PHP and MySQL

P H P P R O G R A M M I N G A N D M Y S Q L F O R B E G I N N E R S

Claudia Alves

1st edition

2020
---
introduction
PHP - what is it anyway?
Static and dynamic websites
1.3 Applications for PHP
1.4 SQL databases for internet applications
Chapter 2
Preparatory measures for programming with PHP
2.1 HTML
2.2 Web server software for running a PHP program
2.3 Install a suitable text editor
Chapter 3
The first program with PHP design
3.1 Make PHP scripts recognizable in the text
3.2 Write the first program
3.3 Getting the program up and running
3.4 Exercise: Writing a simple program in PHP
Chapter 4
Combine PHP and HTML
4.1 Outputting HTML code with PHP
4.2 Integrating PHP scripts into an HTML page
Chapter 5
Variables: an important element of PHP
programming
5.1 Capture text with one variable
 5.2 Save numbers as variables
5.3 Boolean variables
5.4 Operations with variables
5.5 Arrays: composite variables
5.6 Exercise: dealing with variables
Chapter 6
Decisions through if queries
6.1 The structure of an if-query
6.2 Use different comparison operators
6.3 Integrating logical operators into the query
6.4 else and elseif
6.5 Exercise: Create queries yourself
Chapter 7
Extending the functionality of a program through
loops
7.1 Head-controlled loops: while and for
7.2 Foot-controlled loop: do while
7.3 foreach loops for working with arrays
7.4 Exercise: Designing programs with loops
Chapter 8
Functions in PHP
8.1 The structure of a function in PHP
8.2 Return values of the functions
8.3 Integrating a function in the PHP program
 8.4 Using functions from the PHP library
Chapter 9
Object-oriented programming: classes, objects and
methods
9.3 Methods for working with objects
9.4 Exercise: Using classes, objects and methods
Chapter 10
Files for storing data
10.1 Reading in data from a file
10.2 Save data in a file
10.3 Pay attention to the file rights
10.4 Exercise: Using files for data storage
Chapter 11
Databases: The efficient alternative for data storage
11.1 What is a database?
11.2 The structure of databases
11.3 MySQL: important management system for databases
11.4 SQL: the database language for working with MySQL
Chapter 12
Basic operations for dealing with MySQL databases
12.1 DDL, DCL and DML: three types of SQL commands
12.2 Create databases and tables
12.3 Enter data
12.4 Change data
 12.5 Delete data
12.6 Manage access rights
12.7 Exercise: Creating a table in MySQL
Chapter 13
Other important SQL functions
13.1 Select subsets of the data records
13.2 Determine the number of entries
13.3 Adding up values stored in cells
13.4 Exercise: Retrieving information from an inventory
Chapter 14
Integrate SQL database in PHP
14.1 Connect the PHP program to a database
14.2 Fill the database
14.3 Delete or change entries
14.4 Query data
14.5 Exercise: Editing databases with PHP
Chapter 15
Application example: recording customer data via the
Internet
15.1 Customer data via a form field query generated with
PHP
15.4 Displaying customer data with a PHP program
Chapter 16
PHP and Cookies: Recognizing Visitors and Saving
Information
16.1 What is a cookie?
16.2 Set a cookie
Chapter 16
PHP and cookies: Recognize visitors and save
information
16.1 What is a cookie?
16.2 Set a cookie
16.3 Evaluate information from the cookie
16.6 Exercise: Create cookies yourself
17.5 Exercise: Sending emails and designing PDFs
introduction
PHP and SQL are two important elements of many Internet applications. PHP
is one of the programming languages most commonly used for creating
websites. It is ideal for creating dynamic content. These allow the pages to be
individually adapted to the user or to the context. The data used to create the
content is usually stored in a database. This offers a very efficient and well-
structured system for data storage. A database language is used to set up a
database, to store individual data in it or to call it up. The SQL language is
particularly popular for web applications. The contents of countless web
applications are stored in SQL databases. PHP is characterized, among other
things, by a broad database support. Countless functions are available,
especially for SQL databases. It is precisely this good interaction between
programming language and database connection that makes PHP a very
powerful tool for many web applications. As a result, PHP and SQL play a
prominent role in the design of Internet pages. This book provides an
introduction to the use of PHP and SQL. The readers first learn to write
simple programs in PHP. These are gradually expanded to include important
functions. Later, the functionality of SQL databases is explained and the
readers learn how they can be integrated into a PHP program. At the end
there is an application example that shows the interaction of PHP and SQL
makes clear.

PHP - what is it anyway?

The first version of PHP was introduced in 1995. The Danish programmer
Rasmus Lerdorf had created some scripts for this in the Perl programming
language. The starting point for this work inventory is that he wanted to log
the hits on his online resume. This eventually resulted in an extensive script
collection that Lerdorf used to design his personal website. So he gave it the
name Personal Home Page Tools –PHP. Of these origins, however, little
remains apart from the name. For the second version, which appeared only a
short time later, Lerdorf revised the concept considerably. Instead of
programming this version in Perl, he now programmed it in C. To this day,
all other versions have also been developed in C. In 1997 the development
team changed. Lerdorf was still involved in this project, but the two Israeli
programmers Andi Gutmans and Zeev Suraski now took on the main
responsibility. The new development team also gave the acronym PHP a new
meaning, which has since stood for PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor. The
programmers wanted to avoid creating the impression that the programming
language was only suitable for personal projects. The big breakthrough came
with the PHP 4 version. At that time, the World Wide Web was growing at a
remarkable pace and a suitable programming language was required for the
creation of dynamic content. Since PHP specializes in precisely this task, it
has established itself as the standard in this area and has been the basis of
countless websites since then.
With the following version, the developers made PHP an object-oriented
programming language. What this means exactly is explained in more detail
later in the book. At this point it should only be mentioned that this is one of
the foundations of modern programming techniques. This innovation also
contributed to the fact that PHP was able to expand its pioneering position in
the area of programming web applications. After development of version 6
was discontinued, PHP 7 was released in December 2016. This version
brought numerous technical optimizations with it, so that it works much
faster and also less Requires disk space. PHP is preinstalled on almost all
web servers. This language is therefore ideally suited for dynamic websites
programmed on the server side. A study came to the result that around 83
percent of all Internet sites used this technology in 2017 (W3Techs: retrieved
from https://w3techs.com/technologies/overview/programming_language/all
am14. 03.2018). This value clearly shows the importance of PHP for the
development of the Internet.

Static and dynamic websites

In the previous sections it was mentioned that PHP is used to create dynamic
websites. To get a better idea of what is possible with PHP, let's explain what
it is all about. When the World Wide Web came into being in 1989, simple
HTML pages were used for this. This is a very simple markup language that
gives the content of a website a structure. However, as long as no manual
adjustments are made, these contents always remain the same. For this
reason, pure HTML pages are called static.
However, as the Internet evolved, these static pages were no longer enough.
In many applications it was necessary to repeatedly adapt the content that is
output to the user or to the current conditions. A simple example of this is the
playback of e-mails in a web browser. If only the same pages are displayed
here, no meaningful communication is possible. In an online shop, it is also
necessary to adapt the display to the articles selected by the customer. Even
for news portals that update their reports every few minutes, it would be very
time-consuming to create a new HTML page for it each time. Therefore,
programs are used here with which the administrators can change the content
quickly and easily. With PHP it is possible to program all these functions.
When designing dynamic websites it is possible to program them on the
client or server side. In the case of client-side applications, the server delivers
the complete program code. The browser then executes it. This makes it
possible, for example, to insert the current time on the page, to provide the
user with a computer for a specific task, or to check that the entries in a form
are correct. For example, JavaScript is suitable for these tasks. However, PHP
is a server-side language. The server is already executing the program. He
then delivers the finished result to the user. This can then no longer be
changed. This method is particularly useful when the information from a
database is necessary for the content. Since this is usually also saved on the
server, a mutual implementation is advisable in these cases.

1.3 Applications for PHP

Since PHP is the programming language most commonly used for server-side
programming of Internet applications
comes, there are innumerable programs that take advantage of this. This is
not just about individual software that has been programmed for a very
special web application and is only used for this. There are also countless
other programs that provide functions that are useful for many websites.
Users can download these and install and run them on their web server. Much
of it is available free of charge because it is free software. Other products,
however, require a fee. PHP is often used for blog software, for example.
Popular blog systems such as Wordpress and Serendipity are programmed in
this language. PHP is also a leader in the area of content management
systems (CMS). Examples are Joomla, TYPO3 and Drupal. There are also
shop systems such as Magento, forum software such as phpBB, customer
relationship management systems such as SugarCRM and many other
programs. This small list not only makes it clear how many applications were
written in PHP. In addition, they show an important field of activity for PHP
programmers. In most cases you are allowed to adapt the source code to your
own needs. A frequent task is therefore to modify small details of these
programs so that they correspond exactly to the wishes of the client. In
addition, it is usually possible to expand the functionality of the software with
small additional programs - so-called plug-ins. This is also an important task
for PHP programmers.

1.4 SQL databases for internet applications

In addition to the PHP programming language, this book also covers SQL
databases. These play a very important role in storing data for Internet
applications. For this reason, it makes sense to briefly go into what a database
is and which one
Possible applications it offers and what role the database language SQL plays
in this. A database always consists of two different parts. On the one hand,
there is the actual data. These are located on a corresponding memory and the
users can call up, change or delete them. This is where the database
management system (DBMS) comes into play. This is software that takes on
all tasks related to the administration of the relevant data. The DBMS has to
structure the data. There are different models for this. SQL databases are
always relational databases. To put it simply, these are shown in tables. If, for
example, an online shop stores product data in a database, then several entries
are necessary for each individual article - the article number, the price, a
description, the number of units in stock and some other information. Since
all of this data relates to the same product, there is a link between them. In the
table this is clear from the fact that they are on the same line. The relational
database model is not the only way to structure the entries. In practice,
however, it is used in almost all applications.
The DBMS also regulates access to the data. It has to create new tables, add, delete or change entries.
Also processed queries to inform the user about the contents of the individual fields. It also has to
control permissions. With every request it is necessary to check whether the user is allowed to carry out
the corresponding action. The database language SQL is used to communicate with the DBMS.
Officially, this is a proper name without any further meaning. Nevertheless, the abbreviation can be
traced back to the term StructuredQuery Language - structured query language in German. This shows
what the main task of SQL is: to query data from the database. This language contains all the necessary
commands to request, insert, delete or change data. It is possible to enter the SQL commands directly
via the DBMS user interface. In most cases, however, they are integrated into a PHP program in order
to enable an automatic query.
Chapter 2
Preparatory measures for programming with PHP
The previous chapter identified the most important topics that this book will deal with. Now is the time
to start the practical work and write your first programs in PHP. However, some preparatory measures
are necessary first. Without this it is not possible to start programming.

2.1 HTML
an important basis for programs in PHP In the introduction it was shown that PHP is used
for the creation of dynamic Internet pages. Static pages, on the other hand, use HTML. The following
section deals with exactly this markup language. However, this only represents a contradiction at first
glance. Because almost every website that is created with PHP also uses HTML code. The connection
is that the output of a PHP program is normally in HTML. When the server executes the appropriate
program, it generates an ordinary HTML page. It then forwards this to the user's browser, which then
displays it like a static page. The dynamic element here lies in the execution on the server, in which
individually adapted pages are created. All of the following steps are exactly the same as for displaying
a traditional Internet page. It follows that every PHP programmer must have a very good knowledge of
HTML . In order to write a program whose output is to take place in HTML, it is of course necessary to
know exactly the structures and functions of this markup language. In addition, it is common to only
program individual elements of a website in PHP. This means that a normal HTML page is created
first. PHP scripts are only inserted in those places where dynamic content is required in order to insert
the corresponding information. Readers who have no previous knowledge of HTML should therefore
acquire these prior to further reading. In this series, a book has also appeared on this topic, which is
excellently suited for this purpose. This explains the design of Internet pages with HTML from the
ground up. A detailed explanation on this topic is not possible at this point. Nevertheless, the most
important basics should be briefly presented for repetition. A website actually consists of ordinary text
modules. With the help of tags, however, various functions are assigned to them. This makes it
possible, for example, to mark headings or paragraphs or to design certain text areas in bold or italic. In
addition, these tags are suitable for lists and tables. Tags are always in angle brackets: <> . This
contains a combination of letters that makes the function clear - for example, h1 for the main heading,
p for a paragraph or i for italics. An example of an HTML tag would be <h1> . Most HTML tags
need to be opened and closed. The slash is used for the final day. In order to close the above example, it
would be necessary to insert the tag </h1> . The following example illustrates the use of HTML tags:

<h1> This is the heading </h1>

<p> Now follows a small paragraph. This one also uses
<i> Italics </i>. At the end it is necessary to close the paragraph with a corresponding day.

</p>

The actual page content is in the body tag (<body> ). Before that, a head tag (<head> ) is usually
used. This contains further information on the HTML version used, the page title, a brief description
and other important information. The entire document is in HTML tags (<html> ). The structure of the
HTML document looks like this:

<html>
 <head> Here you can find further information about the document.
</head>

<body> This is where the actual page content is located.

</body>
</html>

2.2 Web server software for running a PHP

program
PHP programs are scripts. This means that the code is not compiled and is therefore not available as an
executable file. Instead, an interpreter is required. This reads in the program, which is available as pure
text, and implements the functions. As mentioned several times in the previous sections, PHP programs
are executed on a web server. Common server software has a PHP interpreter as standard, so using
these programs is not a problem. However, many people who are just getting started with PHP do not
have access to a web server. For this reason, another solution is necessary here. There are freely
available programs that install a web server on the home PC. These not only contain an interpreter for
PHP. It is also possible to run Perl with it.
It also includes MySQL - one of the most widely used database management systems for Internet
applications. If database applications are later inserted into the programs, the execution is therefore also
possible without any problems. The best-known software in this area is called XAMPP. This is free
software, so there are no license fees for its use. There are versions for Windows, Linux, MacOS, and a
few more operating systems. So it shouldn't be a problem to find a suitable version and install it.
Current versions for various operating systems are available for download from the official website at
https://www.apachefriends.org/de/index.html. The installation of the software is very easy. The
installation assistant automatically guides the user through the set-up. In one of the installation steps,
the wizard asks the user which functions should be installed.
In principle it is possible to use the standard settings. For this book, however,
only the functions Apache web server, PHP, MySQL and phpMyAdmin are
required. It is therefore also possible to omit the installation of the other
functions so that the program takes up less memory space. As soon as
XAMPP is installed on the computer, the necessary software is available to
run the PHP programs that are created in the course of this manual.

2.3 Install a suitable text editor

A PHP program consists of pure text. A suitable program is required to write
and save this. It is important to note that common word processing programs
such as Word or LibreOffice Writer are not suitable for this. In addition to the
actual text, these save a lot more information about the layout and formatting
of the text. These additional components mean that they cannot be used to
create PHP programs. A text editor is required for this task. This saves the
characters as pure ASCII code. In this way, no additional information is
contained that would interfere with the execution of the program. Windows is
already equipped with a text editor. The Microsoft Editor - also known as
Notepad - offers the necessary functions. However, this is an extremely
simple implementation that is only suitable for the first few programs. There
are also many other editors that support users in programming with numerous
additional functions. These mark, for example, certain functional elements of
the program with different colors or ensure that they are automatically
indented when functions are created. This makes the code much clearer and
makes programming easier - especially with very complex programs. Some
editors also point out syntax errors. In this way you prevent errors as they
arise. It is therefore advisable to use a text editor with a slightly higher range
of functions. Linux users usually don't have to worry about it. Most Linux
distributions are already equipped with suitable software. For example,
Ubuntu uses edit and KDE uses the text editor Kate. If no suitable program
has yet been installed, there is a large selection of free software to choose
from. The page https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liste_von_Texteditoreng
provides an overview of the various options. In principle, it is possible to use any of the
text editors listed - provided that it is available for the operating system used and that the Programming
in PHP supported. At this point the Geany program will be presented as an example. This
Editor is ideal for PHP and versions for all common operating systems are available. This program is
available for download at https://www.geany.org/Download/Releases. All you have to do is download
the version for the operating system you are using and then run the installation wizard.
Chapter 3
The first program with PHP design
After all the preparatory measures have been completed, it is now time to write your first own program.
With this first application, of course, very simple structures are used to make it easier to get started.
This chapter is used to get to know the basic design of a PHP program and to get a feel for the creation.
In addition, the readers get to know the essential components of the syntax of a PHP program.

3.1 Make PHP scripts recognizable in the text

When a user calls up a PHP document with a browser, the web server must first execute the appropriate
PHP program in order to generate the desired output. However, this requires that the text be recognized
as a PHP program. This is the only way to ensure proper implementation. In order to convey this to the
web server, a suitable file extension is required. PHP programs usually end in .php, but there are other
options, such as .php3 and .phtml. Many web servers also support these endings. Since they are no
longer in use, however, it is advisable to stop using them. In the previous chapter it was already stated
that websites created with PHP often consist largely of ordinary HTML. PHP scripts are only used in
small areas where dynamic functions are required. This mixture means that the web server cannot use
the entire code of the document as a PHP program
has to interpret, but only parts of it. To enable an exact separation between the individual areas, it is
necessary to mark the PHP scripts in the text. So the interpreter knows where to use it. The server
reproduces the remaining sections unchanged. Tags are used for this task. The <? Php tag must appear
at the point where the relevant section begins . Then the script follows. At the end there is the final day
?>. In addition to this standard method, there are two other options. It is not advisable for beginners to
use this, as the server configuration often has to be adjusted. This can easily lead to errors. However,
because PHP programmers often come into contact with code that other people have created, they may
encounter other tags in the process. It is therefore important to know these as well. As alternative
awards, it is possible to use the combinations <? ?> and <%%> .

3.2 Write the first program

Now is the time to write your first program. For this purpose it is necessary to first open the text editor
in order to enter the corresponding command lines. Since this will be a small PHP script, it is necessary
to identify it in the code. The tags described in the previous section are used for this purpose: <? Php
to open the script and ?> At the end. It makes sense to insert both tags at the beginning. This is helpful
because many beginners forget the ending. This common mistake sometimes leads to the whole
program not working. In the first step the code looks like this: <? Php?>
The actual functions should now be inserted in the space between these two tags. To start with, it makes
sense to choose a simple command - for example, print . This generates an output on the screen. It is
possible to use any words. For the first program, the output should read “My first program ” . The text
that should appear must always be in quotation marks. This is particularly important when numbers are
to be output. For example, if the print command is followed by “2 + 3 ” , the program outputs this
value as a character string. Exactly the same characters appear on the screen: 2 + 3. However, if this
expression is inserted without quotation marks, the program treats it as a mathematical operation. This
means that it first calculates the value of this term: 2 + 3 = 5. Only the number 5 appears as output. In
order to avoid errors, it is very important to always pay attention to the correct placement of the
quotation marks. A semicolon must be placed after each PHP command. This ends the function and
allows the program to continue with the next task. A simple line break is not sufficient for this. If the
semicolon is missing, the program also interprets the following line as part of the command. This can
lead to syntax errors and prevent the program from running. If the complete command is now inserted
between the two existing tags, the result is the following code:

<? phpprint "My first program";?>

The first program is now ready. The way it works is extremely simple. When the server executes this
code, only the title “My first program ” appears on the screen.
Now it is only necessary to save the written code as a file. The file name can be freely chosen. It is only
important to use the ending .php. This is how the server executing the program recognizes that this is a
PHP file. With some text editors it is necessary to remove the standard option - saving as a txt.
Document - when saving. In order to keep an overview at all times, it is advisable to select self-
explanatory names, for example: first_program.php.

3.3 Getting the program up and running

Now the first program is already finished, but the result is not yet visible on the screen. The users can
only view the text that they have written themselves in the text editor. However, to check the
functionality, it is necessary to run the program. The XAMPP software is used for this. Since the
installation has already been explained in one of the previous chapters, it should already be on the
reader's PC. In order to start the software, it is necessary to execute the xampp-control file. This is
located in the folder that was selected when installing XAMPP. After double-clicking on this file, the
following window appears:

Now it is necessary to click on the “Start ” button in the line marked “Apache ” . This results in the
web server running. It is now possible to close or minimize the corresponding window. The process
continues to take place in the background. In the next step it is necessary to move the PHP program to
the root folder of XAMPP. This is the “htdocs ” folder . If further programs are added later, it makes
sense to add subdirectories. This improves the overview considerably. If the program has been placed
in the correct directory, it is necessary to call it up via a web browser. For this it is necessary to enter
the following path in the address bar: http: //localhost/erstes_programm.php. If the reader has saved the
file in a subdirectory, the corresponding folder must be in the
Path to be inserted. The result of the first program then appears in the browser.

It often happens that the programmer has a first draft carried out, then looks at the result in the browser
and then makes some changes. If he now wants to check the new version, he must first save it in the
text editor. This is possible as usual via the menu bar. However, since this process has to be repeated
countless times when programming with PHP, it is important to the reader to use the key combination
Ctrl + S for this. A lot of time can be saved in this way. Then it is necessary to refresh the page in the
browser. This is possible with the circular arrow next to the address bar or by pressing the F5 key.
3.4 Exercise: Writing a simple program in PHP
In the following section, what you have learned is to be put into practice, so there are two exercises
here that you should solve on your own. The necessary knowledge was imparted in the previous
sections. After the two exercises are the solutions
inserted to control your results. However, there are several possible solutions for many tasks. It is
therefore always advisable to call up the control program in the browser in order to check for yourself
whether it meets all requirements. The suggested solutions shown here are for comparison and are also
useful if you are stuck with the programs on your own.
1. Create a program that welcomes visitors to your home page.
Show three different ways to represent the number 8 as output from a PHP program and explain the
differences. Solutions:
1.

<? phpprint "Welcome to my homepage!";?>

This program is almost identical to the example that was described in the text. The only difference is
that it uses different text for rendering. In addition to the two tags for identifying the PHP script, it is
important to pay attention to the quotation marks and the semicolon. <? phpprint "8";?> In this case
the output of the print function uses the number 8 as a string. That's because it's in quotation marks.
No mathematical operations are possible with this. <? php
print 8;?> In the second example, the output is completely identical. However, the program does not
treat the value as a character string, but as a number. Therefore, in a further step here it would be
possible to carry out further calculations. <? phpprint 2 * 4;?> In the last example, the number 8 is not
inserted directly into the print function. It is the result of the term 2 * 4. Since this expression is not in
quotes, PHP treats it as a mathematical operation and automatically calculates the result.

Chapter 4
Combine PHP and HTML
When designing websites with PHP, there is a very close connection between the programming
language and the HTML code. The goal in this application area is always to use PHP to output correct
HTML pages. Therefore, before creating a program with PHP, it is always a good idea to consider what
the output should look like. It is therefore important to design the relevant page in HTML. Then it is
necessary to mark the places that use dynamic content. Then these areas have to be replaced by a PHP
script. These small program pieces should now generate content that is adapted to the respective
context. However, they are intended to perform exactly the same function as the corresponding
elements in the original HTML page. It is therefore necessary for PHP programmers to take this close
connection between PHP and HTML into account. On the one hand, it is important to integrate the PHP
scripts sensibly into the HTML page. On the other hand, it is necessary that every single one of these
scripts outputs valid HTML code. The following sections present the way in which it is possible to
combine PHP and HTML.

