Web Applications Development using PHP & MYSQL

V Semester UT-III
M NAGA V VARA PRASAD, Assistant Professor, CS, BVRC (III Chem)
UT-III Syllabus

Working with Forms: Creating Forms, Accessing Form Input with User defined Arrays, Combining HTML and
PHP code on a single Page, Using Hidden Fields to save state, Redirecting the user, Sending Mail on Form
Submission, and Working with File Uploads, Managing files on server, Exception handling.
Working With Forms:
HTML FORM: HTML form is a section of a document which contains controls such as text fields, password fields, checkboxes,
radio buttons, submit button, menus etc.
Syntax:
<form>
<!--form elements-->
</form>

FORM ELEMENTS:
These are the following HTML <form> elements:
1. <label> : It defines label for <form> elements.
2. <input> : It is used to get input data from the form in various types such as text, password, email, etc by changing its type.
3. <button> : It defines a clickable button to control other elements or execute a functionality.
4. <select> : It is used to create a drop-down list.
5. <textarea>: It is used to get input long text content.
6. <fieldset> : It is used to draw a box around other form elements and group the related data.
7. <legend> : It defines caption for field set elements.
8. <datalist> : It is used to specify pre-defined list options for input controls.
9. <output> : It displays the output of performed calculations.
10. <option> : It is used to define options in a drop-down list.
11. <optgroup>: It is used to define group-related options in a drop-down list.
Creating forms:

Creating forms in PHP involves two main parts:

The HTML form – This is used to collect user input.
The PHP script – This processes the data submitted by the form.

Step-by-Step Example: Simple Form Handling in PHP

1. Create the HTML Form

Save as: form.html

<form action="submit.php" method="post">

Name: <input type="text" name="name" required><br><br>
Email: <input type=“email" name="email" required><br><br><br>
<input type="submit" value="Submit">
</form>

• action="submit.php" — The PHP file that will handle the form data.
• method="post" — Sends data securely (not visible in URL). You can also use get.
2. Create the PHP Script to Handle Form Data
Save as: submit.php
<?php
// Check if form is submitted
if ($_SERVER["REQUEST_METHOD"] == "POST")
{
// Collect and sanitize input
$name = htmlspecialchars($_POST['name']);
$email = htmlspecialchars($_POST['email']);

// Display the input

echo "Your name is: " . $name . "<br>";
echo "Your email is: " . $email;
}
else
{
echo "Form not submitted properly.";
}
?>

• $_POST['name'] — Gets the value of the name field.

• htmlspecialchars() — Prevents XSS by converting special characters.
Accessing Form Input with User defined Arrays:
Creating Student Details Form:
Creating Student Details Form in PHP involves two main parts:
1. The HTML form – This is used to collect users to input student details such as:
• Student Number
• Student Name
• Student Class (BSC, BCA, MCA)
• Gender
• Area of Interests (checkboxes: cricket, football, volleyball)
On submission, the form data is sent via POST method to the file:

2. The PHP script – The Student Data Processing and submitted by the form.
• Checks if the form was submitted using POST.
• Retrieves and displays:
• Student Number (sno)
• Student Name (sname)
• Student Class (studentclass)
• Gender (gender)
• Interests (array from checkboxes)
Step-by-Step Example: Student Details Form Handling in PHP
1. Create the HTML Form
Save as: Creating _Student_Details.html

<form action="Creating_Student_Details.php" method="POST">

<table border="1" bgcolor="#fcba03" align="center" cellpadding="5">

<tr>
<th colspan="2">STUDENT DATA ENTRY FORM</th>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>Student Number</td>
<td><input type="text" name="sno" placeholder="Enter your regd no"></td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>Student Name</td>
<td><input type="text" name="sname" placeholder="Enter your name"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Student Class</td>
<td>
<select name="studentclass">
<option value="">Select Section</option>
<option>BSC</option>
<option>BCA</option>
<option>MCA</option>
</select>
</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>Gender</td>
<td>
<input type="radio" name="gender" value="M"> Male
<input type="radio" name="gender" value="F"> Female
</td>
</tr>
 <tr>
<td>Area of Interests</td>
<td>
<input type="checkbox" name="interests[ ]" value="cricket"> Cricket
<input type="checkbox" name="interests[ ]" value="football"> Football
<input type="checkbox" name="interests[ ]" value="volleyball"> Volleyball
</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td colspan="2" align="center"><input type="submit" value="Submit"></td>
</tr>
</table>
</form>

