Php:lesson #1 - The basics of PHP.

First off, we need to meet each other. I am Archimedes! xD I chose this name because I have a joy for mathematics and calculators and such. Archimedes is the man who discovered Pi(3.14159).

Things you should know before we start Lesson #1.
1.HTML
2.General scripting knowledge or what it actually does.

Alright, to the PHP lessons.

1.PHP stands for PHP; Hypertext Preprocessor.
2.PHP is used all around the world to build dynamic web pages and web sites.

Basic Syntax
1. All PHP scripts start with the<?php or <? tag. I'd use the <?php tag just to be a little bit more tidy, just my opinion though.

2. To write something in PHP, we use the 'echo' or 'print' statement, like so.

Output: Hello Astahost!

3. All PHP statements end with a semicolon(.(In italics in the first code snippet.)

Comments
4. To type comments in PHP we use // for one line comments or /* */ to make a comment block, like in this example. Comments DO NOT end with a semicolon.

Output: Hello Astahost!

Variables
5. At school, you use variables to substitute for numbers. Like, 4f + f = d. f=2, therefore 4*2+2=10. d=10.
6. In PHP, variables are 'saved' with the USD sign($).

Output: Hello

8. To type 2 variables after each other, you'd separate them with '. " " .', like so.

Output: Hello 4

Operators

Operator - Name - Ex. - Output
+ - Addition - x=2. 4 + x - 6
- - Subtraction - x=2. 4 - x - 2
* - Multiplication - x=2. 4 * x - 8
/ - Division - x=2. 4 / x - 2
For a list of all operators, click here.



That's it for our first lesson, see ya soon!


The Human Calculator,

Archimedes

Just a stupid question. You say "PHP stands for PHP; Hypertext Preprocessor."
How do you make php with Hypertext Preprocessor ? It should sound more like hpp ?

PHP = PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recursive_acronym

PHP — PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor (originally "Personal Home Page" tools, officially changed for PHP 3

Good lesson, i know where did you found it. "w3schools"

What You Should Already Know

Before you continue you should have a basic understanding of the following:

* HTML
* Some scripting knowledge

If you want to study these subjects first, find the tutorials on our Home page.
What is PHP?

* PHP stands for PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor
* PHP is a server-side scripting language, like ASP
* PHP scripts are executed on the server
* PHP supports many databases (MySQL, Informix, Oracle, Sybase, Solid, PostgreSQL, Generic ODBC, etc.)
* PHP is an open source software
* PHP is free to download and use

What is a PHP File?

* PHP files can contain text, HTML tags and scripts
* PHP files are returned to the browser as plain HTML
* PHP files have a file extension of ".php", ".php3", or ".phtml"

What is MySQL?

* MySQL is a database server
* MySQL is ideal for both small and large applications
* MySQL supports standard SQL
* MySQL compiles on a number of platforms
* MySQL is free to download and use

PHP + MySQL

* PHP combined with MySQL are cross-platform (you can develop in Windows and serve on a Unix platform)

Why PHP?

* PHP runs on different platforms (Windows, Linux, Unix, etc.)
* PHP is compatible with almost all servers used today (Apache, IIS, etc.)
* PHP is FREE to download from the official PHP resource: www.php.net
* PHP is easy to learn and runs efficiently on the server side

Where to Start?

To get access to a web server with PHP support, you can:

* Install Apache (or IIS) on your own server, install PHP, and MySQL
* Or find a web hosting plan with PHP and MySQL support
Basic PHP Syntax

A PHP scripting block always starts with <?php and ends with ?>. A PHP scripting block can be placed anywhere in the document.

On servers with shorthand support enabled you can start a scripting block with <? and end with ?>.

For maximum compatibility, we recommend that you use the standard form (<?php) rather than the shorthand form.

<?php

?>

A PHP file normally contains HTML tags, just like an HTML file, and some PHP scripting code.

Below, we have an example of a simple PHP script which sends the text "Hello World" to the browser:

<html>
<body>

<?php
echo "Hello World";
?>

</body>
</html>

Each code line in PHP must end with a semicolon. The semicolon is a separator and is used to distinguish one set of instructions from another.

There are two basic statements to output text with PHP: echo and print. In the example above we have used the echo statement to output the text "Hello World".

Note: The file must have the .php extension. If the file has a .html extension, the PHP code will not be executed.
Comments in PHP

In PHP, we use // to make a single-line comment or /* and */ to make a large comment block.

<html>
<body>

<?php

//This is a comment

/*
This is
a comment
block
*/

?>

</body>
</html>Basic PHP Syntax

A PHP scripting block always starts with <?php and ends with ?>. A PHP scripting block can be placed anywhere in the document.

On servers with shorthand support enabled you can start a scripting block with <? and end with ?>.

For maximum compatibility, we recommend that you use the standard form (<?php) rather than the shorthand form.

<?php

?>

A PHP file normally contains HTML tags, just like an HTML file, and some PHP scripting code.

Below, we have an example of a simple PHP script which sends the text "Hello World" to the browser:

<html>
<body>

<?php
echo "Hello World";
?>

</body>
</html>

Each code line in PHP must end with a semicolon. The semicolon is a separator and is used to distinguish one set of instructions from another.

There are two basic statements to output text with PHP: echo and print. In the example above we have used the echo statement to output the text "Hello World".

Note: The file must have the .php extension. If the file has a .html extension, the PHP code will not be executed.
Comments in PHP

In PHP, we use // to make a single-line comment or /* and */ to make a large comment block.

<html>
<body>

<?php

//This is a comment

/*
This is
a comment
block
*/

?>

</body>
</html>