Overview
PHP, which stands for HyperText Preprocessor, is widely used for creating programmed features for Web sites because it is easy to learn and also because PHP syntax is drawn from other widely used languages, making it familiar to many programmers. In this chapter we present a very brief history of PHP, and then discuss the nature of PHP as it relates to the Web.
Before you can get into the nitty-gritty of programming with PHP5, you need a clear understanding of how PHP programs work across the Web, and that obviously implies knowledge of the Web protocol called HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP). HTTP is the language or format for communications from browser to Web server and back, and is therefore fundamental to many aspects of PHP. HTTP gets some coverage in this chapter, and quite a bit more in Chapter 3.
You'll see how to properly setup PHP on a Linux server, and on a Windows server as well. PHP programs run in conjunction with Web pages, which in turn run (or are distributed by) Web server software (such as Apache or IIS), which in turn run on top of an operating system (such as Linux or Windows). Although it's not strictly necessary to know everything about network operating systems to build good PHP programs, there are many aspects of PHP that are controlled or affected by the Web server. If you're unfamiliar with server computers, Web servers, and the like, don't worry. You'll soon see how they work, and look at the requirements and process of installing basic Web server software.
This chapter leads you through installing PHP on a Red Hat Linux machine running Apache, and through installing PHP on a Windows 2000 machine running IIS. Just pick the one that's right for you.
You'll also examine the contents of the PHP configuration file php.ini with you, and test your PHP installation.
Obviously there's a lot of work for you in this chapter, so let's get started.
PHP, which stands for HyperText Preprocessor, is widely used for creating programmed features for Web sites because it is easy to learn and also because PHP syntax is drawn from other widely used languages, making it familiar to many programmers. In this chapter we present a very brief history of PHP, and then discuss the nature of PHP as it relates to the Web.
Before you can get into the nitty-gritty of programming with PHP5, you need a clear understanding of how PHP programs work across the Web, and that obviously implies knowledge of the Web protocol called HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP). HTTP is the language or format for communications from browser to Web server and back, and is therefore fundamental to many aspects of PHP. HTTP gets some coverage in this chapter, and quite a bit more in Chapter 3.
You'll see how to properly setup PHP on a Linux server, and on a Windows server as well. PHP programs run in conjunction with Web pages, which in turn run (or are distributed by) Web server software (such as Apache or IIS), which in turn run on top of an operating system (such as Linux or Windows). Although it's not strictly necessary to know everything about network operating systems to build good PHP programs, there are many aspects of PHP that are controlled or affected by the Web server. If you're unfamiliar with server computers, Web servers, and the like, don't worry. You'll soon see how they work, and look at the requirements and process of installing basic Web server software.
This chapter leads you through installing PHP on a Red Hat Linux machine running Apache, and through installing PHP on a Windows 2000 machine running IIS. Just pick the one that's right for you.
You'll also examine the contents of the PHP configuration file php.ini with you, and test your PHP installation.
Obviously there's a lot of work for you in this chapter, so let's get started.
