Learn PHP Programming and Build a Dynamic Website

Introduction to PHP programming

• Defining PHP and its evolution.
• Technical characteristics of PHP 5, PHP 7 and PHP 8.
• Communication between a PHP web server and a browser.
• How multilayer architecture works.
• How Model-View-Controller (MVC) architecture works.

Hands-on exercise:

• explore a website developed in PHP.

Automating tasks with PHP

• How the client-server model works.
• Basic PHP syntax.
• Embedding PHP code in an HTML web page.
• PHP variables and basic functions.
• PHP libraries.
• The $_SERVER variable and advanced variables.
• PHP control structures and loops.

Hands-on exercises:

• create custom functions;
• create a function library.

Creating a PHP form

• Passing variables and exchanging data.
• Form read and write permissions.
• Checking identification and authentication.
• Redirecting after form submission.
• Creating a database-connected form.
• Creating a search engine.

Hands-on exercises:

• create a simple and a more complex form;
• create a search engine using functions.

Creating a PHP array

• Declaring an array variable.
• Using the array constructor.
• Built-in array functions.
• Retrieval functions.
• Array navigation functions.

Hands-on exercise:

• use PHP functions to create a drop-down list.

Using variables in user sessions

• Managing persistent data: session and cookie variables.
• Benefits of session and cookie variables.
• Weaknesses and security precautions.
• Session variables and their functions.
• Cookie variables and their functions.
• Other session variables and their uses.

Hands-on exercises:

• create a shopping cart system with cookie, session and version functionality;
• manage different ordered product quantities.

Managing a MySQL database with PHP

• Introduction to the MySQL database management system.
• Databases, tables, fields and records.
• Creating a MySQL database.
• MySQL table structure.
• Using MySQL fields.
• Inserting records into MySQL tables.
• PHP functions for MySQL.
• Using SQL to select, update and delete.
• Processing query results.

Hands-on exercises:

• create a MySQL database;
• import data from text files;
• generate product pages through data extraction.

Creating graphics in PHP

• Exploring the GD2 graphics library.
• Creating and reusing illustrations.
• Finding fonts and adding text to images.
• Adding copyright notices to illustrations.
• Integrating the library into a website.
• Creating graphical data representations.

Hands-on exercises:

• integrate several graphics libraries;
• add copyright notices to images.

Introduction to object-oriented programming in PHP

• What is object-oriented programming (OOP)?
• PHP and OOP.
• Object functionality in recent PHP versions.