Getting Started With PHP Programming
PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor ) is a free and open-source programming language and is widely used to develop dynamic website applications that interact with databases. PHP is a great tool that can help you learn the fundamentals of web designing. It’s still relevant in today’s world and over 70% of the active websites on the internet use PHP. This tutorial will help you understand the basics of PHP and get started with your journey as a PHP Developer.
Uses of PHP
Before we start diving into technicals, let’s talk about what PHP programming language can do:
- Using PHP you can interact with the server to save, update, and delete pieces of information from the database. (Ex. blog posts, user profiles, or anything that is on the webpage).
- PHP can handle website forms to gather information. Ex. contact details, username and password, and more.
- Access files to read, write and delete files from the server. Ex. storing CSV files, uploading images, and removing and updating them.
- Access server sessions.
- Restrict users from certain pages of the website.
- Can send HTML to the client browser to render web pages.
PHP BASICS
To build a solid foundation in programming, it’s important to learn the fundamentals before you can move on to more advanced topics. Start by learning the basics of PHP such as Syntax, Variable Declaration, Data Types, and Flow Control Structures. Once you have a grasp of the fundaments, you can move on to more advanced topics.
Basic Syntax and Data Types
PHP code is wrapped in <?php and ?> tags to distinguish it from regular HTML. PHP statements end with a semicolon. Here's a simple PHP script:
<?php
$message = "Hello, World!";
echo $message;
?>PHP supports various data types, including strings, integers, floats, booleans, arrays, and objects. Variables in PHP start with a dollar sign ($) followed by the variable name. Here’s an example.
<?php
$name = "John Doe"; // String
$age = 30; // Integer
$isStudent = true; // Boolean
$price = 19.99; // Float (double)
?>Control Structure
PHP supports various control structures for decision-making and looping, including if-else, switch, for, while, do-while, and foreach. These structures enable developers to control the flow of execution in their code. Here’s an example.
<?php
if ($age >= 18) {
echo "You are an adult.";
} else {
echo "You are a minor.";
}
?>Operators
PHP supports various operators, including arithmetic, assignment, comparison, logic, and more. These operators are used to perform operations on variables and values. Here’s an example.
<?php
$x = 10;
$y = 5;
$sum = $x + $y; // Addition
$difference = $x - $y; // Subtraction
$product = $x * $y; // Multiplication
$quotient = $x / $y; // Division
$isGreater = $x > $y; // Comparison (greater than)
$isEqual = $x == $y; // Comparison (equal to)
?>Functions
Functions allow developers to encapsulate blocks of code for reuse and modularity. PHP has built-in functions, and developers can also create custom functions.
<?php
function addNumbers($num1, $num2) {
return $num1 + $num2;
}
$result = addNumbers(5, 10);
echo "The result is: " . $result; // Output: The result is: 15
?>Mastering these fundamental concepts lays a strong foundation for becoming proficient in PHP development. As you gain expertise, you can explore more advanced topics like object-oriented programming, frameworks, security practices, and best coding practices to build robust and scalable web applications.
Do you want to learn full-stack web development from zero to hero? I offer one-on-one tutoring for those who want to pursue web development. All you need is dedication, time, and willingness to learn about this amazing technology. Follow me for more https://medium.com/@algerwrites :)
