Web Development Using PHP

DECAP777

Edited by
Dr. Pawan Kumar
Web Development Using PHP
Edited By:
Dr. Pawan Kumar
 Title: WEB DEVELOPMENT USING PHP

Author’s Name: Dr. Tarandeep Kaur

Published By : Lovely Professional University

Publisher Address: Lovely Professional University, Jalandhar Delhi GT road, Phagwara - 144411

Printer Detail: Lovely Professional University

Edition Detail: (I)

ISBN: 978-81-19334-31-5

Copyrights@ Lovely Professional University

 CONTENT

Unit 1: Introduction with Language Basics 1

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Unit 2: Statements in PHP 32
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Unit 3: Functions in PHP 46
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Unit 4: PHP Functions 74
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Unit 5: PHP Strings and Math Functions 99
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Unit 6: Arrays in PHP 116
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Unit 7: Working with Databases in PHP 140
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Unit 8: Working with Graphics in PHP 159
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Unit 9: Working with PDF in PHP 183
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Unit 10: Working with XML in PHP 197
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Unit 11: File Upload and File Permissions in PHP 211
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Unit 12: PHP Forms 225
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Unit 13: PHP State Management 238

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Unit 14: Advanced PHP Concepts 250

Dr. Tarandeep Kaur, Lovely Professional University
 Notes
Dr. Tarandeep Kaur, Lovely Professional University Unit 01: Introduction with Language Basics

Unit 01: Introduction with Language Basics

CONTENTS
Objectives
Introduction
1.1 What Does PHP Do?
1.2 Characteristics of PHP
1.3 PHP Web Execution
1.4 History of PHP
1.5 Versions of PHP
1.6 Applications of PHP
1.7 PHP Environment Setup
1.8 Lexical Structures in PHP
1.9 Data Types in PHP
1.10 Variables in PHP
1.11 PHP Operators
1.12 PHP Constants
1.13 Comments in PHP
1.14 Running PHP
1.15 How to Run a PHP Code Using XAMPP?
Summary
Keywords
Self Assessment
Answers for Self Assessment
Review Questions
Further Readings

Objectives
After studying this unit, you will be able to:

 Know about the features and history of PHP

 Investigate the data types, variables and constants in PHP.
 Explore the lexical structure of PHP.
 Understand the concept of operators in PHP.
 Recognize the importance of commenting in PHP.
 Empirically run PHP on your system.

Introduction
PHP is a simple yet powerful language designed for creating HTML content.PHP is a server
scripting language, and a powerful tool for making dynamic and interactive Web pages.PHP is a
widely used, free, and efficient alternative to competitors such as Microsoft's ASP.It is an open-
source, interpreted, and object-oriented scripting language that can be executed at the server-side. It

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Web Development Using PHP

is well suited for web development and is used to develop web applications (an application that
executes on the server and generates the dynamic page.).
PHP was created by Rasmus Lerdorf in 1994 but appeared in the market in 1995. PHP 8.1.2 is the
latest version of PHP, which was released on 20th January; 2022.W3Techs reports that, as of
January 2022, "PHP is used by 78.1% of all the websites whose server-side programming language
we know”. PHP version 7.4 is the most used version. Support for version 7.3 was dropped on 6
December 2021.

PHP Mascot
The mascot of the PHP project is the elePHPant (Figure 1), a blue elephant with the PHP logo on its
side, designed by Vincent Pointer in 1998."The (PHP) letters were forming the shape of an elephant
if viewed in a sideways angle”. The elePHPant is sometimes differently colored when in plush toy
form.Many variations of this mascot have been made over the years. Only the elePHPants based on
the original design by Vincent Pointer are considered official by the community.

Figure 1: PHP Mascot

1.1 What Does PHP Do?

PHP can be used in three primary ways:

 Server-side Scripting: PHP was originally designed to create dynamic web content, and it is
still best suited for thattask. To generate HTML, you need the PHP parser and a web server
through which to send thecoded documents. PHP has also become popular for generating
XML documents, graphics, Flashanimations, PDF files, and so much more.
 Command-line Scripting: PHP can run scripts from the command line, much like Perl, awk, or
the Unix shell. You mightuse the command-line scripts for system administration tasks, such
as backup and log parsing;even some CRON job type scripts can be done this way (nonvisual
PHP tasks).
 Graphical Scripting: Using PHP-GTK, you can write full-blown, cross-platform GUI
applications in PHP. PHP runs on all major operating systems, from Unix variants including
Linux, FreeBSD, Ubuntu,Debian, and Solaris to Windows and Mac OS X. It can be used with
all leading web servers, including Apache, Microsoft IIS, and the Netscape/iPlanet servers.

Notes: The language itself is extremely flexible.

1.2 Characteristics of PHP

PHP stands for Hypertext Preprocessor. It originally stood for Personal Home Page, but it now
stands for the recursive initialism PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor.PHP is an interpreted language,
i.e., there is no need for compilation. The other characteristics of PHP are:

 Faster than other scripting languages, for example, ASP and JSP.
 A server-side scripting language, which is used to manage the dynamic content of the website.

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 Can be embedded into HTML.

 An object-oriented language.
 Simple and easy to learn language.
 PHP files have extension ".php“.
 PHP is a server-side scripting language, which is used to design the dynamic web applications
with MySQL database.
 Handles dynamic content, database as well as session tracking for the website.
 Can create sessions in PHP.
 Can access cookies variable and also set cookies.
 Helps to encrypt the data and apply validation.
 Supports several protocols such as HTTP, POP3, SNMP, LDAP, IMAP, and many more.
 Using PHP language, you can control the user to access some pages of your website.
 As PHP is easy to install and set up, this is the main reason why PHP is the best language to
learn.
 PHP can handle the forms, such as - collect the data from users using forms, save it into the
database, and return useful information to the user. For example: Registration form.
PHP is a very popular language because of its simplicity and open source. There are many
important features of PHP as listed below (Figure 2):

Figure 2:Characteristics of PHP

Performance:PHP script is executed much faster than those scripts which are written in other
languages such as JSP and ASP. PHP uses its own memory, so the server workload and loading
time is automatically reduced, which results in faster processing speed and better performance.
Open Source: PHP source code and software are freely available on the web. You can develop all
the versions of PHP according to your requirement without paying any cost. All its components are
free to download and use.
Familiarity with syntax: PHP has easily understandable syntax. Programmers are comfortable
coding with it.
Embedded: PHP code can be easily embedded within HTML tags and script.
Platform Independent: PHP is available for WINDOWS, MAC, and LINUX& UNIX operating
system. A PHP application developed in one OS can be easily executed in other OS also.

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Control: Different programming languages require long script or code, whereas PHP can do the
same work in a few lines of code. It has maximum control over the websites like you can make
changes easily whenever you want.
Database Support: PHP supports all the leading databases such as MySQL, SQLite, ODBC, etc.
Loosely Typed Language: PHP allows us to use a variable without declaring its datatype. It will be
taken automatically at the time of execution based on the type of data it contains on its value.
Error Reporting: PHP has predefined error reporting constants to generate an error notice or
warning at runtime. E.g., E_ERROR, E_WARNING, E_STRICT, E_PARSE.
Security: PHP is a secure language to develop the website. It consists of multiple layers of security
to prevent threads and malicious attacks.
Web servers Support:PHP is compatible with almost all local servers used today like Apache,
Netscape, Microsoft IIS, etc.
Helpful PHP Community:It has a large community of developers who regularly updates
documentation, tutorials, online help, and FAQs. Learning PHP from the communities is one of the
significant benefits.

1.3 PHP Web Execution

PHP code is usually processed on a web server by a PHP interpreter implemented as a module, a
daemon or as a Common Gateway Interface (CGI) executable (Figure 3). On a web server, the result
of the interpreted and executed PHP code – which may be any type of data, such as generated
HTML or binary image data– would form the whole or part of an HTTP response.

Figure 3: PHP Web Execution Scenario

Various web template systems, web content management systems, and web frameworks exist
which can be employed to orchestrate or facilitate the generation of that response. Additionally,
PHP can be used for many programming tasks outside the web context, such as standalone
graphical applications and robotic drone control. The PHP code can also be directly executed from
the command line.PHP is widely used in web development nowadays. PHP can develop dynamic
websites easily. But you must have the basic the knowledge of following technologies for web
development as well:

 HTML-HTML is used to design static webpage.

 CSS-CSS helps to make the webpage content more effective and attractive
 JavaScript- JavaScript is used to design an interactive website.
 Ajax
 XML and JSON
 jQuery

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1.4 History of PHP

PHP development began in 1994 when Rasmus Lerdorf wrote several Common Gateway Interface
(CGI) programs in C, which he used to maintain his personal homepage. He extended them to
work with web forms and to communicate with databases, and called this implementation
"Personal Home Page/Forms Interpreter" or PHP/FI.PHP/FI could be used to build simple,
dynamic web applications. To accelerate bug reporting and improve the code, Lerdorf initially
announced the release of PHP/FI as "Personal Home Page Tools (PHP Tools) version 1.0" on the
Usenet discussion group on June 8, 1995.This release already had the basic functionality that PHP
has today. This included Perl-like variables, form handling, and the ability to embed HTML. The
syntax resembled that of Perl, but was simpler, more limited and less consistent.
The early PHP was not intended to be a new programming language, and grew organically, with
Lerdorf noting in retrospect: "I don't know how to stop it, there was never any intent to write a
programming language [...] I have absolutely no idea how to write a programming language, I just
kept adding the next logical step on the way." A development team began to form and, after
months of work and beta testing, officially released PHP/FI 2 in November 1997.The fact that PHP
was not originally designed, but instead was developed organically has led to inconsistent naming
of functions and inconsistent ordering of their parameters. In some cases, the function names were
chosen to match the lower-level libraries which PHP was "wrapping", while in some very early
versions of PHP the length of the function names was used internally as a hash function, so names
were chosen to improve the distribution of hash values.

1.5 Versions of PHP

The different versions of PHP have been developed as listed below:
PHP 3 and 4: This is an example of PHP code for the WordPress content management
system.ZeevSuraski and Andi Gutmans rewrote the parser in 1997 and formed the base of PHP 3,
changing the language's name to the recursive acronym PHP: Hypertext Pre-processor.Afterwards,
the public testing of PHP 3 began, and the official launch came in June 1998. Suraski and Gutmans
then started a new rewrite of PHP's core, producing the Zend Engine in 1999. They also founded
Zend Technologies in Ramat Gan, Israel.On 22 May 2000, PHP 4, powered by the Zend Engine 1.0,
was released. By August 2008, this branch had reached version 4.4.9. PHP 4 is now no longer under
development and nor are any security updates planned to be released.
PHP 5:On 1 July 2004, PHP 5 was released, powered by the new Zend Engine II. PHP 5 included
new features such as improved support for object-oriented programming, the PHP Data Objects
(PDO) extension (which defines a lightweight and consistent interface for accessing databases), and
numerous performance enhancements.In 2008, PHP 5 became the only stable version under
development. Later, static binding had been missing from previous versions of PHP, and was
added in version 5.3.Many high-profile open-source projects ceased to support PHP 4 in new code
from February 5, 2008, because of the GoPHP5 initiative, provided by a consortium of PHP
developers promoting the transition from PHP 4 to PHP 5.Over time, PHP interpreters became
available on most existing 32-bit and 64-bit operating systems, either by building them from the
PHP source code, or by using pre-built binaries. For PHP versions 5.3 and 5.4, the only available
Microsoft Windows binary distributions were 32-bit IA-32 builds, requiring Windows 32-bit
compatibility mode while using Internet Information Services (IIS) on a 64-bit Windows platform.
PHP version 5.5 made the 64-bit x86-64 builds available for Microsoft Windows. The official
security support for PHP 5.6 ended on 31 December 2018.
PHP 6 and Unicode:PHP received mixed reviews due to lacking native Unicode support at the core
language level.In 2005, a project headed by Andrei Zmievski was initiated to bring native Unicode
support throughout PHP, by embedding the International Components for Unicode (ICU) library,
and representing text strings as UTF-16 internally.Since this would cause major changes both to the
internals of the language and to user code, it was planned to release this as version 6.0 of the
language, along with other major features then in development.However, a shortage of developers
who understood the necessary changes, and performance problems arising from conversion to and
from UTF-16, which is rarely used in a web context, led to delays in the project.
As a result, a PHP 5.3 release was created in 2009, with many non-Unicode features back-ported
from PHP 6, notably namespaces. In March 2010, the project in its current form was officially
abandoned, and a PHP 5.4 release was prepared containing most remaining non-Unicode features

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from PHP 6, such as traits and closure re-binding. The initial hopes were that a new plan would be
formed for Unicode integration, but by 2014 none had been adopted.
PHP 7: During 2014 and 2015, a new major PHP version was developed, PHP 7. The numbering of
this version involved some debate among internal developers. While the PHP 6 Unicode
experiment had never been released, several articles and book titles referenced the PHP 6 name,
which might have caused confusion if a new release were to reuse the name. After a vote, the name
PHP 7 was chosen.
The foundation of PHP 7 is a PHP branch that was originally dubbed PHP next generation (phpng).
It was authored by Dmitry Stogov, Xinchen Hui and Nikita Popov, and aimed to optimize PHP
performance by refactoring the Zend Engine while retaining near-complete language compatibility.
By 14 July 2014, WordPress-based benchmarks, which served as the main benchmark suite for the
phpng project, showed an almost 100% increase in performance. The changes from phpng make it
easier to improve performance in future versions, as more compact data structures and other
changes are seen as better suited for a successful migration to a just-in-time (JIT) compiler. Because
of the significant changes, the reworked Zend Engine was called Zend Engine 3, succeeding Zend
Engine 2 used in PHP 5.
The major versions of PHP are allowed to break backward-compatibility of code and therefore PHP
7 presented an opportunity for other improvements beyond phpng that require backward-
compatibility breaks.In particular, it involved the following changes:

 Many fatal or recoverable-level legacy PHP error mechanisms were replaced with modern
object-oriented exceptions.
 The syntax for variable dereferencing was reworked to be internally more consistent and
complete, allowing the use of the operators ->, [], (),{}, and ::, with arbitrary meaningful left-
side expressions.
 Support for legacy PHP 4-style constructor methods was deprecated.
 The behaviour of the foreach statement was changed to be more predictable.
 Constructors for the few classes built-in to PHP which returned null upon failure were
changed to throw an exception instead, for consistency.
 Several unmaintained or deprecated server application programming interfaces (SAPIs) and
extensions were removed from the PHP core, most notably the legacy mysql extension.
 The behaviour of the list() operator was changed to remove support for strings.
 Support was removed for legacy ASP-style delimiters <% and %> and <script
language="php"> ... </script>.
 An oversight allowing a switch statement to have multiple default clauses was fixed.
 Support for hexadecimal number support in some implicit conversions from strings to
number types was removed.
 The left-shift and right-shift operators were changed to behave more consistently across
platforms.
 Conversions between floating-point numbers and integers were changed (e.g. infinity
changed to convert to zero) and implemented more consistently across platforms.
 PHP 7 also included new language features. Most notably, it introduced return type
declarations for functions which complement the existing parameter type declarations, and
support for the scalar types (integer, float, string, and Boolean) in parameter and return type
declarations.
PHP 8:PHP 8 was released on November 26, 2020. PHP 8 is a major version and has breaking
changes from previous versions. The new features and notable changes include:

 Just-in-time compilation
 Addition of the match expression
 Type changes and additions

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 Syntax changes and additions

 Standard library changes and additions
PHP 8.1: PHP 8.1 was released on November 25, 2021. It included several improvements, such as
enumerations (also called "enums"), readonly properties and array unpacking with string keys.

 Support for `readonly` properties was added.

 After the introduction of array unpacking in PHP 7.4 with consecutive numbered keys, PHP
8.1 introduced support for array unpacking with string keys.
 PHP 8.1 added support for using `new` in initializes.
 A new syntax was added for creating callables.
 PHP 8.1 brought support for Pure Intersection Types, after in the introduction of union types
in PHP 8.0.

1.6 Applications of PHP

PHP is one of the most widely used language over the web.PHP performs system functions, that is,
from files on a system it can create, open, read, write, and close them.PHP can handle forms, that is,
gather data from files, save data to a file, through email you can send data, return data to the
user.You add, delete, modify elements within your database through PHP. It allows to access
cookies variables and set cookies.Using PHP, you can restrict users to access some pages of your
website. Also, it can encrypt the data (Figure 4).

