PHP Programming Basics and Practical Examples (PDF)113

Introduction

PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor) is a widely-used server-side scripting language that powers millions of websites and web applications. Its versatility and ease of use make it an ideal choice for beginner programmers and seasoned developers alike. This comprehensive guide provides a concise overview of PHP basics, along with practical examples to illustrate the concepts discussed.

Installing PHP

Before you can start coding in PHP, you need to install it on your system. You can do this by downloading the official PHP distribution from the PHP website (/downloads).

Windows

Download the latest stable PHP version for Windows as a .zip file.
Extract the contents of the zip file to your preferred installation directory (e.g., C:php).
Add the PHP installation directory to your system environment path (e.g., PATH=%PATH%;C:php).

macOS

Use Homebrew to install PHP: brew install php
To confirm the installation, run: php -v

Linux

Use your package manager to install PHP. For example, on Ubuntu: sudo apt-get install php
To confirm the installation, run: php -v

Basic Syntax

PHP code is enclosed within tags. Here's a simple example:```php

```

This code will output "Hello, world!" to the web browser.

Variables

Variables are used to store data in PHP. They are declared using the $ symbol, followed by the variable name. For example:```php

```

Variables can store different data types, such as strings, integers, and arrays.

Data Types

PHP supports a variety of data types, including:
String
Integer
Float
Boolean
Array
Object

You can check the data type of a variable using the gettype() function.

Operators

Operators perform actions on variables and values. PHP supports various operators, such as:
Arithmetic operators (e.g., +, -, *, /, %)
Comparison operators (e.g., ==, !=, )
Logical operators (e.g., &&, ||, !)
Assignment operators (e.g., =, +=, -=)

Control Structures

Control structures allow you to control the flow of execution in your PHP code. The most common control structures include:
If statement
Switch statement
Loops (e.g., for, while)