Introduction to PHP, Part 1, Second Edition

By Adam Majczak

It is the new Second Edition (updated). The new book covers: new online PHP tools, variables, constants, arrays.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Adam Majczak
• Release date: Feb 22, 2015
• ISBN: 9781311262943

Book preview

Introduction to PHP

Part I

Adam Majczak

C. Adam Majczak, 2015, All Rights Reserved

Smashwords: Second English Edition

(improved and updated)

E-Edition, License Notes

This e-book is licensed for your personal use only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to others. To share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient.

While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the publisher and the author assume no responsibility for errors or omissions, or for damages resulting from any use of the information contained herein.

ENGLISH EDITION

CONTENTS:

Why IT books should be updated?

CHAPTER 1: Introduction to the e-book edition

What is PHP?

What is a PHP File?

How to install a PHP interpreter?

How to test local configuration?

How to use PHP based on Command Line Interface (CLI)?

How to run PHP on a remote server?

Compileonline.com: PHP Page vs. PHP Web View Page

Text output – codepad.org

Embedding PHP

Comments in PHP and including files

CHAPTER 2: PHP variables and constants

Variable names and values

Case sensitivity

Error messages and warnings

Data types in PHP

Using constants in PHP

Integer data type

Floating-point numbers

Bool type (Boolean values)

Null type variable and type checking in PHP

Dynamic variables

CHAPTER 3: Operators

Arithmetic operators

Assignment operator and combined operators

Comparison operators

Logical operators

Type cast forcing

Conditional statements (preview)

Base converting functions and bitwise operators

Operator precedence

The ternary operator

CHAPTER 4: PHP Arrays at a glance

Numeric indexed arrays, runtime array size change

Associative arrays

How to add new key => value pairs to associative arrays?

How to format output data?

Why IT books should be updated?

Since 2013 PHP was improved and updated. In this new (improved and updated) edition I am using some new tools available online. Code examples are also checked, updated and improved. This edition includes also new PHP features (for example: generators) to become more complete and more recent.

CHAPTER 1: Introduction to the e-book edition

What is PHP?

PHP is like C and C++, but interpreted (not compiled) server-side universal programming language (named also the server scripting language) used for dynamic websites and interactive web applications. PHP codes as input produce HTML as output. The PHP script is executed on the server, and the plain HTML result is sent back to the browser. Users do not need to install any additional software to be able to view PHP generated web pages. All being required is that the web server has PHP installed in order to interpret PHP scripts.

What is a PHP File?

* PHP files can contain text, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and PHP code.

* PHP codes are executed on the server, and the result is returned to the client’s browser as a plain HTML.

* PHP files have as default extension *.php (* = file name, php = extension).

* So named pure PHP files contain PHP codes only (without HTML, JavaScript, nor CSS).

In contrast with static HTML sites, PHP sites are dynamically generated. Instead of the site containing a large number of static HTML files, a PHP-based site may consist of only a