Figure 4: PHP Based Applications

CakePHP:CakePHP is an open-source web framework. It is intended to make developing,
deploying and maintaining applications much easier. It follows the model–view–controller (MVC)
approach and is written in PHP, modeled after the concepts of Ruby on Rails, and distributed
under the MIT License. CakePHP uses well-known software engineering concepts and software
design patterns, such as convention over configuration, model–view–controller, active record,
association data mapping, and front controller. CakePHP is licensed under the MIT license which
makes it perfect for use in commercialapplications.
CodeIgniter:It is intended to make developing, deploying and maintaining applications much
easier. CodeIgniter is loosely based on the popular model–view–controller (MVC) development
pattern. While controller classes are a necessary part of development under CodeIgniter, models
and views are optional. CodeIgniter can be also modified to use Hierarchical Model View
Controller (HMVC) which allows the developers to maintain modular grouping of Controller,
Models and View arranged in a sub-directory format.
Joomla:Joomla also spelled Joomla! (With an exclamation mark) and sometimes abbreviated as J! is
a free and open-source content management system (CMS) for publishing web content on websites.
Web content applications include discussion forums, photo galleries, e-Commerce and user
communities and numerous other web-based applications. Joomla is developed by a community of

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volunteers supported with the legal, organizational and financial resources of Open-Source
Matters, Inc.
Joomla is written in PHP, uses object-oriented programming techniques and software design
patterns, and stores data in a MySQL database. It has a software dependency on the Symfony PHP
framework. Joomla includes features such as page caching, RSS feeds, blogs, search, and support
for language internationalization. It is built on a model–view–controller web application
framework that can be used independently of the CMS.
Laravel:Laravel is a powerful MVC PHP framework, designed for developers who need a simple
and elegant toolkit to create full-featured web applications. Laravel was created by Taylor Otwell.
Laravel is a web application framework with expressive, elegant syntax.
WordPress:WordPress (WP, WordPress.org) is a free and open-source content management system
(CMS) written in PHP and paired with a MySQL or MariaDB database. The features include plugin
architecture and a template system, referred to within WordPress as Themes. WordPress was
originally created as a blog-publishing system but has evolved to support other web content types
including more traditional mailing lists and forums, media galleries, membership sites, learning
management systems (LMS) and online stores. One of the most popular content management
system solutions in use, WordPress is used by 42.8% of the top 10 million websites as of October
2021.
WordPress was released on May 27, 2003, by its founders, American developer Matt Mullenweg
and English developer Mike Little, as a fork of b2/cafelog. The software is released under the
GPLv2 (or later) license. In order to function, WordPress has to be installed on a web server, either
part of an Internet hosting service like WordPress.com or a computer running the software package
WordPress.org in order to serve as a network host in its own right.[10] A local computer may be
used for single-user testing and learning purposes.
Magento:Magento 2 is a CMS (Content Management System), developed by Varien Inc. It is an
open-source software which is a very useful software for online business. Magento 2 is developed
in PHP and Zend framework. Magento 2 is currently the largest E-commerce platform in the world.
Magento 2 is known for easy customization and extension of its functionalities.

1.7 PHP Environment Setup

In order to develop and run PHP Web pages three vital components need to be installed on your
computer system.

 Web Server: PHP will work with virtually all Web Server software, including Microsoft's
Internet Information Server (IIS) but then most often used is freely available Apache Server.
Download Apache for free here − https://httpd.apache.org/download.cgi
 Database: PHP will work with virtually all database software, including Oracle and Sybase
but most commonly used is freely available MySQL database. Download MySQL for free
here− https://www.mysql.com/downloads/
 PHP Parser: In order to process PHP script instructions a parser must be installed to generate
HTML output that can be sent to the Web browser.
PHP Parser Installation: Before you proceed it is important to make sure that you have proper
environment setup on your machine to develop your web programs using PHP.

 Type the following address into your browser's address box.

http://127.0.0.1/info.php

 If this displays a page showing your PHP installation related information, then it means you
have PHP and Web server installed properly. Otherwise, you must follow given procedure to
install PHP on your computer.
 You can install and configure PHP over the following four platforms:
 PHP Installation on Linux or Unix with Apache
 PHP Installation on Mac OS X with Apache

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 PHP Installation on Windows NT/2000/XP with IIS

 PHP Installation on Windows NT/2000/XP with Apache

1.8 Lexical Structures in PHP

Lexical structure of a programming language is the set of basic rules that governs how you write
programs in that language. The lowest-level syntax of the language and specifies such things as
what variable names look like, what characters are used for comments, and how program
statements are separated from each other.

Basic PHP Syntax

A PHP script can be placed anywhere in the document. A PHP script starts with <?php and ends
with ?>:
<? php
// PHP code goes here
?>
The default file extension for PHP files is ".php". A PHP file normally contains HTML tags, and
some PHP scripting code.
We have an example of a simple PHP file, with a PHP script that uses a built-in PHP function
"echo" to output the text "Hello World!" on a web page:
<! DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<body>
<h1>My first PHP page</h1>
<?php
echo "Hello World!";
?>
</body>
</html>

Notes:PHP statements end with a semicolon (;).

Expressions are combinations of tokens: The smallest building blocks of PHP are the indivisible
tokens, such as numbers (3.14159), strings (.two.), variables ($two), constants (TRUE), and the
special words that make up the syntax of PHP itself like if, else, while, for and so forth.

PHP Semicolon
The PHP statements end with a semicolon (;). A semicolon is used to mark end of a statement and is
mandatory.
$a = 34;
$b = $a * 34 - 34;
echo $a;
Here, we have three different PHP statements:

 The first is an assignment. It puts a value into the $a variable.

 The second one is an expression. The expression is evaluated and the output is given to the $b
variable.
 The third one is a command. It prints the $a variable.

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Escaping to PHP
The PHP parsing engine needs a way to differentiate PHP code from other elements in the page.
The mechanism for doing so is known as 'escaping to PHP’. There are four ways to do this:
Canonical PHP tags: The most universally effective PHP tag style is −
<? php...?>
If you use this style, you can be positive that your tags will always be correctly interpreted.
Short-open (SGML-style) tags: Short or short-open tags look like this−
<?...?>
Short tags are, as one might expect, the shortest option You must do one of two things to enable
PHP to recognize the tags. You can choose the --enable-short-tags configuration option when you're
building PHP. Set the short_open_tag setting in your php.ini file to on. This option must be
disabled to parse XML with PHP because the same syntax is used for XML tags.
ASP-style Tags: ASP-style tags mimic the tags used by Active Server Pages to delineate code
blocks. ASP-style tags look like this−
<%...%>
To use ASP-style tags, you will need to set the configuration option in your php.ini file.
HTML script Tags: HTML script tags look like this −
<script language = "PHP">...</script>

Commenting PHP Code

A comment is the portion of a program that exists only for the human reader and stripped out
before displaying the programs result. There are two commenting formats in PHP:

 Single-line comments: They are generally used for short explanations or notes relevant to the
local code. Here are the examples of single line comments.
<! DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<body>
<?php
// This is a single-line comment
# This is also a single-line comment
?>
</body>
</html>

Notes:Everything that follows the # character is ignored by the PHP interpreter.

 Multi-lines comments: They are generally used to provide pseudo code algorithms and more
detailed explanations when necessary. The multiline style of commenting is the same as in C.
Here is an example of multi-lines comments:
<! DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<body>
<?php
/*

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This is a multiple-lines comment block

that spans over multiple
lines
*/
?>
</body>
</html>

Statements in PHP
The statements are expressions terminated by semicolons. A statement in PHP is any expression
that is followed by a semicolon (;). Any sequence of valid PHP statements that is enclosed by the
PHP tags is a valid PHP program. Here is a typical statement in PHP, which in this case assigns a
string of characters to a variable called $greeting:
$greeting = "Welcome to PHP!”.

Whitespace in PHP
PHP is whitespace insensitive. The whitespace is the stuff you type that is typically invisible on the
screen, including spaces, tabs, and carriage returns (end-of-line characters).White space in PHP is
used to separate tokens in PHP source file. It is used to improve the readability of the source code.
public $isRunning;
White spaces are required in some places; for example between the access specified and the variable
name. In other places, it is forbidden. It cannot be present in variable identifiers.
$a=1;
$b = 2;
$c = 3;
The amount of space put between tokens is irrelevant for the PHP interpreter. It is based on the
preferences and the style of a programmer.
$a = 1;
$b = 2; $c = 3;
$d
=
4;
We can put two statements into one line. Or one statement into three lines. However, source code
should be readable for humans. There are accepted standards of how to lay out your source code.

Keywords in PHP
PHP is case sensitive.However, PHPkeywords (e.g. if, else, while, echo, etc.), classes, functions, and
user-defined functions are not case-sensitive.A keyword is a word reserved by the language for its
core functionality you cannot give a variable, function, class, or constant the same name as a
keyword. Some of the keywords in PHP are displayed below (Figure 5):

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Figure 4: List of Keywords in PHP

Example: In the following example, all the keywords ECHO, echo or EcHo are equal and
legal.

<! DOCTYPE html>

<html>
<body>
<? php
ECHO "Hello World!<br>";
echo "Hello World!<br>";
EcHo "Hello World!<br>";
?>
</body>
</html>

Variables in PHP
A variable is an identifier, which holds a value. In programming we say that we assign a value to a
variable. Technically speaking, a variable is a reference to a computer memory, where the value is
stored. In PHP language, a variable can hold a string, a number, or various objects like a function or
a class. Variables can be assigned different values over time.Variables in PHP consist of the $
character, called a sigil, and a label. A label can be created from alphanumeric characters and an
underscore _ character. A variable cannot begin with a number. The PHP interpreter can then
distinguish between a number and a variable more easily.

Example: $Value
$value2
$company name

These were valid PHP identifiers.

$12Val
$exx$
$first-name
These were examples of invalid PHP identifiers.

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Variables in PHP are case-sensitive. That is, $name, $NAME, and $NaME are three different
variables.
<? php
$number = 10;
$Number = 11;
$NUMBER = 12;
echo $number, $Number, $NUMBER;
echo "\n";
?>

Example 1: Look at the example below; only the first statement will display the value of the
$color variable! This is because $color, $COLOR, and $co LOR is treated as three different
variables:

<! DOCTYPE html>

<html>
<body>
<?php
$color = "red";
echo "My car is " . $color . "<br>";
echo "My house is " . $COLOR . "<br>";
echo "My boat is " . $coLOR . "<br>";
?>
</body>
</html>

Example 2:
<! DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<body>
<?php
$color = "red";
echo "My car is " . $color . "<br>";
echo "My house is " . $COLOR . "<br>";
$color= "blue";
echo "My hair is " . $color . "<br>";
echo "My boat is " . $coLOR . "<br>";
echo "My boat is " . $color . "<br>";
?>
</body>
</html>

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Example 3:
<html>
<body>
<?php
$capital = 67;
print("Variable capital is $capital<br>");
print("Variable CaPiTaL is $CaPiTaL<br>");
?>
</body>
</html>

Braces
Braces make Blocks. Although statements cannot be combined like expressions, you can always put
a sequence of statements anywhere a statement can go by enclosing them in a set of curly
braces.Here both statements areequivalent −
if (3 == 2 + 1)
print("Good - I haven't totally lost my mind.<br>");
if (3 == 2 + 1)
{
print("Good - I haven't totally");
print("lost my mind.<br>");
}

Constants
Constant is an identifier for a value which cannot change during the execution of the script. By
convention, constant identifiers are always uppercase.Example:
<? php
define ("SIZE", 300);
define ("EDGE", 100);
#SIZE = 100;
echo SIZE;
echo EDGE;
echo "\n";
?>
In the script, we define two constants, that is,
define ("SIZE", 300);
define ("EDGE", 100);

Literal in PHP
A literal is any notation for representing a value within the PHP source code. Technically, a literal is
assigned a value at compile time, while a variable is assigned at runtime.
$age = 29;

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$nationality = "Hungarian";

1.9 Data Types in PHP

PHP String: A string is a sequence of characters, like "Hello world!". A string can be any text inside
quotes. You can use single or double quotes. Example
<? php
$str = "Hello world!";
$strs = 'Web Development using PHP';
echo $str;
echo "<br>";
echo $strs;
?>
PHP Integer:An integer data type is a non-decimal number between -2,147,483,648 and
2,147,483,647. The following are the rules for integers:

 An integer must have at least one digit.

 An integer must not have a decimal point.
 An integer can be either positive or negative.
 Integers can be specified in: decimal (base 10), hexadecimal (base 16), octal (base 8), or binary
(base 2) notation.
PHP Float:A float (floating point number) is a number with a decimal point or a number in
exponential form. In the following example $a is a float. The PHP var_dump() function returns the
data type and value:
<? php
$a = 15.18;
var_dump($a);
?>
PHP Boolean:A Boolean represents two possible states: TRUE or FALSE.
$x = true;
$y = false;
Booleans are often used in conditional testing.
PHP Array:Arrays are named and indexed collections of other values. An array stores multiple
values in one single variable. In the following example $courses is an array. The PHP var_dump()
function returns the data type and value:
<? php
$courses=array ("DataStructures","Data Communications","PHP","Python");
var_dump($courses);
?>
PHP Object: Objects − are instances of programmer -defined classes, which can package up both
other kinds of values and functions that are specific to the class.

 Classes and objects are the two main aspects of object-oriented programming.
 A class is a template for objects, and an object is an instance of a class.
 When the individual objects are created, they inherit all the properties and behaviors from the
class, but each object will have different values for the properties.

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PHP NULL Value:Null is a special data type which can have only one value: NULL. A variable of
data type NULL is a variable that has no value assigned to it.
<? php
$a="How are you";
$b=null;
var_dump($a);
var_dump($b);
?>
PHP Resource: The special resource type is not an actual data type. It is the storing of a reference to
functions and resources external to PHP. A common example of using the resource data type is a
database call.

1.10 Variables in PHP

Variable is an identifier, which holds a value. In programming we say that we assign a value to a
variable. Technically speaking, a variable is a reference to a computer memory, where the value is
stored. In PHP language, a variable can hold a string, a number, or various objects like a function or
a class. Variables can be assigned different values over time. The syntax of declaring a variable in
PHP is given below:
$variable name=value;
Variables in PHP consist of the $ character, called a sigil, and a label. A variable must start with a
dollar ($) sign, followed by the variable name.A label can be created from alphanumeric characters
and an underscore _ character. A variable name must start with a letter or underscore (_) character.
As PHP is a loosely typed language, so we do not need to declare the data types of the variables. It
automatically analyses the values and makes conversions to its correct datatype.

 After declaring a variable, it can be reused throughout the code.

 Assignment Operator (=) is used to assign the value to a variable.
 The value of a variable is the value of its most recent assignment.
 Variables are assigned with the = operator, with the variable on the left-hand side and the
expression to be evaluated on the right.
 Variables can, but do not need, to be declared before assignment.
 Variables in PHP do not have intrinsic types- a variable does not know in advance whether it
will be used to store a number or a string of characters.
 Variables used before they are assigned have default values.
 PHP does a good job of automatically converting types from one to another when necessary.
 PHP variables are Perl-like.
Rules for Declaring PHP Variables

 A PHP variable name cannot contain spaces.

 One thing to be kept in mind that the variable name cannot start with a number or special
symbols.
 PHP variables are case-sensitive, so $name and $NAME both are treated as different variable.

Creating (Declaring) PHP Variables

The following example illustrates the creation or declaration of variables in PHP. In the following
example, a string variable ($txt) and two other variables $x and $y have been declared.
<? php
$txt="Hello PHP Students";

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$x=15;
$y=12.5;
echo $txt;
echo $x;
?>

PHP Variables Scope

PHP has three different variable scopes:

 Local: A variable declared within a function has a LOCAL SCOPE and can only be accessed
within that function.
 Global: A variable declared outside a function has a GLOBAL SCOPE and can only be
accessed outside a function.
 Static: When a function is completed/executed, all its variables are deleted. However,
sometimes we want a local variable NOT to be deleted. We need it for a further job.

Output Variables in PHP

1. Echo statement is often used to output data to the screen.
<?php
$txt = “lpu.in";
echo “This is $txt!";
?>
2. Print statement can be used to display the variables. The following example shows how to output
text and variables with the print statement:
<?php
$str="Learn language";
$str1="I am open to learn anything new";
#$r=20;
#$z=45;
print "<h2>" . $str . "</h2>";
print "<h2>" . $str1 . "</h2>";
print "<h2>" . $str." and” . $str1. "</h2>";
#echo $r+$z;
?>

Echo vs Print Statements

Echo and print are the same. They are both used to output data to the screen.The differences are
small:

 Echo has no return value while print has a return value of 1 so it can be used in expressions.
 Echo can take multiple parameters (although such usage is rare) while print can take one
argument.
 Echo is marginally faster than print.

1.11 PHP Operators

The operators are used to perform operations on variables and values.PHPoperator is a symbolthat
isused to perform operations on the operands. The various types of operators are:

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 PHP Arithmetic Operators: PHP arithmetic operators are used to perform common arithmetic
operations such as addition, subtraction, etc. with numeric values (Figure 6).

Figure 5: Arithmetic Operators in PHP

Example: Write a program to add 2 numbers?
<? php
$num1= 20;
$num2=30;
$num= $num1+$num2;
echo $num . "</br>";
$numberS=10+50;
echo $numberS;
#Here + is the operator and 20, 3 are the operands.
?>

 PHP Assignment Operators:The basic assignment operator in PHP is "=" (Figure 7).

Figure 6: Assignment Operators in PHP

PHP Comparison Operators:The comparison operators allow comparing two values, such as
number or string (Figure 8).

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Figure 7: Comparison Operators in PHP

Incrementing/Decrementing Operators: The increment and decrement operators are used to
increase and decrease the value of a variable (Figure 9).

Figure 8: Incrementing/Decrementing Operators in PHP

Logical Operators: PHP logical operators are used to combine conditional statements (Figure 9).

Figure 9: Logical Operators in PHP

String Operators:These operators are used to perform the operation on strings (Figure 11). There
are two string operators in PHP, which are given below:

Figure 10: String Operators in PHP

Array Operators: The array operators are used in case of array (Figure 12). Basically, these
operators are used to compare the values of arrays.

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Figure 11: Array Operators in PHP

Conditional Operator: The conditional operator first evaluates an expression for a true or false
value and then executes one of the two given statements depending upon the result of the
evaluation (Figure 13).