4.1 Outputting HTML code with PHP

The first step is to show how it is possible to generate HTML code with PHP. This task is very simple
in principle. The usual print function is used for this. However, no simple text is used here. This must
be with HTML
Tags. For example, if a heading is to be marked as such, it is only necessary to include the
corresponding <h1> tags in the print function:

<? phpprint "<h1> Welcome to my homepage! </h1>";?>

Since this is a character string, it is of course necessary to use quotation marks. This is particularly
important here, since the angle brackets also have special functions in PHP. If these are not clearly
identified as part of a character string, this leads to syntax errors so that the server cannot execute the
program. In this example, the server is running the program and returns the output <h1> Welcome to
my homepage </h1> and transmits this code to the browser. This then only shows the desired heading:
Welcome to my homepage. However, it is large and bold, which shows that the browser has recognized
the text as a heading and is displaying it accordingly. This can also be done through the
Check source code display. Therefore it is necessary to click with derrechten click on the appropriate
page and "View source code then dieOption " select. The text then appears with the appropriate tags.
Usually, a website doesn't just consist of a single heading. For this reason, it is usually necessary to
have several elements output with PHP. In principle it is possible to put all different elements in the
same print command. That way, however, the code becomes very cluttered. It is therefore advisable to
use a separate print command for each individual area :

<? phpprint "<h1> Welcome to my homepage! </h1>"; print "<p> 1st paragraph </p>"; print "<p> 2nd
paragraph </p>";?>

When the program is now executed, the heading will first appear on the page
in large characters. Below that, the first and second paragraphs follow with
some space and in much smaller font. The output is therefore exactly as
desired. However, it makes sense to take another look at the source code of
the relevant page. It is noticeable that all the components listed on the page
are on the same line. With a small program like in this example this is
certainly not a big problem. With large pages, however, the source code
becomes extremely confusing. This has extreme disadvantages when
programming in PHP. Often times, when the programmer makes a small
mistake and the page doesn't display correctly, it is very helpful to examine
the source code to see what the problem is. However, if all of the code
appears on a single line, it is almost impossible to find the bug.

For this reason, it is recommended to insert the command \ n after each

HTML element. This has no effect on the presentation of the page. However,
it does cause a line break in the source code. The finished program looks like
this: <? Phpprint "<h1> Welcome to my homepage! </h1> \ n"; print "<p> 1st paragraph </p> \ n";
print "<p> 2 . Paragraph </p> \ n ";?>

If the source text is called up again after this small change, it appears much
better ordered, as each element is on its own line.

4.2 Integrating PHP scripts into an HTML page

The previous section showed that generating HTML with a PHP function is
not a problem. It is actually possible to design the entire website in this way.
To do this, it would be necessary to create a separate print function for each
individual HTML element . However, this would involve a great deal of effort,
which is actually completely unnecessary. This is due to the fact that even
with dynamic pages there are many elements across the entire website - or at
least for thematically related pages - remain the same. It is therefore possible
to make these areas static. All that is necessary is to encode them in HTML.
PHP scripts are then only used in those areas in which dynamic content is
actually generated.
A small example should clarify this. A website uses the same design for each
individual page. This consists of a main heading that remains the same across
the entire site. In addition, a footer with the imprint is inserted. Here, too,
there are no differences between the individual pages. Only the actual articles
that appear on the individual pages should differ. These consist of an article
heading and a text block. These elements are to be retrieved from a database.
Therefore it is possible to mark up the fixed elements with HTML only and
the variable contents with PHP:

<h1> Main heading for the website </h1>

<? phpprint "<h2> Article heading </h2> \ n"; print "<p> Text block </p> \ n";?>
<p> Footer </p>
In this example, it should be noted that the article heading and text block
areas are only used as placeholders for a database query. How PHP can get
this data will be explained in a later chapter. This code example shows that it
is very easy to mix HTML and PHP together. Since the PHP code must
always be marked with the appropriate tags, the interpreter recognizes exactly
when it must execute a corresponding program. It is also possible to integrate
several PHP scripts into the document. This is often necessary since static
and dynamic elements alternate with larger content. This does not only apply
to the body area, in which the actual content is located. Also in the head- area
there are many requirements that are common to the entire site. Other parts
such as the title and description, however, are individually adapted for each
page. The use of PHP scripts for dynamic generation is therefore useful here.
A complete page - albeit greatly simplified in the example - could look like
this:
<html>
<head> <? php print "<title> Individual title of the page </title> \ n"; ?> <? php print "<meta name = \"
description \ "content = \" Individual description of the page \ "/> \ n"; ?> <link rel = "stylesheet" href =
"Link to stylesheet is the same for everyone" /> </head> <body> <h1> Main heading for the website
</h1> <? phpprint "<h2> Article heading </ h2> \ n "; print" <p> Text block </p> \ n ";?> <p> Footer
</p> </body> </html>
Note: The quotation marks in the meta description are part of the HTML
source code. If, however, these are inserted into the PHP script without any
further addition, the interpreter assumes that they terminate the input of the
print function - which also begins with a quotation mark. This leads to syntax
errors. Therefore it is necessary to insert a backslash ( \ ) before the
quotation mark. The interpreter outputs this unchanged in the source code.

Chapter 5
Variables: an important element of PHP programming
With the programs presented so far, some readers may have asked themselves
why it was actually necessary to program the code with PHP. The same effect
would have been possible with pure HTML code. That would be easier and
clearer. This objection is certainly correct. The first program examples were
so simple that no real programming language would be required for them.
But that changes in this chapter. This introduces variables. These are
placeholders that can have different values. Each variable has a unique name
that enables access . As an illustrative example, it is possible to imagine the
variables as drawers in a dresser. Each of them is labeled with its own name.
The variable always remains the same, but the content can change. These
drawers can contain very different things - for example, documents, pens or
coins. It is similar with variables. There are also different types here. Mostly
these are strings or numbers. Various operations can be carried out with the
contents - both in the example with the chest of drawers and with variables.
Users can move pens from one drawer to another that already has some pens
in it. With the documents it is possible to combine them and create a longer
text. The possibilities always depend on the type of content. That also applies
to the variables. With variables, the numbers
completely different operations are possible than if there are strings in them.
The contents of the drawers may change occasionally. At a certain point in
time, however, it is always precisely defined. This also applies to the
variables. A query of the value gives a clear result at any given point in time.
A special case occurs when a variable has not yet been defined. This can be
compared to an empty drawer. However, the return value clearly indicates
that no content is available yet. Variables represent an important basis for the
design of dynamic web pages. Often, only a variable is inserted into the print
function. This can result in very different expenses - depending on its value.

5.1 Capture text with one variable

A large part of web pages consists of simple text. With dynamic websites, it
is primarily important to insert changing text modules into the pages. Of
course, there is also the HTML code. But even this is just text. It is also
important to include graphics and multimedia content. However, since the
integration takes place via the HTML code, these components must also be
inserted in text form. This property also affects the use of the variables. PHP
programmers who devote themselves to the design of Internet pages use
variables that contain text particularly often. Mathematical operations are
comparatively rare. Since text variables play a particularly important role in
programming with PHP, they should be treated first. In the previous section it
was stated that variables like a
Drawer are to be understood. This can be shown particularly clearly with text
variables. In this case the piece of furniture is in a publishing house. The
individual employees write documents and put them in the appropriate
drawer. It is possible to remove the previous content and replace it with new
texts. The employees can also simply add their documents to the existing
ones. Occasionally the editor comes by and puts the relevant content to the
press for publication. With text variables it is also possible to exchange, add
to or change content. When the desired text has been created, it is possible to
output it on the screen using the print function. The following code is
required to create a text variable and fill it with content:
<? php $ textbaustein = "My first variable";?>

A variable is always introduced in PHP with a dollar sign. This is followed

by the name of the variable. In principle, the user can choose this freely. He
just has to be careful not to assign a name twice. Furthermore, it must not
contain any special characters that have a special function in PHP. Once the
variable has been introduced, it is immediately filled with content. The equal
sign is also used. This is followed by the text that the variable should contain.
Unlike some other programming languages, PHP does not need to specify the
type of variable. The interpreter automatically recognizes that this is a text
variable from the fact that the content is in quotation marks. Variables can
even change their type within the program. To display the content of the
variable on the screen, it is only necessary to insert it into the print function.
There is also
The dollar sign is required in front of the name of the variable. In this case,
quotation marks must not be used, otherwise the function would display the
variable name on the screen. The finished program therefore looks like this:

<? php $ textbaustein = "My first variable"; print $ textbaustein;?>

5.2 Save numbers as variables
In addition to text, variables can also contain numbers. In many computer
programs this is the most common use of the variables. Due to the special
feature that PHP is mostly used for the design of Internet pages where the
text is in the foreground, this application is of somewhat less importance.
Nevertheless, it happens again and again in PHP programs that a variable
must take on a numerical value. This function is particularly important for the
control of loops, which will be explained in a later chapter.
Computer programs often distinguish between many different types of
numbers. These can be whole numbers that are referred to as integers. There
are also point numbers. Each type of number is limited in its size, so that the
memory space required for it is fixed. In many programming languages, it is
necessary to specify exactly what kind of number a variable is. The program
reserves a memory space of the appropriate size. PHP programmers don't
have to worry about that, however. The interpreter takes on this task
independently. To assign a numeric value to a variable, it is only necessary to
declare it accordingly and to fill it with content. This works almost exactly
the same as with text variables:

<? php $ integer = 5; $ comma number = 5.555; print $ integer; print "<br>"; print $ comma number;?>
Computer programs often distinguish between many different types of
numbers. These can be whole numbers that are referred to as integers. There
are also point numbers. Each type of number is limited in its size, so that the
memory space required for it is fixed. In many programming languages, it is
necessary to specify exactly what kind of number a variable is. The program
reserves a memory space of the appropriate size. PHP programmers don't
have to worry about that, however. The interpreter takes on this task
independently. To assign a numeric value to a variable, it is only necessary to
declare it accordingly and to fill it with content. This works almost exactly
the same as with text variables:
<? php $ integer = 5; $ comma number = 5.555; print $ integer; print "<br>"; print $ comma number;?>

The command print "<br>"; generates the HTML tag <br> in the source code.
This in turn leads to a line break on the screen. Without this command, both
numbers would be without spaces or
Line breaks are output one after the other.

5.3 Boolean variables

In addition to text and numbers, there is a third type of variable. These are so-
called Boolean variables. These are only mentioned briefly here, as they only
play a subordinate role in the remainder of this book. For later tasks,
however, it is important that the reader knows that this type of variable exists
and what it is used for. These variables are named after the English
mathematician and logician George Boole. Actually, these are variables that
can take on a finite number of values. In PHP - and in all other programming
languages - exactly two different states are possible. A Boolean variable can
take the values true and false - in German true and false. This already shows
the use of these variables: They serve as a truth value. They are primarily
used to specify a condition for functions. Only if this condition is fulfilled -
i.e. if the value of the corresponding variable is true - the corresponding
function is executed.

5.4 Operations with variables

The previous example programs that use variables would actually get by
without these placeholders. If the appropriate text or numbers are inserted
directly into the print function, the output is exactly the same. However, the
use of variables is of great importance. Many functions are impossible
without them, because they can be used to perform many different operations.
These change the value of the variable and thus offer many new options for
designing the program.
A very simple alternative is to change the content of a variable by assigning a
new value:

<? php $ inventory = 5; print "<p> Available articles:"; print $ inventory; print "</p> \ n"; $ inventory
= 4; print "<p> Available articles:"; print $ inventory ; print "</p> \ n";?>

This program indicates the inventory for a specific article and displays it on
the screen. After that, one of these items will be sold, so only four units are
available. The new value is then assigned to the variable and then displayed
again to make the results clear.

This program shows that a variable can easily be assigned a new value. In
practice, however, it is not very smart to use specific values for this. Because
if another item is sold, this function cannot be used again because
the new value would have to be adjusted to 3 for this. Therefore, it makes
more sense to perform a math operation. This can be used with any starting
value and can therefore be used for every sale, regardless of how many items
are currently available: <? Php $ stock = 5; print "<p> Available items:"; print $ stock;
print " </p> \ n "; $ stock = $ stock-1; print" <p> Available articles: "; print $ stock; print" </p> \ n ";?>
The display on the screen is exact the same as the previous program.
However, it is now possible to change the output value of the variable and set
it to 6, for example. In this case the program adjusts the values automatically.
The variable refers to itself and performs an arithmetic operation with its
original value. Many other calculations can be performed in exactly the same
way - for example additions, multiplications, or divisions. The following list
shows some important mathematical operators : + Additions - Subtraction *
Multiplications / Division ** Powers (only from PHP version 5.6) Since
many programs need to increase or decrease the value of a variable by one
unit, this is why a short form is also available. Instead of the line $ stock = $
stock-1; it is quite simply possible $ consisted--; to insert. The command $
consisted ++; however, increases the value of this variable. This saves a lot of
programming time. The point operator is particularly important for editing
text. This is used to connect two text variables with one another. This is very
useful for composing a text from different variables. If, for example, a
personalized address of the visitor is to appear on the page, this can be
combined from the salutation and the name:
<? php $ salutation = "woman"; $ name = "Miller"; $ reader address = $ salutation. "". $ name; print "
<h1> Hello"; print $ reader address; print "! </h1> \ n ";?>

The variable $ reader address arises from a link between the variables $ address
and $ name . It is important that
Please note that there is a space between the two variables in quotation marks
and is also connected with the period operator. Without this addition, the
program would combine the two words with each other and output them
without the space. This example shows another possible application of the
dot operator. Three different print functions are required for the simple
greeting of the reader . This is relatively cumbersome. It is therefore
advisable to combine the various outputs with the dot operator and to
summarize them in a single print command: print "<h1> Hello". $ Reader address. "!
</h1> \ n"; This command is significantly shorter, but the functionality does not
change.

5.5 Arrays: composite variables

In many cases it happens that variables appear in related groups. An example
of this is the assortment of an online shop, which was already used in the
introductory explanation of the SQL databases. The item number, product
name, price, a brief description and the number of units available are required
for each product. Of course, it is possible to use a separate variable for each
of these values - for example $ item number , $ product name , $ price , $ description
and $ number . This method, however, makes the processing complicated and
confusing. Hence it is prone to failure. Since all of this information relates to
the same item, it makes sense to combine them into one unit. This ensures a
clear structure. Arrays are used for this, and an array can be thought of as a
toolbox. This contains
several different subjects. A different tool - or in a figurative sense a variable
- can be stored in each of these compartments. The following code is required
to create an array:
<? php $ product = array (); $ product [0] = 1; $ product [1] = "drilling machine"; $ product [2] = 45; $
product [3] = "powerful drilling machine for drilling and screwing work" ; $ product [4] = 23;?>

In principle, the array is treated like a variable. It is therefore necessary to put

the dollar sign in front of the array name. The expression array () tells the
interpreter that this is an array. In PHP it is not necessary to enter the number
of individual fields. The programmer can therefore add any number of
entries. This is done in the following lines. A specific value is assigned to the
individual fields. PHP allows you to start with any index number. In addition,
these do not have to be continuous. However, it is common practice to assign
the index 0 to the first field and then to number the individual fields
consecutively. There is a much shorter and more practical method of
introducing an array. Instead of the entire expression in the previous code
example, a single line is sufficient:
<? php $ product = array (1, "Drilling machine", 45, "Powerful drilling machine for drilling and
screwing work", 23);?>

In this case, the index number is assigned consecutively and begins with 0.
This creates exactly the same array as in the previous example. To check the
results, it is useful to refer to the array
on the screen. For the time being, it is necessary to create a separate print
command for each individual field for this purpose :

<? php $ product = array (1, "Drilling machine", 45, "Powerful drilling machine for drilling and
screwing work", 23); print $ product [0]. "<br> \ n"; print $ product [1]. "<br> \ n"; print $ product [2].
"<br> \ n"; print $ product [3]. "<br> \ n"; print $ product [4]. "<br> \ n ";?>

In this example, the individual fields are accessed via an index number. This
has numerous advantages. For example, functions can be created in this way
that access the individual fields using mathematical operations. The problem,
however, is that these values are not self-explanatory. Of course, when
creating the array, the programmer knows that field 0 stands for the item
number, field 1 for the product name and field 2 for the price. However, it
may be that he forgets this after a while. If he then wants to make changes to
the program, he has to
Check carefully which index number stands for which content. To avoid this
problem, it is also possible to use self-explanatory terms for it. This shape is
called an associative array.
<? php $ product = array (); $ product ['item number'] = 1; $ product ['product name'] = "drill"; $
product ['price'] = 45; $ product ['description'] = "Powerful drilling machine for drilling and screwing
work"; $ product ['number'] = 23;?>

This command can also be summarized in one line:

$ product = array ('Item number' => 1, 'Product name' => "Drilling machine", 'Price' => 45,
'Description' => "Powerful drilling machine for drilling and screwing work", 'Quantity' => 23);

To reflect this array, the output must also be adjusted. The full program is
therefore:

<? php $ product = array ('Article number' => 1, 'Product name' => "Drilling machine", 'Price' => 45,
'Description' => "Powerful drilling machine for drilling and screwing work", 'Quantity' => 23); print $
product ['item number']. "<br> \ n"; print $ product ['product name']. "<br> \ n"; print $ product
['price']. "<br> \ n "; print $ product ['description']." <br> \ n "; print $ product ['quantity']." <br> \ n ";?
>

The text that appears on the screen is exactly the same as in the previous
screenshot. In addition, it is possible to create composite arrays. In the
example described here, it would be useful to use the
to display the entire range of goods. However, since this would be very
extensive, this is to be limited in the example to three products, each with
three properties - article number, product name and price. To access the
individual contents, it is now necessary to enter both indices:

<? php $ assortment = array (); $ assortment [0] ['item number'] = 1; $ assortment [0] ['product name']
= "drill"; $ assortment [0] ['price'] = 45 ; $ range [1] ['item number'] = 2; $ range [1] ['product name'] =
"circular saw"; $ range [1] ['price'] = 79; $ range [2] ['item number '] = 3; $ assortment [2] [' product
name '] = "Belt sander"; $ assortment [2] [' price '] = 89; print $ assortment [0] [' product name ']. "<br>
\ n "; print $ assortment [1] ['product name']." <br> \ n "; print $ assortment [2] ['product name']." <br>
\ n "; print $ assortment [0] [ 'Price']. "<br> \ n"; print $ range [1] ['Price']. "<br> \ n"; print $ range [2]
['Price']. "<br> \ n ";?>

5.6 Exercise: dealing with variables

Write a program that uses two numeric variables to first output the two values
individually. Then multiply both variables and output the result. 2. Write a
program that outputs the following lyrics: “Joy, beautiful spark of the gods,
daughter of Elysium, we drowned in fire, heavenly ones, your sanctuary.”
Each line should be recorded in a variable. Use only a single print command
for output . 3. Create an array that contains the customer number, first name,
and last name of three customers. Then output the corresponding values on
the screen. The associated values for each customer should be in one line.
Solutions:
1.
<? php $ number1 = 5; $ number2 = 7; print "<p> Variable 1:". $ number1. "</p> \ n"; print "<p>
Variable 2:". $ number1. "< / p> \ n "; $ result = $ number1 * $ number2; print" <p> The result from ".
 This is just one of several
$ number1." * ". $ number2." is: ". $ result.". </p> \ n ";?>
possible solutions. For example , it would also be possible to omit the $ result
variable and insert the operation directly into the print command.
<? php $ part1 = "Joy, beautiful spark of the gods,";
$ part2 = "Daughter from Elysium,"; $ part3 = "we're entering, drunk on fire,"; $ part4 = "Heavenly,
your sanctuary."; print "<p>". $ part1. "<br> \ n". $ part2. "<br> \ n". $ part3. "<br> \ n". $ part4. "</p>
\ n";?>

The individual variables can easily be combined with the dot operator. This is
also how you insert the HTML tags for paragraphs and line breaks.

3.
<? php $ customer data = array (); $ customer data [0] ['customer number'] = 10001; $ customer data
[0] ['first name'] = "Heinz"; $ customer data [0] ['last name'] = " Mahler "; $ customer data [1]
['customer number'] = 10002; $ customer data [1] ['first name'] =" Eva "; $ customer data [1] ['last
name'] =" Müller "; $ customer data [2 ] ['Customer number'] = 10003; $ customer data [2] ['First
name'] = "Michael"; $ customer data [2] ['Last name'] = "Mayer"; print "Customer number:". $
Customer data [0] ['Customer number']. ", First name:". $ Customer data [0] ['first name']. ", Last
name:". $ Customer data [0] ['last name']. "<br> \ n"; print " Customer number: ". $ Customer data [1]
['customer number'].", First name: ". $ Customer data [1] ['first name'].", Last name: ". $ Customer data
[1] ['last name']." <br> \ n "; print" Customer number: ". $ customer data [2] ['customer number'].", first
name: ". $ customer data [2] ['first name'].", last name: ". $ customer data [ 2] ['Last Name']. "<br> \
n";?>

Chapter 6
Decisions through if queries
Computer programs usually contain many areas that should only be executed
under certain conditions. There are also numerous examples of this that can
be used in a PHP program for an online shop. If the customer has already
placed an item in the shopping cart here, it makes sense to display it.
However, if there is no product here, this is not necessary. In this case, the
program must carry out a query. Only if the result has a certain value does it
carry out the corresponding function. In the example, the program must
therefore first query the number of items in the shopping cart. Only if this is
greater than zero will it display the shopping cart on the screen. If such a
query should be formulated in ordinary language, it could read something
like this: “If the shopping cart contains at least one item, it should be
displayed on the screen. " The key term" Wenn " - in English" if " - is
usually used. Almost all computer programs also use this expression for this.
For this reason, they are referred to as an if query.

