PHP For Beginners | 3+ Hour Crash Course

Introduction

This tutorial will guide you through the fundamentals of PHP, as covered in the Traversy Media crash course. You will learn how to set up your development environment, understand PHP basics, and create a small project using PHP and MySQL.

Step 1: Setting Up Your Development Environment

• Download and Install XAMPP

  • Visit Apache Friends and download XAMPP for your operating system.
  • Follow the installation prompts to set it up on your computer.

• Start Apache and MySQL Services

  • Open the XAMPP Control Panel.
  • Start both the Apache and MySQL modules.

Step 2: Opening Your PHP File

• Create a New PHP File
  • Use a code editor like Visual Studio Code (VS Code).
  • Create a new file with a .php extension, for example, index.php.

Step 3: Configuring Visual Studio Code

• Install Extensions for PHP

  • Install extensions such as PHP Intelephense for enhanced PHP support.

• Enable Auto Reload

  • Use an extension like Live Server to automatically reload your PHP files when changes are made.

Step 4: Understanding Output Constructs and Functions

• Basic Output
  • Use echo or print to display content in PHP.

  echo "Hello, World!";
  

Step 5: Working with Data Types and Variables

• Define Variables

  • Use the $ symbol to declare variables.

  $name = "John";
  

• Explore Data Types

  • Understand different data types: strings, integers, floats, booleans, arrays, and objects.

Step 6: Utilizing Arrays

• Creating Arrays
  • Use array() function or shorthand for creating arrays.

  $colors = array("red", "green", "blue");
  

Step 7: Implementing Conditionals

• Using If Statements
  • Implement decision-making in your code.

  if ($age > 18) {
      echo "Adult";
  }
  

Step 8: Utilizing Loops

• For and While Loops
  • Use loops to iterate over data.

  for ($i = 0; $i < 5; $i++) {
      echo $i;
  }
  

Step 9: Creating and Using Functions

• Define Functions
  • Create reusable code blocks.

  function greet($name) {
      return "Hello, " . $name;
  }
  

Step 10: Employing Superglobals

• Understanding Superglobals
  • Familiarize yourself with superglobals like $_GET, $_POST, and $_SESSION.

Step 11: Handling Form Inputs

• Using $_GET and $_POST

  • Capture form data using these superglobals.

  $name = $_POST['name'];
  

• Sanitizing Inputs

  • Always sanitize user input to prevent security issues.

Step 12: Managing Cookies and Sessions

• Setting Cookies

  • Use setcookie() function for managing cookies.

• Starting Sessions

  • Use session_start() to initiate sessions in your application.

Step 13: File Handling and Uploads

• Working with Files

  • Use functions like fopen(), fwrite(), and fclose() for file operations.

• Uploading Files

  • Handle file uploads with HTML forms and PHP file handling methods.

Step 14: Error Handling and Exceptions

• Implementing Error Handling
  • Use try and catch blocks for managing exceptions.

Step 15: Object-Oriented Programming Concepts

• Understanding Classes and Objects
  • Learn to create classes and instantiate objects for better code organization.

  class Car {
      public $model;
      public function __construct($model) {
          $this->model = $model;
      }
  }
  

Step 16: Developing a Feedback App Project

• Setting Up a Feedback Table in MySQL

  • Create a database and a table to store feedback.

• Connecting to MySQL

  • Use PHP's mysqli or PDO for database connections.

  $conn = new mysqli($servername, $username, $password, $dbname);
  

• Fetching and Inserting Data

  • Use SELECT and INSERT statements to manage data in your application.

Conclusion

By following these steps, you have laid the foundation for working with PHP and MySQL. You can now explore more advanced topics or start building your projects. For further learning, consider exploring object-oriented PHP or diving deeper into frameworks. Happy coding!