Figure 12: Conditional Operators in PHP

1.12 PHP Constants

PHP constants are name or identifier that can't be changed during the execution of the script except
for magic constants, which are not really constants. The constants are similar to the variable except
once they defined; they can never be undefined or changed. They remain constant across the entire
program. PHP constants follow the same PHP variable rules. For example, it can be started with a
letter or underscore only.Conventionally,PHP constants should be defined in uppercase letters. The
PHP constants can be defined by 2 ways:
1. Using define () function: Use the define() function to create a constant. It defines constant at run
time. The syntax of define () function is:
define (name, value, case-insensitive)
where:

 Name: It specifies the constant name.

 Value: It specifies the constant value.
 Case-insensitive: Specifies whether a constant is case-insensitive. Default value is false. It
means it is case sensitive by default.Example:
<?php
define (“MESSAGE”,”HelloJavaTpoint PHP”);
echo MESSAGE;
?>

Example: <?php

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define("SIZE", 300);
define("EDGE", 100);
#SIZE = 100;
echo SIZE;
echo EDGE;
echo "\n";
?>

In the script, we define two constants.

Define ("SIZE", 300);
Define ("EDGE", 100);
2. Using const keyword: PHP introduced a keyword const to create a constant. The const keyword
defines constants at compile time. It is a language construct, not a function. The constant defined
using const keyword is case-sensitive.
<? php
Const MESSAGE="Hello const by Java point PHP";
EchoMESSAGE;
?>

Constant () function
PHP constants can also be used using Constant() function. There is another way to print the value
of constants using constant () function instead of using the echo statement.The syntax for the
following constant function:
Constant (name)
<?php
define("MSG", "JavaTpoint");
Echo MSG, "</br>";
echo constant("MSG");
//both are similar
?>

Constant vs Variables in PHP

Table 1: Constants vs Variables

Constants Variables

Constants do not follow any variable Variables can be declared anywhere in the
scoping rules, and they can be defined and program, but they follow variable scoping rules.
accessed anywhere.

Constants do not follow any variable Variables can be declared anywhere in the
scoping rules, and they can be defined and program, but they follow variable scoping rules.
accessed anywhere.

By default, constants are global. Variables can be local, global, or static.

Once the constant is defined, it can never be A variable can be undefined as well as redefined
redefined. easily.

A constant can only be defined using A variable can be defined by simple assignment

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define() function. It cannot be defined by any (=) operator.

simple assignment.

There is no need to use the dollar ($) sign To declare a variable, always use the dollar ($)
before constant during the assignment. sign before the variable.

PHP Magic Constants

Magic constants are the predefined constants in PHP which get changed on the basis of their use.
They start with double underscore (__) and ends with double underscore.They are similar to other
predefined constants but as they change their values with the context, they are called magic
constants. There are nine magic constants in PHP. In which eight magic constants start and end
with double underscores (__).

 __LINE__
 __FILE__
 __DIR__
 __FUNCTION__
 __CLASS__
 __TRAIT__
 __METHOD__
 __NAMESPACE__
 ClassName::class
All of the constants are resolved at compile-time instead of run time, unlike the regular constant.
Magic constants are case-insensitive.

 __LINE__: It returns the current line number of the file, where this constant is used.

Example: <? php

echo "<h3>Example for __LINE__</h3>";
// print Your current line number, that is, 4
echo "You are at line number " . __LINE__ . "<br><br>";
?>

 __FILE__: This magic constant returns the full path of the executed file, where the file is
stored. If it is used inside the include, the name of the included file is returned.

Example: <?php
echo "<h3>Example for __FILE__</h3>";
//print full path of file with .php extension
echo __FILE__ . "<br><br>";
?>

 __DIR__: Returns the full directory path of the executed file. The path returned by this magic
constant is equivalent to dirname(__FILE__). This magic constant does not have a trailing
slash unless it is a root directory.

Example: <?php
echo "<h3>Example for __DIR__</h3>";
//print full path of directory where script will be placed
echo __DIR__ . "<br><br>";

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//below output will equivalent to above one.

echo dirname(__FILE__) . "<br><br>";
?>

 __FUNCTION__:These magic constant returns the function name, where this constant is used.
It will return blank if it is used outside of any function.
 __CLASS__: It returns the class name, where this magic constant is used. __CLASS__ constant
also works in traits.

1.13 Comments in PHP

A comment is the portion of a program that exists only for the human reader and stripped out
before displaying the programs result. There are two commenting formats in PHP:
Single-line comments:They are generally used for short explanations or notes relevant to the local
code. Here are the examples of single line comments.
<! DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<body>
<?php
// This is a single-line comment
# This is also a single-line comment
?>
</body>
</html>

Example: Everything that follows the # character is ignored by the PHP interpreter.

Multi-lines comments:They are generally used to provide pseudo code algorithms and more
detailed explanations when necessary. The multiline style of commenting is the same as in C. An
example of multi-lines comments is as follows:
<! DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<body>
<? php
/*
This is a multiple-lines comment block
That spans over multiple
lines
*/
?>
</body>
</html>

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1.14 Running PHP

PHP is the most popular and widely used server-side scripting language for web development.
However, it requires a web server to run even a locally developed webpage. There is various web
server software for setting up our local webserver. Amongst them, PHP XAMPP and WampServer
are the most popular.
While WampServer is only available for the Windows platform, XAMPP is a cross-platform
application that can run on Windows, Linux, and macOS.

XAMPP
XAMPP is a free and open-source cross-platform web server solution stack package developed by
Apache Friends, consisting mainly of the Apache HTTP Server, MariaDB database, and interpreters
for scripts written in the PHP and Perl programming languages.Since most actual web server
deployments use the same components as XAMPP, it makes transitioning from a local test server to
a live server possible.XAMPP's ease of deployment means a WAMP or LAMP stack can be installed
quickly and simply on an operating system by a developer, with the advantage that common add-
in applications such as WordPress and Joomla! can also be installed with similar ease using
Bitnami. It can be acronym as XAMPP Apache + MariaDB + PHP + Perl (Table 2). But later on,
MariaDB was replaced by MySQL in 2015.
Table 2: XAMPP Full Form

Letter Meaning

X An ideographic letter referring to cross-platform

A Apache, or its expanded form, Apache HTTP Server

M MariaDB (formerly MySQL

P PHP

P Perl

XAMPP eases the way in which WAMP webserver stack can be deployed and instantiated. Later
some common packaged applications that could be easily installed were provided by
Bitnami.Officially, XAMPP's designers intended it for use only as a development tool, to allow
website designers and programmers to test their work on their own computers without any access
to the Internet. To make this as easy as possible, many important security features are disabled by
default.XAMPP has the ability to serve web pages on the World Wide Web. A special tool is
provided to password-protect the most important parts of the package.XAMPP also provides
support for creating and manipulating databases in MariaDB and SQLite among others.Once
XAMPP is installed, it is possible to treat a localhost like a remote host by connecting using an FTP
client. Using a program like FileZilla has many advantages when installing a content management
system (CMS) like Joomla or WordPress. It is also possible to connect to localhost via FTP with an
HTML editor.

Download XAMPP
In order to download XAMPP, go to https://www.apachefriends.org/download.html (Figure 14 -
Figure 15)

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Figure 13: XAMPP Download

Installation of XAMPP
On completing the download of the setup file, begin the installation process and, in the “Select
Components” section, select all the required components(Figure 15-Figure 22).

Figure 14: XAMPP Installation Screen

Figure 15: Select Components to Install

Figure 16: Installation Folder

Figure 18: Bitnami XAMPP

Figure 17: Language Selection

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Figure 19: Installation Selection Option

Figure 20: Installation Start Screen

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Figure 21: XAMPP Installation Finish Screen

1.15 How to Run a PHP Code Using XAMPP?

 Before running a PHP script, you must know where to write it.
 In the XAMPP directory, there exists a folder called “htdocs”. This is where all the programs
for the web pages will be stored.
 Now, to run a PHP script:
 Go to “C:\xampp\htdocs” and inside it, create a folder. Let’s call it “test”. It’s considered
good practice to create a new folder for every project you work on.
 Inside the test folder, create a new text file and name it “index.php” and write an initial PHP
script.
 Now, to see the script output, open the XAMPP control panel and start Apache to host the
local webserver, where our script will be running. (Make sure any other services like IIS are
stopped).
 Now navigate to your browser and type in “localhost/test/” in the address bar to view the
output.

Summary
 PHP is a server scripting language, and a powerful tool for making dynamic and interactive
Web pages. It is widely used, free, and efficient alternative to competitors such as Microsoft's
ASP.
 PHP is an open-source, interpreted, and object-oriented scripting language that can be
executed at the server-side.
 PHP stands for Hypertext Pre-processor. It originally stood for Personal Home Page, but it
now stands for the recursive initialism PHP: Hypertext Pre-processor. PHP is an interpreted
language, i.e., there is no need for compilation.
 PHP performs system functions, that is, from files on a system it can create, open, read, write,
and close them. PHP can handle forms, that is, gather data from files, save data to a file,
through email you can send data, return data to the user.

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 WordPress (WP, WordPress.org) is a free and open-source content management system (CMS)
written in PHP and paired with a MySQL or MariaDB database.
 PHP code is usually processed on a web server by a PHP interpreter implemented as a
module, a daemon or as a Common Gateway Interface (CGI) executable. On a web server, the
result of the interpreted and executed PHP code – which may be any type of data, such as
generated HTML or binary image data– would form the whole or part of an HTTP response.

Keywords
 PHP: PHP is a server scripting language, and a powerful tool for making dynamic and
interactive Web pages. PHP is a widely used, free, and efficient alternative to competitors
such as Microsoft's ASP.
 PHP Parser:In order to process PHP script instructions a parser must be installed to generate
HTML output that can be sent to the Web browser.
 Lexical structure: Lexical structure of a programming language is the set of basic rules that
governs how you write programs in that language.
 Magic Constants:PHP constants are name or identifier that can't be changed during the
execution of the script except for magic constants, which are not really constants. The
constants are similar to the variable except once they defined, they can never be undefined or
changed. They remain constant across the entire program.
 CakePHP:CakePHP is an open-source web framework. It is intended to make developing,
deploying and maintaining applications much easier. It follows the model–view–controller
(MVC) approach and is written in PHP, modeled after the concepts of Ruby on Rails, and
distributed under the MIT License.
 Magento: Magento 2 is a CMS (Content Management System), developed by Varien Inc. It is
open-source software which is very useful software for online business.

SelfAssessment
1. The _______________ syntax of the language and specifies such things as what variable
names look like, what characters are used for comments, and how program statements are
separated from each other.
A. Highest-level
B. Lowest-level
C. Slow-level
D. Fast-level

2. What does PHP stand for?

A. Pretext Hypertext Processor
B. Hypertext Preprocessor
C. Preprocessor Home Page
D. Personal Home Paging

3. PHP is an example of ___________ scripting language.

A. Browser-side

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Unit 01: Introduction with Language Basics

B. Client-side
C. In-side
D. Server-side

4. PHP mascot is a/an

A. Elephant
B. Fish
C. Cat
D. Rhinoceros

5. Which of the following is NOT an application of PHP?

A. PHP can handle forms, that is, gather data from files, save data to a file, through email you
can send data, return data to the user.
B. Allows to add, delete, modify elements within your database through PHP.
C. Can access cookies variables and set cookies.
D. You cannot restrict users to access some pages of your website.

6. Which of the following corresponds to the characteristic(s) of PHP?

A. Loosely typed language
B. Web server support
C. Platform independence
D. All of the above

7. Which of the following is the default file extension of PHP?

A. .hphp
B. .php
C. .xml
D. .html

8. Which of the following starts with __ (double underscore) in PHP?

A. Inbuilt constants
B. User-defined constants
C. Magic constants
D. Default constants

9. _____________ is a cross-platform application that can run on Windows, Linux, and

macOS.
A. HAMP
B. Hadoop
C. XAMPP
D. WampServer

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10. Variables in PHP are case-sensitive.

A. True
B. False
11. The PHP var_dump() function returns the ___________.
A. Value only
B. Data type only
C. Data type and value both
D. None of the above

12. _____________ operatoris used to assign the value to a variable.

A. Logical
B. Assignment
C. Unary
D. Equivalent

13. In PHP, the variables start with _____?

A. &
B. $
C. #
D. %

14. Which of the following is not a variable scope in PHP?

A. Extern
B. Local
C. Static
D. Global

15. PHP ____________ operators are used to combine conditional statements.

A. Assignment
B. Arithmetic
C. Array
D. Logical

Answers for Self Assessment

1. B 2. B 3. D 4. A 5. D

6. D 7. B 8. C 9. C 10. A

11. C 12. B 13. A 14. A 15. D

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Review Questions
1. What are the different data types supported by PHP?
2. Define Magic constants and their significance.
3. Indicate the different ways of defining constants in PHP.
4. Write a short note on:
a. Comments in PHP
b. Constants in PHP
c. Arithmetic operators
5. Define the lexical structure of PHP.
6. Discuss the need for operators in PHP with the help of examples.
7. How variables are declared in PHP? Illustrate with examples.
8. Compare constants and variables in PHP.
9. What are variables in PHP? Describe the rules for declaring and using variables in PHP?
10. How PHP is executed on the Web?

Further Readings
 Joy of PHP: A Beginner’s Guide by Alan Forbes.
 Programming PHP: Creating Dynamic Web Pages by Kevin Tatroe and Peter
MacIntyre.
 Learn PHP in One Day and Learn It Well by Jamie Chan.
 Web Technologies: A Computer Science Perspective by Jackson, PearsonEducation
India.

Web Links
 https://www.w3schools.com/php/
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PHP
 https://www.php.net/manual/en/language.oop5.basic.php
 https://youtu.be/hx38tnlYGlA
 https://youtu.be/C9Tg1h53Q8s
 https://youtu.be/52YfLZApZ8I

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Dr. Tarandeep Kaur, Lovely Professional University Unit 02: Statements in PHP

Unit 02: Statements in PHP

CONTENTS
Objectives
Introduction
2.1 Conditional Statements in PHP
2.2 PHP If Statement
2.3 PHP If-else Statement
2.4 PHP if...else if...else Statement
2.5 PHP Nested If
2.6 Switch Statement in PHP
2.7 Loop Statements in PHP
2.8 PHP while Loop
2.9 PHP Nested While Loop
2.10 PHP Infinite While Loop
2.11 PHP do-while Loop
2.12 PHP for Loop
2.13 PHP Infinite for Loop
2.14 PHP Nested for Loop
2.15 PHP for each Loop
2.16 Embedding PHP in Web Pages
2.17 Embedding PHP in Web Pages- XML Style
2.18 Embedding PHP in Web Pages- SGML Style
2.19 Embedding PHP in Web Pages- ASP Style
2.20 Embedding PHP in Web Pages- Script Style
Summary
Keywords
Self Assessment
Answers for Self Assessment
Review Questions
Further Readings

Objectives
After studying this unit, you will be able to:

 Learn about the control statements in PHP.

 Know about the flow statements such as If, If-else, If-elseif-else etc.
 Explore the loops in PHP such as while, do-while, for loop.
 Learn about embedding PHP in web pages.

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Introduction
One of the main reasons for using scripting languages such as PHP is to build logic and intelligence
into the creation and deployment of web based data. In order to be able to build logic into PHP
based scripts, it is necessary for the script to be able to make decisions and repeat tasks based on
specified criteria. For example, it may be necessary to repeat a section of a script a specified number
of times, or perform a task only if one or more conditions are found to be true. In programming
terms this is known as flow control and looping. In the simplest terms, this involves some standard
scripting structures provided by languages such as PHP to control the logic and overall behavior of
a script.Each of these structures provides a simple and intuitive way to build intelligence into
scripts.

2.1 Conditional Statements in PHP

Sometimes when you write code, you want to perform different actions for different decisions. You
can use conditional statements in your code to do this. The conditional statements are the set of
commands used to perform different actions based on different conditions.You can use conditional
statements in your code to make your decisions. PHP supports following three decision making
statements:

 if...else statement: Use this statement if you want to execute a set of code when a condition is
true and another if the condition is not true.

 Elseif statement: Used with the if...else statement to execute a set of code if one of the several
condition is true.
 Switch statement: Used if you want to select one of many blocks of code to be executed, use
the Switch statement. The switch statement is used to avoid long blocks of if..else if..else code.

2.2 PHP If Statement

PHP if statement allows conditional execution of code. It is executed if condition is true. The If
statement is used to executes the block of code exist inside the if statement only if the specified
condition is true.
Syntax:
if (condition)
{

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//code to be executed
}

You might have a script that checks if Boolean value is true or false, if variable contains number or
string value, if an object is empty or populated, etc. The condition can be anything you choose, and
you can combine conditions together to make for actions that are more complicated.

Lab Exercise: Write a program to find the smaller of two numbers?

Compound If Statements: You may also compound the statements using elseif to have multiple
conditions tested insequence. You should use this construction if you want to select one of many
sets of lines toexecute.
<?php
$num1 = 12;
$num2 = 15;
$num3=20;
if ( ( $num1 <$num2) && ($num2<$num3) )//Using Compound If Statement
{
echo “$num1 is 12, $num2 is 15 and $num3 is 20";
}
?>

2.3 PHP If-else Statement

PHP if-else statement is executed whether condition is true or false. If-else statement is slightly
different from if statement. It executes one block of code if the specified condition is true and
another block of code if the condition is false.The syntax if-else statement is:
if (condition)
{
statements_1
}
else

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{
statements_2
}

Lab Exercise: Write a program to decide whether a student has passed an exam with a pass
mark of 57?Write a program to check whether a number is even or odd?