6.1 The structure of an if-query

An if query always begins with the keyword i f. The interpreter uses this to
recognize that it should only execute the next part if a certain condition is
met. This condition immediately follows the key phrase. Often it is a
mathematical one
Comparison. For example, it is possible to specify the condition that a certain
variable must be larger or smaller than a specified value. Only if this is the
case will the following part be carried out. Another possibility is to use the
Boolean variables presented in the previous chapter. In this case, the part of
the program that is in the query is only executed if the variable has assumed
the value true . Regardless of which of these two options is used, it is
necessary that the condition is in round brackets. The condition is now
followed by a curly bracket. It is then possible to insert any number of
commands. At the end it is necessary to close this part of the program with a
curly bracket. The entire area within the curly brackets is only executed if the
condition is met. If this is not the case, the program continues with the first
command that comes after the closing curly bracket. The scheme of an if-
query looks like this: if (condition) {In this area it is possible to insert any commands.} It is
also possible to nest if- queries. In this case, there is another if query in the
area between the curly brackets , which is structured according to the same
pattern. In this way, highly branched and very detailed structures can be
specified. With sophisticated programs it almost always happens that several
of these queries are nested within one another.
6.2 Use different comparison operators
The previous section showed that for every if query it is necessary to specify
a condition. Sometimes come for this purpose
Boolean variables are used. In this case it is only necessary to put the variable
name in the brackets. If the value of the variable is true , the following part is
performed. On the other hand , if it is false , the program continues with the
next step, but a comparison is often specified with the condition. These can
be mathematical comparisons or the content of a specific character string. If
you want to check whether the value of a variable corresponds to a given
value, it is necessary to insert a double equal sign: if ($ var == 5) {print "The value of
this variable is 5.";} It is very important that the Note the difference between the
double and the single equal sign. The single equal sign is used for an
assignment. This means that the program assigns a new value to the variable.
Queries, however, are not allowed to change the value of the variable. This is
why the double equal sign is always used. It is not only possible to check a
numerical value. It can also be used to check strings: if ($ product name == "Drill")
{print "This is the product about a drill ";} For many variables it is not important
whether they correspond exactly to a certain value, but rather whether they
are larger or smaller than this. Upper and lower characters are used for this (
> and < ). For example, the following function could be used in an online
shop:
if ($ order value <20)
{
print "You have not yet reached the minimum order value";
}

There are also a few other comparison operators :! = Executes the function if
the values are not equal. <= Executes the function if the first value is less
than or equal to the second value. > = Executes the function if the first value
is greater than or equal to the second value.

6.3 Integrating logical operators into the query

In most cases the comparison operators presented in the previous section are
sufficient to adequately formulate the condition. However, there are always
cases in which the corresponding specifications are somewhat more
complicated. For example, it is possible that a function should only be carried
out if two different conditions are met at the same time. In other cases it is
sufficient if one of several possible conditions is met. Logical operators are
used to formulate such expressions. If two conditions are to be met at the
same time, the logical and is used for this. For this it is possible to simply use
the English word “ and” . Alternatively, the programmer can insert a double
ampersand ( && ):
if ($ var1 <5 and $ var2 == 7) {print "Variable 1 is less than 5 and variable 2 is 7.";
}

Or
if ($ var1 <5 && $ var2 == 7) {print "Variable 1 is less than 5 and variable 2 is 7.";}

It is not only possible to specify two conditions, but any number:

if ($ var1 <5 && $ var2 == 7 && $ var3> = 6) {print "Variable 1 is less than 5, variable 2 is 7 and
variable 3 is greater than or equal to 6.";
}
In other cases it is only necessary that one of two conditions is met. It makes
sense to use the logical or here. This can be inserted into the program with
the keyword “ or” or with two vertical bars ( || ).
<? php $ var1 = 2; $ var2 = 7; if ($ var1 <5 || $ var2 == 7) {print "Variable 1 is less than 5 or variable 2
is 7.";}?>

The reader may have noticed that, in contrast to the previous examples, a
complete program - with the opening and closing tags and with the
declaration of the variables - is given. The reason for this is that it makes
sense at this point to insert the program once into the text editor and run it in
the browser. In the next step it is possible to change the values of the
variables so that the conditions are met or not. It is noticeable that the
browser not only displays the corresponding text when exactly one of the two
conditions is met, but also when this applies to both specifications. However,
in some programs this is not desirable. In these cases the exclusive or is used.
This is inserted with the keyword “ xor” . If the program is changed
accordingly, the browser will only display the text if one of the two
conditions is met and the other is not. Another logical operator is the logical
not, which is represented by an exclamation mark. This reverses the truth
value of the
Condition to. This means that the program only executes the function if the
corresponding condition is not met:
if (! ($ var <5)) {print "The variable 1 is not smaller than 5.";
}

It is important to put the expression in brackets after the exclamation mark.

This is necessary because the logical not does not refer to a single value, but
to the entire expression. Very different comparisons can be summarized with
brackets and logical operators can be combined with further queries.
However, the complexity of these expressions is very high, so this topic is not
covered further in this entry-level textbook.

6.4 else and elseif

The simple if queries presented in the previous sections had one thing in
common: they perform an action when a certain condition is met. However, if
it does not apply, the program simply continues with the commands that
follow the if query. However, it often happens that another action should be
taken if the condition is not met. Of course, it is possible to insert another if
query after the first block and to negate the corresponding condition:
if ($ gender == "m") {print "<h1> Hello Mr.". $ surname. "! </h1> \ n";
}
if (! ($ gender == "m")) {print "<h1> Hello Mrs.". $ surname. "! </h1> \ n";
}
However, it is much easier to use the term “ else” . The action
that is carried
out afterwards must also be in curly brackets. The following program
therefore has exactly the same function as the example described above:
if ($ gender == "m") {print "<h1> Hello Mr.". $ surname. "! </h1> \ n";} else {print "<h1> Hello
Mrs.". $ last name. "! </h1> \ n ";
}

These programs assume that there are only two different options for
specifying gender. This means that if the letter m for male has not been
entered as gender , it is automatically a woman. This assumption is usually
correct, but it can sometimes lead to errors. For example, it is possible that a
user did not provide this information, so that the variable remains empty. In
this case it would not be advisable to automatically address the reader as
“woman ” . Therefore it makes sense to further differentiate the query. A
branched query is used for this purpose:
if ($ gender == "m") {print "<h1> Hello Mr.". $ surname. "! </h1> \ n";
}
else {
if ($ gender == "w") {print "<h1> Hello Mrs.". $ surname. "! </h1> \ n";} else {print "<h1> Hello!
</h1> \ n" ;
}
}

This program ensures that the salutation with “woman ” is only used if the
gender is given as female. If there is no entry or a completely different value,
the program decides to address it neutrally with “Hello ” . However, this
type of branching is relatively complicated and is only intended to serve as an
explanation. In practice, it is common to use the “ elseif” command instead .
The following program works in exactly the same way, but is a bit simpler.
if ($ gender == "m") {print "<h1> Hello Mr.". $ surname. "! </h1> \ n";} elseif ($ gender == "w") {
print "<h1> Hello Mrs.". $ surname. "! </h1> \ n";} else {print "<h1> Hello! </h1> \ n";}

6.5 Exercise: Create queries yourself

Create a program that determines whether the inventory for a certain product
has fallen to 0 and, if necessary, issues a message that the item is no longer
available. First, create an array containing a product with its price and
number of items available, then write a program that: Informs the buyer that
the item is not available when the inventory is 0; issues that the product will
be delivered free of charge if at least one item is in stock and if the price is at
least 20 euros.
indicates that there is a shipping cost of 5 euros for delivery if the item is
available but the price is less than 20 euros.
1. <? Php $ inventory = 4; if ($ inventory == 0) {print "The requested article is unfortunately no
longer available.";}?>
For this program it is necessary to introduce a variable for the inventory. The
if query then checks whether this has dropped to 0 and outputs the
corresponding message if necessary. By changing the values of the $
inventory variable (and also setting them to 0), you can check the
functionality of the program.
2.
<? php $ product = array ('Product name' => "Drill", 'Price' => 15, 'Quantity' => 3); if ($ product
['Quantity'] == 0) {print "The product ". $ product ['product name']." is unfortunately no longer
available. ";} elseif ($ product ['price']> = 20) {print" The product ". $ product ['product name']." is
available and is delivered free of shipping costs. ";} else {print" The product ". $ product ['product
name']." is available. Shipping costs are 5 euros for the delivery. ";}
?>

This is just a suggested solution. There are many other correct solutions as
well. If you have chosen a different method, you should change the
corresponding values in the array and thus try out whether your program
outputs the correct information for all combinations.
Chapter 7
Extending the functionality of a program through loops

Repeating an identical activity over and over is a great torment for most
people. The monotonous occupation leads to boredom and inhibits
performance. However, it is precisely this task that is the great strength of a
computer program. It often repeats a simple function hundreds or even
thousands of times - in a matter of seconds and without any errors. Now one
could assume that this monotonous activity falls back on the programmer,
since he performs the same functions countless times in your program. But
there is a simple trick to avoid this: the use of loops. It is only necessary to
specify the condition under which the program should execute the loop. It is
then only necessary to enter the corresponding commands once. The program
then executes these until the condition is no longer met - regardless of
whether it takes ten or a million runs. This chapter introduces the use of loops
. These play a very important role in almost all computer programs -
regardless of whether it is a PHP program for designing websites or other
software in a different programming language. Loops are therefore of
enormous importance for all programmers and are indispensable tools.

7.1 Head-controlled loops: while and for

In order to explain the function of a loop, a very simple - if not necessarily
useful - example should serve. The program should only display the word
hello on the screen ten times in a row. Such a task rarely occurs in practical
work, but it clearly illustrates how a loop works. First, it is necessary to
specify a running condition. This is introduced with the keyword while . It
stands in front of the actual content of the loop. For this reason these are
called head controlled. The same operators are used for the conditions as for
the if queries. If the loop is to be run through with a fixed number of times,
as in this example, an index variable is used in the condition. In computer
science it is common to denote this as $ i and to set the value to 0 at the
beginning of the loop:
$ i = 0; while ($ i <10)
The run condition specifies that the loop should be executed as long as the
value of the index variable is less than 10. In order for the loop to end at the
desired point in time, it is therefore necessary to increase the value of this
index variable in each pass. This happens in the loop body. This follows the
run condition in curly brackets. In addition, the body of the loop contains the
function that is to be carried out for each pass.
<? php $ i = 0; while ($ i <10) {print "<p> Hello </p> \ n"; $ i ++;}
?>

This program already shows that it is possible to use loops to perform a large
number of functions with just a few commands. It is also possible to refer to
the index variable for each individual run. In this way, for example, the
square numbers can be easily displayed: <? Php $ i = 0; while ($ i <10) {$ i ++; print $ i
* $ i. "<br> \ n";}?> This program multiplies the index variable by in each run
itself and in this way creates the square of that number. Since it makes sense
for this series to begin with the number 1, the index number must be
increased before the command for the output. Alternatively, it would be
possible to prefix the print command, as in the previous program, but to add
the value 1 to the calculation: print ($ i + 1) * ($ i + 1). "<br> \ n"; The functionality
remains the same for both options and generates the following output on the
screen:
It often happens that the loop body is only to be executed under a certain
condition. In these cases it is necessary to integrate if- queries into the loop
body. The following example should serve as an explanation. There is a
composite array that contains the product name, price and number of
available units for three different products. The loop should then list all
products with the associated price - but only if at least one item is in stock. In
this case it is possible to click on the individual fields
of the array with a variable. The index variable is ideal for this.

<? php $ assortment = array (); $ product [0] ['product name'] = "drill"; $ product [0] ['price'] = 45; $
product [0] ['quantity'] = 6 ; $ product [1] ['product name'] = "circular saw"; $ product [1] ['price'] = 79;
$ product [1] ['quantity'] = 0; $ product [2] ['product name '] = "Belt sander"; $ product [2] [' Price '] =
89; $ product [2] [' Quantity '] = 11; $ i = 0; while ($ i <3) {if ($ product [$ i] ['Quantity']> 0) {print "
<p> Product:". $ product [$ i] ['Product name']. "Price:". $ product [$ i] ['Price'] . "Euro </p> \ n";} $ i
++;}?>

Several program lines are required for a while loop. First it is necessary to
introduce the index variable and fill it with a value.
Then the programmer has to specify the condition. Finally, it is necessary to
increase the value of the index variable in the loop body. To reduce the effort,
it makes sense to use a for loop instead. Here , all these commands are
summarized in one line. This alternative is always useful if the loop should
complete a fixed number of runs or if a certain value should be counted in it.
The for loop is introduced by the term for . This is followed by a bracket in
which the value of the variable is introduced first. This is followed by the
condition and finally the specification in which way the index variable is to
be changed in each pass. The individual parts are separated from one another
with a semicolon. The first program in this section serves as an example. This
can be represented as follows without changing the functionality using the for
loop:

<? phpfor ($ i = 0; $ i <10; $ i ++) {print "<p> Hello </p> \ n";}?>

7.2 Foot-controlled loop: do while

In both the while and for loops, the condition precedes the loop body. There
is also another option where the order is reversed. This is introduced by the
key term do . The body of the loop then follows in curly brackets. Then the
expression while and the condition must be present. In contrast to the
previous loops, in this case it is necessary to set a semicolon at the end. The
first example from the previous chapter looks like this with a do-while loop:
<? php
$ i = 0; do {print "<p> Hello </p> \ n"; $ i ++;} while ($ i <10);?>

In this example, the functionality is exactly the same as the while or for loop.
This also applies to all other programs in which the loop is to be executed
with a fixed number of runs. Which method is used depends solely on the
preferences of the programmer. However, there is one important difference
that can affect the way it works in some programs: With the for and while
loops, the condition is checked at the beginning. The loop body is only
executed if the condition is met. With the do-while loop, however, the
commands in the loop body are always executed at least once. Only then is
the condition checked. If it is fulfilled, another cycle follows. If it is not
fulfilled, the loop is aborted. The following two are intended to distinguish
this

Program examples clarify : <? Php $ number = 50; $ condition = true; while
($ condition) {print "<p> Current number:". $ number. "</p> \ n"; $ number -; $ condition = ($
number> 20);}?>

And
<? php $ number = 50; $ condition = true; do {print "<p> Current number:". $ number. "</p> \ n"; $
number -; $ condition = ($ number> 20 );} while ($ condition);?>

These programs output the number of a specific article. With each run - for
example when selling a unit - the number is reduced. When the inventory
drops to 20, the program halts the loop because the current inventory is too
low. The functionality of the two alternatives is exactly the same. The
difference becomes clear, however, if the value is set to false when
introducing the variable $ condition . In this case, the while loop is not executed
because the condition is not met at the beginning. The do-while loop executes
the loop body anyway. The condition is set to true so that the loop is run
through as often as before until the number has assumed the value 20.

7.3 foreach loops for working with arrays

As shown in the penultimate program example in Chapter 7.1, loops are often
used to access the various contents of an array. Using the index number, it is
very easy to navigate to the individual fields. The sample program worked
fine, but it still has a problem. In many online shops it often happens that the
range is expanded or reduced. In this program, however, the number of
passes was set to 3 from the beginning. If the number of articles changes, the
program will no longer work. In this case it would be necessary to do a
manual one every time the scope of the range of goods changes
Even with associative arrays that work with terms for assignment instead of
index numbers, access in this way is not possible. To avoid these problems, it
makes sense to use a foreach loop. This is specially designed for handling
arrays. It automatically adapts the number of runs to the number of entries
available. Before the mentioned example from Section 7.1 is executed with a
foreach loop, a somewhat simpler program should clarify its functionality:

<? php $ product = array (1, "Drilling machine", 45, "Powerful drilling machine for drilling and
screwing work", 23); foreach ($ product as $ content) {print $ content. "<br> \ n";} ?>

This program first determines an array with various details about a product.
The keyword foreach must be at the beginning of the loop . This is followed
by a round bracket and the name of the array. Then there is another key term:
as. After that it is necessary to name a new variable. This serves as a copy of
the contents of the array inside the loop. If the variable just introduced is now
used in the loop, it reproduces one field of the array in each run - until all
entries have been listed. This results in the following output in the browser:

With this knowledge it is now possible to modify the program from section
7.1. Readers who have already understood how the foreach loop works are
welcome to try this conversion themselves. <? php $ assortment = array (); $ product [0]
['product name'] = "drill"; $ product [0] ['price'] = 45; $ product [0] ['quantity'] = 6 ; $ product [1]
['product name'] = "circular saw"; $ product [1] ['price'] = 79; $ product [1] ['quantity'] = 0; $ product
[2] ['product name '] = "Belt sander"; $ product [2] [' price '] = 89; $ product [2] [' number '] = 11;
foreach ($ product as $ content) {if ($ content [' number ' ]> 0) {print "<p> Product:". $ Content
['Product Name']. "Price:". $ Content ['Price']. "Euro </p> \ n";}}?>
For the conversion it is first necessary to remove the introduction and the
increase of the index variables, since these are no longer necessary when
using a foreach loop. Then the foreach loop must be introduced. Inside the
brackets are the name of the array and, after the term as, the variable that is to
display the contents in the loop. After that it is only necessary to adapt the
print command. In this way it is possible to add another product to the array.
This is now automatically taken into account during playback. A foreach loop
also allows a composite array to be output. In contrast to the previous
example, it is not necessary to address the individual fields of the second
level individually. The following program lists the contents of the entire
array: <? Php $ assortment = array (); $ product [0] ['product name'] = "Drill"; $ product [0] ['Price']
= 45; $ product [0] ['Quantity'] = 6; $ product [1] ['Product name'] = "Circular saw"; $ product [1 ]
['Price'] = 79; $ product [1] ['Quantity'] = 0; $ product [2] ['Product name'] = "Belt sander"; $ product
[2] ['Price'] = 89; $ product [2] ['number'] = 15; foreach ($ product as $ level1) {foreach ($ level1 as $
level2) {print $ level2. "<br> \ n";} print "<br>" ;}?> A nested foreach loop is required for
this. The outer loop refers to the first level. The entries of the second level are
like another array for each individual field of the first level
understand. Therefore, another foreach loop is necessary for this . For this, the
individual entries of these small arrays are reproduced in the variable $ level2
according to the same scheme . The additional print command with the HTML
tag <br> ensures an additional line break after all information on a particular
article has been output. This creates groups that belong together when
outputting to the screen:

7.4 Exercise: Designing programs with loops

Create three programs that count from 1 to 10, using a while , a for and a do-
while loop for each. 2 . Create a composite array for a greengrocer's
assortment of apples, pears, tomatoes, and zucchini. The first level should
have a numerical index. The second, on the other hand, is supposed to be
associative (with the names product, price and special offer) .The product
information is a character string with the
corresponding fruit or vegetable type, the price around a number and the
specification Special offer should be a Boolean variable. Create a foreach loop
that specifies the product name and the price. If this is a special offer, you
should read “Attention special offer! ” Appear.3. If you create a foreach loop,
you can also access the name of the corresponding field for associative
arrays. To do this, you have to insert another variable in the round brackets
after the key term as , which accepts this value. This is followed by the
symbol “ =>” and then the variable that reproduces the contents of the array
within the loop: ($ level1 as $ field name => $ level2) Change the last program from
chapter 7.3 so that it can output the contents prefixes the corresponding field
names.

1.
<? php $ i = 0; while ($ i <10) {$ i ++; print $ i. "<br> \ n";}?> <? phpfor ($ i = 0; $ i <10; $ i ++ )
{print ($ i + 1). "<br> \ n";}?> <? php $ i = 0; do {print ($ i + 1). "<br> \ n";
$ i ++;} while ($ i <10);?> 2. <? php $ assortment = array (); $ assortment [0] ['product'] = "apple"; $
assortment [0] ['price' ] = 1.99; $ range [0] ['special offer'] = false; $ range [1] ['product'] = "pear"; $
range [1] ['price'] = 0.99; $ range [1] ['Special offer'] = true; $ range [2] ['Product'] = "Tomato"; $ range
[2] ['Price'] = 2.49; $ range [2] ['Special offer'] = false; $ assortment [3] ['product'] = "Zucchini"; $
assortment [3] ['price'] = 1.49; $ assortment [3] ['special offer'] = false; foreach ($ assortment as $
content) {if ($ content ['special offer']) {print "Warning special offer! <br> \ n";} print $ content
['product']. "<br> \ n"; print $ content ['price']. " <br> <br> \ n ";}?>

3.
<? php $ assortment = array (); $ product [0] ['product name'] = "drill"; $ product [0] ['price'] = 45; $
product [0] ['quantity'] = 6 ; $ product [1] ['product name'] = "Circular saw"; $ product [1] ['price'] =
79; $ product [1] ['quantity'] = 0; $ product [2] ['product name '] = "Belt sander"; $ product [2] [' Price ']
= 89; $ product [2] [' Quantity '] = 15; foreach ($ product as $ level1) {foreach ($ level1 as $ field name
= > $ level2) {print $ fieldname. ":". $ level2. "<br> \ n";} print "<br>";}?>
Chapter 8
Functions in PHP
A computer program often contains many hundreds of lines of program code,
and it is often difficult to keep track of them. For this reason it makes sense to
give the whole a structure. This is done by functions that allow a certain part
of the program to be outsourced. The main program can easily access these
functions by calling their names. Sometimes it even happens that the actual
main program only consists of a few lines. These call functions that contain
the fundamental components of the program. Each of them in turn uses many
other functions that give the software a clear structure. Functions not only
offer the advantage that they make the program clearer. In addition, they can
save the programmer a lot of work. In many cases it happens that a certain
sequence of instructions occurs very frequently in a program. Programming
them over and over again would take a lot of work. It also increases the risk
of errors. However, if the corresponding commands are swapped out into a
function, it is possible to call them up simply by the function name. This
significantly reduces the work. Functions are therefore of great importance
for complex programs. Like almost all programming languages, PHP offers
the option of creating functions and integrating them into a program.

8.1 The structure of a function in PHP

To create a function, it is first necessary to mark it as such in the program.
The key term function is used for this .
This is followed by the name of the function. In principle, the programmer
can choose the name freely. But it makes sense to use self-explanatory
names. If the programmer no longer knows by heart which function fulfills
which task when making a correction later, the name is a valuable aid. This is
followed by a round bracket that must open and close. The commands that
the function is supposed to carry out then follow in curly brackets. A simple
function could look like this:
function greetings () {print "Good morning!";}

To call this function, it is only necessary to insert the function name -

followed by the round bracket and a semicolon - into the program. This
results in the following code:
<? phpfunction greetings () {print "Good morning!";} greetings ();?>

The use of round brackets after the function name is noticeable in this
function. At first glance, these seem to be completely useless. However, they
represent an important part of the function syntax and must be used in any
case. In this simple example, the brackets are empty and do not affect the
result. For many functions, however, they are filled with content. The content
of the brackets is used to transfer variables to the function. They only remain
empty if no transfer of values from the main program is necessary. In all
other cases there must be a variable name here. This takes on the value that
the main program transfers. It is important to only use this variable within the
function. In this example it would be possible to control the content of the
output through a variable. This would make it possible in a later step, for
example, to adapt the greeting to the time of day and to address the reader
with “Good morning ” , “Good day ” or “Good evening ” depending on the
time . If a variable is to be used, it is also necessary to specify its content in
brackets when the function is called:
<? php
function greeting ($ text) {print $ text;} greeting ("Good morning!");?>

In this example, the value of the variable was inserted directly into the
brackets when the function was called. However, it is common to use a
variable for this. This makes it possible to adapt the content, whereby the
programmer can transmit not just a single variable, but any number. In this
case it is necessary to separate the individual values with a comma - both
when defining the function and when calling it.
<? phpfunction greeting ($ text, $ address) {print $ text. "". $ address. "!";} $ greeting = "Good
morning"; $ reader = "Mr. Miller"; greeting ($ greeting, $ reader );?>
8.2 Return values of the functions
In the previous examples, the functions were used to perform a certain action.
After they were executed, their task was complete and the program made no
further reference to them. However, there are also many applications where
the function should calculate a certain value and return this to the main
program. This can then save it and use it for further tasks. Return values are
used for this purpose. The return value is determined by the return command .
This has to be integrated into the body of the function. It is possible to simply
specify a variable after this key term that contains the return value: function
doubling ($ value) {$ value = $ value * 2; return $ value;} Alternatively, the programmer
can insert the mathematical operation directly after the return command. In
this case it must be in round brackets: function doubling ($ value) {return ($ value * 2);}
Different variable types can be used for the return value. In this way it is
therefore not only possible to transmit numbers to the main program, but also
character strings and truth values.
In order to include the return value in the main program, it is possible to
assign the value of the corresponding function to a variable. This is done just
like assigning ordinary values with an equal sign.
<? phpfunction doubling ($ value) {return ($ value * 2);} $ result = doubling (5); print $ result;?>

Another alternative is to integrate the return value directly into the print
function - or into many other PHP commands:

<? phpfunction duplication ($ value) {return ($ value * 2);} print duplication (5);?>

It is important to note that each function can return a maximum of one value.
However, it can also be an array. If you want the function to return multiple
values, you need to pack them into an array. It is then possible to resolve this
again and reproduce it in individual variables.

