PHP & MySQL - Certification Course for Beginners

Learn how PHP, an open source server-side scripting language, powers cross-platform web pages with Apache and MySQL database interactions.

Launch your local testing server (WAMP or MAMP) to run PHP scripts, then store them in the web root (www) and organize sites in dedicated folders like p2p lessons.

Create and run a basic php file that outputs hello world in the browser, confirming local server configuration and saving the file as intro.php in the php lessons folder.

Explore PHP syntax basics: placing code, echo statements, and comments, plus variable case sensitivity and how to surface error messages in the browser.

Declare PHP variables as containers for numeric and text data, starting with a dollar sign and names. Output values with the echo statement and perform arithmetic like x plus y.

Explore PHP variable scope by contrasting global and local scope, demonstrating how variables outside functions are inaccessible inside functions, and how echoes trigger undefined variable errors.

Demonstrates using the global keyword to access global variables inside a function, summing x and y to produce 50 via the $GLOBALS array.

Explore how PHP's static keyword lets a local variable retain its value between function calls, shown by test function that initializes x to 10 and outputs 10, 11, 12, 13.

Compare php echo and print for outputting text, variables, and html tags. Echo supports multiple parameters and is slightly faster; print outputs a single value.

Explore PHP data types by declaring string and integer variables, using floats and arrays, and handling null and boolean values, with outputs from echo and var_dump.

Explore how PHP objects store data and use a class with public properties like first name, last name, and age, plus a Hello method to output each instance.

Explore PHP string functions such as word count, reverse, and replace, using examples like 'Hello World'. See how to determine string position and perform replacements to manipulate text.

Understand php constants, identifiers for fixed values that cannot change and are global across a script; create them with the defined function, and choose case sensitive or case insensitive names.

Explore PHP operators, including arithmetic, assignment, comparison, increment and decrement, logical, string, and array operators, with practical examples and outputs.

Master PHP conditional statements, including if, else, else if, and switch, through practical examples with a variable x that outputs 'condition met' or 'condition not met'.

Map a score out of 100 to letter grades using if and else if statements, covering F under 50 through A plus at 90 and above, and test values.

Identify how a switch statement compares an expression to predefined cases and executes the matching block, outputting messages like 'you drive a Volvo' or 'you don't drive' when no match.

Explore how while loops and do while loops execute code blocks in PHP, with incrementing x and conditional checks, and preview the for each loop.

Explore how to use the PHP for loop with its three parameters to repeat code a set number of times, and apply foreach to iterate arrays like a car list.

Explore PHP functions, including built-in and custom ones, define and call functions with the function keyword, use arguments to pass data, and display results with echo.

Explore PHP functions with default parameters using a my_age example where mean_age defaults to 30. Demonstrate the return statement by adding x and y to yield 3, 7, and 10.

Explore PHP arrays, including indexed, associative, and multi-dimensional arrays. Learn to access values by index, count length, and loop with for and foreach, using named keys.

Master PHP multidimensional arrays by organizing student names and two test scores in nested arrays, then access values with row and column indexes to display each student's grades.

Learn PHP array sorting with sort, rsort, and ksort for indexed and associative arrays; sort by value or key, then output results with loops.

Explore PHP superglobals, built-in variables always available, and how a function's global variable can be accessed outside it, plus server superglobals reveal headers, script locations, and the host name.

Process form data with PHP by validating inputs on the server, using the form action and PHP scripts, and reviewing get and post transmissions and their security.

Learn PHP post versus get basics by building a small form and processing input with post and get methods, and compare data exposure risks.

Build a PHP form that outputs user input on the same page using post method. Validate data with trim and strip slashes, and secure it with html special characters function.

Learn to add PHP form validation using the empty function to require name and website fields, display red error messages, and output data only when both fields are filled.

Advance PHP input validation with preg_match to enforce patterns for names and website formats. Verify that names contain only letters and spaces, and websites follow the correct format for submission.