2.4 PHP if...elseif...else Statement

PHP if...elseif...else Statement is a special statement used to combine multiple if?.else statements.
So, we can check multiple conditions using this statement.The if...elseif...else statement executes
different codes for more than two conditions. The syntax:
if (condition1) {
//code to be executed if condition1 is true
}
elseif (condition2) {
//code to be executed if condition2 is true
}
elseif (condition3) {
//code to be executed if condition3 is true
....
}
else {
//code to be executed if all given conditions are false
}

2.5 PHP Nested If

The Nested if contains the if block inside another if block. Here, the inner if statement executes only
when specified condition in outer if statement is true. The syntax for the Nested if is:

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if (condition) {
//code to be executed if condition is true
if (condition) {
//code to be executed if condition is true
}
}

Task:Write a program to check whether a person is eligible to vote or not? Write a program
to find the smallest of three numbers.

2.6 Switch Statement in PHP

Switch statements work the same as if statements. However, the difference is that they can check
for multiple values. Of course you do the same with multiple if..else statements, but this is not
always the best approach.A switch statement allows a program to evaluate an expression and
attempt to match the expression’s value to a case label. If a match is found, the program executes
the associated statement. One can use the switch statement to select one of many blocks of code to
be executed. Syntax:
Switch (expression)
{
Case label1:
code to be executed if expression = label1;
break;
Case label2:
code to be executed if expression = label2;
break;
default:
Code to be executed
if expression is different
from both label1 and label2;
}

Task:Write a program to check the day of a week?

2.7 Loop Statements in PHP

Often when you write code, you want the same block of code to run over and over again a certain
number of times. So, instead of adding several almost equal code-lines in a script, we can use loops.
The loops are used to execute the same block of code again and again, as long as a certain condition
is true.

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2.8 PHP while Loop

The while loop executes a block of code as long as the specified condition is true. In other words,
while loop executes a block of code repeatedly until the condition is FALSE. Once the condition
gets FALSE, it exits from the body of loop. The syntax for the while loop is:
While (condition is true)
{
Code to be executed;
}

While loop is also called as an Entry control loops because the condition is checked before entering
the loop body. This means that first the condition is checked. If the condition is true, the block of
code will be executed.

Notes:While loop should be used if the number of iterations is not known.

2.9 PHP Nested While Loop

The while loop inside another while loop in PHP, it is known as nested while loop.In case of inner
or nested while loop, nested while loop is executed fully for one outer while loop. If outer while
loop is to be executed for 3 times and nested while loop for 3 times, nested while loop will be
executed 9 times (3 times for 1st outer loop, 3 times for 2nd outer loop and 3 times for 3rd outer
loop).

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2.10 PHP Infinite While Loop

If we pass TRUE in while loop, it will be an infinite loop. The syntax for an infinite loop is:
While(true)
{
//code to be executed
}

Example: The following example indicates an infinite loop.

<?php
while (true) {
echo "Hello Javatpoint!";
echo "</br>";
}
?>

2.11 PHP do-while Loop

PHP do-while loops through a block of code once, and then repeats the loop as long as the specified
condition is true. The do-while loop will always execute the block of code once, it will then check
the condition, and repeat the loop while the specified condition is true. The syntax for it is:
Do
{
Code to be executed;
}
While (condition is true);

Whilevs. do-while Loop

 Do-while loop is very much similar to the while loop except the condition check.
 The main difference between both loops is that while loop checks the condition at the
beginning, whereas do-while loop checks the condition at the end of the loop.
The Table 1lists the difference between while and do-while loop.

while loop do while loop

The while loop is also named as entry control The do-while loop is also named as exit control
loop. loop.

The body of the loop does not execute if the The body of the loop executes at least once,
condition is false. even if the condition is false.

Condition checks first, and then block of Block of statements executes first and then
statements executes. condition checks.

This loop does not use a semicolon to Do-while loop use semicolon to terminate the
terminate the loop. loop.

Table 1: while vs. do-while Loop

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2.12 PHP for Loop

PHP for loops through a block of code a specified number of times. The for loop is used when you
know in advance how many times the script should run. The syntax is:
For (init counter; test counter; increment counter)
{
Code to be executed for each iteration;
}

Parameters:

 Init counter: Initialize the loop counter value.

 Test counter: Evaluated for each loop iteration. If it evaluates to TRUE, the loop continues. If it
evaluates to FALSE, the loop ends.
 Increment counter: Increases the loop counter value.

Lab Exercise: Write a program to display the numbers 1 to 10?

2.13 PHP Infinite for Loop

All three parameters are optional, but semicolon (;) is must to pass in for loop. If we don't pass
parameters, it will execute infinite.
<? php
$i = 1;
for (;;) //infinite loop
{
echo $i++;
echo "</br>";
}
?>

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2.14 PHP Nested for Loop

The for loop inside for loop in PHP is known as nested for loop. The inner for loop executes only
when the outer for loop condition is found true.In case of inner or nested for loop, nested for loop is
executed fully for one outer for loop. If outer for loop is to be executed for 3 times and inner for
loop for 3 times, inner for loop will be executed 9 times (3 times for 1st outer loop, 3 times for 2nd
outer loop and 3 times for 3rd outer loop).

2.15 PHP foreach Loop

The PHP for each loop is used to traverse array elements. The syntax used foreach loop is:
Foreach( $array as $var )
{
//code to be executed
}

2.16 Embedding PHP in Web Pages

Although it is possible to write and run stand alone PHP programs, most PHP code is embedded in
HTML or XML files. This is, after all, why it was created in the first place. The processing such
documents involves replacing each chunk of PHP source code with the output it produces when
executed.Because a single file contains PHP and non-PHP source code, we need a way to identify
the regions of PHP code to be executed. PHP provides four different ways to do this:

 First, and preferred, method is XML.

 Second method is SGML.
 Third method is based on ASP tags.
 Fourth method uses the standard HTML <script> tag; this makes it easy to edit pages with
enabled PHP using a regular HTML editor.

2.17 Embedding PHP in Web Pages- XML Style

XML Style:The way in which you normally embed PHP in a document is through what is
commonly called a PHP statement, but is actually an XML directive. PHP is designed to be
compatible with many standards and commonly used scripting approaches, making it easier to
code. An XML processing directive is a command embedded in an XML document for some
application to process.All XML processing directives take the form of:
<?appname information for application ?>
Notice that the statement opens and closes with nested brackets and question marks, and that the
name of the application being referenced must come right after the first question mark, with no
space before it. The information for the application can be a short statement, or, in the case of PHP,
can go on for pages and pages.
PHP statement normally uses this form of inclusion in HTML documents. It looks like this:
<?php some phpstatements ?>
Line breaks are allowed within the XML processing directive, so the following is also legal.
<?php
Somephp statements
And some more statements
?>
If you want to write standards compliant code, or embed PHP in XML documents, you need to use
this format. If you are not working with XML or don’t need to adhere to standards, there are other

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approaches. Each may be appropriate within certain server situations.Since PHP is processed by the
server, it can literally go anywhere in an HTML document in question. The code is processed before
the Web browser sees the code, so the Web browser never sees the PHP. If working with XML, you
need to make sure that any server-side XML processing is done after the PHP processing, or code
the document with the knowledge that the PHP code cannot violate the syntax rules of the
application you are working with. This means that XML documents containing PHP should still be
well-formed and valid.

2.18 Embedding PHP in Web Pages- SGML Style

SGML Style:The “classic” style of embedding PHP comes from SGML instruction processing tags.
To use this method, simply enclose the PHP in <? and ?>. Here’s the “Hello world” example again:
<? echo “Hello, world”; ?>
This style, known as short tags, is the shortest and least intrusive, and it can be turned off so as to
not clash with the XML PI (Process Instruction) tag in the php.ini initialization file. Consequently, if
you want to write fully portable PHP code that you are going to distribute to other people (who
might have short tags turned off ), you should use the longer <?php ... ?> style, which cannot be
turned off. If you have no intention of distributing your code, you don’t have an issue with telling
people who want to use your code to turn on short tags, and you are not planning on mixing XML
in with your PHP code, then using this tag style is okay.

2.19 Embedding PHP in Web Pages- ASP Style

ASP Style:Realizing that some old code editors might have problems with PHP, the authors of PHP
included two additional ways to include PHP code in a document. One mimicks ASP tags. The
other uses standard HTML <script> tags. The ASP tags are not enabled by default. To turn them on
you need to find the asp tags flag in the php.ini file, or, if working from the source, build PHP with
the —enable-asp-tags option.
It is not necessary for the server to actually process ASP tags as PHP tags, since the point of the
compatibility with ASP tags is to allow users to work with editors that understand ASP tags but not
PHP tags. When you are done with the document, you can just do a global search and replace to
replace all ASP tags with PHP tags before moving the documents to production. The ASP tags take
the following form:
<% code goes here %>
Like PHP tags, ASP tags can go anywhere in the document.

2.20 Embedding PHP in Web Pages- Script Style

Script Style:The final method of distinguishing PHP from HTML involves a tag invented to allow
client-side scripting within HTML pages, the <script> tag. You might recognize it as the tag in
which JavaScript is embedded. Since PHP is processed and removed from the file before it reaches
the browser, you can use the <script> tag to surround PHP code. In order to use this method,
simply specify “php” as the value of the language attribute of the tag:
<script language=”php”> echo “Hello, world”; </script>
This method is most useful with HTML editors that work only on strictly legal HTML files and do
not yet support XML processing commands.

Summary
 PHP is a server scripting language, and a powerful tool for making dynamic and interactive
Web pages. It is widely used, free, and efficient alternative to competitors such as Microsoft's
ASP.

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Unit 02: Statements in PHP

 PHP is an open-source, interpreted, and object-oriented scripting language that can be

executed at the server-side.
 Control statements are used in PHP to build logic and intelligence into the creation and
deployment of web-based data.
 PHP if-else statement is executed whether condition is true or false. If-else statement is
slightly different from if statement. It executes one block of code if the specified condition is
true and another block of code if the condition is false.
 Else if statement is a conditional statement that is used with the if...else statement to execute a
set of code if one of the several conditions is true.
 A switch statement allows a program to evaluate an expression and attempt to match the
expression’s value to a case label. If a match is found, the program executes the associated
statement.
 Loop statements in PHP can be used if you want the same block of code to run over and over
again a certain number of times.
 A do-while loop will always execute the block of code once, it will then check the condition,
and repeat the loop while the specified condition is true.

Keywords
 Conditional statements:Conditional statements are the set of commands used to perform
different actions based on different conditions.
 Switch statement:Switch statement is used if you want to select one of many blocks of code to
be executed, use the Switch statement. The switch statement is used to avoid long blocks of
if..else code.
 Compound If statement:Compound If statements help to compound the statements using
elseif to have multiple conditions tested insequence.
 PHP do-while Loop: PHP do-while loops through a block of code once, and then repeats the
loop as long as the specified condition is true.
 XML Directive: An XML processing directive is a command embedded in an XML document
for some application to process.

SelfAssessment
1. _____________ statements are the set of commands used to perform different actions based
on different conditions.
A. Assignment
B. Operational
C. Conditional
D. Indictive

2. A ____________ statement allows a program to evaluate an expression and attempt to

match the expression’s value to a case label.
A. Case
B. Labelling
C. Levelling
D. Switch

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3. _____________ statement is executed whether condition is true or false. It executes one

block of code if the specified condition is true and another block of code if the condition is
false.
A. Do-while
B. While
C. If-else
D. Switch

4. Two broad types of control structures are branching and

A. Looping
B. Structuring
C. Coding
D. None of the above

5. Which of the following is/are decision making statement(s) in PHP?

A. If...else statement
B. Else if
C. Switch
D. All of the above

6. ___________ statement loops through a block of code for each element in an array.
A. For
B. For each
C. Each
D. Each block

7. The loop that executes a block of code repeatedly until the condition is false. Once the
condition gets false, it exits from the body of loop.
A. While
B. Switch
C. Case
D. If

8. ____________ loop is called as an entry control loop because the condition is checked
before entering the loop body.
A. Do-while
B. If
C. For each
D. While

9. Which of the following loops uses semicolon to terminate the loop?

A. while

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Unit 02: Statements in PHP

B. do-while loop
C. for
D. for each

10. Supposing that the developer has to develop a program and knows in advance how many
times the script should run. The developer will be using
A. Switch
B. For each
C. For loop
D. None of the above

11. In the XML style, you normally embed PHP in a document through what is commonly
called a PHP statement, but is actually an ____________.
A. XML header
B. XML footer
C. XML docs
D. XML directive

12. Line breaks are allowed within the XML processing directive.
A. True
B. False

13. ______________ tag has been invented to allow client-side scripting within HTML pages.
A. .aspx
B. .php
C. Script
D. Embed

14. SGML stands for

A. Simple Generalized Mark-up Language
B. Standard Generalized Mark-up Language
C. Simple General Machine Language
D. Standardized General Machine Language

15. An XML processing directive is a command embedded in an XML document for some
application to process.
A. True
B. False

Answers forSelfAssessment
1. C 2. D 3. C 4. A 5. D

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6. B 7. A 8. C 9. B 10. C

11. D 12. A 13. C 14. B 15. A

Review Questions
1. Explain the following:
a. XML Style
b. SGML Style
2. What are ways of embedding PHP in web pages?
3. Explain the switch statement in PHP using examples?
4. What are control statements? Illustrate at least 2 with examples.
5. Differentiate while vs. do-while loop using examples.
6. What are the different conditional statements used in PHP?
7. Which different looping constructs are used in PHP? Elaborate using examples.
8. Write a short note on:
a. If statement
b. If-else statement
c. Nested if
9. Indicate the working of a nested while and infinite while loop.
10. What is the significance of using control statements in PHP?

Further Readings
 Programming PHP: Creating Dynamic Web Pages by Kevin Tatroe and Peter
MacIntyre.
 PHP Solutions by David Powers, Apress, 2007.
 PHP and MySQL Web Development by Luke Welling, Sams 2001.
 Programming PHP by RusmusLerdorf,Oreilly Publishers, 2013.

Web Links
 Control Statements In PHP (c-sharpcorner.com)
 Control Statement in PHP | Top 4 Control Statement in PHP with Syntax (educba.com)
 PHP: Control Structures - Manual
 PHP Control Structures and Loops: if, else, for, foreach, while, and More
(tutsplus.com)
 PHP Control Structures: If else, Switch Case (guru99.com)
 https://wpshout.com/learning-php-for-wordpress-development-control-flow-basics/

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Dr. Tarandeep Kaur, Lovely Professional University Unit 03: Functions in PHP

Unit 03: Functions in PHP

CONTENTS
Objectives
Introduction
3.1 PHP Built-in Functions
3.2 PHP Array Functions
3.3 PHP Calendar Functions
3.4 PHP Class/Object Functions
3.5 PHP Character Functions
3.6 PHP Date & Time Functions
3.7 PHP Error Handling Functions
3.8 PHP File System Functions
3.9 PHP Math Functions
3.10 PHP MySQL Functions
3.11 PHP Set Functions
3.12 PHP Session Functions
3.13 PHP String Functions
3.14 PHP URL Functions
3.15 PHP XML Functions
3.16 PHP User-defined Functions
3.17 Creating and calling a PHP Function
3.18 PHP User-defined Functions with Parameters
Summary
Keywords
Self Assessment
Answers for Self Assessment
Review Questions
Further Readings

Objectives
After studying this unit, you will be able to:

 Understand built in functions of PHP.

 Understand more built-in functions of PHP.
 Analyse the practical implementation of certain built-in functions.
 Explore functions in PHP.
 Understand defining and calling user defined functions in PHP.
 Learn about managing parameters in user defined functions, user defined functions with
return values.

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Introduction
The real power of PHP comes from its functions. PHP function is a piece of code that can be reused
many times. PHP functions are similar to other programming languages. A function is a piece of
code which takes one more input in the form of parameter and does some processing and returns a
value.

Advantages of Using Functions in PHP

 Code Reusability: PHP functions are defined only once and can be invoked many times, like
in other programming languages.
 Less Code: It saves a lot of code because you don't need to write the logic many times. By the
use of function, you can write the logic only once and reuse it.
 Easy to Understand: PHP functions separate the programming logic. So, it is easier to
understand the flow of the application because every logic is divided in the form of functions.
 Using functions, you can create a single function, with one if statement that can be used for
each blank string you need to check.
 Using a function means there’s less code for you to write; and it’s more efficient.

Defining a Function
A function is just a segment of code, separate from the rest of your code. You separate it because it’s
nice and handy, and you want to use it not once but over and over. It is a chunk of code that you
think is useful, and want to use again. The functions save you from writing the code over and over.