<? phpfunction doubling_square ($ value) {$ double = $ value * 2; $ square = $ value * $ value; $

result = array ('doubling' => $ double, 'square' => $ square); return $ result;} $ return value =
doubling_square (3);
$ doubled_value = $ return value ['doubling']; $ value_to_square = $ return_value ['square']; print "The
double value of this number is". $ doubled_value. ". <br> \ n"; print "The square of this number is " . $
value_to_square.". <br> \ n ";?>

8.3 Integrating a function in the PHP program

In order to use a function in a PHP program, it is necessary to include it in the
main program. There are various possibilities. An alternative has already
been used in the previous sections. The function was placed in front of the
actual program. The call was made quite simply via the function name.
Although this procedure is very simple, it does mean that one of the main
advantages of using functions is lost: the clear layout of the program. If more
than a hundred functions are used in extensive software, this leads to very
long program code in which it is difficult to recognize the individual
elements.
For this reason, this method is only used for very simple programs. For more
extensive applications, it is common to outsource the functions to separate
files. This means that a new file must be created for this. In order to access it,
it is necessary to include the relevant files in the main program before calling
the function. How this works will be described using the function duplication
that was created in the previous section. In order to swap these out, it is
necessary to first create a new file. In order to facilitate the assignment, the
file name should correspond to the function name; the ending .php is also
used here. This file only contains the area in which the function was defined -
as always in the corresponding PHP tags: <? Phpfunction doubling ($ value) {return ($
value * 2);}?> Before the function is used in the main program it is now
necessary to include the corresponding file. Two commands are possible for
this: include and require . The difference between the two commands, however,
is minimal and only shows up when a file cannot be loaded. When using
include , the program continues in this case and processes all further
commands - even without the contents of the file. If require is used, however,
execution aborts immediately. With both options, it is possible to add the
addition _once ( include_once or require_once ). This causes the interpreter to
check whether the corresponding file has already been called up in a previous
part. If so, it does not load the file
again. This is particularly useful with extensive software, if the programmer
no longer knows exactly (or if this depends on the specific execution of the
program) whether he has already loaded the corresponding file. By not
loading the files twice, it is possible to increase the execution speed. After the
appropriate command, it is necessary to insert the file name. This is in round
brackets and in quotation marks. If the file is in a different folder than the
main program, it is important to ensure that you also specify the path. The
main program therefore looks like this: <? Phpinclude ("doubling.php" ); print doubling
(3);?>

8.4 Using functions from the PHP library

In addition to the functions that the programmer creates himself, there is an
extensive library in PHP. This contains numerous useful functions that are
used in many programs. This can make the workers much easier. An example
of a pre-built function is phpinfo (). This provides a lot of information about
the system and the PHP version used. It can easily be built into a program:
<? phpphpinfo ();?>
 To get an overview of the possible functions, it is useful to call up the online
documentation for PHP. This is available at http://php.net/manual/de/. It
contains a lot of important information about this programming language.
The Function References chapter lists the functions that are contained in the
library. The online documentation is also helpful in determining the exact
behavior of a function. It is either possible to access the individual functions
via the function references. If the exact name is already known, it makes
sense to use the search function. For example, the following entry can be
found under the entry phpinfo :

It not only describes which tasks the corresponding functions take on. In
addition, it is specified exactly which values the main program must transmit
and which return values the function generates. The online documentation is
a very important tool for using pre-built functions in a program.

8.5 Exercise: Creating PHP programs with functions

1.
Create a function that calculates the first ten powers of a number. The **
operator is used for this. This is preceded by the base and followed by the
exponent. The main program should transmit the initial value. It is returned
by an array. The array is output in the main program. 2. Now also output the
array in a separate function. Store both functions in a separate file and
integrate them into the main program. 3. Find a function in the online
documentation to enable the
To determine the square root of a number and another function with which
you generate a random variable. (Help: Both functions can be found in the
math chapter). Find out how to use these two functions. Now create a
program that calculates the square root of a random value and outputs both
the initial value and the result.

1.

<? phpfunction potency ($ value) {$ result = array (); for ($ i = 0; $ i <10; $ i ++) {$ result [$ i] = $
value ** ($ i + 1); } return $ result;} $ powers = potency (2); foreach ($ powers as $ output value)
{print $ output value. "<br>";}?>

2. File functions.php:
<? phpfunction potency ($ value) {$ result = array (); for ($ i = 0; $ i <10; $ i ++) {$ result [$ i] = $
value ** ($ i + 1); } return $ result;} function output ($ powers) {foreach ($ powers as $ output value)
{print $ output value. "<br>";}}?>
File main.php: <? Phpinclude ("functions.php"); output (potency (2));?> 3. For this task
you need the commands rand () and sqrt (), the functionality of which is
described in the online documentation becomes. This results in the following
program: <? Php $ random number = rand (); $ root = sqrt ($ random number); print "The root of".
$ Random number. "Is". $ Root. ". <br> \ n"; ?>
Chapter 9
Object-oriented programming: classes,
objects and methods
The previous chapters described the basic functions of the PHP programming
language. With loops, if queries and functions, a wide range of programs can
be created for very different applications. In the introduction, however, it was
already mentioned that PHP is an object-oriented programming language.
This is a concept that is particularly suitable for large and complex programs.
However, it is not easy to understand the details of object-oriented
programming. This topic represents an important focus of the computer
science course. Experienced programmers take care of the creation of
complex programs with object orientation. In this textbook, however, the
topic will be briefly introduced. On the one hand, it is important that the
reader gets to know the basics of this concept - for example to understand a
program code that another programmer has created. On the other hand, there
are numerous frameworks that simplify the creation of web projects. There
are often prefabricated objects that allow the integration of special functions.
In order to be able to use this tool, it is necessary to know at least the basics
of object-oriented programming. However, this book can only explain the
most important basics. There are numerous textbooks available that are
entirely devoted to object-oriented programming and explain all the details.
Object-oriented programming focuses on the object.
This is an element that has specific properties. It is possible to think of these
objects as different everyday objects. Objects of the same type also have
similar properties - albeit in different ways. In the case of objects of a
different type, however, different properties are also important. For example,
while size, color and ripeness play an important role in the case of an apple,
the speed, fuel consumption and the number of seats are decisive parameters
for a car. Classes are also of great importance for object-oriented
programming. These specify the basic properties that must be taken into
account when describing an object. There are also methods. These are used to
carry out various actions with the objects.
9.1 The class: the basis of object-oriented
programming
As indicated in the previous section, the properties that an object can assume
play an important role in object-oriented programming. There are usually a
very large number of possible properties. However, it is important to identify
the critical areas. As already mentioned, speed, fuel consumption and the
number of seats play an important role for an author. But every car is
characterized by other parameters - for example, length, width, brand and
color. At the beginning it is therefore necessary to consider which features
are important for a particular application. For example, when a programmer
creates a platform on which used cars are offered for sale, he has to consider
what information is required for this. If he then creates an object for a certain
car, he has to assign all important properties to it.
This is where the classes come into play. This is a pattern to which all objects
are oriented. In this example, the template specifies exactly which properties
are to be described for a car. The variables that contain the corresponding
values are called members. If an object that symbolizes a car is to be created,
it must follow these guidelines carefully. This means that there must be a
value for all properties that are defined in the class. Since the class is the
template for an object, the first step in object-oriented programming is to
define a class. The keyword class Use. This is followed by the name of the
class, which the programmer can freely choose. The properties that all objects
of this class have in curly brackets.
<? phpclass car {private $ seats; public $ speed; public $ fuel consumption;}?>

The individual members are variables. Therefore it is also necessary to put a

dollar sign in front of the corresponding name. Either public or private is in
front of the specification of the corresponding property . These specifications
assign the access rights to the corresponding properties. If the designation
public precedes the designation, it is possible to access the corresponding
values and change them from outside the class - i.e. from the main program.
If, on the other hand, the term private comes before the property, this is not
possible. That protects the variable. In this case it is only possible to access
the variables from the same class. How this works is described in Section
10.3.
It is also possible to initialize the variables in the class. This means that every
object that is created using this class is initially given the corresponding
standard values. However, you can easily change them later. Since the vast
majority of cars have five seats, it would make sense to set this value to 5 by
default, for example. The definition of the class then looks like this:
<? phpclass Auto {private $ seats = 5; public $ speed; public $ fuel consumption;}?>

9.2 Create an object with a class

After the class has been defined, it is possible to create an object with the
appropriate properties. Since it is common practice to store the description of
the class in a separate file, it is first necessary to include the corresponding
file. How this works has already been explained in the chapter on the
functions. When using classes, the procedure is identical. If the class is
defined in the same file as the main program, this step is not necessary. When
the appropriate information is available, the programmer must come up with
a name for the appropriate object. This must be preceded by the dollar sign.
This is followed by the equal sign and finally the keyword new . It is then
necessary to specify the class with which the new object is to be created. This
is done by the name of the class. Then a pair of round brackets is necessary,
which in this case remain empty. With the following command it is possible
to create a new object of the class car:
$ myCar = new Auto (); It is then possible to access the individual members of the
object. For example, the main program can enter values for the speed and fuel
consumption and then display these on the screen. To access the contents it is
necessary to insert the name of the object preceded by a dollar sign. This is
followed by the symbol “ ->” . Finally, the name of the member is required -
but without the dollar sign in this case. The program looks like this:

<? phpinclude ("class_auto.php"); $ myCar = new Car (); $ myCar-> speed = 150; $ myCar-> fuel
consumption = 7; print "Speed:". $ myCar-> speed. "km / h <br> \ n "; print" Fuel consumption: ". $
meinAuto-> fuel consumption." l / 100km <br> \ n ";?>
The next car is a sporty two-seater. Therefore an attempt should be made to
change the number of seats. For that comes
analogous to the previous example, the command $ meinAuto-> Sitzplaetze = 2; for
use. However, the following error message appears:

The reason for this is that this member has been declared private. This means
that access from the main program is not possible. For this, methods are used
that are explained in the following section.

9.3 Methods for working with objects

Methods are often used to work with objects. These have a very similar
structure to the functions already described in the previous chapter. The
difference, however, is that methods can only be used on objects of the
corresponding class. Methods allow access to private properties of the object.
However, they also offer many advantages for manipulating public members.
In the previous section, it was shown that access to the private property seat is
not possible directly from the main program. The following example should
show how the programmer can adapt the value using a method. The method
is directly in the definition of the class. Therefore she has access to all
members - even to the private ones. A method has practically the same
structure as a function. It is also introduced with the same keyword. The only
difference is that there is
Here, too, it is necessary to define whether the method is public or private.
The following method therefore allows the number of seats to be changed:
public function setSeatplaces ($ number) {$ this-> seats = $ number;
}

In order to access one of its members within a class, it is necessary to use the
keyword $ this followed by the symbol “ ->” and the name of the member
(without the dollar sign). The function must be public so that the main
program can access it. When the method is called, the program transfers the
value that is to be inserted. This is recorded in the variable $ number . When a
method changes a member, it is common to combine the function name from
the component set and the name of the member (with an uppercase letter). If,
on the other hand, it asks for a value, it is common to combine the name from
the term get and the name of the property. If the corresponding method is
integrated in the class, it can be called from the main program. It is necessary
to put the object name and the symbol "->" in front of the name of the
function:
$ meinAuto-> setSitzplaetze (2);

The complete class looks like this:

<? phpclass Auto {private $ seats = 5; public $ speed; public $ fuel consumption; public function
setSeats ($ number) {$ this-> seats = $ number;
}}?>

The following code is used for the main program:

<? phpinclude ("class_auto.php"); $ myCar = new Car (); $ myCar-> speed = 150; $ myCar-> fuel
consumption = 7; print "Speed:". $ myCar-> speed. "km / h <br> \ n "; print " Fuel consumption: ". $
meinAuto-> fuel consumption." l / 100km <br> \ n "; $ meinAuto-> setSitzplaetze (2);?>

9.4 Exercise: Using classes, objects and methods

1. Take another look at the array from Section 10.5. Create a class for
products that allows these properties to be set. For the names of the
individual members, use the designations from the associative array, which is
described later in the corresponding chapter. In doing so, prevent access from
outside the function. 2. Create methods that allow changes to be made to each
member. Create a main program that creates the object drill and specifies the
properties as in the array in chapter 10.5. 3. The last example from this
chapter makes it possible to change the number of seats. However, the value
cannot be displayed yet . To do this, create the method getSitzplaetze . Use this
method in the main program. Solutions:
1.
<? phpclass product {private $ item number; private $ product name; private $ price; private $
description; private $ number;}?>

2. Definition of the class:

<? phpclass product {private $ item number; private $ product name; private $ price; private $
description; private $ number; public function set item number ($ value) {$ this-> item number = $
value;} public function set product name ($ value) {$ this-> product name = $ value;} public function
setPrice ($ value) {$ this-> item number = $ value;} public function setDescription ($ value) {$ this->
description = $ value;} public function setNumber ($ value) {$ this-> number = $ value;}}
?>

Main program

<? phpinclude ("class_product.php"); $ drill = new product (); $ drill-> setArticle number (1); $ drill->
setProductname ("drill"); $ drill-> setprice (45); $ drill -> set description ("Powerful drilling machine
for drilling and screwing work"); $ drilling machine-> setNumber (23);?>

When you run this program, only an empty field appears in the browser, since
no function has been inserted for the output. For the check, it is only
important to ensure that no error messages appear. In order to display the
content of the individual members, you can add methods to the program that
take on this task.

3. Definition of the class:

<? phpclass Auto {private $ seats = 5; public $ speed; public $ fuel consumption; public function
setSeats ($ number) {$ this-> seats = $ number;} public function getSeatpaces () {return $ this-> seats;
}}
?>
Main program:

<? phpinclude ("class_auto.php"); $ myCar = new Car (); $ myCar-> speed = 150; $ myCar-> fuel
consumption = 7; print "Speed:". $ myCar-> speed. "km / h <br> \ n "; print" Fuel consumption: ". $
myAuto-> fuel consumption." l / 100km <br> \ n "; $ meinAuto-> setSitzplaetze (2); print" Seats: ". $
meinAuto-> getSitzplaetze (). "<br> \ n"; ">?>

Chapter 10

Files for storing data

When a PHP program is executed, all the necessary data is stored in
variables. However, this brings with it the problem that the information is lost
once the program is finished. In many cases, however, it is necessary to
continue to use the data. It is therefore necessary to store it in another way .
Files can be used for this purpose. These can take on many different values.

10.1 Reading in data from a file

Before it is possible to read in a file, it is necessary to create it. The text
editor is also used for this. For this example we want to create a file that
contains the numbers from 1 to 10 - each on a separate line. In contrast to the
PHP programs, this is a text file. Therefore it should be saved under the name
example.txt. It makes sense to create a separate subdirectory for the programs
in this section and to store the example file in it. Now the actual program is to
be created. The fopen command is used for this. This is followed by a round
bracket, in which the file name is first in quotation marks. After a comma, the
programmer must specify the mode - also in quotation marks -. The value r
can be used here. This only allows the file to be read. An alternative to this is
the combination w + . In this way, the program receives the rights to read as
well as to write. The function generates a so-called handle as a return value.
This
provides access to the file in the program and must be saved in a variable. It
is common to use the variable name $ handle or $ fh (for file handle) for this.
The complete program line looks like this: $ handle = fopen ("example.txt", "r");
Since errors sometimes occur when opening a file, it makes sense to first
include an if query. This ensures that the program is only executed if the
process was successful - i.e. if the $ handle variable exists. If this is not the
case, it generates an error message:
if ($ handle) {Here are the commands for handling the file} else {print "The file could not be opened.
<br> \ n";
}

Now it's time to read in the data. The fgets command is used for this purpose.
It is necessary to enter the name of the handle in round brackets and
optionally, separated by a comma and the desired length in square brackets.
This command reads in the data until a line break, the end of the file or - if
specified - the maximum length is reached. (Alternatively, the commands
fread and fscan are available, but these cannot be discussed in detail at this
point; however, the interested reader can find detailed information on this in
the PHP online documentation.) The way in which the fgets command works
shows that this reads each line individually. This means that a while loop is
necessary for this , which repeats this process until the end of the document is
reached. As in this example it is already known to contain 10 lines
it would be possible to simply specify ten runs. However, it is simpler and more
practical to use the feof function . This returns a Boolean variable. Its value is
false as long as the end of the file has not yet been reached. As soon as this is
the case, the value changes to true, resulting in the following program:
<? php $ handle = fopen ("example.txt", "r"); $ result = array (); if ($ handle) {$ i = 0; while (! feof ($
handle)) {$ content = fgets ($ handle); $ result [$ i] = $ content; $ i ++; print $ content. "<br> \ n";}
fclose ($ handle);} else {print "The file could not be opened. <br> \ n ";}?>

This program not only reads the corresponding numbers from the file. It also
saves the individual values in the $ result array and outputs the numbers on the
screen. It is also important to explain the fclose command . This closes access
to the file and should always be inserted after the last use of the handle. In
order to check the functionality of the program, it is possible to change the
output values in the text file a little. If you run it again, the changed values
should be displayed on the screen.

10.2 Save data in a file

When dealing with data, it is not only important to read it from a file. In
addition, it is necessary to save them in it. The writing process is similar to
reading in in many areas. At the beginning it is necessary to open the file.
This happens exactly as when reading in the data with the command fopen. It
is important to pay attention to the appropriate mode. The designations w for
pure writing and w + for both reading and writing are suitable for this. These
commands replace any existing file. If, however, the data is to be appended to
the existing content, mode a (for append) must be used. The fputs command
is used to write the data to the file . The name of the handle must first be in
the brackets after the command. This is followed by the content that is to be
written to the file. The following program creates a text file that looks exactly
the same as the example file from the previous section.
<? php $ handle = fopen ("example2.txt", "w"); if ($ handle) {for ($ i = 0; $ i <10; $ i ++) {fputs ($
handle, ($ i + 1). "\ N");} fclose ($ handle);} else {print "The file could not be opened. <br> \ n";}?>

In order to put each number on its own line, it is necessary in each

fputs command also insert the line break ( \ n ). In many Internet applications,
interaction with users is very important. HTML forms are used for this. If you
are not yet familiar with their use, it is advisable to first read a corresponding
introduction to creating HTML Internet pages. The following only explains
how these HTML forms are to be used with PHP. In this way, a program
should be created that queries the name and e-mail address of the user and
then saves them in a text file. The HTML form should be structured as
follows be:

<form method = "post" action = "datenabfrage.php"> Name: <input type = "text" name = "name">
<br> E-Mail: <input type = "text" name = "e-mail "> <br> <input type =" submit "value =" Submit ">
</form>

It is important to always specify post as the method . The action attribute

contains the file name to be used for this program. This means that the same
page reappears after sending. To access the values that the user has entered,
the expression $ _REQUEST ['name'] is necessary. In the square brackets is the
name that was assigned to the individual form fields. This reflects the
corresponding entry and can be assigned to a variable.

<form method = "post" action = "datenabfrage.php"> Name: <input type = "text" name = "name">
<br> E-Mail: <input type = "text" name = "e-mail "> <br> <input type =" submit "value =" Send ">
</form> <? php $ handle = fopen (" example3.txt "," w "); if ($ handle)
{if (! empty ($ _ REQUEST ['name']) &&! empty ($ _ REQUEST ['e-mail'])) {if ($ _REQUEST
['name']! = "") {$ name = $ _REQUEST ['name']; fputs ($ handle, $ name. "\ n");} if ($ _REQUEST
['e-mail']! = "") {$ email = $ _REQUEST ['e-mail'] ; fputs ($ handle, $ email . "\ n");}} fclose ($
handle);} else {print "The file could not be opened. <br> \ n";}?>

This program writes the values that the user enters via the input fields into a
new file with the name example3.txt. This is created in the same folder in
which the program is located. The if- query with the condition (! Empty ($ _
REQUEST ['name']) &&! Empty ($ _ REQUEST ['e-mail'])) needs to be explained. . This
ensures that the following part is only carried out if the user has already
entered a value in the form field. If this has not yet been done, the contents of
$ _REQUEST ['name'] and $ _REQUEST ['e-mail'] have not yet been defined. That
would lead to error messages. The query with the condition ($ _REQUEST
['name']! = "") Is also available. This checks whether a value has been entered via
the form field. If this is not the case, the program does not write any data to
the file.

10.3 Pay attention to the file rights

On UNIX-like systems - including Linux web servers - there are access rights
to files. These are intended to prevent unauthorized persons from using,
deleting or changing the files. The rights are saved in a number: 0 means that
there are no rights to the file at all; the value 1 means that the file can be
executed. 2 and 4 stand for read and write rights. It is possible to add the
different values. The number 6 therefore means that read and write rights are
available. The number 3 indicates that the user is allowed to execute and read
the files. If the program is not executed on his own computer under XAMPP,
but on a real web server, this can lead to problems. According to the standard
settings, this only grants all rights to the creator of the file. All other users
may only read it. For example, if the user sends a file to the server via FTP,
he alone has the right to overwrite or change it. If the web server now
executes a program with write commands, it is not authorized to do so. It is
therefore important to adjust the rights via the FTP client after uploading.
This information consists of four numbers - the first always being 0. This is
followed by the rights for the creator, then for his group and finally for the
general public. If all users have read and write permissions
If the file is to be assigned, for example, command 0666 would have to be
used. If the file is not submitted manually, but rather when it is created by a
PHP program, it is also important to pay attention to the rights. These can be
easily changed using the chmod () command . In the brackets the file name and
then the number for the assignment of rights: chmod ("example.txt", 0666);

10.4 Exercise: Using files for data storage

1.
Write a program that displays a form field in the browser. This should ask the
user to enter any number. Create a text document with different numbers
(each on a separate line) and read this with your program. Then multiply
these numbers by the value that the user entered via the browser. Then create
a new text document and save the results in it. Note: PHP treats the numbers
from the form field like text variables. Although it is possible to carry out
arithmetic operations with it, a message then appears that this is actually not
intended. To avoid this, it is necessary to convert the variable into a number
beforehand. This is done with the intval () command .

