Chapter 1.1 What Is PHP and What Do I Need
PHP is the most popular server-side language used to build dynamic websites, and though it is not especially difficult to use, non-programmers often find it intimidating. This workshop Powers to be designed to change that by teaching you PHP through a series of clear, focused, easy-to-follow lessons. After briefly explaining what PHP is and how it integrates with HTML, It will guide you through the setup and configuration of a PHP development environment on both Windows and Mac OS X. Then you’ll learn the features of the PHP language through a series of hands-on exercises before embarking on a larger project that involves building a script to validate and email user input from an online form. Through this project you’ll come to understand the value of creating reusable code, the importance of PHP security, and how to deal with multiple-choice form fields.
This introductory video describes the role of PHP in building dynamic web pages and explains what you need to start developing with PHP.