3.1 PHP Built-in Functions

PHP has more than 1000 built-in functions, and in addition you can create your own custom
functions. There are built-in functions but PHP gives you option to create your own functions as
well.
PHP Array Functions PHP OpenSSL Functions
PHP bzip2 Functions PHP Password Functions
PHP Calendar Functions PHP Queue Functions
PHP Class/Object Functions PHP Sequence Functions
PHP Character Functions PHP Session Functions
PHP Date & Time Functions PHP String Functions
PHP Deque Functions PHP Thread Functions
PHP Directory Functions PHP Threaded Functions
PHP Error Handling Functions PHP Tokenizer Functions
PHP File System Functions PHP URL's Functions
PHP Function Handling Functions PHP XML Functions
PHP MySQL Functions PHP XML Parsing Functions
PHP Network Functions PHP XML Reader Functions
PHP ODBC Functions PHP XML Writer Functions

3.2 PHP Array Functions

PHP array is an ordered map (contains value on the basis of key). It is used to hold multiple values
of similar type in a single variable. There is large number of array functions in PHP (Table 1).

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Unit 03: Functions in PHP

 array () Function:The array() function is used to create a PHP array. This function can be used
to create indexed arrays or associative arrays. PHP arrays could be single dimensional or
multi-dimensional.This function was first introduced as part of core PHP 4.0.0. The syntax to
create PHP indexed arrays:
$a = array (value1, value2, value3, ...)
The syntax to create PHP associative arrays is:
$a = array(key1 => value1, key2 => value2...)
Where,

 Key (Optional): Specifies the key, of type numeric or string. If not set, an integer key is
generated, starting at 0.
 Value (Required): Specifies the value.
 Creating an empty PHP array
<?php
$cars = array(); //Array function
print_r($cars); //print_r() prints information about a variable in a more human-readable
way
?>

 Creating an Indexed array

<? php
$cars = array("Mercedes", "BMW", "Chevrolet");
print_r($cars);
?>

Array Functions Description

array() Creates an array

array_change_key_case() Changes all keys in an array to lowercase or uppercase

array_chunk() Splits an array into chunks of arrays

array_column() Returns the values from a single column in the input array

array_combine() Creates an array by using the elements from one "keys" array and one
"values" array

array_count_values() Counts all the values of an array

array_diff() Compare arrays, and returns the differences (compare values only)

array_diff_assoc() Compare arrays, and returns the differences (compare keys and
values)

array_diff_key() Compare arrays, and returns the differences (compare keys only)

array_diff_uassoc() Compare arrays, and returns the differences (compare keys and
values, using a user-defined key comparison function)

array_diff_ukey() Compare arrays, and returns the differences (compare keys only,

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using a user-defined key comparison function)

array_fill() Fills an array with values

array_fill_keys() Fills an array with values, specifying keys

array_flip() Flips/Exchanges all keys with their associated values in an array

array_intersect() Compare arrays, and returns the matches (compare values only)

array_intersect_assoc() Compare arrays and returns the matches (compare keys and values)

array_intersect_key() Compare arrays, and returns the matches (compare keys only)

array_intersect_uassoc() Compare arrays, and returns the matches (compare keys and values,
using a user-defined key comparison function)

array_intersect_ukey() Compare arrays, and returns the matches (compare keys only, using a
user-defined key comparison function)

array_key_exists() Checks if the specified key exists in the array

array_keys() Returns all the keys of an array

array_map() Sends each value of an array to a user-made function, which returns

new values

array_merge() Merges one or more arrays into one array

array_merge_recursive() Merges one or more arrays into one array recursively

array_multisort() Sorts multiple or multi-dimensionalarrays

array_pad() Inserts a specified number of items, with a specified value, to an array

array_pop() Deletes the last element of an array

array_product() Calculates the product of the values in an array

array_push() Inserts one or more elements to the end of an array

array_rand() Returns one or more random keys from an array

array_reduce() Returns an array as a string, using a user-defined function

array_replace() Replaces the values of the first array with the values from following
arrays

array_replace_recursive() Replaces the values of the first array with the values from following
arrays recursively

array_reverse() Returns an array in the reverse order

Table 1: Different Types of Array Functions

 PHP array_change_key_case() Function: This function changes case of all key of an array.
Noteably, it changes case of key only. It changes the case of all keys of the passed array and

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returns an array with all keys either in lower case or upper case based on the option passed.
The syntax for it is:
array array_change_key_case (array $array [,int $case= CASE_LOWER])

Example:
<?php
$cars=array("BMW"=>"550000","MERCEDES"=>"250000","CHEVROLET"=>"200000");
print_r(array_change_key_case($cars,CASE_LOWER));
?>

 PHP array_chunk() Function: By using array_chunk() method, you can divide array into many
parts. The array_chunk() function takes an array as input and split that array into smaller
chunks of the given size. The last chunk may contain a smaller number of elements than
passed size based on the multiplicity factor of the total numbers available in the array. It
returns a multidimensional numerically indexed array, starting with zero, with each
dimension containing size elements. The syntax is:
array array_chunk (array $input, int $size);

Example:
<?php
$cars=array("BMW"=>"550000","MERCEDES"=>"250000","CHEVROLET"=>"200000“,
"Maruti"=>"50000");
print_r(array_chunk($cars,2));
?>

 PHP count () Function: Counts all elements in an array. The syntax is:
int count(mixed $array_or_countable);

Example: <?php
$courses=array("Data Structures","PHP","Python","Software Engineering", "Algorithm
Designing", "C Programming", "Web Programming");
echo count($courses); // Will display the count of the elements in an array
?>

 PHP sort () Function: Sorts all the elements in an array. The syntax is,
bool sort( $array );

Example: The example below illustrates the use of sort() function.

<?php
$courses=array("Data Structures","PHP","Python","Software Engineering", "Algorithm
Designing", "C Programming", "Web Programming");
sort($courses);
foreach( $courses as $c) {
echo "$c<br />"; }
?>

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The example below illustrates the use of sort() function.

<?php
$courses=array("Data Structures","PHP","Python","Software Engineering", "Algorithm
Designing", "C Programming", "Web Programming");
sort($courses);
foreach( $courses as $c) {
echo "$c<br />"; }
?>

 PHP array_reverse() Function: Returns an array containing elements in reversed order. The
syntax is:
array array_reverse (array $array);

Example:
<?php
$cars=array("BMW","MERCEDES","PAJERO","DUSTER", "ECOSPORT");
$reversecars=array_reverse($cars);
foreach($cars as $c) {
echo "$c <br />"; }
echo "<br/>";
foreach( $reversecars as $rc ) {
echo "$rc<br />"; } ?>

 PHP array_search() Function: Searches the specified value in an array. It returns key if search is
successful. It has the following syntax:
array_search(item, array $arrayname);

Example:
<?php
$cars=array("BMW","MERCEDES","PAJERO","DUSTER", "ECOSPORT");
$key=array_search("PAJERO",$cars);
echo $key;
?>

3.3 PHP Calendar Functions

Calendar extension presents a series of functions to simplify converting between different calendar
formats.The intermediaries or standard it is based on is the Julian Day Count. The Julian Day Count
is a count of days starting from January 1st, 4713 B.C. In order to convert between calendar systems,
you must first convert to Julian Day Count, then to the calendar system of your choice.

 cal_days_in_month(): Returns the number of days in a month for a specified year and calendar.
The syntax is:
cal_days_in_month ($calendar, $month, $year);

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Example:
<?php
$num = cal_days_in_month(CAL_GREGORIAN, 2, 2007);
echo "There was $num days in Jan 2007";
?>

 cal_from_jd(): Converts a Julian day count into a date of a specified calendar. The syntax
is:cal_from_jd ($jd, $calendar);
//This function converts the Julian day given in jd into a date of the specified calendar.
Return Value: It returns an array containing calendar information like month, day, year, day of
week, abbreviated and full names of weekday and month and the date in string form
"month/day/year".

Example:
<?php
$input = unixtojd(mktime(0, 0, 0, 8, 16, 2016));
print_r(cal_from_jd($input, CAL_GREGORIAN));
?>

Output:
Array ( [date] > 8/16/2016 [month] > 8 [day] > 16 [year] > 2016 [dow] > 2 [abbrevdayname] >
Tue [dayname] > Tuesday [abbrevmonth] > Aug [monthname] > August)

 cal_to_jd(): Converts a date to Julian day count. The syntax is:

cal_to_jd ($calendar, $month, $day, $year);
Return Value: The length in days of the selected month in the given calendar.Example:
<?php
$d = cal_to_jd(CAL_GREGORIAN,11,03,2007);
echo $d;
?>

 easter_days(): Returns the number of days after March 21, on which Easter falls for a specified
year. If no year is specified, the current year is assumed. The syntax is:
easter_days ([$year [, $method]]);

Example:
<?php
echo easter_days()."\n <br/>"; //Easter for year 2022 falls on 17th April
echo easter_days(2021)."\n <br/>";
echo easter_days(1913);
?>

3.4 PHP Class/Object Functions

Such functions allow you to obtain information about classes and instance objects. You can obtain
the name of the class to which an object belongs, as well as its member properties and methods. The

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objects are instances of programmer-defined classes, which can package up both other kinds of
values and functions that are specific to the class. The classes and objects are the two main aspects
of object-oriented programming. A class is a template for objects, and an object is an instance of a
class.When the individual objects are created, they inherit all the properties and behaviors from the
class, but each object will have different values for the properties.

 class_exists(): Checks if the given class have been defined. Returns TRUE if class_name is a
defined class, FALSE otherwise. The syntax is:
class_exists ($class_name);
Return Value: Returns TRUE if class_name is a defined class, FALSE otherwise.

Example:
<?php
if (class_exists('HelloWorld')) {
$helloworld = new HelloWorld(); }
?>

 get_class_methods(): Gets the class methods names. Returns an array of method names defined
for the class specified by class_name. In case of an error, it returns NULL. The syntax
is:get_method ($class_name);
Return Value: Returns an array of method names defined for the class specified by class_name. In
case of an error, it returns NULL.

 get_class(): Gets the name of the class of the given object. The syntax is: get_class ($object);
Return Value: Returns the name of the class of which object is an instance. Returns FALSE if object
is not an object.

3.5 PHP Character Functions

The functions provided by this extension check whether a character or string falls into a certain
character class according to the current locale.When called with an integer argument these
functions behave exactly like their C counterparts fromctype.
Installation: Beginning with PHP 4.2.0 these functions are enabled by default.

 ctype_alnum(): Checks if all of the characters in the provided string, text, are alphanumeric.
Syntax: ctype_alnum ($text);
Return Value: Returns TRUE if every character in text is either a letter or a digit, FALSE otherwise.

Example: The example below indicates the use of the function:

<?php
$cars = array('Mercedes', 'swift!!#$car');
foreach ($cars as $cr)
{
if (ctype_alnum($cr))
{
echo "$cr consists of all letters or digits. \n <br/>";
}
else {

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echo "$cr does not have all letters or digits. \n";

}
}
?>

 ctype_alpha(): Checks if all of the characters in the provided string, text, are alphabetic.
Syntax: ctype_alpha ($text);
Return Value: Returns TRUE if every character in text is a letter, FALSE otherwise.

Example: The following example showcases the use of the function:

<?php
$cars = array('Mercedes', 'swift!!#$car’);
foreach ($cars as $crs) {
if (ctype_alpha($crs)){
echo "$crs consists of all letters and is alphabetic only. \n";
}
else {
echo "$crs does not have all letters. \n";}}
?>

 ctype_digit(): Checks if all of the characters in the provided string, text, are numerical. It
checks only 1...9.
Syntax: ctype_digit ($text);
Return Value: Returns TRUE if every character in text is a decimal digit, FALSE otherwise.

Example: The following example showcases the use of the function:

<?php
$cars = array('Mercedes123', 'swift!!#$car', '123', "1345");
foreach ($cars as $num) {
if (ctype_digit($num)) {
echo "$num consists of all digits. \n <br/>";}
else {
echo "$num does not have all digits. \n <br/>";}}
?>

 ctype_lower(): Checks if all of the characters in the provided string, text, are lowercase letters.
Syntax: ctype_lower ($text);
Return Value: Returns TRUE if every character in text is a lowercase letter in the current locale.

Example: The following example showcases the use of the function:

<?php
$cars = array('Mercedes123', 'swift!!#$car', 'TARAN', "DESIgnER", "taran");
foreach ($cars as $crs) {

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if (ctype_lower($crs))
{
echo "$crs consists of all lowercase letters. \n <br/>";
}
else {
echo "$crs does not have all lowercase letters. \n <br>";
}}
?>

 ctype_upper(): Checks if all of the characters in the provided string, text, are uppercase
characters.
Syntax: ctype_upper ($text);
Return Value: Returns TRUE if every character in text is an uppercase letter in the current locale.

Example: The following example indicates the use of the function:

<?php
$cars = array('Mercedes123', 'swift!!#$car', 'TARAN', "DESIgnER", "taran");
foreach ($cars as $crs) {
if (ctype_upper($crs))
{
echo "$crs consists of all uppercase letters. \n <br/>";
}
else {
echo "$crs does not have all uppercase letters. \n <br>";
}}
?>

 ctype_print(): Checks if all of the characters in the provided string, text, are printable.
Syntax: ctype_print ($text);
Return Value: Returns TRUE if every character in text will actually create output (including blanks).
Returns FALSE if text contains control characters or characters that do not have any output or
control function at all.

Example: The following example indicates the use of the function:

<?php
$cars = array('Mercedes123', 'swift!!#$car', '123', "1345");
foreach ($cars as $num){
if (ctype_print($num)) {
echo "$num consists of all printable characters. \n <br>";
}
else {
echo "$num does not have all printable characters. \n";}}
?>

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3.6 PHP Date & Time Functions

The date and time functions allow you to get the date and time from the server where your PHP
scripts are running. You can use these functions to format the date and time in many different
ways.
checkdate() Function: It accepts the month, day, year of a date as parameters and, verifies whether
it is a Gregorian date or not. This function was first introduced in PHP Version 4 and works with all
the later versions.
Syntax: checkdate (int $month, int $day, int $year)
Return Values: Returns a boolean value. This value is true if the given date is valid and, false if it is
invalid.

Example: The following examples indicates the use of this function:

<?php
// PHP program to demonstrate the checkdate() function
$month = 12;
$day = 31;
$year = 2022;
// returns a boolean value after validation of date
var_dump(checkdate($month, $day, $year));
?>
<?php
$month = 12;
$day = 36; //Output- bool(false)
$year = 2022;
// returns a boolean value after validation of date
var_dump(checkdate($month, $day, $year));
?>

Example: The program below checks if the date is a valid one or not in case of a leap year
and non-leap year.
<?php
// PHP program to demonstrate the checkdate() function in case of leap year
$month = 2;
$day = 29;
$year = 2020;
// returns a boolean value after validation of date leap year
var_dump(checkdate($month, $day, $year));
echo "<br/>";
$month = 2;
$day = 29;
$year = 2022;
// returns a boolean value after validation of date non-leap year
var_dump(checkdate($month, $day, $year));

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?>

date_create() Function: This function is used to create a DateTime object by using a date/time
string and timezone. The default value of the date/time string is current date/time. An alias of the
DateTime::__construct, a constructor of the DateTime class. Where, a DateTime class represents
date and time in PHP. It accepts a date time string and time zone (optional) as parameters and,
creates a DateTime object accordingly.This function was first introduced in PHP Version 5.2.0 and,
works with all the later versions.
Syntax: date_create([$date_time, $timezone]);
Return Values: Returns the created DateTime object which specifies a date.
date_format() Function: An alias of DateTime::format() function. It accepts a DateTime object and a
format string (representing a desired date/time format) as parameters, formats the object in the
specified format and, returns the result. This function was first introduced in PHP Version 5.2.1 and
works in all the later versions.
Syntax: date_format($date_time_object, $format)
Return Values: Returns the formatted date string.

Here, we are creating a DateTime object and formatting it.

<?php
//Creating a DateTime object
$dob = date_create("16-02-2022");
//formatting the date/time object
$fmt = date_format($dob, "y-d-m");
print("Date in yy-dd-mm format: ".$fmt);
?>

This will produce following result:

Date in yy-dd-mm format: 22-16-02
date_date_set() Function: An alias of the DateTime::setDate(). Using this, you can (re)set the date of
a DateTime object. This function was first introduced in PHP Version 5.2.0 and, works with all the
later versions.
Syntax: date_date_set($object, $year, $month, $day)
Return Values: Returns DateTime object with modified value. Incase of the failure, this function
returns boolean value false.

Example:The program demonstrates the usage of date_date_set function.

Example:
<?php
//Creating a date
$date = new DateTime();
//Setting the date
date_date_set($date, 2022, 10, 02);
print("Date: ".date_format($date, "Y/m/d"));
?>

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Output:
Date: 2022/10/02
date_modify(): An alias of DateTime::modify(). This function is used to modify the date in a
DateTime object. It alters the time stamp of the given object. This function was first introduced in
PHP Version 5.2.0 and, works with all the later versions.
Syntax: date_modify($object, $modify)
Return Values: Returns the DateTime object with modified value. Incase of the failure, this function
returns the boolean value false.

Example:
<?php
//Modifying the date
$date = date_modify(new DateTime(), "+15 day");
//Will add 15 days to the current system date
print("Date: ".date_format($date, "Y/m/d"));
?>

Output:
Date: 2022/03/22

 date() function: Accepts a format string as a parameter, formats the local date/time in the
specified format and returns the result. This function was first introduced in PHP Version 4
and, works with all the later versions.
Syntax: date ($format, $timestamp)
Return Values: Returns the current local time/date in the specified format.