Solution:
<? phpif (! empty ($ _ REQUEST ['number'])) {print "<p> Your input has been recorded and used to
calculate the new document. </p> \ n";}?> <form method = " post "action =" task11-1.php "> Enter any
number: <input type =" text "name =" number "> <br>
<input type = "submit" value = "Send"> </form> <? phpif (! empty ($ _ REQUEST ['number'])) {$
handle = fopen ("numbers.txt", "r"); $ handle2 = fopen ("result.txt", "w"); $ result = array (); if ($
handle) {$ i = 0; while (! feof ($ handle)) {$ content = fgets ($ handle); $ result [$ i] = $ content; $ i
++;} if ($ _REQUEST ['number']! = "") {$ factor = $ _REQUEST ['number']; foreach ($ result as $
value ) {$ value = intval ($ value) * $ factor; fputs ($ handle2, $ value. "\ n");}} fclose ($ handle);
fclose ($ handle2);} else {print "The file could cannot be opened. <br> \ n ";}}?>
Note: The first if query (before the input form) checks whether there is a value for $ _REQUEST
['number'] - that is, whether an entry has already been made. Therefore, the corresponding notice
does not appear the first time the page is accessed. The program only outputs it when the user
enters a value and the page loads again.

Chapter 11
Databases: The efficient alternative for data storage
Databases are used to retrieve the data for the execution of a PHP program or
to store new values in it. However, this is not the only way to do this. In the
previous chapter, files were used for precisely this purpose. For this reason it
is interesting to compare both alternatives before starting to use the databases.
From this comparison it quickly becomes clear why in practice databases are
used almost exclusively. One of the biggest problems with files is that they
are not multi-user capable. In the case of a website, however, many visitors
often access the data at the same time. Therefore files are not suitable for this
task. When using databases, on the other hand, it is not a problem if many
users use the data at the same time. Files are also very insecure. If a user
receives access rights, he can view and change all content. The structures are
also openly visible and it is not a problem to manipulate values manually. In
the case of databases, however, the structures are not externally recognizable.
That makes it difficult to influence. In addition, there is a very differentiated
access protection. Another advantage is the simpler structuring of the data.
This is particularly important for extensive projects with large amounts of
data
It is easier to keep track of things when using databases, and it is also much
easier to access a specific value. When using files, finding a specific entry is
a big problem. However, a database solves this task quickly and efficiently.
For these reasons, it is advisable to always use databases for Internet
applications. Files are actually only used when data is to be exchanged with
the user. However, they are not recommended for internal data storage.

11.1 What is a database?

After a brief outline of what a database is in the introductory chapter, this
term will be explained in more detail in the following section. As already
described, a database always consists of two different levels. On the one hand
there is the data level. The raw data, which represent the content of the
database, are located here. It is common practice to classify the databases
based on the nature of this content. For example, there are numerical
databases that contain only numbers. Full text databases are ideal for storing
texts, and some readers have probably come across the term image database
at some point. There are image files in it. This shows that it is also possible to
store complete files in the database. Direct access to this data level is not
intended. For one thing, it is not known which structures were used for
storage. Hence it is almost impossible to find any specific content. On the
other hand, it happens that the data is only available here in encrypted form in
order to increase security. Since direct access to the data level is not
provided, an additional level must be used for this. This is called the database
management system (DBMS) and represents an interface for communication
with the user. The DBMS takes care of the
Structuring of the data and offers the possibility of calling up, inserting or
changing content. A PHP programmer only communicates with the database
at this level. This means that he does not have to worry about the details of
structuring the data. A separate language is available for the interaction. In
this textbook, the database language SQL is always used for this. It is
possible to integrate SQL commands into a PHP program. This then transmits
the commands to the DBMS and in this way retrieves the desired data.

11.2 The structure of databases

The structure - or the structuring - of databases was also briefly mentioned in
the introduction. But here, too, a somewhat more extensive explanation is
necessary. In order to work with databases later, it is important to understand
their structures exactly. This makes it easier to access the data. The data is
structured by the DBMS. Each of these systems uses a fixed, predetermined
shape for the arrangement. MySQL is often used for Internet applications.
This textbook also works with it. This DBMS only creates relational
databases. Most other database systems for Internet applications also use this
form of structuring. For this reason, the emphasis is on this model. However,
other forms will also be briefly explained. This makes it easier to separate
relational databases from the other alternatives. Hierarchical databases are
one possibility for structuring the data. These have several levels, each
containing different elements. To access an entry, it is necessary to specify
the entire path name. For example, if the active athletes are to be saved in a
city, it makes sense to sort them first according to the various sports clubs
and
then to be divided according to the departments. In order to access a person,
it is therefore necessary to enter all of these elements. Hierarchical databases
have the disadvantage that they do not allow relationships between the
individual entries. Their advantage is that they allow very quick access.
Therefore, they are mainly used in applications where high speed is
important. Networked databases are also based on the hierarchical database
structure. These are structured similarly. However, they allow a particular
element to have multiple ancestors. Therefore, there are different paths to get
to a particular entry. That brings some new possibilities. For example, in the
previous example it was not possible to insert an athlete who is active in
multiple clubs or departments. For this a double mention would be necessary.
In networked databases, however, it is possible to add several predecessors -
i.e. several departments - to an entry. There are also object-oriented
databases. These are designed for use with object-oriented programming
languages. They allow objects and methods to be saved. In addition, they
support the inheritance of methods and properties and they make it possible
to create cross-connections between the individual entries. Although this type
of database would be very useful for programs that use objects, it has rarely
been used. This is partly due to the fact that the connection to the programs is
quite difficult. In addition, these databases are extremely complex, which
often results in long waiting times for a query. Relational databases are used
most frequently. This form uses many individual tables to store the data.
Each table contains a data record that belongs together. The columns indicate
what kind of data it is. One line contains
Entries that all belong to the same element. The example of an online shop
for power tools has already been given several times in the previous chapters.
It is possible to save several products in one table. The individual columns
contain information that is important for the characterization of the individual
devices - for example the price, the item number and the product description.
The individual lines contain the information that applies to a very specific
article. This arrangement also shows which information is necessary to access
an entry. First of all, it is necessary to specify the table. This is followed by
the column and finally the line in which the desired entry is located.

11.3 MySQL: important management system for

databases
MySQL is a very popular database management system. The importance of
MySQL is already clear from the fact that well-known applications such as
Facebook, YouTube or Twitter use this technology. MySQL is preinstalled
on most web servers and is therefore almost always available. The XAMPP
software that is already in use also contains MySQL. This system is therefore
ideal for learning how to use databases and for later creating your own
database-based web applications. The Swedish company MySQL AB
developed the DBMS in the early 1990s. The first version was presented in
1994. SunMicrosystems bought the provider in 2008 and MySQL has
belonged to Oracle since 2010. This is open source software. This means that
it is available free of charge and that the source code is freely accessible. In
order to start MySQL on your own computer, it is necessary to call up the file
XAMPP-control. In contrast to previous applications, it is now not only
necessary to start the Apache web server, but also MySQL. There is also a
corresponding one for this
Button present.

Another advantage of MySQL is that it works great with PHP. Among other
things, the PHP Database Object (PDO) is used for this purpose. This is an
object that contains many functions that are necessary for interacting with the
database. This makes it particularly easy for the programmer to integrate the
relevant queries. Although access is usually via the PHP program, there are
also situations in which direct access to MySQL is necessary. This allows the
data to be entered manually, for example change or determine the structures.
It also makes it a little easier to learn how to use the databases. Therefore
there is a user interface called phpMyAdmin, which enables direct access. To
achieve this it is necessary to have the
Enter the URL http: // localhost / phpmyadmin / in the address line of the
browser.
11.4 SQL: the database language for working with
MySQL
In the previous chapters it was already stated that a PHP program
communicates with the DBMS in order to query, insert or change data. In
order for this communication to run smoothly, it must use uniform
commands. This is where the SQL database language comes into play. When
a PHP program sends a command to the DBMS, it must use this language.
SQL contains all of the functions required to work with databases, but it is
not a programming language. For example, SQL does not provide functions
for loops or branches, which are important parts of a full-fledged
programming language. SQL's history goes back well into the past century -
to the 1970s. It was then that IBM developed the first relational database,
which was named System R. For this novel
Database model also required a new language. That is why the company
developed SQL - at that time, however, under the name SEQUEL. In 1986
the US standards institute ANSI published a corresponding standard for the
first time. In the following year, the international standardization organization
(ISO) followed suit. That was the basis for SQL becoming the most widely
used database language.
Chapter 12
Basic operations for dealing with MySQL databases
Now that the theoretical basics of the databases have been explained, it is
time to put it all into practice. This chapter introduces the basic SQL
commands and enables the reader to create databases, create tables and
manipulate data. To make this task as simple as it is clear, the SQL
commands should be entered via the user interface phpMyAdmin, which also
contains Buttons that enable the corresponding actions to be performed
without the use of SQL commands. However, since the goal of this exercise
is to learn how to use SQL, the actual commands are used. These are also
important later to enable communication with a PHP program. However, this
represents a further step and is only described in Chapter XIV.

12.1 DDL, DCL and DML: three types of SQL

commands
The commands in SQL are divided into three different areas, each with a
different function. This ensures a good overview. The three sub-areas are
DataDefinition Language (DDL), Data Control Language (DCL) and
DataManipulation Language (DML). This already shows what the commands
that are summarized in these groups are suitable for.
The commands from the DDL area allow the rough structures of a database to
be specified. The CREATE command is very important and is usually the first
thing to use when working with SQL. This is because it is necessary to create
a database. It can also be used to create tables with very specific structures.
The opposite of this command is DROP . It deletes databases, tables and other
elements. Finally, there is the ALTER command , which is used to change the
existing structures. The commands presented here are all written in capital
letters. However, this is not absolutely necessary. SQL also accepts lowercase
commands. However, it is customary to use capital letters for this, as these
help to keep the layout clear. DCL commands are primarily concerned with
access rights. In this way it is possible to control which user has access to the
corresponding data. The GRANT command assigns rights to a specific user .
The REVOKE command , however, revokes them. Both commands are often
used with the addition of ALL PRIVILEGES . This means that you assign or
remove all rights. The commands from the DML area are particularly often
used, which includes all functions for entering, deleting or changing data. For
example, the SELECT command is very important . This is usually combined
with information about the table and the exact field in which the entry is
located. In this way it is possible to select a specific entry. This is the
prerequisite for outputting the content. The INSERT , UPDATE and DELETE
commands are used to insert, change or delete data .

12.2 Create databases and tables

In the following section the reader learns how to create new databases and
insert tables in them. The input is supposed to be via SQL commands
the user interface phpMyAdmin can be done. To do this it is necessary to call
up this program via the browser (http: // localhost / phpmyadmin /). For the
following tasks, it is necessary to select the field labeled SQL in the menu bar
.

The corresponding commands can now be inserted in the window that then
appears. First it is necessary to create a database. This forms the basis for all
other applications. The CREATE command is used for this purpose, which has
already been mentioned in the previous section. This is followed by the key
term DATABASE, which indicates that MySQL should create a new database. A
name is required to clearly define this. This can be chosen freely. Since the
following examples simulate applications for an online shop, the database is
to be named onlineshopDB . The appendix DB makes it clear that this is a
database. Although this form of naming is not absolutely necessary, it makes
it easier to identify the individual elements later. Just like in PHP, it is also
necessary in SQL to end the individual commands with a semicolon. The
complete command to create the database is therefore: CREATE DATABASE
onlineshopDB;
After entering it, it is necessary to click the OK button at the bottom right of
the screen. The page then reloads. At first glance, no changes can be seen.
Nevertheless, a new database was created as a result. This can be checked by
clicking on the “Databases ” field on the far left in the menu bar. The entry
onlineshopDB now appears next to the existing databases .

Many data types can be assigned additional attributes. For example, the
addition unsigned to numbers is important. This means that the corresponding
field can only contain positive numbers. But the maximum size doubles.
Further attributes will be used in the further course of this book, but they will
only be explained at the appropriate point. To create a table, it is necessary to
choose a name for it. The first table should contain the products of the online
shop. Hence it bears the name os_produkte . The prefix os_ indicates that the
table belongs to the onlineshopDB database and thus improves clarity. While
this is not absolutely necessary, it is highly recommended.
The individual columns now follow. The first column should contain a
consecutive index. That makes it easier to access the individual lines. The
name of this column should be called p_id . The prefix p_ makes it clear that
this column belongs to the table os_product. Whole numbers of the type
integer are used as the data type . Not null , unsigned , auto_increment and primary
key are used as attributes . Not null means that this value cannot be null. In
computer science, however, this does not refer to the number 0, which can
certainly occur. The expression zero means that there is no value. Since an
index does not normally take on negative values, the unsigned attribute is used.
The addition auto_increment causes the DBMS to automatically assign
consecutive numbers for these cells. The primary key attribute means that the
data record can be uniquely identified by the values in this column. This is
important, for example, for references from other tables. Next, the column
p_article number follows as an integer with the attributes not null , unsigned and unique
. The first two additions are already known. The last entry means that no
identical values may occur in this column. This is important because each
item number can only be assigned once. A variable of the type varchar (40 )
with the attribute not null is used for p_productname . 40 characters should be
sufficient even for very long product names. The variable type decimal (7,2) is
used for p_preis . The first number in brackets indicates the total number of
possible digits. The second number tells how many of them are decimal
places. Not null and unsigned are used as attributes . The p_beschreibung column
uses the type varchar (300) . Since the description is significantly longer than
the product name, more space is required. Attributes are not necessary here.
Finally, there is the p_number column - an integer variable with the unsigned
attribute. Now it is possible to create the table. Here comes the
CREATE command used - but with the addition TABLE . This is followed by
the name of the table and finally, within brackets, the individual columns
with their variable types and attributes. The individual attributes are only
separated from one another by a space. A comma follows the entry for a
column:

CREATE TABLE os_product (p_id integer unsigned not null auto_increment primary key, p_article
number integer unsigned not null unique, p_productname varchar (40) not null, p_price decimal (7,2)
unsigned not null, p_description varchar (300), p_number integer unsigned);

Before entering the command, it is necessary to select the “Databases ” field

in the menu bar and then click on the database that has already been created.
It is then necessary to switch back to the “SQL ” area and enter the
appropriate command. It is then possible to view the new table under the
“Structure ” menu field .

12.3 Enter data

As the last screenshot showed, the structure of the table is already
available. However, there are no entries yet. In the next step, it should now be
filled with content. The INSERT command is used for this . To enter the data,
it is necessary to enter the term INSERT INTO and then the name of the table.
The columns in which the corresponding values are entered then follow in
brackets. It is then necessary to insert the keyword VALUES , followed by a
bracket with the corresponding values, strings of characters in single
quotation marks. MySQL also supports double quotation marks, but since
this is not the case with all database management systems, it makes sense to
get used to the use of single quotation marks right from the start. This results
in the following entry: INSERT INTO os_product (p_article number, p_product name, p_price,
p_description, p_number ) VALUES (1001, 'Drilling machine', 45.99, 'Powerful drilling machine for
After this command has been executed, it makes
drilling and screwing work', 23);
sense to first click on the Structure field in the menu bar and then select the
relevant database. You can now see the entries that have just been inserted.
It is striking that for the column p_id no value is entered wurde.Trotzdem the
number 1. This is Andem attribute appears in the appropriate column now
auto_increment . This ensures that the DBMS automatically inserts a consecutive
number. The reader's task now is to insert the values for a few other electrical
tools. It is also interesting to use the same item number for two different
products, which will result in an error message. This is because this field was
given the unique attribute . This prevents the use of the same values.

12.4 Change data

It is often necessary to change a value. The UPDATE command is used for this
. This is followed by the name of the table in which the change is to be made.
This is followed by the keyword SET. Now it is necessary to specify the
individual columns in which a value is to be changed. This is followed by an
equal sign and the new value. Now the programmer has to determine the line
in which the change is to be made. The easiest way to do this is to use the
index number. The following entry changes the price for the drill:
UPDATE os_product SET p_preis = 40.99 WHERE p_id = 1;

It is possible to adjust several columns with a single command, in which case

it is necessary to separate the individual entries with a comma. The following
entry changes the number of products available and the description:
UPDATE os_produkt SET p_beschreibung = 'High quality drill today on special offer', p_nummer = 11
WHERE p_produktname = 'Drill';

In this example, the row cannot be accessed via the index,

instead of the product name. This is to make it clear that the content of any
column can be used for this. However, great care should be taken here, as it is
possible that the same value appears in several lines. In these cases the
command would recreate the entries in all relevant lines. With the UPDATE
command it is also possible to fill empty fields. If, for example, the price has
not yet been fixed when entering a new product, it is possible to leave this
field empty. Later, the user can easily insert a suitable value with the UPDATE
command.

12.5 Delete data

When using a database it happens again and again that an entry has to be
deleted. For example, if a particular item is no longer in production, it makes
sense to completely remove it from the database. This can be done with the
DELETE command . To delete a row in a table, the programmer must insert the
term DELETE FROM followed by the name of the table. This is followed by the
key word WHERE . Finally it is necessary to enter a condition. The index
number is again suitable for this. With the condition p_id = 2 , for example,
the row with the index 2 can be completely deleted. The complete command
for this operation looks like this: DELETE FROM os_product WHERE p_id = 2; In
some cases it is necessary to delete multiple lines. A separate command is not
necessary every time. This can be achieved with the addition IN . Then the
index numbers of all lines that are to be removed must be in brackets. For
example, the following command would be required to delete lines 1, 4 and
7:
DELETE FROM os_product WHERE p_id IN (1, 4, 7); When deleting data, the term
WHERE is very important. If the programmer forgets this, the command deletes
all entries in the entire table. This is irreversible and can result in serious data
loss. If the DELETE command is entered without a condition, all entries are
deleted, but the table remains with its basic structure. If it is to be removed
completely, the DROP command is necessary. With DROP TABLE os_product; the
entire table can be removed. With this command, it is also possible to remove
the entire database. The command DROP DATABASE onlineshopDB; necessary.

12.6 Manage access rights

One of the great advantages of using databases is that the access rights can be
assigned in great detail. For example, if a PHP program is later created that
works with the database, it is necessary for it to provide a user name and
identify itself. By assigning rights, you can precisely define which actions the
program is allowed to carry out. This leads to a high level of security. In
order to assign rights, it is first necessary to add a user. This is done with the
command: CREATE USER 'user' @ 'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'password'; The
programmer has to replace the terms 'user' and 'password' with the desired
username and password. In the next step, the new user can be given certain
rights
assign. This is done with the term GRANT . This is followed by the
description of the rights followed by the keyword ON . Now it is necessary to
enter the database to which the assignment of rights relates. Finally, the term
TO and the corresponding username must be inserted. This command can look
like this: GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON onlineshopDB. * TO 'user' @ 'localhost'; If the
expression ALL PRIVILEGES appears, all rights to the database are transferred.
However, it is also possible to assign only certain rights - for example for the
CREATE , DELETE , INSERT or UPDATE commands . All you have to do is insert
the appropriate commands instead of the phrase ALL PRIVILEGES . Also the
symbols. * need an explanation after the name of the database. As a result,
the new rights apply to the entire database. Instead of the asterisk, however, it
is also possible to insert the name of a table. Is here onlineshopDB . os_product ,
the user only receives the rights to handle this table . The REVOKE command
is used to revoke rights . Its syntax is almost identical to that of the GRANT
command . However, the expression FROM must be used instead of the term
TO . For example, if it is necessary to revoke the rights for the DELETE
command on the os_product table , the command is used: REVOKE DELETE ON
onlineshopDB.os_product FROM 'user' @ 'localhost';

12.7 Exercise: Creating a table in MySQL

1. Create a new table within the onlineshopDB database using SQL commands .
This should record the customer data. It should therefore include an index, a
customer number, the first name, the last name, the street,
contain the house number and a telephone number. Think about which data
types should be used for this. 2. Think of a few names and addresses and fill
the table with content. 3. Change the house number of the customer in the
first line. Solutions:

1.
CREATE TABLE os_kunden (k_id integer unsigned not null auto_increment primary key,
k_kundennummer integer unsigned not null unique, k_name varchar (40), k_first name varchar (40),
k_strasse varchar (60), k_hausnummer smallint unsigned, k_telefonnummer integer unsigned);

Integer variables are used for the numerical values . If no negative values
occur, it is possible to define them as unsigned . The smallint type was only
chosen for the house number , as this usually does not have very high values.
Entries of the type varcha r with a suitable length are used for all texts , but
this is only a suggested solution. It is also possible to use other types.

2.
INSERT INTO os_kunden (k_kundennummer, k_name, k_forname, k_strasse, k_hausnummer,
k_telefonnummer) VALUES (2001, 'Schulz', 'Michael', 'Bahnhofstraße', 23, 0123456789);

After the same pattern, it is possible to add many more customers with
different personal data.
3.
UPDATE os_kunden SET k_hausnummer = 22 WHERE k_id = 1;
Chapter 13
Other important SQL functions

The previous chapter described the essential basics of the SQL database
language. Functions for creating databases and for inserting, changing or
deleting entries were presented. These commands are essential for
manipulating data, but there are many other functions in SQL that go far
beyond these capabilities. The following chapter introduces some commands
that allow many other applications when using SQL databases. The following
explanations use the table os_kunden , which was created in the previous
exercise, as an example . If this does not yet exist, it makes sense to create it
using the solutions given and to fill it with some content. In this way the
reader can try out the commands described for himself.