• interests[ ] is a way to send multiple values for the same field name to PHP
• <tr> -- Table Row
• <td> -- Data Cell( element) in a table row.
• <th> -- Table Header Cell (Text is bold and centered by default)
• colspan—Merge Columns(Add colspan=“number” in <td> or <th>
2. Create the PHP Script to Handle Form Data
Save as: Creating_Student_Details.php
<?php
if ($_SERVER["REQUEST_METHOD"] == "POST"){
echo "Your regd number is: " . ($_POST['sno'] ?? ‘ ') . "<br>";
echo "Name is: " . ($_POST['sname'] ?? ‘ ') . "<br>";
echo "Class is: " . ($_POST['studentclass'] ?? ‘ ') . "<br>";
echo "Gender is: " . ($_POST['gender'] ?? ‘ ') . "<br>";

if (!empty($_POST['interests'])) {
echo "Interests: " . implode(", ", $_POST['interests']);
} else {
echo "No interests selected.";
}
} else {
echo "Please submit the form.";
}
?>
• !empty( ) is used for multiple checkbox handling.
• Used implode(", ", $_POST['interests']) instead of a loop for cleaner output.
• Kept ?? '' for safe default values if the field is missing.
• Still works for multiple interests (interests[ ]).
Explain how HTML and PHP can be combined on a single page with an example:

HTML is a markup language used to structure content (headings, paragraphs, tables, etc.) in a webpage.
PHP is a server-side scripting language used to make webpages dynamic (perform calculations, fetch data, generate output).
PHP is embedded inside HTML using <?php ... ?> tags.
The browser only receives the final HTML output, since PHP is executed on the server first.

Example Program:
<!doctype html>
<html>
<head>
<title>Combining HTML and PHP</title>
</head>
<body>
<h1>
<?php
echo "Hello, this is an example of combining HTML and PHP!";
?>
</h1>
 <p>
Today’s date is:
<?php
echo date("l, d F Y"); // Prints day, date, month, year
?>
</p>
</body>
</html>
Output on Browser:
Hello, this is an example of combining HTML and PHP!
Today’s date is: Tuesday, 19 August 2025

Note: date("l, d F Y") – format string

l (lowercase L)Full name of the day → Tuesday
d Day of the month (two digits) → 19
F Full month name → August
Y 4-digit year → 2025
Explain the use of hidden fields in maintaining state in forms:

We want to collect user details in two steps (like a multi-page form), and we use a hidden field to pass data from the first form
to the second.
We’ll build a 2-step form that:
Step 1: Takes name and email
Step 2: Uses hidden fields to carry that info and ask for age
Final Step: Displays all data

Step 1: form1.html
<!-- form1.html -->
<form action="form2.php" method="post">
<label>Name:</label>
<input type="text" name="name" required><br><br>

<label>Email:</label>
<input type="email" name="email" required><br><br>

<input type="submit" value="Next">

</form>
Step 2: form2.php
<?php
// Check if data came from form1
if ($_SERVER["REQUEST_METHOD"] == "POST")
{
$name = htmlspecialchars($_POST['name']);
$email = htmlspecialchars($_POST['email']);
}
else
{
echo "Invalid access.";
exit;
}
?>
<form action="result.php" method="post">
<!-- Hidden fields to carry name and email -->
<input type="hidden" name="name" value="<?php echo $name; ?>">
<input type="hidden" name="email" value="<?php echo $email; ?>">

<label>Age:</label>
<input type="number" name="age" required><br><br>

<input type="submit" value="Submit All">

Final Step: result.php
<?php
if ($_SERVER["REQUEST_METHOD"] == "POST")
{
$name = htmlspecialchars($_POST['name']);
$email = htmlspecialchars($_POST['email']);
$age = htmlspecialchars($_POST['age']);

echo "Name: $name <br>";

echo "Email: $email <br>";
echo "Age: $age";
}
else
{
echo "No data submitted.";
}
?>
Write a PHP program to send an email on form submission:

PHP Mail and File Uploads

1. PHP mail( ) Function

Used to send email directly from PHP scripts.

Syntax:
mail(to, subject, message, headers, parameters);

Parameters:
• to (Required) → Receiver’s email (multiple allowed, comma-separated).
• subject (Required) → Subject of the mail (no newline allowed).
• message (Required) → Body of the mail (lines separated by \n, max 70 chars/line).
• headers (Optional) → Extra headers like From, Cc, Bcc (separated with \r\n).
• parameters (Optional) → Extra options for the mail program.

Return Value:
TRUE → If mail sent successfully.
FALSE → If sending failed.
Explain the steps involved in uploading files to the server in PHP :

2. File Uploads in PHP

PHP supports single and multiple file uploads.
$_FILES Superglobal
When a file is uploaded, PHP stores its info in the $_FILES array:
• $_FILES['file']['tmp_name'] → Temp location on server.
• $_FILES['file']['name'] → Original file name.
• $_FILES['file']['size'] → File size in bytes.
• $_FILES['file']['type'] → MIME type of file.
• $_FILES['file']['error'] → Error code (if any).

File Upload Process

1. User opens form with browse & submit button.

2. User selects a file → path shown in text field.

3. File sent to temporary directory on server.
4. PHP script checks and moves file to target directory.
5. Confirmation shown to user.
HTML Form (uploadform.html):

<form action="uploader.php" method="post" enctype="multipart/form-data">

Select File: <input type="file" name="fileToUpload"/>
<input type="submit" value="Upload Image" name="submit"/>
</form>
PHP Script (uploader.php):

<?php
$target_path = "e:/";
$target_path = $target_path . basename($_FILES['fileToUpload']['name']);
if(move_uploaded_file($_FILES['fileToUpload']['tmp_name'], $target_path))
{
echo "File uploaded successfully!";
}
else
{
echo "Sorry, file not uploaded, please try again!";
}
?>

Output:
• File uploaded successfully! → if success
• Sorry, file not uploaded, please try again! → if failure
Managing files on server:

PHP is a server-side programming language. It allows us to create, access and manipulate files stored on the web server
using PHP file system functions.

