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To get started, take a look at these two short overviews to get an idea of what php is and its relationship with xml (the next lesson). Both videos run around 25 minutes.
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Ok..ok.. so just What IS php?
- PHP stands for PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor. So it’s used to manipulate hypertext dynamically.
- PHP is a server-side scripting language, like ASP
- PHP scripts are executed on the server
- PHP supports many databases (MySQL, Informix, Oracle, Sybase, Solid, PostgreSQL, Generic ODBC, etc.)
- PHP is an open source software
- PHP is free to download and use
Ok so what php does (in conjunction with xml) is to add CONTEXT and the processing of data stored on Web pages. By stripping the functions out from one another (form, navigation, data and context), you have the elements necessary for the semantic Web…. each plays a role… add the idea of mobile computing and you have the beginnings of a recipe for pervasive or ubitquitous computing.
What is a PHP File?
- PHP files can contain text, HTML tags and scripts
- the script part of php is enclosed in opening and closing tags <?php code ?>
- PHP files are returned to the browser as plain HTML. The server does all of the manipulation before the data is sent to the user
- PHP files have a file extension of “.php”
What is MySQL?
- MySQL is a database server
- MySQL is ideal for both small and large applications
- MySQL supports standard SQL
- MySQL is also open source
- MySQL compiles on a number of platforms
- MySQL is free to download and use
PHP + MySQL
PHP combined with MySQL are cross-platform (you can develop in Windows and serve on a Unix platform)
Why PHP?
- PHP runs on different platforms (Windows, Linux, Unix, etc.)
- PHP is compatible with almost all servers used today (Apache, IIS, etc.)
- PHP is FREE to download from the official PHP resource: www.php.net
- PHP is easy to learn and runs efficiently on the server side
Where to Start?
To get access to a web server with PHP support, you can:
- Install Apache (or IIS) on your own server, install PHP, and MySQL (known as AMP)
- Or find a web hosting plan with PHP and MySQL support
- install a manager on your computer. I recommend MAMP
What do you Need?
If your server supports PHP you don’t need to do anything.
Just create some .php files in your web directory, and the server will parse them for you. Because it is free, most web hosts offer PHP support.
However, if your server does not support PHP, you must install PHP.
Note: hostgator, one of the hosting services we are recommending does support mysql and php… the other one is dreamhost
PHP code is executed on the server, and the plain HTML result is sent to the browser.
When you are done reviewing all of this, spend some time on this site to go through some of the basic tutorials. When every you see a greet button labeled “Run Example” you can mess with that code. You are not expected to become an expert by any means but you may wish to take the short quiz at the beginning to test your knowledge.
Seeing as you perhaps took the little quiz on php, there is not really much more to do here. To gain a better understanding, go on to the next lesson on xml.