Example:
<?php
$day =date('d/m/y');
echo $day; //presents the current date
?>

3.7 PHP Error Handling Functions

Error is the fault or mistake in a program. It can be several types. An error can occur due to wrong
syntax or wrong logic. The type of mistakes or condition of having incorrect knowledge of the code.
Also, creating a custom error handler in PHP is quite simple. We can also create a function that can
be called when an error has been occurred in PHP. The various types of errors in PHP but it
contains basically four main types of errors. These are:
Parse error or Syntax Error: It is the type of error done by the programmer in the source code of the
program. The syntax error is caught by the compiler. After fixing the syntax error the compiler
compiles the code and execute it. Parse errors can be caused dues to unclosed quotes, missing or
Extra parentheses, Unclosed braces, Missing semicolon etc.Example:

Example:
<?php
$x = "geeks";
y = "Computer science";

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//Error: In above program, $ sign is missing in line 3 so it gives an error message

echo $x;
echo $y;
?>

Fatal Error: Type of error where PHP compiler understand the PHP code but it recognizes an
undeclared function. This means that function is called without the definition of function.

Example:
<?php
function add($x, $y)
{
$sum = $x + $y;
echo "sum = ". $sum;
}
$x = 0;
$y = 20;
add($x, $y);
diff($x, $y);
?>

Error: In line 12, function is called but the definition of function is not available. So, it gives error.

Warning Errors: The main reason of warning errors is including a missing file. This means that the
PHP function call the missing file. Example:

Example:
<?php
$x = "GeeksforGeeks";
include ("gfg.php");
echo $x . "Computer science portal";
?>

Error: This program calls an undefined file gfg.php which are not available. So, it produces error.
Notice Error:It is similar to warning error. It means that the program contains something wrong but
it allows the execution of script. Example:

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Example:
<?php
$x = "GeeksforGeeks";
echo $x;
echo $geeks;
?>

Ways to handle PHP Errors:

 Using die() method

 Custom Error Handling
1. Using die () function: die () function prints a message and exit from current script.
Syntax: die ($message) //will display a run-time error message.

Example:
<?php
// Php code showing default error handling
$file = fopen("geek12333.txt", "w");
?>

Notes: Run the above code and geeks.txt file is not present then it will display a run-time
error message.

Example:
<?php // PHP code to check errors

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// If file is not present, then exit from script

if( !file_exists("geeks.txt") )
{
die("File is not present");
}
// If file is present then continue
else {
$file = fopen("geeks.txt", "w");
}
?>

3.8 PHP File System Functions

basename( ) Function: An inbuilt function which is used to return the base name of a file if the path
of the file is provided as a parameter to the basename() function.
Syntax: string basename ($path, $suffix)
Return Value: This function returns the basename of the file whose path has been given as a
parameter by the user.
<?php
$path = “xampp/htdocs/testing/error.php";
// basename() function to show filename along with extension
echo basename($path);
?>
chmod( ) Function: Used to change the mode of a specified file to a specific mode given by the
user.Thechmod() function changes the permissions of the specified file and returns true on success
and false on failure.
Syntax: bool chmod (string $filename, int $mode)
The chmod() function in PHP accepts two parameters which are filename and mode.
$filename: It specifies the file whose permissions need to be changed.
$mode: It is used to specify the new permissions. The $mode parameters consist of four numeric
values where the first value is always zero, the second value specifies permissions for the owner,
the third value specifies permissions for the owner’s user group and the fourth value specifies
permissions for everybody else.
There are three possible values and to set multiple permissions the following values can be added.
1 = execute permissions
2 = write permissions
4 = read permissions

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file_exists( ) Function: An inbuilt function which is used to check whether a file or directory exists
or not.The path of the file or directory you want to check is passed as a parameter to the file_exists()
function which returns True on success and False on failure.
Syntax: file_exists($path)
Parameters: The file_exists() function in PHP accepts only one parameter $path. It specifies the path
of the file or directory you want to check.
Return Value: It returns true on success and False on failure.

3.9 PHP Math Functions

abs() Function: An inbuilt function in PHP which is used to return the absolute (positive) value of a
number. The abs() function in PHP is identical to what we call modulus in mathematics. The
modulus or absolute value of a negative number is positive.
Syntax: number abs(value)
Parameters: The abs() function accepts single parameter value which holds the number whose
absolute value you want to find.
Return Value: It returns the absolute value of the number passed to it as argument.
<?php
echo (abs(-6)); //Output: 6
?>
ceil() Function: Ceil() function rounds fractions up.
Syntax: float ceil (float $value)

Example:
<?php
echo (ceil(3.3)."<br/>");// 4
echo (ceil(7.333)."<br/>");// 8
echo (ceil(-4.8)."<br/>");// -4
?>

floor() Function: floor() function rounds fractions down.

Syntax: float floor (float $value)

Example:
<?php
echo (floor(3.3)."<br/>");// 3
echo (floor(7.333)."<br/>");// 7
echo (floor(-4.8)."<br/>");// -5
?>

sqrt() function: sqrt() function returns square root of given argument.

Syntax: float sqrt (float $arg)

Example:
<?php

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echo (sqrt(16)."<br/>"); // 4
echo (sqrt(25)."<br/>"); // 5
echo (sqrt(7)."<br/>"); // 2.6457513110646
?>

3.10 PHP MySQL Functions

MySQL is an open-source relational database management system (RDBMS). It is the most popular
database system used with PHP. MySQL is developed, distributed, and supported by Oracle
corporation. The data in a MySQL database are stored in tables which consists of columns and
rows.

 MySQL is a database system that runs on a server.

 MySQL is ideal for both small and large applications.
 MySQL is very fast, reliable, and easy to use database system.It uses standard SQL
 MySQL compiles on a number of platforms.
 Various database function such as connect (), close (), ping () etc.

3.11 PHP Set Functions

Set is a sequence of unique values, and this implementation can use the same hash table as Ds\Map
where the values are used as keys, and the mapped value is ignored.
Strengths:

 Values can be any type, including objects.

 Supports array syntax (square brackets).
 Insertion order is preserved.
 Automatically frees allocated memory when its size drops low enough.
 Add (), remove() and contains() are all O(1).

3.12 PHP Session Functions

PHP Sessions functions allow you to access data across multiple pages in the same session. The
functions such as session_start, session_abort, session_status, session_cache_expire,
session_commit, session_decode, session_destroy, session_name, session_reset etc.

3.13 PHP String Functions

chr() Function: Returns a character from the specified ASCII value.The ASCII value can be specified
in decimal, octal, or hex values. The octal values are defined by a leading 0, while hex values are
defined by a leading 0x.
Syntax: chr(ascii)

The example below illustrates the use of char() function.

<?php
echo chr(65) . "<br>";
echo chr(062) . "<br>";
echo chr(0x75) . "<br>";
?>

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strlen() Function:This function returns the length of the string or the number of characters in the
string including whitespaces.
Syntax: strlen($str)

Example:
The example below illustrates the use of strlen() function.
<?php
$s = "Good Day Ahead";
// use of strlen
echo "Total string length is: ". strlen($s);
?>

 trim() Functions: Removes whitespace and other predefined characters from both sides of a
string.
 ltrim()- Removes whitespace or other predefined characters from the left side of a string.
 rtrim()- Removes whitespace or other predefined characters from the right side of a string.

3.14 PHP URL Functions

Such functions deal with URL strings: encoding, decoding, and parsing.

 get headers() Function- This function can fetch all headers sent by the server in response to an
HTTP request.
 get_meta_tags() Function: This function can extract all meta tag content attributes from a file
and can return an array.

3.15 PHP XML Functions

The SimpleXML extension functions provides the toolset to convert XML to an object. These objects
deals with normal property selectors and array iterators.
PHP XML Reader Functions: XMLReader extension is used to read/retrieve the contents of an
XML document i.e. using the methods of the XMLReader class you can read each node of an XML
document.

 XMLReader::close----This function is used to close the current XMLReader object.

 XMLReader::getAttribute----This function is used to retrieve the value of a named attribute.
 XMLReader::isValid----This Is used to determine whether the parsed XML document is valid.
PHP XML Writer Functions: XMLWriter extension internally has libxmlxmlWriter API and is used
to write/create the contents of an XML document. The XML documents generated by this are non-
cached and forward-only.

3.16 PHP User-defined Functions

We can declare and call user-defined functions easily. The syntax is:
function functionname()
{
//code to be executed
}

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Notes:Function name must be start with letter and underscore only like other labels in
PHP. It can't be start with numbers or special symbols. Function names are NOT case-
sensitive.

There are two parts of making use of functions:

 Creating a PHP Function

 Calling a PHP Function

Did you know?

You hardly need to create your own PHP function because there are already more than
1000 of built-in library functions created for different area and you just need to call them
according to your requirement.

3.17 Creating and calling a PHP Function

It is very easy task to create your own PHP function. Suppose you want to create a PHP function
which will simply write a simple message on your browser when you will call it.

Notes:While creating a function its name should start with keyword function and all the
PHP code should be put inside {and} braces

Example: The following example creates a function called RunningPHP() and then calls it
just after creating it.
<?php
/* Defining a PHP Function */
function RunningPHP()
{
echo "Learning web development using PHP";
}
/* Calling a PHP Function */
RunningPHP();
?>

Lab Exercise:Write a program to print a number using if and for condition in Functions?
Write a program to find the sum of five numbers? Write a program to find the factorial of a
number using Functions in PHP?

3.18 PHP User-defined Functions with Parameters

PHP gives you option to pass your parameters inside a function. You can pass as many as
parameters your like. These parameters work like variables inside your function. We can pass the
information in PHP function through arguments which is separated by comma.An argument is just
like a variable. The arguments are specified after the function name, inside the parentheses. You
can add as many arguments as you want, just separate them with a comma.PHP supports call by
value (default), call by reference, default argument values and variable-length argument list.

PHP Call by Value

 Passing Single Parameter

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Example: The following example illustrates the creation of a user-defined function with
parameters:
<?php
//A program to verify if a number is odd or even number
function _verifyNumber($num)
{
if ($num%2==0)
echo "The entered number $num is an even number";
else
echo "The entered number $num is an odd number";
}
_verifyNumber(15);
?>

Task:Write a program to illustrate the use of arithmetic operators by passing parameters to

a function?
<?php
function using Func($num1, $num2) {
$sum = $num1 + $num2;
echo "Sum of the two numbers is: $sum";
echo "<br/>";
$sub= $num1-$num2;
echo "The difference of the two numbers is: $sub";
echo "<br/>";
$mul= $num1*$num2;
echo "The multiplication of the two numbers is: $mul";
echo "<br/>";
$div= $num1/$num2;
echo "The division of the two numbers is: $div";
}
usingFunc(100, 50);
?>

Lab Exercise: Write a program to find the factorial of a number by passing parameters?

 Passing Multiple Parameters

The following example illustrates the creation of user-defined functions and passing multiple
parameters.

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Example:
<?php
function StudentRecord($name,$age,$course)
{
echo "The student $name is $age years old and is taking $course course<br/>";
}
StudentRecord("Taran",35, "Data Structures");
StudentRecord("Karan",37, "Data Communications");
StudentRecord("Gurfateh",40, "Wireless Networks");
?>

PHP Call by Reference

The value passed to the function doesn't modify the actual value by default (call by value). But we
can do so by-passing value as a reference.By default, the value passed to the function is call by
value. In order to pass value as a reference, you need to use ampersand (&) symbol before the
argument name.

Example: Write a program to perform string concatenation using call by reference?

<?php
function concat(&$string2)
{
$string2= $string2.'World';
}
$string1 = 'Web Development using PHP ';
concat($string1);
echo $string1;
?>
<?php
function addFive($num)
{
$num += 15;
}
function addSix(&$num)
{
$num += 36;
}
$actualnum = 16;
addFive($actualnum);
echo "The actual value is: $actualnum<br/>";
addSix($actualnum);
echo "The actual value is: $actualnum<br/>";
?>

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Default Argument Values

We can specify a default argument value in function. While calling PHP function if you don't
specify any argument, it will take the default argument.

Example:
<?php
function PHPLearn($course="PHP")
{
echo "Learning $course<br/>";
}
PHPLearn("Software Engineering");
PHPLearn(); //passing no value
PHPLearn("Python");
?>

PHP User-defined Functions with Return Value

A function can return a value using the return statement in conjunction with a value or object. The
return stops the execution of the function and sends the value back to the calling code.You can
return more than one value from a function using return array (1, 2, 3, and 4).

Notes:The return keyword is used to return a value from a function.

PHP Function: Returning Value

Example:
<?php
function square($num)
{
return $num*$num;
}
echo "Square of the number is: " .square(7);
?>

Example:Following example takes two integer parameters and add them together and then
returns their sum to the calling program.
<?php
function addFunction($num1, $num2)
{
$sum = $num1 + $num2;
return $sum;
}
$return_value = addFunction(15, 60);
echo "Returned value from the function : $return_value";

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?>

Task:Write a program to find the factorial of a number using user-defined function with
return value?
<?php
function factorial($n)
{
if ($n < 0)
return -1; /*Wrong value*/
if ($n == 0)
return 1; /*Terminating condition*/
return ($n * factorial ($n -1));
}
echo factorial(5);
?>

Variable Length Parameters

PHP supports variable length argument function. It means you can pass 0, 1 or n number of
arguments in function. To do so, you need to use 3 ellipses (dots) before the argument name.The3
dot concept is implemented for variable length argument since PHP 5.6.

Example:
<?php
function add(...$numbers)
{
$sum = 0;
foreach ($numbers as $num)
{
$sum= $sum+$num;
}
return $sum;
}
echo add(4, 6, 10, 12);
?>

Summary
 PHP is a server scripting language, and a powerful tool for making dynamic and interactive
Web pages. It is widely used, free, and efficient alternative to competitors such as Microsoft's
ASP.
 The real power of PHP comes from its functions. PHP function is a piece of code that can be
reused many times. PHP functions are similar to other programming languages.
 A function is just a segment of code, separate from the rest of your code. You separate it
because it’s nice and handy, and you want to use it not once but over and over. It is a chunk of
code that you think is useful, and want to use again.

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 PHP has more than 1000 built-in functions, and in addition you can create your own custom
functions.
 The date and time functions allow you to get the date and time from the server where your
PHP scripts are running.
 PHP sessions functions allows you to access data across multiple pages in the same session.
The functions.

Keywords
 Arrays in PHP: PHP array is an ordered map (contains value on the basis of key). It is used to
hold multiple values of similar type in a single variable.
 Array() function: The array() function is used to create a PHP array. This function can be used
to create indexed arrays or associative arrays.
 MySL: MySQL is an open-source relational database management system (RDBMS). It is the
most popular database system used with PHP. MySQL is developed, distributed, and
supported by Oracle corporation.
 Error: Error is the fault or mistake in a program. It can be several types. An error can occur
due to wrong syntax or wrong logic. The type of mistakes or condition of having incorrect
knowledge of the code.
 Parse error or Syntax Error: It is the type of error done by the programmer in the source code
of the program. The syntax error is caught by the compiler. After fixing the syntax error the
compiler compiles the code and execute it.

SelfAssessment
1. PHP array is an ___________ map and contains value on the basis of key.
A. Isolated
B. Ordered
C. Unordered
D. Emergent

2. A class is a template for objects, and an object is an instance of a class.

A. True
B. False

3. Which of the following function gets the name of the class of the given object?
A. get_class()
B. name_class()
C. classname_get()
D. none of the above

4. ____________ function checks if all of the characters in the provided string, text, are
lowercase letters.
A. type_lower()
B. lower()

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C. str_lower()
D. ctype_lower()

5. Which of the following is used to create a PHP array?

A. arr() function
B. ary() function
C. array() function
D. arrays() function

6. Ceil() function rounds fractions down and floor() function rounds fractions up.
A. True
B. False

7. The _________ function changes the permissions of the specified file and returns true on
success and false on failure.
A. chdir()
B. chmod()
C. permit()
D. chperm()

8. Which of the following is the use of strlen() function in PHP?

A. The strlen() function returns the type of string.
B. The strlen() function returns the length of string.
C. The strlen() function returns the value of string.
D. The strlen() function returns both value and type of string.

9. Which of the following function is used to get the ASCII value of a character in PHP?
A. val()
B. asc()
C. ascii()
D. chr()

10. Syntax errors are caught by the compiler.

A. True
B. False

11. __________ error occurs when the PHP compiler understands the PHP code but it
recognizes an undeclared function. This means that function is called without the
definition of function.
A. Parse
B. Semantic
C. Fatal

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D. Syntax

12. Which of the following is/are error(s) that can be handled by PHP error handling
functions?
A. Parse errors
B. Fatal error
C. Syntax Error
D. All of the above

13. Which of the following statement is/are true for the date and time functions in PHP?
A. Allow you to get the date and time from the server where your PHP scripts are running.
B. Allow you to format the date and time in many different ways.
C. Allow you to modify the date.
D. All of the above

14. ____________ extension is used to read/retrieve the contents of an XML document.

A. XMLReader
B. XMLReading
C. ReadXML
D. RetrieveXML

15. In PHP call by reference, in order to pass value as a reference, you need to use
_____________ symbol before the argument name.
A. hash (#)
B. ampersand (&)
C. sigil ($)
D. power (^)

Answers for Self Assessment

1. B 2. A 3. A 4. D 5. C

6. B 7. B 8. B 9. D 10. A

11. C 12. D 13. D 14. A 15. B

Review Questions
1. What are built-in functions? Explain the significance of them.
2. Write a short note on:
a. PHP Character functions
b. PHP Array functions
3. How error handling in PHP does occurs? Discuss the functions used for it.

