First Lecture

A PHP file may contain text, HTML tags and scripts. Scripts in a PHP file are executed on the server. 

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What you should already know  

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

• WWW, HTML and the basics of building Web pages 
• Some scripting knowledge 

If you want to study these subjects, go to our Home Page 

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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 (OSS) 
• PHP is free to download and use 

What is a PHP File?  

• PHP files may 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 small database server 
• MySQL is ideal for small and medium 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 (means that 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?  

• Install an Apache server on a Windows or Linux machine 
• Install PHP on a Windows or Linux machine 
• Install MySQL on a Windows or Linux machine