PHP and MySQL Programming

PHP is a widely-used general-purpose scripting language that is especially suited for Web development and can be embedded into HTML. This course follows a step-by-step introduction to the topics concerning programming in PHP and using the MySQL database.

Topics include introduction to Web development and PHP, working with data types and operators, building functions and control structures, manipulating strings, accessing files and directories, manipulating data in arrays and strings, working with databases and MySQL, manipulating MySQL databases with PHP, managing state information, developing object-oriented PHP, and debugging and error handling.

Since PHP runs on the Apache Server, it works on both Windows and then Linux operating systems and is extremely portable. Both PHP and MySQL are Open Source and operate under the GNU license, which means they are free to use and distribute for public or commercial websites.

Introduction to Web Development

• Study the history of the World Wide Web
• Review the basics of how to create Web pages
• Work with structured Web pages
• Study Web development

Getting Started with PHP

• Install and configure WAMP Server (Windows, Apache, MySQL and PHP)
• Install and configure PHP
• Install and configure MySQL on local and remote servers
• Create basic PHP scripts

Working with Data Types and Operators

• Work with variables and constants
• Study data types
• Use expressions and operators
• Cast the data types of variables
• Learn about operator precedence

Functions and Control Structures

• Study how to use functions to organize your PHP code
• Learn about variable scope and autoglobal variables
• Use if statements, if…else statements, and switch statements
• Use nested control structures
• Use while statements, do…while statements, for, and foreach statements to repeatedly execute code

Manipulating Strings

• Manipulate strings
• Parse strings
• Compare strings
• Handle form submissions

Working with Files and Directories

• Open and close files
• Write data to files
• Read data from files
• Manage files and directories

Manipulating Arrays

• Manipulate array elements
• Declare and initialize associative arrays
• Use iteration functions
• Find and extract elements and values
• Sort, combine, and compare arrays
• Work with multidimensional arrays

Working with Databases and MySQL

• Study the basics of databases and MySQL
• Work with MySQL databases
• Manage user accounts
• Define database tables
• Work with database records

Manipulating MySQL Databases with PHP

• Connect to MySQL from PHP
• Learn how to handle MySQL errors
• Execute SQL statements with PHP
• Use PHP to work with MySQL databases and tables
• Use PHP to manipulate database records

Managing State Information

• Learn about state information
• Use hidden form fields to save state information
• Use query strings to save state information
• Use cookies to save state information
• Use sessions to save state information

Developing Object-Oriented PHP

• Study object-oriented programming concepts
• Use objects in PHP scripts
• Declare data members in classes
• Work with class member functions

Error Handling and Debugging

• Study debugging concepts
• Handle and report errors
• Learn how to use basic debugging techniques