What is PHP
PHP is an open-source, interpreted, and object-oriented scripting language that can be
executed at the server-side. PHP is well suited for web development. Therefore, it is used to
develop web applications (an application that executes on the server and generates the
dynamic page.
o PHP stands for Hypertext Preprocessor.
o PHP is an interpreted language, i.e., there is no need for compilation.
o PHP is faster than other scripting languages, for example, ASP and JSP.
o PHP is a server-side scripting language, which is used to manage the dynamic
content of the website.
o PHP can be embedded into HTML.
o PHP is an object-oriented language.
o PHP is an open-source scripting language.
o PHP is simple and easy to learn language.
Why use PHP
PHP is a server-side scripting language, which is used to design the dynamic web
applications with MySQL database.
o It handles dynamic content, database as well as session tracking for the website.
o You can create sessions in PHP.
o It can access cookies variable and also set cookies.
o It helps to encrypt the data and apply validation.
o PHP supports several protocols such as HTTP, POP3, SNMP, LDAP, IMAP, and many
more.
o Using PHP language, you can control the user to access some pages of your website.
o As PHP is easy to install and set up, this is the main reason why PHP is the best
language to learn.
o PHP can handle the forms, such as - collect the data from users using forms, save it
into the database, and return useful information to the user. For example -
Registration form.
o PHP Features
o PHP is very popular language because of its simplicity and open source. There are
some important features of PHP given below:
o Performance:
o PHP script is executed much faster than those scripts which are written in other
languages such as JSP and ASP. PHP uses its own memory, so the server workload
and loading time is automatically reduced, which results in faster processing speed
and better performance.
o Open Source:
o PHP source code and software are freely available on the web. You can develop all
the versions of PHP according to your requirement without paying any cost. All its
components are free to download and use.
o Familiarity with syntax:
o PHP has easily understandable syntax. Programmers are comfortable coding with it.
o Embedded:
o PHP code can be easily embedded within HTML tags and script.
o Platform Independent:
o PHP is available for WINDOWS, MAC, LINUX & UNIX operating system. A PHP
application developed in one OS can be easily executed in other OS also.
o Database Support:
o PHP supports all the leading databases such as MySQL, SQLite, ODBC, etc.
o Error Reporting -
o PHP has predefined error reporting constants to generate an error notice or warning
at runtime. E.g., E_ERROR, E_WARNING, E_STRICT, E_PARSE.
o Loosely Typed Language:
o PHP allows us to use a variable without declaring its datatype. It will be taken
automatically at the time of execution based on the type of data it contains on its
value.
o Web servers Support:
o PHP is compatible with almost all local servers used today like Apache, Netscape,
Microsoft IIS, etc.
o Security:
o PHP is a secure language to develop the website. It consists of multiple layers of
security to prevent threads and malicious attacks.
o Control:
o Different programming languages require long script or code, whereas PHP can do
the same work in a few lines of code. It has maximum control over the websites like
you can make changes easily whenever you want.
o A Helpful PHP Community:
o It has a large community of developers who regularly updates documentation,
tutorials, online help, and FAQs. Learning PHP from the communities is one of the
significant benefits.
o
What are the popular Content Management Systems (CMS) in
PHP?
o WordPress: WordPress is a free and open-source content management system
(CMS) based on PHP & MySQL. It includes a plug-in architecture and template
system. It is mostly connected with blogging but supports another kind of web
content, containing more traditional mailing lists and forums, media displays, and
online stores.
o Joomla: Joomla is a free and open-source content management system (CMS) for
distributing web content, created by Open Source Matters, Inc. It is based on a
model-view-controller web application framework that can be used independently of
the CMS.
o Magento: Magento is an open source E-trade programming, made by Varien Inc.,
which is valuable for online business. It has a flexible measured design and is
versatile with many control alternatives that are useful for clients. Magento utilizes
E-trade stage which offers organization extreme E-business arrangements and
extensive support network.
o Drupal: Drupal is a CMS platform developed in PHP and distributed under the GNU
(General Public License).
What is "echo" in PHP?
PHP echo output one or more string. It is a language construct not a function. So the use of
parentheses is not required. But if you want to pass more than one parameter to echo, the
use of parentheses is required.
Syntax:
1. void echo ( string $arg1 [, string $... ] )
PHP echo: printing multi line string
File: echo2.php
1. <?php
2. echo "Hello by PHP echo
3. this is multi line
4. text printed by
5. PHP echo statement
6. ";
7. ?>
What are the different loops in PHP?
For, while, do-while and for each.
What is the use of count() function in PHP?
The PHP count() function is used to count total elements in the array, or something an
object.
What is the use of header() function in PHP?
The header() function is used to send a raw HTTP header to a client. It must be called
before sending the actual output. For example, you can't print any HTML element before
using this function.
What does isset() function?
The isset() function checks if the variable is defined and not null.
Explain PHP parameterized functions.
PHP parameterized functions are functions with parameters. You can pass any number of
parameters inside a function. These given parameters act as variables inside your function.
They are specified inside the parentheses, after the function name. Output depends upon
dynamic values passed as parameters into the function.
Explain PHP variable length argument function
PHP supports variable length argument function. It means you can pass 0, 1 or n number of
arguments in function. To do this, you need to use 3 ellipses (dots) before the argument
name. The 3 dot concept is implemented for variable length argument since PHP 5.6.
Explain PHP variable length argument function.
PHP supports variable length argument function. It means you can pass 0, 1 or n number of
arguments.
What is the array in PHP?
An array is used to store multiple values in a single value. In PHP, it orders maps of pairs of
keys and values. It saves the collection of the data type.
How many types of array are there in PHP?
There are three types of array in PHP:
1. Indexed array: an array with a numeric key.
2. Associative array: an array where each key has its specific value.
3. Multidimensional array: an array containing one or more arrays within itself.
Explain some of the PHP array functions?
There are many array functions in PHP:
o array()
o array_change_key_case()
o array_chunk()
o count()
o sort()
o array_reverse()
o array_search()
o array_intersect()