13.1 Select subsets of the data records

When dealing with databases, it is not only necessary to enter data in the
tables, to change or delete them. It is also very important to query the values.
For example, when a website gets its content from a database, it has to query
many different entries. The SELECT command is used for this. This selects
certain fields and displays their values. The following command is used to
display the contents of an entire table:
SELECT * FROM os_customers;

The asterisk indicates that all entries are to be displayed in the corresponding
table. After the keyword FROM the name derTabelle follows. However, it is
not always desirable to get all of the existing values. Often only a small
fraction of them are required. The SELECT command therefore offers the
option of selecting very specific subsets. For this purpose, it is possible to
replace the asterisk with the name of a column. The command SELECT k_name
FROM os_customers; displays all entries in the Name column, for example. It is
not only possible to provide an indication. The programmer can also specify
multiple columns. These must be separated by a comma: SELECT k_customer
number, k_name, k_first name FROM os_customers; With the commands presented so
far, it is possible to call up the values in one or more columns. However, it is
often necessary to use the contents of a particular cell. For this purpose it is
necessary to also specify the appropriate line. As a rule, the index variable is
used again for this. Before this, the keyword WHERE must be :
SELECT k_name FROM os_customers WHERE k_id = 2;

This command returns the name of the customer. This is stored in the second
row of the table. It is also possible to use logical operators for these queries.
Often, for example, the logical or is used. This is represented in SQL by the
term OR . This makes it very easy to query entries from several lines. For
example, the following command returns the values of the third and fourth
lines:
SELECT k_name FROM os_ customers WHERE k_id = 3 OR k_id = 4;

It is also possible to use the logical and. An example using the following
table should illustrate when this is useful:

In this example, a salesperson has the name of the customer FranziskaSchulz

available and he needs her customer number. If he only retrieves this entry
based on the surname, this does not lead to a unique result, as there is also an
entry for Michael Schulz. The same result occurs when searching using the
first name, as the customer Franziska Mayer is also included in the database.
To get to the desired customer number, the following command is therefore
necessary: SELECT k_kundenennummer FROM os_kunden WHERE k_name = 'Schulz'
ANDk_forname = 'Franziska'; This uses the logical operator AND . This means that
only entries are displayed for which both the first and last name match the
corresponding values.
13.2 Determine the number of entries
For many programs it is not only necessary to fetch the contents; it is also
often necessary to find out how many entries there are in a certain area. This
not only enables different statistical values to be determined for the data. In
addition, these values are also useful for performing various other operations
within the programs. The SELECT function is also used for this function .
However, the addition COUNT must be followed by the name of the
corresponding column. Finally, insert the FROM command and the name of
the table: SELECT COUNT (k_name) FROM os_customers; This returns the number of
all entries contained in the table os_kunden in the column k_name . But even
here it is possible to define certain subsets. The WHERE command is used
again for this purpose . Various conditions can be specified here. For
example, to determine all customers with the surname Schulz, the following
command is required: SELECT COUNT (k_name) FROM os_kunden WHERE k_name =
'Schulz'; This command not only makes it possible to use the entries from the
column named in brackets after the COUNT command. For example, it is also
possible to use the command SELECT COUNT (k_name) FROMos_kunden WHERE k_first
name = 'Michael'; to use. This also leads to the correct result, although it names
two different columns. Here, too, it is possible to insert logical operators. In
this way, not only entries with different values can be added up. These
operators can also be used to determine how often a certain combination - for
example of first and last names - is present.

13.3 Adding up values stored in cells

In many cases it is not only necessary to know the number of fields that meet
a particular condition. If there are numbers in it, it is often necessary to add
up the contents. The database os_kunden there are indeed some columns with
numeric values, it does not dochist it makes sense to add the values. The sum
of the house, telephone or customer numbers does not usually result in any
gain in knowledge. In order to be able to explain this function with a
meaningful example, another important command should first be introduced
at this point, which can change the structure of a table or another element of
the database. The following command line is used for this:
ALTER TABLE os_customers ADD COLUMN k_ordered_articles integerunsigned;
The term ALTER is always used when the basic structure of an element of the
database is to be changed. This is followed by the type of element concerned.
Since in this case a table is to be extended by an additional column, the key
term TABLE is used here, followed by the name of the table and finally the
command ADD COLUMN, which adds another column to the table. As with the
original definition, the name of the column, the variable type and, if required,
the corresponding attributes must now be inserted. With the above command,
the table receives an additional column with the name k_ordered_article. As an
exercise for the reader, it remains at this point to fill this column with content
using the UPDATE command. After the corresponding column has been
added, it is possible to add the contents of the entire column. In this way, the
online shop operator can check how many articles the corresponding
customers have ordered. The following command is required for this: SELECT
SUM (k_ordered_article) FROM os_customers;
The SELECT SUM command creates the sum of the contents of the selected
fields. This is followed by the column to which the command relates in
brackets. After the keyword FROM is the table from which the values are to
be used. This command also allows the results to be further restricted. For the
delivery of the articles it can be important, for example, to know the number
of products ordered for which the recipient lives in a certain city or on a
certain street. This selection is also very easy with SQL. To do this, the
already known key term WHERE and a condition must be behind the function :
SELECT SUM (k_ordered_articles) FROM os_kunden WHERE k_strasse = 'Bahnhofstrasse';

it receives the result 5 as the return value. Subtractions, multiplications and

divisions can be carried out in the same way. The operators are the same as in
PHP. Mathematical operations can also be easily incorporated into the
various commands. To address a particular line, it is not absolutely necessary
to enter the index number directly. This can also be the result of a
mathematical operation:
UPDATE os_kunden SET k_hausnummer = 22 WHERE k_id = 1 + 2;

This command changes the house number in the column with the index
number 3, since this is the result of the term 1 + 2. Mathematical operations
are also very often used to increase or decrease the value of a certain cell. In
an online shop, for example, it often happens that a customer orders another
item. In this case it is necessary to increase the value of the column
k_ordered_article by one unit. For this purpose it is possible to use the
following command:
UPDATE os_kunden SET k_ordered_artikel = k_bestelte_artikel + 1WHERE k_id = 3;

This command shows that SQL uses the names of fields in a similar way to
variables in a programming language. To change the content, it is possible to
use an arithmetic expression in which the field name refers to its previous
value.

13.4 Exercise: Retrieving information from an

inventory
1. For the following tasks, switch back to the os_product table that was
created in Chapter 12. If this no longer exists or is empty, create it according
to the specifications made for this and fill the individual fields with content.
In the following task, the shop operator wants to determine which items he
needs to reorder for. To do this, you should write an SQL command that
determines the article number of the products with fewer than ten units. In
addition, the retailer wants to know how many products the stock has
dropped to 0 in order to remove the corresponding offers from the range.
Provide an SQL command that will allow you to determine the number of
items that are out of stock. 3. Since the capacities in his warehouse are
limited, the retailer wants to keep products that are available in very high
numbers in another location. In order to find out how many items are affected
by this, an SQL command is to be generated which returns the sum of all
units, of which at least 30 pieces are in stock. 4. A new delivery of goods has
now arrived that contains 25 drilling machines. Generate an SQL command
that adjusts the number of units in stock for this product accordingly.
Solutions: 1. SELECT p_article number FROM `os_product` WHERE
p_number <10; 2. SELECT COUNT (p_number) FROM os_product
WHERE p_number = 0; 3. SELECT SUM (p_number) FROM os_product
WHERE p_number> = 30; 4. UPDATE os_produkt SET p_nummer =
p_nummer + 25 WHEREp_produktname = 'Drill';

Chapter 14
Integrate SQL database in PHP

In the previous chapters, the SQL commands for creating and manipulating
the databases were entered directly via phpMyAdmin. However, this method
is rarely used in practice. The user interface also has options for performing
the corresponding actions without SQL. This is much easier and usually
faster. The method used so far was only used to learn about and practice
using various SQL commands. Although there are practical alternatives to
using SQL queries when accessing the database directly, it is very important
to learn and internalize the corresponding terms. This is due to the fact that in
many applications the database is not accessed via phpMyAdmin, but via a
PHP program. This makes it possible to automate the corresponding
processes so that the software independently queries the data from the
database or enters it in it. SQL is used for the communication between the
PHP program and the database. For this reason, the commands presented in
the previous chapters are indispensable tools for PHP programmers. The
following sections show how a database can be connected to a PHP program.
They also explain how the SQL commands are integrated into the software in
order to enable smooth communication with the database.

14.1 Connect the PHP program to a database

In order to access a database via a PHP program, it is necessary to
authenticate - that is, to log in with a username and password. To do this, it is
first necessary to create a user name via phpMyAdmin and to assign all rights
to it. How this works was explained in Chapter 12.6. Using this procedure, a
user with the name user1 and the password abc should be created for the
following programs. In real applications that are not only used for training
purposes, it is of course sensible not to choose such a simple password in
order to ensure security. In the next step, it is necessary to establish a
connection between the PHP program and the database. There are several
ways to do this. A very simple method is presented in the first example. This
is for the purpose of illustration, although this method is generally not used in
practice. Then another option is presented, which is a bit more abstract, but
which offers many advantages in terms of editing. For the first example,
mysqli functions are used. This makes it possible to create a connection to a
database and to enter various commands. First it is necessary to establish the
connection using the mysqli_connect () command . Just like opening a file, this
returns a handle. This must be captured in a variable. This example uses the
name $ dbh - as an abbreviation for Data Base Handle. First the host and then
the user name, the password and the name of the database concerned are
shown in brackets. This results in the following program:
<? php $ dbh = mysqli_connect ("localhost", "user1", "abc", "onlineshopDB"); if
(mysqli_connect_errno ()) {print "No connection to the database possible:" .mysqli_connect_error ();
} else {print "Connection successfully established.";} mysqli_close ($ dbh);?>

After the command for the connection has been created, it is a good idea to
verify that this operation was successful. The following if query is used for
this. Should an error occur, the function mysqli_connect_errno () returns the value
true . In this case it is important to generate an error message. If the
corresponding user was created correctly via phpMyAdmin and if all data
were entered correctly, the message “Connection successfully established. ”
Appear. For practice purposes, it makes sense to change the username or
password to an invalid value. If the program is now executed, a
corresponding error message appears. After the program has ended, it is
important to close the connection again with the command mysqli_close () .
This method is rarely used in practice. The main reason for this is that the
individual commands often require a great deal of program code that is often
repeated. However, there are methods that have a slightly higher level of
abstraction and therefore make many tasks much easier. An example of this is
PDO. This abbreviation stands for PHP Database Object. To generate a
handle for a database with PDO, only the following command line is
necessary:
$ dbh = new PDO ("mysql: dbname = onlineshopDB; host = localhost", "user1", "abc");

Since this is an object, it must be created with the keyword “ new” . The
required class PDO is
already stored in the PHP library so that the user does not have to worry
about it. The key term mysql appears in brackets: dbname = followed by the name of
the database. The term host = localhost follows, separated by a semicolon . This
is followed by the user name and password - each separated by a comma. The
complete program for connecting to the database looks like this:
<? phptry {$ dbh = new PDO ("mysql: dbname = onlineshopDB; host = localhost", "user1", "abc");
print "Connection successfully established."; $ dbh = null;} catch (PDOException $ e ) {print $ e->
getMessage ();}?>

When using PDO, too, it makes sense to check whether the connection was
successful. However, this does not happen with an if query, but with
exception handling. The keyword try is used for this. If the commands in the
following curly braces do not cause problems, the interpreter will carry them
out as normal. However, if this is not the case - because a connection to the
database was not possible - it creates an exception. This must then be caught
by the term catch . The commands used for this cannot be explained further at
this point. All that needs to be said is that they cause an appropriate error
message to appear if the connection was not possible. In addition, the
command $ dbh = null; to explain. As already explained in one of the previous
chapters, the term zero in computer science means
that there is no value at all. Assigning the value null to the handle destroys it.
The PDO then automatically terminates the connection.

14.2 Fill the database

In the following section, a database is to be filled with content. At the
beginning, the mysqli functions are used again because they are particularly
clear. After that, however, the same steps should also be carried out with
PDO in order to show how such a program could look in practice. First, it is
necessary to create a new table. This should be given the name os_bestellungen
and contain all open orders. The following SQL command must be used for
this, analogous to the method presented in Section 12.2:
CREATE TABLE os_bestellungen (b_id integer unsigned not null auto_increment primary key,
b_article number integer unsigned not null, b_customer number integer unsigned not null, b_preis
decimal (7,2) unsigned not null, b_nummer integer unsigned);

Now it is necessary to send this command to the database. This is done with
the mysqli_query () command . In the brackets you will find the name of the
handle and then the corresponding SQL command in quotation marks. Since
this is very long in this example, it makes sense to use the dot operator to
distribute it over several program lines.
<? php $ dbh = mysqli_connect ("localhost", "user1", "abc", "onlineshopDB"); if
(mysqli_connect_errno ()) {print "No connection to the database possible:" .mysqli_connect_error ();}
else
{print "Connection successfully established."; mysqli_query ($ dbh, "CREATE TABLE
os_bestellungen". "(b_id integer unsigned not null auto_increment primary key,". "b_article number
integer unsigned not null,". "b_customer number integer unsigned not null," . "b_preis decimal (7,2)
unsigned not null,". "b_ number integer unsigned);");} mysqli_close ($ dbh);?>

After running the program, it is recommended to call up phpMyAdmin again

to check. When listing dervorhandenen tables in the database onlineshopDB the
new table should now os_bestellungen appear.

Now it is necessary to fill the individual cells. The mysqli_query command is

also used for this . The only thing that changes is the SQL command used:
<? php $ dbh = mysqli_connect ("localhost", "user1", "abc", "onlineshopDB"); if
(mysqli_connect_errno ()) {print "No connection to the database possible:" .mysqli_connect_error ();
} else {print "Connection successfully established."; mysqli_query ($ dbh, "INSERT INTO
os_bestellungen". "(b_article number, b_customer number, b_price, b_ number)". "VALUES (1011,
2001, 45.99, 1);");}

Even after running this program, it is helpful to call up the

mysqli_close ($ dbh);?>
corresponding table in phpMyAdmin and to check whether the entries have
been added. In order to insert several lines into the table, it is also possible to
insert the mysql_query command several times into the program and to adapt
the values accordingly. In the following, the actions just described are to be
carried out with PDO. In order to check the results, it is advisable to delete
the table that has just been created manually via phpMyAdmin. When using
PDO, it makes sense to always save the corresponding SQL command in a
variable. In this way, only minimal adjustments are necessary to change the
functions of the program. Execution takes place via the query method, which
is already defined as standard in PDO. To execute this, the usual command
for objects is used ( $ dbh-> query ). It is only necessary to transfer the
corresponding SQL command as a value. Since this has already been saved in
a variable, the programmer only needs to name the variable:
<? php $ sql = "CREATE TABLE os_bestellungen". "(b_id integer unsigned not null auto_increment
primary key,". "b_article number integer unsigned not null,". "b_customer number integer unsigned not
null,". "b_price decimal (7.2 ) unsigned not null, ".
"b_ number integer unsigned);"; try {$ dbh = new PDO ("mysql: dbname = onlineshopDB; host =
localhost", "user1", "abc"); print "Connection successfully established."; $ dbh-> query ($ sql); $ dbh =
null;} catch (PDOException $ e) {print $ e-> getMessage ();}?>

With PDO it is also relatively easy to check whether an error has occurred
during the transmission of the data. This is done using the errorInfo () function ,
which is also a method of PDO and returns an array. The first field contains
an SQL error code. If no problems occurred, this has the value 0. Therefore,
the content of the if query is only executed if there is an error. The second
field is output, which contains another error code. Finally, the third field is
displayed, which contains a description. The corresponding check should be
integrated in the following program. To fill the table with content, it is only
necessary to change the value of the variable $ sql. All other components of
the program remain the same:
<? php $ sql = "INSERT INTO os_bestellungen". "(b_article number, b_customer number, b_price, b_
number)". "VALUES (1011, 2001, 45.99, 1);"; try {$ dbh = new PDO ("mysql: dbname =
onlineshopDB; host = localhost "," user1 "," abc "); print" Connection successfully established. "; $
dbh-> query ($ sql); $ error = $ dbh-> errorInfo (); if ($ error [0]> 0) {
print "Error code:". $ error [1]. "<br>". $ error [2];} $ dbh = null;} catch (PDOException $ e) {print $
e-> getMessage ();}?>

14.3 Delete or change entries

The previous section showed that the query method is always used to execute
various SQL commands, the only difference being in the content of the $ sql
variable . It is therefore also very easy to adapt the corresponding programs
for other tasks. All that is necessary is to copy the program code from the last
example. The programmer then has to fill the content of the variable $ sql
with a new SQL command. How this must be designed for changing or
deleting entries has already been explained in Chapter 12. In order to carry
out the desired actions, it is only necessary to adapt these commands to the
table that is used in this example and then to assign them to the variable $ sql
. To delete the first line, the following assignment would be necessary: $ sql =
"DELETE FROM os_bestellungen WHERE p_id = 1;"; To change the content of a cell, it
is only necessary to adapt the content of this variable. If the customer has
ordered an additional product, the programmer has to save the following value
in the variable: $ sql = "UPDATE os_bestellungen SET b_nummer = b_nummer + 1 WHERE
b_id = 1;";

14.4 Query data

Internet sites often get their content from databases. For this reason it is very
often necessary to call the corresponding entries. This is also possible with
the query () method. However, it is not sufficient to simply execute the
corresponding SQL command. In addition, it is necessary to save the contents
of the cells in variables or to output them directly on the screen. One
possibility is to use a foreach loop for this purpose . The database query is
treated like an array and inserted directly into the condition of the loop. It is
then possible to access the individual contents. This is done by the name of
the corresponding column:

<? php $ sql = "SELECT b_preis FROM os_bestellungen;"; try {$ dbh = new PDO ("mysql: dbname =
onlineshopDB; host = localhost", "user1", "abc"); print "Connection successfully established. < br> \ n
"; $ result = array (); $ i = 0; foreach ($ dbh-> query ($ sql) as $ content) {print" content of the cell: ". $
content ['b_price']. "<br> \ n"; $ result [$ i] = $ content ['b_preis']; $ i ++;} $ error = $ dbh-> errorInfo
(); if ($ error [0]> 0) {print "Error code:". $ Error [1]. "<br>". $ Error [2];} $ dbh = null;} catch
(PDOException $ e) {print $ e-> getMessage ();}?>

In addition, there is a somewhat easier way of saving and outputting the

values. The PDOstatement method fetchAll () is used for this . This creates an
array that contains all the results of the query. To do this, it is first necessary
to execute the query with the query () command. In contrast to the previous
example, however, this does not take place within a foreach loop. It is
important to save the return result in a variable. The command required for this
therefore looks as follows: $ return = $ dbh-> query ($ sql); The method fetchAll () is
then applied to the return value, which is saved in the $ rueckgabe variable :
$ result = $ rueckgabe-> fetchAll (PDO :: FETCH_ASSOC); The result is then stored in an
array named $ result . It is always a composite array with the first index
numerically structured. In this case the second index is associative and
corresponds to the column name. This is ensured by the expression PDO ::
FETCH_ASSOC , which is placed in brackets after the fetchAll () command.
Alternatively, there are other options - for example
PDO :: FETCH_NUM for output as a numeric array. A foreach loop is again
required to display the result on the screen. This now uses the $ result array
directly . This creates the following program:
<? php $ sql = "SELECT b_preis FROM os_bestellungen;"; try {$ dbh = new PDO ("mysql: dbname =
onlineshopDB; host = localhost", "user1", "abc"); $ rueckgabe = $ dbh-> query ($ sql); $ result = $
return-> fetchAll (PDO :: FETCH_ASSOC); foreach ($ result as $ content) {print "content of the cell:".
$ content ['b_price']. "<br> \ n ";} $ error = $ dbh-> errorInfo (); if ($ error [0]> 0) {print" Error code:
". $ error [1]." <br> ". $ error [2] ;} $ dbh = null;} catch (PDOException $ e) {print $ e-> getMessage
();}?>

14.5 Exercise: Editing databases with PHP

1.
Create a PHP program that creates the new table os_reklamationen , which
records the complaints. It should record an index, the customer number, the
article number and the date on which the complaint was received (note: it
makes sense to use the data type DATE for the date . This gives the date in the
following format: YYYY-MM-DD). Use the database object PDO for this -
and also for the following tasks.

2.
Fill out the table with two complaints.

3.
Design a program that queries the date of the complaint in line 1 and displays
it on the screen. To do this, use the fetchAll () method.

1.
<? php $ sql = "CREATE TABLE os_reklamationen". "(r_id integer unsigned not null auto_increment
primary key,". "r_customer number integer unsigned not null,". "r_article number integer unsigned not
null,". "r_date date);"; try {$ dbh = new PDO ("mysql: dbname = onlineshopDB; host = localhost",
"user1", "abc"); $ dbh-> query ($ sql); $ dbh = null;} catch (PDOException $ e ) {print $ e->
getMessage ();}?> 2. <? php $ sql = "INSERT INTO os_reklamationen". "(r_customer number,
r_article number, r_date)". "VALUES (1015, 2005, '2018-03- 25 '); "; $ sql2 =" INSERT INTO
os_reklamationen "." (R_customer number, r_article number, r_date) "." VALUES (1013, 2012,' 2018-
03-29 '); "; try {$ dbh = new PDO ("mysql: dbname = onlineshopDB; host = localhost", "user1",
"abc"); $ dbh-> query ($ sql);
$ dbh-> query ($ sql2); $ error = $ dbh-> errorInfo (); if ($ error [0]> 0) {print "Error code:". $ error
[1]. "<br>". $ error [2];} $ dbh = null;} catch (PDOException $ e) {print $ e-> getMessage ();}?> 3.
<? php $ sql = "SELECT r_date FROM os_reklamationen WHERE r_id = 1; "; try {$ dbh = new PDO
(" mysql: dbname = onlineshopDB; host = localhost "," user1 "," abc "); $ return = $ dbh-> query ($
sql); $ result = $ return- > fetchAll (PDO :: FETCH_ASSOC); print "Date of the complaint:". $ result
[0] ['r_date']. "<br> \ n"; $ error = $ dbh-> errorInfo (); if ($ error [0]> 0) {print "Error code:". $ error
[1]. "<br>". $ error [2];} $ dbh = null;} catch (PDOException $ e) {print $ e- > getMessage ();}?>

Chapter 15
Application example: recording customer data via the
Internet

After the basics of PHP and SQL were presented in the previous chapters, the
last chapter is devoted to a small practical example. Since the examples in
this book were always geared towards the functions for creating an online
shop, this topic will also be taken up in the last section. However, it would be
too time-consuming to design a complete shop software with all functions.
For this reason, only a small section should be recorded here. The resulting
pages are intended to enable a new customer to register. For this purpose, a
form field is created through which he can enter his personal information.
The program then processes these and transfers them to a database. Once
entered, the customer is redirected to a page that displays all the information
so that they can review them. If he confirms the information, the data will
remain in the database and the customer will be redirected to a new page that
will notify him of the successful completion. However, if it indicates that the
data is incorrect, the entry is deleted and the data input page reappears. This
example focuses primarily on PHP and SQL. To make the task easier, the
HTML code is kept as simple as possible. An appealing design is completely
dispensed with. Readers with good HTML and CSS knowledge are welcome
to design this themselves as a supplement. Since this program will consist of
several files, it makes sense to create a new folder for it.

