Introduction to PHP

A PHP file may contain text, HTML tags and scripts. Scripts in a PHP file are executed on the server.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- What You Should Already Know
Before you continue you should have a basic understanding of the following: HTML / XHTML
Some scripting knowledge -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [color=940306]What is PHP?[/color]
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
[color=940306]What is a PHP File?[/color]
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"
[color=940306]What is MySQL?[/color]
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
[color=940306]PHP + MySQL[/color]
PHP combined with MySQL are cross-platform (means that you can develop in Windows and serve on a Unix platform)
[color=940306]Why PHP?[/color]
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: http://www.php.net
PHP is easy to learn and runs efficiently on the server side
[color=940306]Where to Start?[/color]
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