Introduction

Modern web development relies on the successful integration of several technologies. Content is mostly formatted as HTML. With server-side technologies, you can create highly dynamic web applications. PHP is the single most used server-side scripting language for delivering browser-based web applications. PHP is the backbone of online giants such as Facebook, Flickr, and Yahoo.

There are other server-side languages available for web application development, but PHP is the workhorse of the Internet. For an absolute beginner, it should be comforting to know that PHP is a relatively easy language to learn. You can do many things with a little PHP. Also, there is a thriving, friendly community supporting PHP. It will be easy to get help with your own PHP projects.

Who Should Read This Book

This book is intended for those who know some HTML and CSS. It is for those who are ready to take their web developer skills to the next level. You will learn to generate HTML and CSS dynamically, using PHP and MySQL. You will learn the difference between client-side and server-side scripting through hands-on experience with PHP/MySQL and JavaScript code projects. Emphasis will be on getting up and running with PHP, but you will also get to use some MySQL and some JavaScript in your projects. By the end of the book, you will have created a number of PHP-driven projects, including the following:

• A personal portfolio site with dynamic navigation
• A dynamic image gallery where users can upload images through an HTML form
• A personal blogging system, complete with a login and an administration module

In the process, you will become acquainted with such topics as object-oriented programming, design patterns, progressive enhancement, and database design. You will not get to learn everything there is to know about PHP, but you will be off to a good start.

How to Read This Book

This book is divided into two main parts. Part I will quickly get you started writing PHP for small, dynamic projects. You will be introduced to a relatively small subset of PHP–just enough for you to develop entry-level web applications. Part I will also teach you the basic vocabulary of PHP.

Part II is a long hands-on project. You will be guided through the development of the aforementioned personal blogging system, starting from scratch. Part II will show you how to use your PHP vocabulary to design dynamic, database-driven web applications.