``
Introduction to PHP
What is PHP?
PHP is an acronym for (PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor) is a widely-used
open source general-purpose scripting language that is especially suited for
web development and can be embedded into HTML.
PHP scripts are executed on the server.
What is a PHP File?
PHP files can contain text, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and PHP code.
PHP code are executed on the server, and the result is returned to
the browser as plain HTML.
PHP files have extension ".php".
What Can PHP Do?
PHP can generate dynamic page content
PHP can create, open, read, write, delete, and close files on the server
PHP can collect form data
PHP can send and receive cookies
PHP can add, delete, modify data in your database
PHP can be used to control user-access
PHP can encrypt data
``
Why PHP?
PHP runs on various platforms (Windows, Linux, Unix, Mac OS X, etc.).
PHP is compatible with almost all servers used today (Apache, IIS, etc.).
PHP supports a wide range of databases.
PHP is free. Download it from the official PHP resource: www.php.net
PHP is easy to learn and runs efficiently on the server side.
PHP is widely-used.
W3Techs https://w3techs.com/
``
How Does PHP Work?
As Previously mentioned that PHP is a server-side programming language
which means it runs in the server. PHP plays an intermediate role between
a client and the date stored in the server and other servers.
What Do You Need to Start Using PHP?
Install a web server
Install PHP
Install a database, such as MySQL
You can install a server on your personal computer such as XAMPP server
from the link below:
``
PHP Syntax:
A PHP script is executed on the server, and the plain HTML result is sent back
to the browser.
Basic PHP Syntax:
A PHP script can be placed anywhere in the document.
A PHP script starts with <?php and
ends with ?> Ex:
<html>
<body>
<h1>My first PHP page</h1>
<?php
echo "Hello World!";
?>
</body>
</html>
Note: PHP statements end with a semicolon (;).
``
Comments in PHP
A comment in PHP code is a line that is not read/executed as part of the
program. Its only purpose is to be read by someone who is looking at the
code.
Ex:
// This is a single-line comment
# This is also a single-line comment
/*
This is a multiple-lines comment
block that spans over multiple
lines
*/
PHP Case Sensitivity
In PHP, all keywords (e.g. if, else, while, echo, etc.), classes, functions,
and user-defined functions are NOT case-sensitive.
In the example below, all three echo statements below are legal (and
equal):
``
Ex
: <!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<body>
<?php
ECHO "Hello
World!<br>"; echo
"Hello World!<br>";
EcHo "Hello
World!<br>";
?>
</body>
</html>
However; all variable names are case-sensitive.
In the example below, only the first statement will display the value of the
$color variable (this is because $color, $COLOR, and $coLOR are treated
as three different variables)
Ex:
<?php
$color = "red";
echo "My car is " . $color . "<br>";
echo "My house is " . $COLOR .
"<br>"; echo "My boat is " . $coLOR .
"<br>";
?>
``
PHP Variables:
• Start with a $
• Contain only letters, numbers, and the underscore
• The first character after the $ cannot be a number
• Are case-sensitive
• Use a consistent naming scheme!
Ex:
<?php
$txt = "Hello world!";
$x = 5;
$y = 10.5;
?>
``
PHP Variables Scope
In PHP, variables can be declared anywhere in the script.
The scope of a variable is the part of the script where the variable can be
referenced/used. PHP has three different variable scopes:
local
global
static
A variable declared outside a function has a GLOBAL SCOPE and can
only be accessed outside a function:
Ex:
<?php
$x = 5; // global
scope function
myTest() {
// using x inside this function will generate an
error echo "<p>Variable x inside function is:
$x</p>";
}
myTest();
echo "<p>Variable x outside function is: $x</p>";
?>
A variable declared within a function has a LOCAL SCOPE and can only
be accessed within that function:
Ex:
<?php
function myTest() {
$x = 5; // local scope
echo "<p>Variable x inside function is: $x</p>";
}
myTest();
// using x outside the function will generate
an error echo "<p>Variable x outside function
is: $x</p>";
``
?>
PHP The global Keyword
The global keyword is used to access a global variable from
within a function. To do this, use the global keyword before the
variables (inside the function):
``
Ex:
<?php
$x = 5;
$y = 10;
function
myTest() {
global $x,
$y;
$y = $x + $y;
}
myTest();
echo $y; // outputs 15
?>
PHP The static Keyword
Normally, when a function is completed/executed, all of its variables
are deleted. However, sometimes we want a local variable NOT to be
deleted. We need it for a further job.
To do this, use the static keyword when you first declare the variable:
Ex:
<?php
function
myTest() {
static $x = 0;
echo $x;
$x++;
}
myTest();
myTest();
myTest();
?>
Then, each time the function is called, that variable will still have the
information it contained from the last time the function was called.
Note: The variable is still local to the function.
``
PHP Data Types
Variables can store data of different types, and different data types can do
different things. PHP supports the following data types:
String
Integer
Float (floating point numbers - also called double)
Boolean
Array
Object
NULL
Resource
``
PHP String
A string can be any text inside quotes. You can use single or double
quotes:
Ex:
<?php
$x = "Hello world!";
$y = 'Hello world!';
echo $x;
echo "<br>";
echo $y;
?>
You can use either quotation mark type to create the string.
To use a variable within another string, you must use double quotation
marks.
Ex:
$first_name = 'Tobias';
$today = 'August 2, 2011';
$var = "Define \"platitude\", please.";
$var = 'Define "platitude", please.';
echo $first_name;
echo "Hello, $first_name";
PHP Integer
An integer must have at least one digit
An integer must not have a decimal point
An integer can be either positive or negative
Integers can be specified in three formats: decimal (10-based),
hexadecimal (16-based
- prefixed with 0x) or octal (8-based - prefixed with 0)
In the following example $x is an integer. The PHP var_dump() function
returns the data type and value:
Ex:
<?php
``
$x = 5985;
var_dump($x);
?>
``
PHP Float
float (floating point number) is a number with a decimal point or a number
in exponential form.
In the following example $x is a float. The PHP var_dump() function
returns the data type and value:
Ex:
<?php
$x = 10.365;
var_dump($x);
?>
PHP Boolean
A Boolean represents two possible states: TRUE or FALSE.
Ex:
$x = true;
$y = false;
PHP Array
In the following example $cars is an array. The PHP var_dump() function
returns the data type and value:
Ex:
<?php
$cars = array("Volvo","BMW","Toyota");
var_dump($cars);
?>
PHP Object
An object is a data type which stores data and information on how to
process that data. In PHP, an object must be explicitly declared.
First we must declare a class of object. For this, we use the class
keyword. A class is a structure that can contain properties and methods:
Ex:
<?php
class Car
{
function Car() {
$this->model = "VW";
``
}
}
$herbie = new Car(); // create an object
echo $herbie->model; // show object properties
?>
``
PHP NULL Value
Null is a special data type which can have only one value: NULL.
A variable of data type NULL is a variable that has no value assigned
to it.
Tip: If a variable is created without a value, it is automatically
assigned a value of NULL.
Variables can also be emptied by setting the value to NULL:
Ex:
<?php
$x = "Hello world!";
$x = null;
var_dump($x);
?>
PHP Resource
The special resource type is not an actual data type. It is the storing
of a reference to functions and resources external to PHP.
A common example of using the resource data type is a database call.
We will not talk about the resource type here, since it is an advanced
topic
