Getting started with PHP programming.
Hello there, I’m David Berry, a freelance web developer from North Wales. I have been using PHP for a few years now and wanted a central location where I can educate people in PHP programming and also give myself a reference directory for the future.
Over the next few months I am hoping to create and develop some PHP programming tutorials for everyone from complete beginners to the more advanced folk!
If you have any comments, notice any mistakes (woops!) or want me to cover an area please feel free to either email me directly or leave a comment on any of the pages.
So what is PHP?
PHP, put bluntly, is a scripting language which works on the server to help webmasters create dynamic content easily and quickly. PHP can (and is) used for things such as blogs, forums, contact forms, dynamic page content and RSS feeds to name a few. PHP is running the majority of this website, delivering content
from a database in a clear and simple form.
PHP can be embedded directly into HTML pages and used to bring “fresh” content to users, without having to edit the HTML file directly.
My first PHP Script
Like most scripting and programming languages I’ve come across in the past, the first program (or script) you learn to create is the infamous “Hello World” script. The script is shown below:
<?php
echo "Hello World!";
?>
The first part of the code about <?php simply tells the PHP compiler to start working, echo (which could also be written as print) is used to display text within the enclosed string and the ?> is to tell the compiler to stop running.
Unfortunately i’m going to have to cut short today’s lesson, as its now 3am and i need my sleep!
I will update this as soon as possible
Thanks
Dave.
Tags: introduction, PHP, tutorial