With PHP, you can:

• Create / Open a file

• Closing a file
• Write / Read data
• Rename / Move a file
• Delete a file

1. Create / Open a File

We use fopen( ) function: To work with a file you first need to open the file.

Syntax:
fopen("filename", "mode");
Common Modes:

• "w" → Write (create new or overwrite)

• "a" → Append (add at the end)
• "r" → Read (file must exist)

Example:
<?php
$file = fopen("myfile.txt", "w"); // create file
if ($file)
{
echo "File created!";
fclose($file); // close file
}
?>

Output:
File created!
2. Write to a File
You can write data to a file using fwrite( ) function.
Example:
<?php
$file = fopen("myfile.txt", "w");
fwrite($file, "Hello! I am learning PHP file handling.");
fclose($file);
echo "Data Saved Successfully";
?>
Output:
Data Saved Successfully

3. Closing a File
You need to close a file using fclose() function.
Syntax:
fclose($file);
4. Read from a File
To read data from a file using fread( ) function.

Example:
<?php
$file = fopen("myfile.txt", "r");
echo fread($file, filesize("myfile.txt"));
fclose($file);
?>
Output:
Hello! I am learning PHP file handling.
5. Rename or Move a File
You can rename a file using rename( ) function.

Example:
<?php
$oldName = "myfile.txt";
$newName = "newfile.txt";
if (file_exists($oldName)) {
if (rename($oldName, $newName)) {
echo "File renamed from $oldName to $newName.";
}
else {
echo "Failed to rename the file.";
}
}
else {
echo "File '$oldName' does not exist.";
}
?>

Output:
File renamed from myfile.txt to newfile.txt.
5. Rename or Move a File
You can rename a file using rename( ) function.

Example:
<?php
$oldName = "myfile.txt";
$newName = "newfile.txt";
if (file_exists($oldName)) {
if (rename($oldName, $newName)) {
echo "File renamed from $oldName to $newName.";
}
else {
echo "Failed to rename the file.";
}
}
else {
echo "File '$oldName' does not exist.";
}
?>

Output:
File renamed from myfile.txt to newfile.txt.
6. Delete a File
The PHP unlink( ) function is used to delete file.

Example:
<?php
if (file_exists("myfile.txt"))
{
unlink("myfile.txt"); // delete file
echo "File deleted!";
}
else
{
echo "File not found!";
}
?>

Output:
File deleted!
Explain exception handling in PHP using try, catch, and throw with examples:

What is Exception Handling?

• Exception handling is a mechanism to manage runtime errors in a program.
• Instead of breaking the program when an error occurs, PHP allows you to catch the error and handle it gracefully.

Basic Structure of PHP Exception Handling:

try
{
// Code that might cause an error (exception)
}
catch (Exception $e)
{
// Code that runs if an error happens
}
finally
{
// Optional: code that always runs, error or not
}
Example 1: Simple Exception Handling

<?php
try
{
// Forcing an error
throw new Exception("Oops! Something went wrong.");
echo "This will not run if exception occurs.";
}
catch (Exception $e)
{
echo "Caught an exception: " . $e->getMessage();
}
finally
{
echo "<br>This always runs!";
}
?>
Output:
Caught an exception: Oops! Something went wrong.
This always runs!
Custom Exception:
You can create your own exception type by defining a class.

<?php
class MyException extends Exception { }
try
{
throw new MyException("Custom error happened.");
}
catch (MyException $e)
{
echo "Caught my custom exception: " . $e->getMessage();
}
?>
Output:
Caught my custom exception: Custom error happened.
Key Points
Term What it means
try → Block of code to test for errors.
throw → Used to create (raise) an exception.
catch → Handles the exception (error message).
finally → Always executes, whether error occurs or not.
Custom exceptions can be created using a class that extends Exception.
Example 2: Division Program with try–throw–catch–finally
<?php
// Function to divide two numbers
function divideNumbers($num1, $num2)
{
if ($num2 == 0)
{
throw new Exception("You cannot divide by zero.");
}
return $num1 / $num2;
}

try
{
echo "Starting division...<br>";
$a = 10;
$b = 0; // Change this to 2 to see success
$result = divideNumbers($a, $b);
echo "Result: $result<br>";
}
catch (Exception $e)
{
echo "Error: " . $e->getMessage( ) . "<br>";
}

finally
{
echo "This is the finally block. It runs at the end.<br>";
}
?>

Output (if $b = 0):

Starting division...
Error: You cannot divide by zero.
This is the finally block. It runs at the end.

Output (if $b = 2):

Starting division...
Result: 5
This is the finally block. It runs at the end.
Channels:

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