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4. Discuss the role of string functions in PHP.

5. Differentiate function call by value and call by reference.
6. What are the user-defined functions? Discuss with examples.
7. How user-defined functions calls work with single parameters and multiple parameters?

Further Readings
 PHP Solutions by David Powers, Apress, 2007.
 Programming PHP by RusmusLerdorf, Oreilly Publishers, 2013.
 Creating dynamic Web sites with PHP and MySQL (PDF 20P) by Ashraful Alam.
 Practical PHP Programming by Paul Hudson.

Web Links
PHP Math Functions | Find Out How To Perform Math Functions In PHP (educba.com)
PHP User Defined Functions | Working of the PHP User Defined Function (educba.com)
https://www.w3schools.com/php/php_functions.asp
https://www.tutorialspoint.com/php-user-defined-functions
https://www.php.net/manual/en/functions.user-defined.php
PHP: defined - Manual
php eBook (riptutorial.com)
https://youtu.be/uK3kM7BJmKs

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Dr. Tarandeep Kaur, Lovely Professional University Unit 04: PHP Functions

Unit 04: PHP Functions

CONTENTS
Objectives
Introduction
4.1 PHP Variable Scopes
4.2 Local variables
4.3 Static Variables
4.4 Global Variables
4.5 Super Global Variables
4.6 Function Parameters
4.7 Variable Functions in PHP
4.8 Using Variable Functions to Call a Method
4.9 Using Variable Functions to Call a Static Method
4.10 Variable Functions with Arguments
4.11 Anonymous Functions in PHP
4.12 Anonymous Function as Callback
4.13 Anonymous Function as Closure
4.14 PHP Date and Time Functions
Summary
Keywords
Self Assessment
Answers for Self Assessment
Review Questions
Further Readings

Objectives
After studying this unit, you will be able to:

 Understand the concept of global and super global variables in PHP.

 Explore the variable functions in PHP.
 Learn about the anonymous functions in PHP.
 Investigate the different date and time functions in PHP.

Introduction
Variable is an identifier, which holds a value. In programming, we say that we assign a value to a
variable. Technically speaking, a variable is a reference to a computer memory, where the value is
stored.In PHP language, a variable can hold a string, a number, or various objects like a function or
a class. Variables can be assigned different values over time.The syntax of declaring a variable in
PHP is given below:
$variablename=value;

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Variables in PHP consist of the $ character, called a sigil, and a label. A variable must start with a
dollar ($) sign, followed by the variable name.A label can be created from alphanumeric characters
and an underscore _ character. A variable name must start with a letter or underscore (_)
character.The value of a variable is the value of its most recent assignment. The variables are
assigned with the = operator, with the variable on the left-hand side and the expression to be
evaluated on the right.Variables can, but do not need, to be declared before assignment.

4.1 PHP Variable Scopes

The scope of a variable determines which part of the code can access it. The locations where the
variable can be accessible determine the scope of the variable. In PHP, variables have four types of
scopes:

 Local
 Static
 Global
 Function parameters

4.2 Local variables

When you define a variable inside a function, you can only access that variable within the function.
And it’s said that the variable is local to the function. The following example defines the say()
function that displays the 'Hi' message:

Example:
<?php
function say() {
$message = 'Hi';
echo $message; }
say();
?>
Output:Hi

Inside the say () function, we define the $message variable. The $message variable is a local
variable. And you cannot access it from the outside of the say() function.Also, the $message
variable only exists during the execution of the say() function. Once the say() function ends, the
$message variable won’t exist anymore.

4.3 Static Variables

A static variable retains its value between function calls. Also, a static variable is only accessible
inside the function. To define a static variable, you use the static keyword. Example

Example:
<?php
function get_counter() {
static $counter = 1;
return $counter++;
}
echo get_counter() . '<br>'; // 1

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echo get_counter() . '<br>'; // 2

echo get_counter() . '<br>'; // 3
?>

Output:
1
2
3

4.4 Global Variables

Global variables refer to any variable that is defined outside of the function. These variables can be
accessed from any part of the script i.e. inside and outside of the function and can be declared just
like other variable but it must be declared outside of function definition. The syntax is:
$variable_name = data; or $variable = your_value;

Example: $SampleVar = “Hi!!!! i am a global variable";

How Global Variables Work in PHP?

As the global variables are declared globally to use anywhere in the application, these variables can
be accessed from inside or outside of the function as well. We just declare them like other variables,
but in order to access them we need to follow some standards defined by the PHP. In order to use
them inside the function and how to declare them.
Declaring Global Variables Examples: In this example, we are declaring a global variables and
trying to print and concatenate them:

Example:
<?php
// Declaring global variable
$x = "Geeks";
$y = "for";
$z = "Geeks";
// Display value:: Concatenating String
echo $x.$y.$z;
?>
Output:GeeksforGeeks

Example:
<?php
//declaring global variable
$gvar1 = "Hello Friends ";
$gvar2 = "I am learning ";
$gvar3 = "PHP ";

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$gvar4 = "Global Variables today !!!!!!";

//printing result here
echo $gvar1.$gvar2.$gvar3.$gvar4.$gvar5;
?>
Output:Hello Friends I am learning PHP Global Variables today !!!!!!

Storing Global Variables

It is important to mention of how to store our global variable. There are ways for storing global
variables using global array. In a global array, PHP maintains an array where it stores all the global
variable that we defined in an application. By the use of this array, we can access this variable in
and out of the script.
Accessing Global Variable inside Function
The ways to access the global variable inside functions are:

 Using global keyword

 Using array GLOBALS[var_name]: It stores all global variables in an array called
$GLOBALS[var_name]. Var_name is the name of the variable. This array is also accessible
from within functions and can be used to perform operations on global variables directly.
Using Global Keyword: In contrast to local variables, a global variable can be accessed in any part
of the program. However, in order to be modified, a global variable must be explicitly declared to
be global in the function in which it is to be modified. This is accomplished, conveniently enough,
by placing the keyword GLOBAL in front of the variable that should be recognized as global.
Placing this keyword in front of an already existing variable tells PHP to use the variable having
that name.

Example:
<?php
$gvar = 15;
function increment()
{
GLOBAL $gvar;
$gvar++;
print "Gvar is $gvar";
}
increment();
?>
Output:Gvar is 16

Global Array:In PHP we use an array to access this global variable. Like any other programming
language, it maintains the history of the global variable in an array. If we want to access any
particular element or variable from the array then we have to pass the exact name of the variable in
order to access them. The syntax is:
$GLOBALS['variable_name’]
It stores all global variables in an array called $GLOBALS[var_name]. Var_name is the name of the
variable.
This array is also accessible from within functions and can be used to perform operations on global
variables directly.

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Example:
<?php
//declaring global variable
$gvar1= "Hello Friends ";
$gvar2= "I am learning ";
$gvar3= "PHP ";
$gvar4= "Global Variables today !!!!!!";
//declaring function
function demoglobe()
{
echo $GLOBALS['gvar1']."<br>"; //Using Global Array
echo $GLOBALS['gvar2']."<br>";
echo $GLOBALS['gvar3']."<br>";
echo $GLOBALS['gvar4']."<br>";
}
demoglobe(); //Call to the function
//printing result here
echo $gvar1.$gvar2.$gvar3.$gvar4;
?>
Output:
Hello Friends
I am learning
PHP
Global Variables today !!!!!!
Hello Friends I am learning PHP Global Variables today !!!!!!

Example:
An example which is using both Global Keyword and Global Array:
<?php
// Demonstrate how to declare global variable
// Declaring global variable
$str1 = "Geeks";
$str2 = "for";
$str3 = "Geeks";
$var1 = 15;
$var2 = 100;
$var3;
$var4;
function concatenate() // Using global keyword

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{
global $str1, $str2, $str3;
return $str1.$str2.$str3;
}
function add() { // Using GLOBALS['var_name']
$GLOBALS['var3'] = $GLOBALS['var1'] + $GLOBALS['var2'];
}
function mult() { // Using GLOBALS['var_name']
$GLOBALS['var4'] = $GLOBALS['var1'] * $GLOBALS['var2'];
}
// Print result
echo concatenate();
echo"\n";
echo "<br/>";
add();
echo $var3;
echo "<br/>";
mult();
echo $var4;
?>
Output:
GeeksforGeeks
115
1500

Conclusively, by using the global variable we can access variables in our whole application these
are useful when we have to use same value in the whole application for example username,
password and so many other details depend on the requirement.

4.5 Super Global Variables

Superglobals were introduced in PHP 4.1.0, and are built-in variables that are always available in
all scopes.Several predefined variables in PHP are "superglobals", which means that they are
always accessible, regardless of scope - and you can access them from any function, class or file
without having to do anything special. The superglobal variables provide information about the
PHP script’s environment. The different PHP superglobal variables are:

 $GLOBALS- Returns an array that contains global variables. The variable names are used to
select which part of the array to access.
 $_SERVER- Returns data about the webserver environment.
 $_GET- Return data from GET requests.
 $_POST- Return data from POST requests.
 $_COOKIE- Return data from HTTP cookies
 $_FILES- Return data from POST file uploads.
 $_ENV- Return information about the script’s environment.
 $_REQUEST- Return data from the HTTP request

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 $_SESSION- Return variables registered in a session

PHP $GLOBALS: $GLOBALS is a PHP super global variable which is used to access global
variables from anywhere in the PHP script (also from within functions or methods).PHP stores all
global variables in an array called $GLOBALS[index]. The index holds the name of the variable.
PHP $_SERVER:$_SERVER is a PHP super global variable which holds information about headers,
paths, and script locations. The entries in this array are created by the web server.

 $_SERVER['PHP_SELF']: Returns the filename of the currently executing script.

 $_SERVER['SERVER_NAME']: Returns the name of the host server.
 $_SERVER['SERVER_ADDR']: Returns the IP address of the host server.
 $_SERVER['SCRIPT_FILENAME']: Returns the absolute pathname of the currently executing
script.
 $_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD']: Returns the request method used to access the page (such
as POST).
 $_SERVER['SERVER_SOFTWARE']: Returns the server identification string (such as
Apache/2.2.24).

Example:
<?php
echo $_SERVER['PHP_SELF'];
echo "<br>";
echo $_SERVER['SERVER_NAME'];
echo "<br>";
echo $_SERVER['HTTP_HOST'];
echo "<br>";
echo $_SERVER['HTTP_REFERER'];
echo "<br>";
echo $_SERVER['HTTP_USER_AGENT'];
echo "<br>";
echo $_SERVER['SCRIPT_NAME'];
?>

PHP $_REQUEST:PHP $_REQUEST is used to collect data after submitting an HTML form.
$_SESSION:An alternative way to make data accessible across the various pages of an entire
website is to use a PHP Session.A session creates a file in a temporary directory on the server where
registered session variables and their values are stored. This data will be available to all pages on
the site during that visit.The location of the temporary file is determined by a setting in the php.ini
file called session.save path.A PHP session is easily started by making a call to the session

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start()function.This function first checks if a session is already started and if none is started then it
starts one.It is recommended to put the call to session start () at the beginning of the page.
$Files- File Upload: There is one global PHP variable called $_FILES. This variable is an associate
double dimension array and keeps all the information related to uploaded file.

 $_FILES['file']['tmp_name'] − the uploaded file in the temporary directory on the web server.
 $_FILES['file']['name'] − the actual name of the uploaded file.
 $_FILES['file']['size']− the size in bytes of the uploaded file.
 $_FILES['file']['type']−− the
the MIME
MIME type
type of
of the
the uploaded
uploaded file.
file.
 $_FILES['file']['error']− the error code associated with this file upload.

4.6 Function Parameters

Function parameters are local to the function. Therefore, function parameters can only be accessible
inside the function. An example is:

Example:
<?php
function sum($items)
{
$total = 0;
foreach($items as $item) {
$total += $item;
}
return $total;
}
// $items cannot be accessible here
echo sum([10,20,30]);
?>
Output: 60

4.7 Variable Functions in PHP

PHP supports the concept of variable functions. If a variable name has parentheses appended to it,
PHP will look for a function with the same name as whatever the variable evaluates to, and will
attempt to execute it. Among other things, this can be used to implement callbacks, function tables,
and so forth. The variable functions won't work with language constructs such as echo, print, unset
(), isset(), empty(), include, require and the like. You can use the utilize wrapper functions to make
use of any of these constructs as variable functions.
PHP functions specifically for handling PHP variables. Such functions are used for performing
variable related functionalities. The common functionalities applied on PHP variables include:

 Getting the value of PHP variables

 PHP Variable type handling.
 printing functions.
 Importing/Exporting PHP variables.
 Other variable functions

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Getting the Value of PHP variables:For simply getting the value of the variable, we can use its
name followed by a $ sign, and we can use the value for any purpose, like assigning it to another
variable, returning it to the browser or for any other thing. But, PHP includes a certain list of
variable functions that are dedicated for the special purposes, that is, for getting specified type
value of a PHP variable. There are appropriate functions for each PHP supported datatype, for
returning variable values in that particular type. These functions are,

 Interval ()– function accepts variable reference and base parameters to return integer by
converting variable type with respect to the base.
 boolval()– function returns Boolean value of a given variable. And, it required only value or
variable reference.
 floatval()– returns float value. And similarly, PHP contains an alias function doubleval().
 strval()– returns string value.

PHP Variable Type Handling

 get_resource_type()– returns type of the resource data to indicate, whether it is file resource or
database resource or any other thing, and it returns FALSE while invoking with non-resource
data.
 Get type ()/set type ()– Such functions are PHP datatype conversion, and, these are getters
and setters of PHP variable data types.

Importing/Exporting PHP Variables

 import_request_variables()– This function is deprecated as of PHP version 5.3.0. Its purpose is

to import PHP $_REQUEST variables into the global scope, where register_globals directive of
the php.ini file is disabled.
 var_export()– This function accepts an optional return type parameter, which will be FALSE
by default, and exporting variable data to the browser. While setting the optional parameter
with TRUE, then, this function will return the array to be stored in a variable.

Printing Functions:These functions are used to display output to the browser instead of returning
something to be stored into a variable.

 print_r()– It will print an array of data to the browser.

 var_dump () – It will print the array of data with more information to the browser. For
example, it will print data with its length, type information.

Other PHP variable Functions

 get_defined_vars()– This function is used for getting an array of all defined variable of a PHP
including global variables.
 empty ()– This function will be used in PHP if/else statements, as like as, is array(),
is_numeric() and etc. This is for checking whether the given variable is empty or not.
 isset()– PHP isset() function is used to check whether a variable is defined or not, and no
matter, if no values initialized with it.
 unset()– It will clear the value set with a variable.
 seralize()/unseralize()– seralize() converts value of a variable into storable data format,
whereas,unseralize() is used to convert storable data format back to its original form.
The variable functions allow you to use a variable like a function. If the name of a variable has
parentheses (with or without parameters in it) in front of it, PHP parser tries to find a function
whose name corresponds to value of the variable and executes it. Such a function is called variable
function. This feature is useful in implementing callbacks, function tables etc.

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Example:
<?php
function hello()
{
echo "Hello World";
}
$var="Hello";
$var();
?>

Output: Hello World

In the above example, value of a variable matches with function of name. The function is thus
called by putting parentheses in front of variable.

Example:
<?php
$f = 'strlen';
echo $f('Hello');
?>
Output: 5

Here in the above code, firstly we will define a variable $f and initialize its value to the 'strlen'
literal string.Second, use the $f as a function by passing the string 'Hello' to it.When PHP sees $f(), it
looks for the strlen() function. Because the strlen() is a built-in function, PHP just invokes it.
However, if PHP cannot find the function name, it’ll raise an error. For example:

Example:
<?php
$f = 'len';
echo $f('Hello’);
?>

4.8 Using Variable Functions to Call a Method

The variable functions allow you to call the methods of an object. The syntax for calling a method
using a variable function is as follows:
$this->$variable($arguments)

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Example:
<?php
class Str {
private $s;
public function __construct(string $s) //Constructor with argument
{ $this->s = $s; } //Call to the current variable
public function lower()
{ return mb_strtolower($this->s, 'UTF-8'); }
public function upper()
{ return mb_strtoupper($this->s, 'UTF-8'); }
public function title()
{ returnmb_convert_case($this->s, MB_CASE_TITLE, 'UTF-8'); }
public function convert(string $format) {
if (!in_array($format, ['lower', 'upper', 'title'])) { throw
new Exception('The format is not supported'); }
return $this->$format(); } }?>

In the above example, firstly we definea Str class that has three methods for converting a string to
lowercase, uppercase, and title case. Secondly, we can define the convert () method that accepts a
string. If the format argument is not one of the method names: lower, upper, and title, the convert ()
method will raise an exception. Otherwise, it’ll call the corresponding method lower (), upper () or
title().

4.9 Using Variable Functions to Call a Static Method

Example:
<?php
class myclass {
function welcome($name)
{
echo "Welcome $name"; }
}
$obj=new myclass();
$f="welcome";
$obj->$f("Amar");
?>
Output: Welcome Amar

Notes:We can use the className::$variable() to call a static method of a class.