15.1 Customer data via a form field query

generated with PHP
In order to query the customer's data, it is first necessary to create a form
field. No PHP is actually required for this task. Simple HTML coding is
sufficient for this. Nevertheless, PHP and SQL should be used at this point.
The purpose of this task is to create a simple page structure that can serve as a
template for the entire website. Since many elements are identical, this saves
a lot of time. Only the components that change on each page should be
designed individually. To do this, the program should call up the relevant
content from a database. The rough structure of the page looks like this:

<html><head>Meta-TitleMeta-Description</head><body> main heading page content </body>

</html>

The four areas meta title, meta description, main heading and page content
should now be replaced by a corresponding variable and output in a print
function. In the first three cases, this function should be within the
corresponding HTML tags so that the variable only reproduces pure text. The
HTML tags should only be included in the corresponding variable for the
page content, since they represent part of the individual content. This results
in the following code:
<html><head> <title> <? php print $ meta_title;?> </title> <meta name = "description" content = <?
php print $ meta_description;? >>
</head><body> <h1> <? php print $ main heading;?> </h1> <? php print $ page content;?> </body>
</html>

After the basic structure of the page has been determined, it is necessary to
create a table in which the texts are stored. This should be named os_inhalt
and, in addition to the index, have four columns with the corresponding
contents. It is important to note that the page content can be very extensive. It
is therefore necessary to plan enough space for this. To create the table, the
following SQL command should be entered inphpMyAdmin:
CREATE TABLE os_inhalt (i_id integer unsigned not null auto_increment primary key, i_title varchar
(60), i_description varchar (200), i_headline varchar (100), i_content varchar (2000));

In the following step it is necessary to open the database, call up the

corresponding entries and save them in the corresponding variables. Since
these functions have already been explained in detail in the previous chapters,
only the necessary code should appear here:

<? php $ sql = "SELECT i_title, i_description, i_headline, i_content FROMos_inhalt WHERE i_id =
1;"; try {$ dbh = new PDO ("mysql: dbname = onlineshopDB; host = localhost", "user1", "abc" ); $
rueckgabe = $ dbh-> query ($ sql); $ result = $ rueckgabe-> fetchAll (PDO :: FETCH_ASSOC); $
meta_title = $ result [0] ['i_title']; $ meta_description = $ result [ 0] ['i_description']; $ main heading =
$ result [0] ['i_headline'];
$ page content = $ result [0] ['i_content']; $ dbh = null;} catch (PDOException $ e) {print $ e->
getMessage ();}?>

This part only needs to be placed in front of the previously created area with
the HTML structure. The page for displaying the form is now ready. Only
one small detail is still missing: adding the content to the database. This
should again be done directly via phpMyAdmin. For the fields i_title ,
 and i_headline it is only necessary to think of a small text. For the last
i_description
field, however, a complete form must be created. This should be inserted in a
table with two columns for better clarity. On the left is what content should
be entered. The corresponding form field follows on the right. The HTML
code for the page content therefore looks like this:

<p> Register as a new customer! </p> <form method = "post" action = "ausgabe.php"> <table> <tr>
<td> Name: </td> <td> <input name = "name" type = "text"> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> First name: </td>
<td> <input name = "first name" type = "text"> </td> </tr><tr><td>Straße:</td> <td> <input name =
"strasse" type = "text"> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> ZIP code: </td>
<td> <input name = "plz" type = "text"> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> Place: </td> <td> <input name = "place"
type = "text "> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> E-Mail: </td> <td> <input name =" mail "type =" text "> </td>
</tr> <tr > <td> Telephone number: </td> <td> <input name = "tel" type = "text"> </td> </tr> <tr>
<td> Password: </td> <td> < input name = "password" type = "password"> </td> </tr> <tr> <td
colspan = "2" align = "center"> <input type = "submit" value = "login"> < / td> </tr> </table> </form>

The page content should now be saved as text in the i_content cell . Although
the entry is very extensive, this is possible without any problems, since this
cell was previously allocated a correspondingly large space. For an appealing
display of the source code it is only necessary to replace all line breaks with
the symbol \ n . This results in a very extensive INSERT command:

INSERT INTO os_inhalt (i_title, i_description, i_headline, i_content) VALUES ('Login page for our
online shop', 'On this page you can register as a new customer for our online shop', 'Welcome to our
online shop', '<p> Register as a new customer! </p> \ n <form method = "post" action =
"ausgabe.php"> \ n <table> \ n <tr> \ n <td> Name: < / td> \ n <td> <input name = "name" type =
"text"> </td> \ n </tr> \ n <tr> \ n <td> First name: </td> \ n
<td> <input name = "first name" type = "text"> </td> \ n </tr> \ n <tr> \ n <td> Street: </td> \ n <td> <
input name = "street" type = "text"> </td> \ n </tr> \ n <tr> \ n <td> ZIP code: </td> \ n <td> <input
name = "plz" type = "text"> </td> \ n </tr> \ n <tr> \ n <td> Location: </td> \ n <td> <input name =
"location" type = "text"> </td> \ n </tr> \ n <tr> \ n <td> E-Mail: </td> \ n <td> <input name = "mail"
type = "text"> </td> \ n </tr> \ n <tr> \ n <td> Telephone number: </td> \ n <td> <input name = "tel"
type = "text"> </td> \ n </tr> \ n <tr> \ n <td> Password: </td> \ n <td> <input name = "password" type
= "password"> </td> \ n </tr> \ n <tr> \ n <td colspan = "2" align = "center"> <input type = "submit"
value = "Register"> </td> \ n </tr> \ n </table> \ n </form> \ n ');

As soon as this command has been entered via phpMyAdmin, the display of
the form field is possible:
Finally, this page is supposed to transfer the values that are now stored in the
object to the database. This is done with a single INSERT command. This
should be saved again in the $ sql variable. To find the correct values, it calls
the get methods on each individual member.
$ sql = "INSERT INTO os_kunden". "(k_name, k_first name, k_strasse, k_plz, k_ort, k_mail, k_tel,
k_passwort, k_ customer number)". "VALUES ('". $ new customer-> getName (). "', '" . $ new
customer-> getFirst name (). "','". $ new customer-> getStrasse (). "',". $ new customer-> getPlz (). ",'".
$ new customer-> getOrt (). " ',' ". $ new customer-> getMail ()." ', ". $ new customer-> getTel ().",' ". $
new customer-> getPassword ()." ', ". $ new customer → get customer number () . ");";

Note: In the print version, the sequence of single and double quotes required
for this command is difficult to recognize. In order to avoid confusion, it
should be mentioned that the single quotation marks must always be placed
within the double quotation marks. After this, it is necessary to execute the
command with the query method . The previous program saves all values in
the database and now looks like this:

<? phpinclude ("class_kunde.php"); $ new customer = new customer (); if (! empty ($ _ REQUEST
['name']))) {if ($ _REQUEST ['name']! = "") {$ new customer-> setName ($ _ REQUEST ['name']);}}
if (! empty ($ _ REQUEST ['first name'])) {if ($ _REQUEST ['first name']! = "") {$ new customer->
setFirst name ($ _ REQUEST ['first name']);}} if (! empty ($ _ REQUEST ['street'])) {if ($
_REQUEST ['street']! = "") {$ new customer-> setStrasse ($ _ REQUEST ['street']);}} if (! empty ($
_REQUEST ['plz'])) {if ($ _REQUEST ['plz']! = "") {$ New customer-> setPlz ($ _ REQUEST
['plz']);}} if (! Empty ($ _ REQUEST [' location '])) {if ($ _REQUEST [' location ']! = "") {$ new
customer-> setOrt ($ _ REQUEST [' location ']);}} if (! empty ($ _ REQUEST [' mail ']) )) {if ($
_REQUEST ['mail']! = "") {$ new customer-> setMail ($ _ REQUEST ['mail']);}} if (! empty ($ _
REQUEST ['tel'])) { if ($ _REQUEST ['tel']! = "") {$ new customer-> setTel ($ _ REQUEST ['tel']);}}
if (! empty ($ _ REQUEST ['password'])) {if ($ _REQUEST ['password']! = "")
{$ new customer-> setPasswort ($ _ REQUEST ['password']);}} try {$ dbh = new PDO ("mysql:
dbname = onlineshopDB; host = localhost", "user1", "abc"); $ new customer- > setKundennummer ($
dbh); $ sql = "INSERT INTO os_kunden". "(k_name, k_first name, k_strasse, k_plz, k_ort, k_mail,
k_tel, k_passwort, k_ customer number)". "VALUES ('". $ new customer-> getName ( ). "','". $ new
customer-> getFirst name (). "','". $ new customer-> getStrasse (). "',". $ new customer-> getPlz (). ",'".
$ new customer -> getOrt (). "','". $ new customer-> getMail (). "',". $ new customer-> getTel (). ",'". $
new customer-> getPassword (). "'," . $ new customer-> get customer number (). ");"; print $ sql. "
<br>"; $ dbh-> query ($ sql); $ dbh = null;} catch (PDOException $ e) {print $ e -> getMessage ();}?>

15.4 Displaying customer data with a PHP program

So far it is already possible to call the program formular.php and fill the form
with content. The values are transferred to the database, but the output.php
page that appears afterwards remains empty. Therefore, in the last step, it is
now filled with content. For this purpose, the program should retrieve the
values for checking directly from the database and display them on the
screen. A SELECT command is required for this. The * indicates
that he should get the complete line. The line is identified by the customer
number that is retrieved from the object. The output then takes place with a
foreach loop:

$ sql = "SELECT * FROM os_customers WHERE k_customer number =". $ new customer-> get
customer number (). ";"; $ return = $ dbh-> query ($ sql); $ result = $ return-> fetchAll (PDO ::
FETCH_ASSOC); foreach ($ result as $ content) {print "<p> For the new customer with the customer
number". $ Content ['k_kundennummer']. "The following values were recorded: <br>"; print "Name:" .
$ content ['k_name']. "<br> \ n"; print "First name:". $ content ['k_first name']. "<br> \ n"; print
"Street:". $ content [ 'k_strasse']. "<br> \ n"; print "ZIP:". $ content ['k_plz']. "<br> \ n"; print "City:". $
content ['k_ort']. " <br> \ n "; print" E-Mail: ". $ content ['k_mail']." <br> \ n "; print" Telephone
number: ". $ content ['k_tel']." <br> \ n "; print" Password: ". $ content ['k_passwort']." </p> \ n ";}

The customer should then be able to confirm or reject the data by inserting
two small forms. The first form is very simple. It should only contain the
“Confirm ” button and redirect the visitor to a page that shows that the data
has been properly recorded. The code for this looks like this:

<form method = "post" action = "confirmation.php"> <input type = "submit" value = "confirm">
</form>

The following code is required for the form that is used to correct the values:
<form method = "post" action = "formular.php"> <input type = "hidden" name = "reference" value = "$
new customer-> get customer number ()">
<input type = "submit" value = "Correct"> </form>

If the customer wants to correct the data, he will be redirected to the original
form at the address formular.php. The hidden form field needs to be explained
. This is hidden and is therefore not displayed. It only serves to transmit a
value to the next page. Therefore the customer number is inserted with a PHP
variable. It should be noted that the code, as it stands here, is still invalid, as
HTML and PHP are mixed up. This will be differentiated accordingly later
when this part is entered in a print function. The transfer of the customer
number is necessary because the page to which the users are redirected is to
delete the incorrect data. To do this, it needs to know which data set it is. The
customer number is therefore transmitted as a reference. To display the two
form fields, these must be inserted in a print command. It is important to
insert the character \ in front of the quotation marks, which are part of the
HTML code . This is the only way to ensure correct execution. Now the
frame for the page should be inserted. The pattern from Section 15.1 is used
for this. It is only necessary to change the index number when querying the
database. In addition, the main part should not be inserted via a database,
since it is generated directly by the program. For this it is necessary to fill the
database os_inhalt with a new line via phpMyAdmin. The reader can think of
small texts for the title, description and main heading. The i_content column
remains empty. The program for the output.php page looks like this:

<? php $ sql = "SELECT i_title, i_description, i_headline, i_content FROMos_inhalt WHERE i_id =
2;";
try {$ dbh = new PDO ("mysql: dbname = onlineshopDB; host = localhost", "user1", "abc"); $ return =
$ dbh-> query ($ sql); $ result = $ return-> fetchAll (PDO :: FETCH_ASSOC); $ meta_title = $ result
[0] ['i_title']; $ meta_description = $ result [0] ['i_description']; $ main heading = $ result [0]
['i_headline']; $ page content = $ result [0] ['i_content']; $ dbh = null;} catch (PDOException $ e) {print
$ e-> getMessage ();}?> <html> <head> <title> <? php print $ meta_title;?> </title> <meta name =
"description" content = <? php print $ meta_description;? >> </head> <body> <h1> <? php print $
main heading;?> </ h1> <? phpinclude ("class_kunde.php"); $ new customer = new customer (); if (!
empty ($ _ REQUEST ['name'])) {if ($ _REQUEST ['name']! = "") {$ new customer-> setName ($ _
REQUEST ['name']);}} if (! empty ($ _ REQUEST ['first name'])) {if ($ _REQUEST ['first name']! =
"") {$ new customer -> setVorname ($ _ REQUEST ['firstname']);}} if (! empty ($ _ REQUEST
['street'])) {if ($ _REQUEST ['street']! = "") {
$ new customer-> set street ($ _ REQUEST ['street']);}} if (! empty ($ _ REQUEST ['zip code'])) {if ($
_REQUEST ['zip code']! = "") {$ new customer- > setPlz ($ _ REQUEST ['plz']);}} if (! empty ($ _
REQUEST ['location'])) {if ($ _REQUEST ['location']! = "") {$ new customer-> setOrt ( $ _REQUEST
['location']);}} if (! Empty ($ _ REQUEST ['mail'])) {

if ($ _REQUEST ['mail']! = "") {$ new customer-> setMail ($ _ REQUEST ['mail']);}} if (! empty ($ _

REQUEST ['tel'])) {if ($ _REQUEST ['tel']! = "") {$ New customer-> setTel ($ _ REQUEST ['tel']);}}
if (! Empty ($ _ REQUEST ['password'])) {
if ($ _REQUEST ['password']! = "") {$ new customer-> setPasswort ($ _ REQUEST ['password']);}}
try {$ dbh = new PDO ("mysql: dbname = onlineshopDB; host = localhost "," user1 "," abc "); $ new
customer-> set customer number ($ dbh); $ sql =" INSERT INTO os_kunden "." (k_name, k_first
name, k_strasse, k_plz, k_ort, k_mail, k_tel,
k_password, k_ customer number) "." VALUES ('". $ new customer-> getName ()."', '". $ new
customer-> getFirst name ()."', '". $ new customer-> getStrasse ()."' , ". $ new customer-> getPlz ().", '".
$ new customer-> getOrt ()."', '". $ new customer-> getMail ()."', ". $ new customer-> getTel () . ", '". $
new customer-> getPassword (). "',". $ new customer-> get customer number (). ");"; $ dbh-> query ($
sql); $ sql = "SELECT * FROM os_ customers WHERE k_kundenennummer = ". $ NewKunde->
getKundennummer ()."; "; $ Rueckgabe = $ dbh-> query ($ sql); $ result = $ rueckgabe-> fetchAll
(PDO :: FETCH_ASSOC); foreach ($ result as $ inhalt) {print "<p> For the new customer with the
customer number". $ inhalt ['k_kundennummer']. " the following values were recorded: <br> "; print"
Name: ". $ content ['k_name']." <br> \ n "; print" First name: ". $ content ['k_first name']." <br> \ n ";
print" Street: ". $ content ['k_strasse']." <br> \ n "; print" ZIP: ". $ content ['k_plz']." <br> \ n "; print
"Location:". $ content ['k_ort']. "<br> \ n"; print "E-Mail:". $ content ['k_mail']. "<br> \ n"; print
"Telephone number: ". $ content ['k_tel']." <br> \ n "; print" Password: ". $ content ['k_passwort']."
</p> \ n ";} $ error = $ dbh-> errorInfo (); $ dbh = null;} catch (PDOException $ e) {print $ e->
getMessage ();} print "<form method = \" post \ "action = \" confirmation.php \ "> \ n" . "<inputtype =
\" submit \ "value = \" Confirm \ "> \ n". "</form> \ n". "<form method = \" post \ "action = \"
formular.php \ " > \ n "." <inputtype = \ "hidden \" name = \ "reference \" value = \ "". $ new customer-
> get customer number (). "\"> \ n <input type = \ "submit \" value = \ "correct \"> ".
"</form>";?>
</body>
</html>

Now it is necessary to create the confirmation.php page. This uses almost

exactly the same code as the form.php page. The only difference is that it is
necessary to adapt the index number for the database query:
<? php $ sql = "SELECT i_title, i_description, i_headline, i_content FROMos_inhalt WHERE i_id =
3;"; try {$ dbh = new PDO ("mysql: dbname = onlineshopDB; host = localhost", "user1", "abc" ); $
rueckgabe = $ dbh-> query ($ sql); $ result = $ rueckgabe-> fetchAll (PDO :: FETCH_ASSOC); $
meta_title = $ result [0] ['i_title']; $ meta_description = $ result [ 0] ['i_description']; $ main heading =
$ result [0] ['i_headline']; $ page content = $ result [0] ['i_content']; $ dbh = null;
} catch (PDOException $ e) {print $ e-> getMessage ();}?> <html> <head> <title> <? php print $
meta_title;?> </title> <meta name = "description" content = <? php print $ meta_description;? >>
</head> <body> <h1> <? php print $ main heading;?> </h1> <? php print $ page content;?> </body>
</ html >

In addition, it is necessary to enter a page title, a description, a heading and a

short confirmation message for the successful data storage in the database.
The reader can do this directly via phpMyAdmin according to the familiar
pattern. The last task now is to adapt the formular.php file. If the values were
not entered correctly and the customer wants to correct them, he will be
forwarded to this page. So he can enter it again. However, in this case it is
necessary to delete the wrong entry. The following code is used for this:

if (isset ($ _ REQUEST ['Reference'])) {$ sql2 = "DELETE FROM os_customers WHEREk_customer

number =". $ _ REQUEST ['Reference']. ";"; $ dbh-> query ($ sql2);}

This should be inserted almost at the beginning - immediately after the

handle $ dbh has been created:
<? php $ sql = "SELECT i_title, i_description, i_headline, i_content FROMos_inhalt WHERE i_id =
1;";
try {$ dbh = new PDO ("mysql: dbname = onlineshopDB; host = localhost", "user1", "abc"); if (isset ($
_ REQUEST ['Reference']))) {$ sql2 = "DELETE FROM os_customers WHEREk_kundenennummer =
". $ _ REQUEST ['Reference']."; "; $ Dbh-> query ($ sql2);} $ return = $ dbh-> query ($ sql); $ result =
$ return-> fetchAll (PDO :: FETCH_ASSOC); $ meta_title = $ result [0] ['i_title']; $ meta_description
= $ result [0] ['i_description']; $ main heading = $ result [0] ['i_headline']; $ page content = $ result [0]
['i_content']; $ dbh = null;} catch (PDOException $ e) {print $ e-> getMessage ();}?> <html> <head>
<title> <? php print $ meta_title;?> <
/ title> <meta name = "description" content = <? php print $ meta_description;? >>
</head>
<body> <h1>
<? php print $ main heading;?>
</h1>
<? php print $ page content;?>
</body>
</html>

The if loop with the isset function determines whether a value has been
passed to the program. This ensures that this part is not carried out the first
time the page is called up, but only when the user wants to correct the values.
The DELETE command should be known as far as possible. The customer
number that was transferred by the hidden form field on the previous page is
used as a reference. The program thus fulfills its tasks and the customer can
access his data
Chapter 16
PHP and Cookies: Recognizing Visitors and Saving
Information
PHP is primarily used to generate dynamic Internet pages. This means that
the content that is displayed on the pages is not always the same. On the other
hand, they are only generated when the visitor calls up the page. This not
only makes it possible to change texts and images quickly and easily. In
addition, this technology allows it to be individually adapted to the visitor. If
you operate a blog or a news portal, it would be possible, for example, to first
present the reader with articles that he has not yet read. The texts that he
already knows are usually not of great importance, so that they can be in the
background. Another alternative is to include a personal address on the page.
This often increases the reader's interest. The individual design is particularly
important when developing a web shop. Among other things, it is necessary
that the customer can call up which articles he has ordered. In order to tailor
the displayed content to the visitor, it is necessary to identify him first.
However, HTTP is a connection-free technology. Therefore, every time the
user calls up a new page, all data is lost. It is of course possible to store the
information permanently in a database. However, in order to personalize the
pages, it is necessary to know who is currently visiting the page. This is the
only way to call up the associated database contents.
If the user comes from one of their own pages, it is relatively easy to forward
the relevant information. We already have a possibility for this in Chapter
15.4. uses: hidden forms. In this example the customer number has been
passed on to the next page. It would be possible to expand this information
further - for example to make the name, the contents of the shopping cart and
other details available. However, it is simpler and safer to store these values
in the database. Then the next page only needs the customer number as a
reference to be able to access it. However, this method has the problem that it
can only be used for the duration of a visit. If the user calls up another page
or closes the browser, all information is lost. It makes sense to use cookies so
that they are still available on your next visit. This chapter shows how these
can be inserted into a PHP page.
16.1 What is a cookie?
The term cookie translates as biscuit or cookie. In computer science,
however, it stands for a small data packet that is sent back and forth between
different computers in order to exchange information. This is not an
executable program, but only data in text form. There are several different
types of cookies in computer science. Most often this term refers to HTTP
cookies. These are used for data exchange between the web browser and the
server. This chapter deals only with HTTP cookies. Other forms are not
important for programming with PHP. When using PHP, the cookie is
generated by the server and transmitted to the user's web browser. For this it
is necessary to insert a corresponding command into the PHP program. It is
then saved on the user's computer. The prerequisite for this is that they accept
the use of cookies. Another alternative
consists in the fact that the cookie is generated directly in the browser.
However, this is not possible with PHP. Client-side scripting languages such
as Javascript are necessary for this purpose. Therefore, this alternative is not
dealt with further here. If a cookie is stored on the computer, the web browser
automatically transmits it to the server when it calls up a page from the server
again. This means that the programmer does not have to request the cookie
first. He receives it - if it is available - always delivered immediately. The
domain whose page it was set is always stored in the cookie. The information
is then available for all pages of the domain. It is therefore not necessary to
use a new cookie for each subpage. However, it is not possible to access
cookies from other domains. Using cookies is extremely practical, but
caution is also required. On the one hand, it is important to observe the legal
provisions. For the use of cookies it is almost always necessary to obtain the
consent of the user. Those who do not run the risk of having to pay
substantial fines. Anyone who wants to use cookies on a website should
therefore find out exactly what the legal regulations for them look like. On
the other hand, there are numerous users who generally block cookies.
Therefore, it makes sense to use them only as additional information. A
website should, however, function properly even without the use of cookies.

