• PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor
• Originally called “Personal Home Page Tools”
• Used to create dynamic web pages
• Popular server-side scripting technology
• Open-source
– Anyone may view, modify and redistribute
source code
• Platform independent
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2. PHP: an Overview…
• Interpreted language, scripts are parsed at
run-time rather than compiled beforehand
• Compatible with many popular databases
• Popular server-side scripting technology
• Structurally similar to C/C++
• Supports procedural and object-oriented
paradigm
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Computer Science).
2. PHP: an Overview…
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2.1 How PHP Fits with HTML
• Embedding PHP in HTML code
• HTML can also be written inside the PHP code
• PHP can also be written as a standalone
program with no HTML at all
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2.2 Basic Rules of PHP syntax
• PHP code is denoted in the page with opening
and closing tags, as follows:
– <?php and ?>
– <? or ?>
– <script language=“PHP”>…… </script>
• PHP statements end with a semicolon
• Comments can be added as
– // for one line comment
– /* and */ for multiple lines comment
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2.3 Writing and executing PHP code
• Open a notepad or dreamweaver file
• Write PHP code
• Save file with .php extension
• Save all the files in one directory
• Copy this directory in
– C:\wamp\www\
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2.3 Writing and executing PHP code…
• Start WAMP server
• Go to localhost either by typing localhost in
address bar of the browser or by clicking the
WAMP sever icon in the toolbar and selecting
localhost
• Select your web directory from the list of project
on the WAMP server home page
• Select the file to execute
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Computer Science).
2.4 Writing output to the browser
• echo(): is used to write output on the browser
– echo(“Welcome to PHP”);
– echo “Welcome to PHP”;
• print(): can also be used to write out put on the
browser
– print(“Welcome to PHP”);
– print “Welcome to PHP”;
• printf(): can also be used for writing output
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Computer Science).
2.5 First PHP program
PHP block starts
Writing on browser
Ending PHP
block
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2.5 First PHP program…
Out put from the
PHP code
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Computer Science).
2.6 Integrating HTML with PHP
• echo statement outputs whatever it’s told to
the browser
• It can output not only plain text but also
HTML tags
– echo “<h1> Welcome to the PHP</h1>”;
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2.6 Integrating HTML with PHP…
• Using quotation marks:
– echo “<h1 style=“color:red”> Welcome to PHP</h1>”;
– echo “<h1 style=‘color:red’> Welcome to PHP</h1>”;
– echo “<h1 style=\“color:red\”> Welcome to
PHP</h1>”;
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Computer Science).
2.6 Integrating HTML with PHP…
Using heading Arranging
quotations
Using escape character
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2.6 Integrating HTML with PHP…
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3. Using CONSTANS and Variables
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3.1 CONSTANTS
• A constant is a placeholder for a value that you
reference within your code that is formally
defined before using it
• must begin with a letter or an underscore
• are case sensitive
• typically they are named using all capital letters
• PHP function define() is used to assign a value to
a constant
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3.1 CONSTANTS…
Constant name Value of
constant
Displaying the value
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3.2 Variables
• Begin with $ sign
• First character must be a letter or underscore
• Remaining characters may be letters, numbers or
underscores
• Don’t need to declare or initialize
• Case sensitive
• Data types does not require to be declare explicitly
• Supports
– Float, integer, boolean, string, array, object
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3.2 Variables…
Variable declared
Initial value
Displaying variable’s value
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3.2 Variables…
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3.2 variables…
• The gettype() function returns the type of the
provided variable
• The settype() function converts a variable to
the type specified by type
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3.2 Variables…
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2.2 Variables…
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2.2.1 Type determination
• A number of functions are available for determining
a variable’s type
– boolean is_name(mixed var)
• is_array()
• is_bool()
• is_float()
• is_integer()
• is_null()
• is_numeric()
• is_string()
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2.2.1 Type determination…
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Computer Science).
2.2.1 Type determination…
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Summary
• Setting the environment
• PHP overview
• PHP constants and variables
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References
• Chapter 2, “Beginning PHP6,Apache,Mysql
web development” by Matt Doyle, Wrox
publishers, 2009, ISBN: 0470413964
• Chapter 3, “Beginning PHP and MySQL” by W.
Jason Gilmore, Apress publisher, 4th edition;
2010, ISBN-13 (electronic): 978-1-4302-3115-
8.
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