PHP is an acronym for Hypertext Preprocessor and is a widely used general-purpose open source scripting language. Created in 1995 by Rasmus Lerdorf, this server-side programming language has been continuously developing ever since. PHP, which stands for Personal HomePage, was first designed as a set of binaries primarily used to collect basic traffic data from websites. However, the parser was rewritten in 1997, which expanded performance and gave the language more functions.
Some types of programming languages are server-side, including PHP, which means that they run on a Web server. Others are client-side, such as JavaScript, which runs on a Web browser. Server side languages give the user more flexibility, such as for manipulating images and working with files and database, which other types of programming languages limit. However, unlike client-side code that is available on the browser to access and edit, server side remains on the Web server and isn’t accessible to visitors of the site.
PHP can be used for several functions, including client-side GUI applications and command-line scripting. The PHP runtime executes all files written in PHP code, usually to create a dynamic web page. PHP acts much like a filter, collecting input from a stream or file containing text and outputs another stream of text. There is a set of data types used in the scripting process that are stored by PHP as numbers in a platform-dependent range. Integer, floating-point number, character string, and Boolean are all simple types of data found in PHP variables. An integer is a whole number that is allowed varies, depending on your operating system. A floating-point number is not usually a whole number but includes decimal places. A character string is set of single characters that have no practical limit on the string length. Boolean can be described as a TRUE of FALSE value.
Like many other types of scripting languages, PHP enables web developers to create customizable behaviors into their web pages. PHP consist of a general scripting language, as well as an interpreter that acts as a module that converts scripts into commands. When a visitor clicks on a web page, the browser sends a request to the web server that hosts the website and asks for a copy of that specific web page. Once the web server has received the request, they find the wanted web page and send it back over the Internet to the visitor’s browser. The web browser cannot interpret coding, making it essential for the PHP pre-processing module to intercept. PHP then sends content to replace the script fragment. The content is used to execute the script instructions so that the output that the browser receives will understand. The web page will then appear with the proper PHP coding.
PHP scripts can be used for a variety of web page projects. If you are interested in adding a guestbook, hit counter, message board, or link manager to your web page, a PHP script can be used to incorporate these items into your page. The following resources contain PHP scripts for download.