16.2 Set a cookie

Now it is time to generate the first cookie yourself. The setcookie () command is
required for this. This is structured as follows: setcookie ("name", "content", expiry
date);
The designation can be freely chosen. It is advisable to choose a name that
corresponds to the content. For example, if you want to enter the customer
number, it would make sense to use this word as a designation. The selected
term must always be in quotation marks, followed by the content. At this
point it is possible to insert any values. This is followed by the expiry date for
the cookie. This parameter is not absolutely necessary. If you leave this area
blank, the cookie expires as soon as the user closes the browser. Therefore,
the next time you visit, no recognition would be possible and the cookie
would be worthless. At this point it is necessary to generate a value according
to the Unix timestamp format. The value for the current time can be obtained
using the time () function . After that it is only necessary to add the desired
validity period in seconds. If the cookie were to be valid for 30 days, for
example, you would have to enter the value time () + 2592000 here . Alternatively
you can first calculate the minutes, hours and days and then multiply this
value by the desired number of days: time () + 60 * 60 * 24 * 30 . If you want to
set a cookie that saves the customer number 12345 for 30 days, the following
program would be necessary: <? Phpsetcookie ("customer number", "12345", time () +
2592000);?> If you do this now, then initially a blank page appears. Still
something happened. You can tell when you call up the browser's cookie
data. How this works is shown here using the Google Chrome browser as an
example. The procedure is similar for other browsers. To do this, first click
on the three points at the top right
Click the edge of the picture and then select the Settings menu item.
Chapter 16
PHP and cookies: Recognize visitors and save information

PHP is primarily used to generate dynamic Internet pages. This means that
the content that is displayed on the pages is not always the same. On the other
hand, they are only generated when the visitor calls up the page. This not
only makes it possible to change texts and images quickly and easily. In
addition, this technology allows it to be individually adapted to the visitor. If
you operate a blog or a news portal, it would be possible, for example, to first
present the reader with articles that he has not yet read. The texts that he
already knows are usually not of great importance, so that they can be in the
background. Another alternative is to include a personal address on the page.
This often increases the reader's interest. The individual design is particularly
important when developing a web shop. Among other things, it is necessary
that the customer can call up which articles he has ordered. In order to tailor
the displayed content to the visitor, it is necessary to identify him first.
However, HTTP is a connection-free technology. Therefore, every time the
user calls up a new page, all data is lost. It is of course possible to store the
information permanently in a database. However, in order to personalize the
pages, it is necessary to know who is currently visiting the page. This is the
only way to call up the associated database contents.
If the user comes from one of their own pages, it is relatively easy to forward
the relevant information. We already have a possibility for this in Chapter
15.4. uses: hidden forms. In this example the customer number has been
passed on to the next page. It would be possible to expand this information
further - for example to make the name, the contents of the shopping cart and
other details available. However, it is simpler and safer to store these values
in the database. Then the next page only needs the customer number as a
reference to be able to access it. However, this method has the problem that it
can only be used for the duration of a visit. If the user calls up another page
or closes the browser, all information is lost. It makes sense to use cookies so
that they are still available on your next visit. This chapter shows how these
can be inserted into a PHP page.

16.1 What is a cookie?

The term cookie translates as biscuit or cookie. In computer science,

however, it stands for a small data packet that is sent back and forth between
different computers in order to exchange information. This is not an
executable program, but only data in text form. There are several different
types of cookies in computer science. Most often this term refers to HTTP
cookies. These are used for data exchange between the web browser and the
server. This chapter deals only with HTTP cookies. Other forms are not
important for programming with PHP. When using PHP, the cookie is
generated by the server and transmitted to the user's web browser. For this it
is necessary to insert a corresponding command in the PHP program. It is
then saved on the user's computer. The prerequisite for this is that they accept
the use of cookies. Another alternative
consists in the fact that the cookie is generated directly in the browser.
However, this is not possible with PHP. Client-side scripting languages such
as Javascript are required for this purpose. Therefore, this alternative is not
dealt with further here. If a cookie is stored on the computer, the web browser
automatically transmits it to the server when it calls up a page from the server
again. This means that the programmer does not have to request the cookie
first. He receives it - if it is available - always delivered immediately. The
domain whose page it was set is always stored in the cookie. The information
is then available for all pages of the domain. It is therefore not necessary to
use a new cookie for each subpage . However, it is not possible to access
cookies from other domains. Using cookies is extremely practical, but
caution is also required. On the one hand, it is important to observe the legal
provisions. For the use of cookies it is almost always necessary to obtain the
consent of the user. Failure to do so runs the risk of having to pay substantial
fines. Anyone who wants to use cookies on a website should therefore find
out exactly what the legal regulations are for. On the other hand, there are
numerous users who generally block cookies. Therefore, it makes sense to
use them only as additional information. A website should, however, function
properly without the use of cookies.

16.2 Set a cookie

Now it is time to create the first cookie yourself. The setcookie () command is
necessary for this. This is structured as follows:
setcookie ("name", "content", expiry date);

The designation can be freely chosen. It is advisable to choose a name that

corresponds to the content. For example, if you want to enter the customer
number, it would make sense to use this word as a designation. The selected
term must always be in quotation marks, followed by the content. At this
point it is possible to insert any values. This is followed by the expiry date for
the cookie. This parameter is not absolutely necessary. If you leave this area
blank, the cookie expires as soon as the user closes the browser. Therefore,
the next time you visit, no recognition would be possible and the cookie
would be worthless. At this point it is necessary to generate a value according
to the Unix timestamp format. The value for the current time can be obtained
using the time () function . After that it is only necessary to add the desired
validity period in seconds. For example, if the cookie were to be valid for 30
days, you would have to enter the value time () + 2592000 here . Alternatively,
you can first calculate the minutes, hours and days and then multiply this
value by the desired number of days:
time () + 60 * 60 * 24 * 30 .
If you want to set a cookie that stores the customer number 12345 over 30
days, the following program would be necessary:
<? phpsetcookie ("customer number", "12345", time () + 2592000);?>

If you do this now, a blank page will appear. Still something happened. You
can tell when you call up the browser's cookie data. How this works is shown
here using the Google Chrome browser as an example. The procedure is
similar for other browsers. To do this, first click on the three points at the top
right
Click the edge of the picture and then select the Settings menu item.

Then a new page will open. Here you have to scroll down to the very bottom
and click on “Advanced”. On the following page you then have to click on
“Content Settings”
The entry “Cookies” is located at the top. This must be clicked. You then
have to select the menu item “Show all cookies and website data”. A long list
of all the cookies stored on the computer will appear. In it you have to search
for the entry localhost - or use the search function. The cookie with the
designation customer number that we have just set will already appear. If you
click on this, the corresponding entries become visible:

A lot of different information is now available here. Under the term content,
for example, the text that we entered using the setcookie command can be
viewed - i.e. the customer number 12345. In addition, it can be seen at what
time the cookie was created and until when it is valid. The setcookie command
must always be at The beginning of the document is preceded by any HTML
tags, PHP print commands or other output. Even spaces are not allowed to
precede it . The reason for this is that the cookie is transmitted in the HTTP
header. It must therefore be in front of all content on the page. However,
XAMPP does not apply this rule. This means that you can also output content
here before the setcookie command. However, this is strictly not
recommended. If you create such a program and later load it onto a real web
server, it is very likely that it will not work. However, it is possible to use the
setcookie command in an if query. This is not an output, so it does not affect
the structure of the document. For example, it is common to use an if query
to check whether a cookie already exists and to only set a new cookie if it
does not yet exist.

16.3 Evaluate information from the cookie

In order to use the advantages of cookies, it is of course necessary to evaluate
the information stored in them. As already described, the browser
automatically sends the cookie to the server. So there is no need to
specifically request it, which is why it is very easy to access the data. They
are all stored in the $ _COOKIE variable. To use it, it is only necessary to call
this variable. This is a
associative array. This means that the content has to be accessed using a
special keyword. This keyword is always the name that we gave the cookie
when it was set. To access the content of the cookie from the previous
section, the following expression would be necessary: $ _COOKIE ['customer
number'] This stores the value that was set in the second position with the setcookie
command. In this case, that would be customer number 12345. If you want to
call up the value of the cookie, you always have to be careful. After all, while
programming, we don't know whether the user has visited the page before. If
it is the first visit, there is no cookie yet. It is also possible that the user
refuses to use cookies. If you call this variable but there is no corresponding
cookie, the program will be aborted. For this reason, it is important to always
include the call to this variable in an if query. This should first check
whether the cookie is even present. The following command is used for this:
if (! empty ($ _ COOKIE ['customer number']))

Then it makes sense to insert an else block that outputs an alternative page for
visitors without a cookie. The query of the data will now be clarified using a
short example program. This contains an array with the data from three
different customers. In practice it would of course be necessary to store the
customer data in a database and first load it into the program. In order to keep
the code simple and clear, this step is omitted in this example. The program
then calls
first takes the customer number from the cookie and goes through the array
with a foreach loop to check for a match. If this is found, the program records
the associated salutation and name and outputs a personalized greeting (the
program assumes that if a cookie is present, the associated customer data is
also stored. If this is not the case, this would be the case In order to make the
program more robust, it would make sense in practice to insert an alternative
procedure for this as well.) If there is no cookie, the program asks the visitor
to log in. For this purpose, it offers a link to the program from the previous
example (which in this example is called cookie

1.php was saved). This then automatically sets the cookie.

<? php $ customer data = [[12345, "Herr", "Müller"], [12346, "Frau", "Mayer"], [12347, "Frau",
"Becker"]]; if (! empty ($ _COOKIE ['customer number'])) {$ customer = $ _COOKIE ['customer
number']; foreach ($ customer data as $ data set) {if ($ data set [0] == $ customer) {$ salutation = $
data set [1] ; $ name = $ record [2];}} print "Welcome,". $ salutation. "". $ name. "!";} else {print
"Please register <a href ='cookie1.php'> </a>!";}?>

If you run the program now (and if the cookie from the previous section is
still saved), you should have a personalized salutation
appear:

is done again according to the familiar pattern. It is only important to make

sure that the WHERE clause of the SELECT command does not refer to the
form field but to the value of the cookie. To check whether the corresponding
value is available, the rowCount command is used again. Here, if a match
occurs, the program fills the variable name , first name and place of residence with
denentsprechenden values. Since each customer number is only assigned
once, it can be assumed that there is only one line in this case. You can
therefore access them directly by adding the index [0] to the array result : $ sql =
"SELECT * FROM customers WHERE k_id =". $ _ COOKIE ['customer number']. ";"; $ Dbh = new
PDO ( "mysql: dbname = customerDB; host = localhost", "user1", "abc"); $ return = $ dbh-> query ($
sql); if ($ return-> rowCount ()> 0) {$ result = $ rueckgabe- > fetchAll (PDO :: FETCH_ASSOC);
print "Welcome! <br>"; print "Your data: <br>"; print "Customer number:". $ _ COOKIE ['Customer
number']. "<br> "; print" Name: ". $ result [0] ['k_name']." <br> "; print" First name: ". $ result [0]
['k_first name']." <br> "; print" Residence: ". $ Result [0] ['k_wohnort']." <br> ";}

If the customer does not exist, the cookie should be invalidated. This is done
with the setcookie command. However, a few seconds should be deducted
from the time () command. This ensures that the expiration date is in the past
and the cookie is therefore invalid. Then an error message appears and a
button that reloads the page. If the customer is present, however, the program
should welcome them and display their saved data. The last part looks like
this:

else {try {$ sql = "SELECT * FROM customers WHERE k_id =". $ _ COOKIE ['customer number'].
";"; $ dbh = new PDO ("mysql: dbname = customerDB; host = localhost", "user1" , "abc"); $ rueckgabe
= $ dbh-> query ($ sql); if ($ rueckgabe-> rowCount ()> 0) {$ result = $ rueckgabe-> fetchAll (PDO ::
FETCH_ASSOC); print "Cordially Welcome! <br> "; print" Your data: <br> "; print" Customer
number: ". $ _ COOKIE ['Customer number']." <br> "; print" Name: ". $ result [0] [' k_name ']. "<br>";
print "First name:". $ result [0] [' k_first name ']. "<br>"; print "City:". $ result [0] [' k_home ']. "
<br>";} else {setcookie ("customer number", 0, time () - 10); print "Cookie data invalid!"; print '<form
method = "post" action = "application example.php"> '; print' <input type = "submit" value = "Next"> ';
print' </form> ';} $ dbh = null;} catch (PDOException $ e) {print $ e-> getMessage (); }}

The greeting of the customer and the output of the data

This completes the page. It now always outputs a suitable display - depending
on whether a cookie is present or whether the user has filled out the form
fields. The complete code looks like this:

<? phpif (empty ($ _ COOKIE ['customer number'])) {if (! empty ($ _ REQUEST ['customer
number'])) {try {$ sql = "SELECT * FROM customers WHERE k_id =". $ _ REQUEST [' customer
number ']. ";"; $ dbh = new PDO ("mysql: dbname = customerDB; host = localhost", "user1", "abc"); $
return = $ dbh-> query ($ sql); if ( $ rueckgabe-> rowCount ()> 0) {setcookie ("customer number", $
_REQUEST ['customer number'], time () + 2592000); print "Successfully logged in."; print '<form
method = "post" action = "application example.php"> '; print' <input type = "submit" value = "Next"> ';
print' </form> ';
} else {print "Invalid customer number. Please enter it again!"; print '<form method = "post" action =
"application example.php">'; print '<input type = "submit" value = "Next">'; print '</form>';} $ result =
$ return-> fetchAll (PDO :: FETCH_ASSOC); $ dbh = null;} catch (PDOException $ e) {print $ e->
getMessage ();}} elseif (! empty ($ _ REQUEST ['name']) and! empty ($ _ REQUEST ['first name'])
and! empty ($ _ REQUEST ['residence'])) {$ sql = "INSERT INTO customers (k_name, k_first name,
k_residence) ". "VALUES (: name,: first name,: place of residence);"; $ sql2 = "SELECT * FROM
customers;"; try {$ dbh = new PDO ("mysql: dbname = customerDB; host = localhost", "user1",
"abc"); $ input = $ dbh-> prepare ($ sql); $ input-> bindParam (': name', $ _ REQUEST ['name'], PDO
:: PARAM_STR, 40); $ input-> bindParam (': first name', $ _ REQUEST ['first name'], PDO ::
PARAM_STR, 40); $ input-> bindParam (': residence', $ _REQUEST ['residence'], PDO ::
PARAM_STR, 40); $ input-> execute (); $ return = $ dbh-> query ($ sql2); $ result = $ return->
fetchAll (PDO :: FETCH_ASSOC); foreach ($ result as $ content) {$ new customer number = $
content [ 'k_id'];}
setcookie ("customer number", $ new customer number, time () + 2592000); print "Your data has been
saved. <br>"; print "Your customer number:". $ new customer number; print '<form method = "post"
action = " application example.php "> '; print' <input type =" submit "value =" Next "> '; print' </form>
'; $ dbh = null;} catch (PDOException $ e) {print $ e-> getMessage ();}} else {print '<table> <tr> <td>
Already registered: </td>'; print '<td> Register again: </td> </tr> <tr> <td> '; print' <form method =
"post" action = "application example.php"> '; print' Customer number: <input type = "text" name =
"customer number"> <br> <br> '; print' <input type = "submit" value = "Send"> '; print' </form> ';
print' </td> <td> '; print' <form method = "post" action = "application example.php"> ' ; print 'Name:
<input type = "text" name = "name"> <br>'; print 'First name: <input type = "text" name = "first
name"> <br>'; print 'City: < input type = "text" name = "residence"> <br> <br> '; print' <input type =
"submit" value = "Send"> '; print' </form> '; print' </ td > </tr> </table> ';}} else {try {$ sql =
"SELECT * FROM customers WHERE k_id =" .
$ _COOKIE ['customer number']. ";"; $ Dbh = new PDO ("mysql: dbname = customerDB; host =
localhost", "user1", "abc"); $ return = $ dbh-> query ($ sql ); if ($ rueckgabe-> rowCount ()> 0) {$
result = $ rueckgabe-> fetchAll (PDO :: FETCH_ASSOC); print "Welcome! <br>"; print "Your data:
<br>"; print "Customer number:". $ _ COOKIE ['Customer number']. "<br>"; print "Name:". $ result
[0] ['k_name']. "<br>"; print "First name:". $ result [0] ['k_first name']. "<br>"; print "City:". $ result
[0] ['k_wohnort']. "<br>";} else {setcookie ("customer number", 0, time () - 10); print "cookie data
invalid!"; print '<form method = "post" action = "application example.php">'; print '<input type =
"submit" value = "next"> '; print' </form> ';} $ dbh = null;} catch (PDOException $ e) {print $ e->
getMessage ();}}?>

16.6 Exercise: Create cookies yourself

1. Create a page that asks for the visitor's name. Then redirect the user to a
new page.

2. Design this page too. The associated program should be an array

with some names and the associated age included. Check if the name is in the
array. In this case, save the name and age in a session cookie and ask the
visitor to confirm the values. Then forward it to a new page. If not, redirect
him back to the first page. 3. Use the session ID to check the age of the
visitor on this page. If he's over 18, welcome him. If this is not the case,
provide a corresponding note. Solutions:

1.

<? phpprint '<form method = "post" action = "task1.2.php">'; print 'Name: <input type = "text" name =
"name"> <br> <br>'; print ' <input type = "submit" value = "Next"> '; print' </form> ';?>

2.

<? php $ nutzer = [["Sebastian", 24], ["Marianne", 64], ["Karsten", 14]]; if (! empty ($ _ REQUEST
['name']))) {setcookie (" Visitor ", $ _REQUEST ['name'], time () + 2592000);} $ nameVorhanden =
false; foreach ($ user as $ content) {if ($ content [0] == $ _REQUEST ['name']) {$ age = $ content [1];
$ nameVorhanden = true;}} if ($ nameVorhanden) {
session_start (); $ _ SESSION ['Name'] = $ _REQUEST ['name']; $ _ SESSION ['Age'] = $ age; print
'Your data: <br>'; print 'Name:'. $ _ REQUEST [ 'name']. "<br>"; print 'Age:'. $ age. "<br>"; print
'<form method = "post" action = "task1.3.php">'; print '< input type = "submit" value = "confirm"> ';
print' </form> ';} else {print' Name not saved. '; print' <form method = "post" action = "task1.1.php ">
'; print' <input type =" submit "value =" Next "> '; print' </form> ';}?>

3.

<? phpsession_start (); if ($ _SESSION ['Age'] <18) {print 'Access under 18 not possible.';} else {print
'Welcome!';}?>

This is followed by the design of the email. This should first contain a
personal salutation and then point out to the customer that the invoice is
attached. Since this expression is a little longer, it should first be stored in the
variable content before adding it to the PHPMailer object: $ content = "Dear Sir /
Madam". $ _ REQUEST ['name']; $ content. = ", \ r \ nYour invoice is attached."; Then the mail
is sent via the PHPMailer object. The procedure is almost the same as in
section 2.2. It is only necessary to ensure that the recipient is to be
determined on the basis of the input made previously by the user. The content
is not entered directly, but via the variable content:

$ mail = new PHPMailer (); $ mail-> setFrom ('[email protected]', 'tool online shop'); $ mail->
addAddress ($ _ REQUEST ['address'], $ _REQUEST [' name ']);
$ mail-> Subject = 'Your Invoice'; $ mail-> Body = $ content; $ mail-> addAttachment ($ file); $ mail-
> send ();

The creation of the PDF document and the sending of the e-mail are now
completed. However, the page that opens remains empty so far. Therefore a
short message should be displayed here:

print "Thank you for your order! <br>"; print "Your invoice will be sent to you by email.";

Now you have to close the curly braces of the if query. This is followed by a
short else block that is executed if the customer has not ordered an item. This
only outputs a corresponding message:

else {print "You have not ordered a product.";}

The program is now fully completed. The complete code for this looks like
this:

<? php
require_once ('TCPDF-master / tcpdf.php'); use PHPMailer \ PHPMailer \ PHPMailer; use PHPMailer \
PHPMailer \ Exception; require 'C: \ xampp \ composer \ vendor \ autoload.php'; $ html = "<h1>
Invoice </h1> "; $ html. =" <p> Invoice no .: 12345 </p> <br> <br> <br> "; $ price = 0; if ($
_REQUEST ['drill'] ! = 0) {$ html. = $ _REQUEST ['drilling machine']. "Drilling machine (s):"; $
html. = ($ _REQUEST ['drilling machine'] * 34.99). "EUR <br> <br>" ; $ price + = $ _REQUEST
['drilling machine'] * 34.99;} if ($ _REQUEST ['angle grinder']! = 0) {$ html. = $ _REQUEST ['angle
grinder']. "Angle grinder:"; $ html. = ($ _REQUEST ['angle grinder'] * 22.99). "EUR <br> <br>"; $
price + = $ _REQUEST ['angle grinder'] * 22.99;} if ($ _REQUEST ['belt grinder']! = 0 ) {$ html. = $
_REQUEST ['belt sander']. "Belt sander:"; $ html. = ($ _REQUEST ['belt sander'] * 41.99). "EUR <br>
<br>"; $ price + = $ _REQUEST ['belt sander'] * 41.99;} $ html. = "<br> <br> <br> Invoice amount:".
$ Price. "EUR"; if ($ price> 0) {$ file = "Invoice.pdf "; $ pdf = new TCPDF (); $ pdf-> AddPage (); $
pdf-> writeHTML ($ html); $ pdf-> Outp ut (dirname (__ FILE __). '/'. $ file, 'F'); $ content = "Dear Sir
/ Madam". $ _ REQUEST ['name']; $ content. = ", \ r \ nYour invoice is attached. "; $ mail = new
PHPMailer (); $ mail-> setFrom ('[email protected] ',' Tool-Onlineshop '); $ mail-> addAddress
($ _ REQUEST [' address'], $ _REQUEST ['name']); $ mail-> Subject = 'Your invoice'; $ mail-> Body
= $ content; $ mail-> addAttachment ($ file); $ mail-> send () ; print "Thank you for your order! <br>";
print "Your invoice will be sent to you by email.";
} else {print "You have not ordered a product.";}?> Screenshot 73 The confirmation after
the order

17.5 Exercise: Sending emails and designing PDFs

1. Create an HTML form that allows the visitor to enter an email address and
some text. After he has pressed the associated button, he should be redirected
to a new page. This should send the entered content to the appropriate
address using the mail function.

2. Use the same HTML form from the previous exercise. However, remove
the field for entering the email address and redirect the visitor to another
page, which should output the content in a PDF document directly via the
browser. Now use the original HTML form again by entering the email
address. Just change the forwarding and design a new page. This should turn
the content into a PDF document
create and save on the server. It then sends this as an attachment to the
specified address.

1.HTML form:

<h1> Please enter the content </h1> <form method = "post" action = "task1.php"> Content: <br>
<textarea name = "content" rows = "10" cols = "30" > Your message </textarea> <br> E-Mail: <input
type = "text" size = "15" name = "mail"> <br> <br> <input type = "submit" value = "send" > </form>

PHP-Script: <? Php $ receiver = $ _REQUEST ['mail']; $ subject = "Automatic E-Mail"; $ from =
"From: PHP-Lehrbuch"; $ text = $ _REQUEST ['content']; mail ($ recipient, $ subject, $ text, $ from);?
>

. <? phprequire_once ('TCPDF-master / tcpdf.php'); $ pdf = new TCPDF (); $ pdf-> AddPage (); $
pdf-> writeHTML ($ _ REQUEST ['content']); $ pdf-> Output ('Task2.pdf', 'I');?>

3. <? Phprequire_once ('TCPDF-master / tcpdf.php'); use PHPMailer \ PHPMailer \ PHPMailer; use

PHPMailer \ PHPMailer \ Exception; require 'C: \ xampp \ composer \ vendor \ autoload.php'; $
pdfName = "Task3.pdf"; $ pdf = new TCPDF (); $ pdf-> AddPage (); $ pdf-> writeHTML ($ _
REQUEST ['content']); $ pdf-> Output (dirname (__ FILE __). '/ '. $ pdfName,' F '); $ mail = new
PHPMailer (); $ mail-> setFrom (' [email protected] '); $ mail-> addAddress ($ _ REQUEST ['
mail ']); $ mail-> Subject = 'Mail with attachment'; $ mail-> Body = 'This mail sends the entered
content as PDF.'; $ mail-> addAttachment ('Task3.pdf'); $ mail-> send (); ?>