PHP PHP source
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File Information
PHP source
Code
.php
text/x-php
PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor
What is a PHP file?
A PHP (.php) file is a server-side script written in PHP (PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor), a widely-used open source scripting language designed primarily for web development. PHP files can contain HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and PHP code, with PHP code executed on the server before the page is sent to the user's browser. PHP is embedded within HTML using special tags and is particularly well-suited for dynamic web page generation.
More Information
PHP was originally created by Rasmus Lerdorf in 1994 as "Personal Home Page" tools, but was later redeveloped by Andi Gutmans and Zeev Suraski and renamed to "PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor" in 1997. PHP has evolved into one of the most popular server-side scripting languages, powering millions of websites including major platforms like WordPress, Facebook (originally), Wikipedia, and many e-commerce sites.
PHP's popularity stems from its ease of learning, extensive documentation, large community, and seamless integration with databases and web servers. The language is platform-independent and can run on various operating systems including Linux, Windows, and macOS. PHP continues to evolve with regular releases that improve performance, add new features, and enhance security.
PHP Format
PHP code is embedded within HTML and follows specific syntax rules:
Basic Syntax
- Opening tags -
<?php
or<?=
for short echo tags - Closing tags -
?>
(optional if file contains only PHP) - Variables - Start with $ symbol (e.g., $variable)
- Statements - End with semicolons
- Comments -
//
,#
, or/* */
for multi-line - Case sensitivity - Variables are case-sensitive, keywords are not
Data Types
- Scalar types - string, integer, float, boolean
- Compound types - array, object, callable, iterable
- Special types - resource, NULL
- Type declarations - Optional type hints for parameters and returns
- Dynamic typing - Variables don't need explicit type declaration
Key Features
- Server-side execution - Code runs on the server
- Database integration - Built-in support for many databases
- Session management - Built-in session handling
- File handling - Comprehensive file system functions
- Object-oriented - Classes, inheritance, interfaces, traits
- Error handling - Exceptions and error reporting
Common Patterns
<?php
// Basic PHP script
$name = "World";
$greeting = "Hello, " . $name . "!";
// Class definition
class User {
private $username;
public function __construct($username) {
$this->username = $username;
}
public function getUsername() {
return $this->username;
}
}
// Database connection (PDO)
try {
$pdo = new PDO('mysql:host=localhost;dbname=test', $user, $pass);
$stmt = $pdo->prepare('SELECT * FROM users WHERE id = ?');
$stmt->execute([$id]);
$user = $stmt->fetch();
} catch (PDOException $e) {
echo 'Connection failed: ' . $e->getMessage();
}
?>
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<title><?php echo $greeting; ?></title>
</head>
<body>
<h1><?php echo $greeting; ?></h1>
</body>
</html>
How to work with PHP files
PHP development requires a server environment and various tools:
Server Environment
- XAMPP - Cross-platform Apache, MySQL, PHP package
- WAMP - Windows, Apache, MySQL, PHP stack
- MAMP - macOS, Apache, MySQL, PHP stack
- Docker - Containerized PHP development environment
- Local development servers - Built-in PHP server for testing
IDEs and Editors
- PhpStorm - Professional PHP IDE by JetBrains
- Visual Studio Code - Popular editor with PHP extensions
- Sublime Text - Lightweight editor with PHP packages
- NetBeans - Free IDE with PHP support
- Eclipse PDT - PHP Development Tools for Eclipse
Package Management
- Composer - Dependency manager for PHP
- Packagist - Main Composer repository
- PSR standards - PHP Standards Recommendations
- Autoloading - Automatic class loading
Testing and Quality Tools
- PHPUnit - Most popular testing framework
- PHPStan - Static analysis tool
- Psalm - Static analysis and type checking
- PHP_CodeSniffer - Code style checker
- PHPMD - PHP Mess Detector
Popular Frameworks
- Laravel - Elegant web application framework
- Symfony - Mature, enterprise-grade framework
- CodeIgniter - Lightweight, simple framework
- Zend Framework/Laminas - Enterprise-focused framework
- CakePHP - Rapid development framework
- Yii - High-performance component-based framework
Database Integration
PHP excels at database connectivity:
- MySQL/MariaDB - Most common database pairing
- PostgreSQL - Advanced open-source database
- SQLite - Lightweight file-based database
- PDO - PHP Data Objects for database abstraction
- MySQLi - Improved MySQL extension
- ORM libraries - Eloquent, Doctrine, Propel
Web Server Integration
PHP integrates with various web servers:
- Apache HTTP Server - Most common pairing with mod_php
- Nginx - High-performance server with PHP-FPM
- IIS - Microsoft's web server
- Lighttpd - Lightweight web server
- Built-in server - For development purposes
Common Use Cases
PHP is widely used for:
- Dynamic websites - Content management and user interaction
- Content Management Systems - WordPress, Drupal, Joomla
- E-commerce platforms - Magento, WooCommerce, OpenCart
- Web applications - Custom business applications
- API development - RESTful and GraphQL APIs
- Rapid prototyping - Quick development of web concepts
- Backend services - Server-side logic and data processing
- Form processing - Contact forms, user registration
- Session management - User authentication and state management
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