Introducing PHP 7/MySQL

Prof. Sham Tickoo

• Publisher: CADCIM Technologies
• Year: 2018
• ISBN:
  9781942689713
• Topic: Computer Science
• Subtopic: Web Programming
• Index: Computer Science

Introducing PHP 7/MySQL textbook is an example based textbook which is written to cater to the needs of the novice users who wish to learn PHP 7 and MySQL. It is quite helpful for the experienced web developers as well who want to develop efficient programs. The textbook highlights PHP and MySQL as the easiest languages for learning web development and also explains various features of the languages in a simple and easy style.
The highlight of the textbook is that each concept introduced in it has been exemplified by a program to clarify and facilitate better understanding. Also, the line-by-line explanation of each program ensures that the users with no previous programming experience are able to understand the concepts and master the programming techniques and use them with flexibility while designing programs.

The following are some additional features of this book:

• Consists of 12 chapters that are organized in a pedagogical sequence.
• Covers various aspects of creating efficient programs using PHP 7 and MySQL.
• The first page of every chapter summarizes the topics that are covered in it.
• Each concept discussed in the textbook is exemplified by a program to clarify and facilitate better understanding.
• Step-by-step instructions that guide the users through the learning process.
• Additional information is provided throughout the textbook in the form of notes and tips.
• Self-Evaluation Test and Review Questions are given at the end of each chapter so that the users can assess their knowledge.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Introduction to Dynamic Websites
Chapter 2: Setting Up the Development Environment
Chapter 3: Fundamentals of PHP
Chapter 4: Variables, Constants, and Strings
Chapter 5: Operators
Chapter 6: Control Structures
Chapter 7: Functions, Classes, and Objects
Chapter 8: Arrays
Chapter 9: Form Implementation and Validation
Chapter 10: File Handling, Sessions, and Cookies
Chapter 11: Introduction to MySQL
Chapter 12: PHP and MySQL Integration
Index

Chapter 1

Introduction to

Dynamic Websites

Learning Objectives

After completing this chapter, you will be able to:

• Understand the basic terms used in website development

• Understand the request/response process

• Understand the meaning of static and dynamic websites

• Understand the use of web server

• Know about the evolution of PHP

• Understand the benefits of using PHP

INTRODUCTION

A website is a collection of related web pages. Every web page you access through Internet is a website or a part of website. There are two types of websites, Static and Dynamic. These websites are designed and developed by using HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP, and MySQL languages.

Basic Terms Used in Website Development

In this chapter, you will learn about the basic terminology such as www, HTML, HTTP, URI used in website development; the request/response process; the static or dynamic nature of websites; web server; evolution of PHP; and benefits of using PHP.

Some basic terms that are generally used in relation to websites are explained next.

WWW

The World Wide Web or WWW in short, is the base of today’s web which supports specially formatted documents also known as web pages on Internet servers. These web pages are formatted in a markup language called HTML (HyperText Markup Language). HTML is the part of basic web technologies.

In 1990, Tim-Berners-Lee invented three basic technologies, namely HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP), HyperText Markup Language (HTML), and Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) which together formed a global information medium called World Wide Web that operates on Internet.

HTTP

HTTP stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol. It is an application protocol for regulating the request and response between the client (web browser running on the end user’s system) and a web server. It runs on top of the TCP/IP suite of protocols and by default port 80 is used for HTTP traffic. It is designed to enable communications between clients and servers.

For example, if a user is sending a request (URL) such as www.cadcim.com which is actually an HTTP command, to the server through a web browser, then the browser is known as the client. Whereas the server is a system that accepts the request made by the client and returns a response message to the client in the form of HTML pages, websites, and other content. In short, client makes a request and server responds to that request.

Note

http:// and ftp:// are the protocols also known as access mechanisms.

HTML

HTML stands for Hypertext Markup Language. It defines the structure of web pages displayed on World Wide Web. Any website or web page you see on Internet consists of an HTML code. HTML is the base to form electronic documents (web pages). A website is a collection of related web pages. For a website, proper formatting of text and images can be done with the help of an HTML code. An HTML code ensures that the website is displayed on the Internet browser as it is intended to look. Formatting of websites or web pages are done with the help of various HTML tags. The latest version of HTML is HTML5.

Standard HTML Template

Given below is the standard HTML page template.

<!Doctype html>

<html>

<head>

<title>Title of web page</title>

</head>

<body>

<!--Content of the webpage......-->

</body>

</html>

Explanation

• <!Doctype html> defines the document to be HTML5 (HTML version 5).
• The text between <html> and </html> describes HTML document.
• The text between <head> and </head> provides information about the document.
• The text between <title> and </title> provides a title for the document.
• The text between <body> an...