A static method can be also called by variable method technique:

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Example:
<?php
class myclass
{
static function welcome($name){
echo "Welcome $name";
}
}
$f="welcome";
myclass::$f("Amar");
?>

Output: Welcome Amar

4.10 Variable Functions with Arguments

Example:
<?php
function add($x, $y)
{
echo $x+$y;
}
$var="add";
$var(10,20);
?>

Output:30

4.11 Anonymous Functions in PHP

Anonymous function is a function without any user defined name. Such a function is also called
closure or lambda function. Sometimes, you may want a function for one time use. The closure is an
anonymous function which closes over the environment in which it is defined. You need to specify
use keyword in it. The most common use of anonymous function to create an inline callback
function.
Anonymous functions allow the creation of functions which have no specified name. They are most
useful as the value of callable parameters, but they have many other uses.Anonymous functions are
implemented using the Closure class. The syntax is:
$var=function ($arg1, $arg2) {return $val;};
There is no function name between the function keyword and the opening parenthesis.There is a
semicolon after the function definition because anonymous function definitions are expressions.
The function is assigned to a variable, and called later using the variable’s name.When passed to
another function that can then call it later, it is known as a callback. You can return it from within
an outer function so that it can access the outer function’s variables. This is known as a closure.

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Example:
<?php
$var = function ($x) {return pow($x,3);};
echo "cube of 3 = " . $var(3);
?>
Output:
Cube of 3=27

4.12 Anonymous Function as Callback

In following example, an anonymous function is used as argument for a built-in usort() function.
The usort() function sorts a given array using a comparison function.

Example:
<?php
$arr = [10,3,70,21,54];
usort ($arr, function ($x , $y) { return $x > $y; });
foreach ($arr as $x)
{
echo $x . "\n";
}
?>
Output:
3 10 21 54 70

4.13 Anonymous Function as Closure

Closure is also an anonymous function that can access variables outside its scope with the help of
use keyword. The closures can also be used as the values of variables; PHP automatically converts
such expressions into instances of the Closure internal class. Also, assigning a closure to a variable
uses the same syntax as any other assignment, including the trailing semicolon.

Example: Anonymous function variable assignment

<?php
$message = function($name)
{
printf("We are learning %s\r\n", $name);
echo "<br/>";
};
$message('World');
$message('PHP');
?>

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Output:
We are learning World
We are learning PHP

4.14 PHP Date and Time Functions

The PHP date and time functions allow you to get the date and time from the server where your
PHP scripts are running. You can use these functions to format the date and time in many different
ways.

 checkdate() Function: Accepts the month, day, year of a date as parameters and, verifies
whether it is a Gregorian date or not. The syntax is:
checkdate (int $month , int $day , int $year)
Return Values: Returns a boolean value. This value is true if the given date is valid and, false if it is
invalid.
PHP Version: Was first introduced in PHP Version 4, and works with all the later versions.

<?php
var_dump(checkdate(11, 07, 1989));
echo "<br/>";
var_dump(checkdate(02, 31, 2022));
//checkdate (int $month , int $day , int
$year)
echo "<br/>";
$bool = (checkdate(06, 03, 1999));
print($bool);
echo "<br/>";
/*
var_dump(checkdate(02, 29, 2020)); //To check the leap year
echo "<br/>";
var_dump(checkdate(02, 28, 2019));
echo "<br/>"; */
?>

Output:
bool(true)
bool(false)
1

Example: In the following example, we are trying to verify the dates of leap year(s):
<?php
var_dump(checkdate(02, 30, 2004));
echo "<br/>";

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var_dump(checkdate(02, 28, 2008));

echo "<br/>";
var_dump(checkdate(02, 29, 2021)); //Checking leap year dates
echo "<br/>";
var_dump(checkdate(02, 29, 2020)); //Checking leap year dates
?>

Output:
bool(false)
bool(true)
bool(false)
bool(true)

 date_create(): Returns new DateTime object: An alias of the DateTime::__construct, a

constructor of the DateTime class. Where, a DateTime class represents date and time in PHP.
It accepts a date time string and time zone (optional) as parameters and, creates a DateTime
object accordingly. The syntax is:
date_create([$date_time, $timezone]);
Return Values: Returns the created DateTime object.
PHP Version: This function was first introduced in PHP Version 5.2.0 and, works with all the later
versions.

 date_format() Function:Thedate_format() function formats a given date. An alias of

DateTime::format() function. It accepts a DateTime object and a format string (representing a
desired date/time format) as parameters, formats the object in the specified format and,
returns the result. The syntax is:
string date_format(object, format);
Return Value: The date_format() function returns a string which represents the date formatted
according to the specified format on successful formatting otherwise it returns false on failure.

Example: We are creating a DateTime object, formatting it, and printing the result.
<?php
//Date string
$date_str = "2022-09-25 13:09:08";
//Creating a DateTime object
$dob = date_create($date_str);
//formatting the date to print it
$format = date_format($dob, "d-m-Y H:i:s");
print($format);
?>
Output:25-09-2022 13:09:08

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Example:
<?php
// using date_create() function to create a DateTime object
$date=date_create("2022-03-15");
// using date_format() function to format date
echo date_format($date, "Y/m/d H:i:s");
?>

Output:2022/03/15 00:00:00

Example: Following example formats a DateTime object as date and time separately.
<?php
$dateStr = '16-02-2022 14:02:41 IST';
$dto = date_create($dateStr);
$date = date_format($dto, 'y-m-d');
print("Date: $date");
$time = date_format($dto, 'H:i:s');
echo "<br/>";
print("Time: $time");
?>
Output:
Date: 22-02-16
Time: 14:02:41

 date_date_set() Function: An alias of the DateTime::setDate(). Using this, you can (re)set the
date of a DateTime object.
Syntax: date_date_set($object, $year, $month, $day)
Return Values: Returns DateTime object with modified value. Incase of failure, this function returns
boolean value false.
PHP Version: This function was first introduced in PHP Version 5.2.0 and, works with all the later
versions.

Example: Demonstrate the usage of date_date_set function.

<?php
//Creating a date
$date = new DateTime();
//Setting the date
date_date_set($date, 2022, 10, 02);
print("Date: ".date_format($date, "Y/m/d"));
?>
Output:

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Date: 2022/10/02

Example: illustrating the use of date function:

<?php
$d = date("D"); //Takes current system date
if ($d == "Fri")
echo "Have a nice weekend!";
elseif ($d == "Mon")
echo "Have a nice Sunday!";
else
echo "Have a nice day!";
?>

Output:
Have a nice day!

Example: The following example creates a DateTime object and modifies its date using the
date_date_set() function.
<?php
//Date string
$date_str = "07-03-2022";
//Creating a DateTime object
$dob = date_create($date_str);
print("Original Date: ".date_format($dob, "Y/m/d"));
print("\n");
//Setting the date
$date = date_date_set($dob, 2022, 11, 21); //21st November, 2022
print("Modified Date: ".date_format($date, "m/d/y"));
?>

Output:
Original Date: 2022/03/07 Modified Date: 11/21/22

Notes: While invoking this function if you pass the day and month values exceeding their
range, they will be added to their parent values.
<?php
//Creating a date
$date = new DateTime();
//Setting the date

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date_date_set($date, 2019, 15, 17);

print("Date: ".date_format($date, "Y/m/d"));
?>
Since we have set the month value as 15. Three months are added to the appropriate date:
Date: 2020/03/17

 date_modify(): An alias of DateTime::modify(). This function is used to modify the date in a

DateTime object. It alters the time stamp of the given object.
Syntax: date_modify($object, $modify)
Return Values: Returns the DateTime object with modified value. Incase of failure, this function
returns the boolean value false.
PHP Version: This function was first introduced in PHP Version 5.2.0 and, works with all the later
versions.

Example:
<?php
//Modifying the date
$date = date_modify(new DateTime(), "+15 day");
//Will add 15 days to the current system date
print("Date: ".date_format($date, "Y/m/d"));
?>
Output:
Date: 2022/03/31

 date_sunrise(): Returns the time of sunrise for a given day/ location. It accepts a timestamp
representing the given day and returns the sunrise time on that particular day.
Syntax:date_sunrise($timestamp, [$format, $latitude, $longitude]
Return Values: Returns the time of the sunrise in desired format. Incase of failure, it returns the
boolean value false.
PHP Version: This function was first introduced in PHP Version 5.0 and, works with all the later
versions.

 date_sunset(): Returns the time of sunset for a given day/ location. It accepts a timestamp
representing the given day and, returns the sunset time on that particular day.
Syntax:date_sunset($timestamp, [$format, $latitude, $longitude])
Return Values: Returns the time of the sunset in desired format. Incase of failure, it returns the
boolean value false.
PHP Version: This function was first introduced in PHP Version 5.0 and, works with all the later
versions.

 date_time_set(): Sets the time. An alias of the DateTime::setTime() function. Using this, you
can (re)set the time of a DateTime object.
Syntax: date_time_set($object, $hours, $minutes, $seconds, $microseconds).
Return Values: Returns the DateTime object with modified (time) value. Incase of failure, this
function returns the boolean value false.
PHP Version: This function was first introduced in PHP Version 5.2.0 and, works with all the later
versions.

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Example:
<?php
//Creating a date
$date = new DateTime();
//Setting the date-time
date_time_set($date, 5, 20, 45);
print("Date: ".date_format($date, "Y/m/d H:i:s"));
?>
Output:
Date: 2022/05/11 05:20:45

 date() Function: Accepts a format string as a parameter, formats the local date/time in the
specified format and returns the result.
Syntax: date ($format, $timestamp)
Return Values: Returns the current local time/date in the specified format.
PHP Version: This function was first introduced in PHP Version 4 and, works with all the later
versions.

 Get date() Function: Used to get information about a particular date/time. It accepts an
optional parameter specifying the time stamp of which you need the info about. If you haven't
passed any argument, this function returns information about the current local time.
Syntax: getdate([$timestamp])
Return Values: Returns an array containing the information about the given time/date.
PHP Version: This function was first introduced in PHP Version 4 and, works with all the later
versions.

Example:
<?php
$date = date("D M d Y"); //Day Month Day Year
print("Date: ".$date);
$info = getdate();
echo "<br>";
print_r($info);
?>
Output:
Date: Wed Mar 16 2022
Array ( [seconds] => 21 [minutes] => 37 [hours] => 8 [mday] => 16 [wday] => 3 [mon] => 3
[year] => 2022 [yday] => 74 [weekday] => Wednesday [month] => March [0] =>
1647419841 )

 date_timezone_get() Function: An alias of DateTime::getTimezone. It accepts a DateTime

object as a parameter and returns the timezone object relative to the given date/time (object).
Syntax: date_timezone_get($object)
Return Values: Returns a DateTimeZone object. Incase of failure it returns the boolean value false.

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PHP Version: This function was first introduced in PHP Version 5.2.1 and, works with all the later
versions.

 date_timezone_set() Function: Accepts a DateTime object and a timezone object as

parameters and, sets the specified timezone to the given DateTime.
Syntax: date_timezone_set($object, $time zone)
Return Values: Returns a DateTime object. Incase of failure it returns the boolean value false.
PHP Version: This function was first introduced in PHP Version 5.2.0 and, works with all the later
versions.

 gettimeofday() Function: Returns the current time of the day. By default, this function returns
the current time as an array. If you pass the boolean value true as an argument, this function
returns the time as floating point number.
Syntax: gettimeofday($return_float)
Return Values: Returns the current time. By default this value will be an array with keys: sec, usec,
minuteswest, dsttime. If you set the return_float value to true, the time will be returned as floating-
point value.
PHP Version: This function was first introduced in PHP Version 4 and, works with all the later
versions.

Example:
<?php
$time = gettimeofday();
print_r($time);
?>
Output:
Array ([sec] => 1646720009 [usec] => 119598 [minuteswest] => 0 [dsttime] => 0)

 date_add() Function: An alias of DateTime::add(). It accepts a DateTime object as parameters

and a DateInterval object, adds the specified interval to the given DateTime.
Syntax: date_add($object, $interval)
Return Values: Returns a DateTime object with added interval. In case of failure, this function
returns the boolean value false.
PHP Version: This function was first introduced in PHP Version 5.3.0 and, works with all the later
versions.

 date_sub() Function: Accepts a DateTime object and a DateInterval object, subtracts the
specified interval to the given DateTime.
Syntax: date_sub($object, $interval)
Return Values: Returns a DateTime object, subtracting the given interval from it. In case of failure,
this function returns the boolean value false.
PHP Version: This function was first introduced in PHP Version 5.3.0 and, works with all the later
versions.

 date_create_from_format() Function: An inbuilt function in php which is used to parses a

time string according to a specified format. This function accepts three parameters and returns
new DateTime in success or false on failure.
Syntax: date_create_from_format ($format, $time, $timezone)
Return Value: This function returns a new DateTime instance on success or FALSE on failure.

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Example:
<?php
// Declare a date in given format
$date = date_create_from_format('D-M-Y', 'monday-Feb-2022');
// Output date in given format
echo date_format($date, 'y-n-j');
?>

Output:
22-2-14

Summary
 A variable is a reference to a computer memory, where the value is stored. In PHP language, a
variable can hold a string, a number, or various objects like a function or a class. Variables can
be assigned different values over time.
 Variables in PHP consist of the $ character, called a sigil, and a label. A variable must start
with a dollar ($) sign, followed by the variable name.
 When you define a variable inside a function, you can only access that variable within the
function.
 Global variables refer to any variable that is defined outside of the function. These variables
can be accessed from any part of the script i.e. inside and outside of the function and can be
declared just like other variable but it must be declared outside of function definition.
 Superglobals were introduced in PHP 4.1.0, and are built-in variables that are always available
in all scopes. Several predefined variables in PHP are "superglobals", which means that they
are always accessible, regardless of scope - and you can access them from any function, class
or file without having to do anything special.
 PHP date and time functions allow you to get the date and time from the server where your
PHP scripts are running. You can use these functions to format the date and time in many
different ways.
 The superglobal variables provide information about the PHP script’s environment.

Keywords
Variable: Variable is an identifier, which holds a value.
Global Variables:Global variables refer to any variable that is defined outside of the function. These
variables can be accessed from any part of the script i.e. inside and outside of the function and can
be declared just like other variable but it must be declared outside of function definition.
PHP $_REQUEST: PHP $_REQUEST is used to collect data after submitting an HTML form.
Global Array: Ina global array, PHP maintains an array where it stores all the global variable that
we defined in an application. By the use of this array, we can access this variable in and out of the
script.
Gettimeofday () Function:Returns the current time of the day. By default, this function returns the
current time as an array.

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Closure:Closure is also an anonymous function that can access variables outside its scope with the
help of use keyword. The closures can also be used as the values of variables; PHP automatically
converts such expressions into instances of the Closure internal class.
Date & Time Functions:PHP date and time functions allow you to get the date and time from the
server where your PHP scripts are running.

SelfAssessment
1. Which of the following statement(s) is/are true for a variable in PHP?
A. In PHP, a variable is an identifier which holds a value.
B. In PHP language, a variable can hold a string, a number, or various objects like a function
or a class.
C. Variable is a reference to a computer memory, where the value is stored.
D. All of the above.

2. In PHP, a variable name must start with a letter or __________ character.

A. Underscore (_)
B. Hash (#)
C. Power (^)
D. Double quotes (“)

3. In order to define a static variable, the ______________ keyword is used.

A. Stat
B. Non-variable
C. Static
D. No change

4. A PHP session is easily started by making a call to the _________ function.

A. session_go()
B. session_init()
C. session_start()
D. session_due()

5. PHP maintains an array where it stores all the global variable that we defined in an
application. Such array is called __________ array.
A. Static
B. Global
C. Random
D. Fixed

6. $_SERVER is a PHP super global variable which holds information about _______.
A. Headers
B. Paths
C. Script locations

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D. All of the above

7. Which of the following statement(s) is valid for global variables?

A. Global variables refer to any variable that is defined outside of the function.
B. Global variables can be accessed from any part of the script, that is, inside and outside of
the function.
C. Global variables can be declared just like other variable but it must be declared outside of
function definition.
D. All of the above

8. __________ function accepts variable reference and base parameters to return integer by
converting variable type with respect to the base.
A. Intern ()
B. Internal ()
C. Include ()
D. Interval ()

9. ___________ function will print the array of data with more information to the browser
such as its length, type information.
A. var_dump()
B. dump()
C. echo()
D. printer()

10. ___________ function in PHP converts value of a variable into storable data format,
whereas, ________ is used to convert storable data format back to its original form.
A. store (), unstore()
B. seralize(), unseralize()
C. convert (), unconvert()
D. varst(), dvarst()

11. Anonymous function is a function without any user defined name. Such a function is also
called ___________ function.
A. Lambda
B. Variable
C. Anon
D. Close

12. The date_format() function returns ___________ which represents the date formatted
according to the specified format on successful formatting otherwise it returns false on
failure.
A. String
B. Character

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C. ASCII
D. Float

13. Which function is used to return the date information?

A. date()
B. getdate()
C. time_date()
D. None of the above

14. The checkdate() function accepts _____________ as parameters and, verifies whether it is a
Gregorian date or not.
A. Month of a date
B. Day of a date
C. Year of a date
D. All of the above

15. Which of the following statement is true for date_timezone_set() function?

A. It accepts a DateTime object as a parameter.
B. It accepts a timezone object as parameter.
C. It sets the specified timezone to the given DateTime
D. All of the above

Answers forSelf Assessment

1. D 2. A 3. C 4. C 5. B

6. D 7. D 8. D 9. A 10. B

11. A 12. A 13. B 14. D 15. D

Review Questions
1. Explain the significance of date and time functions in PHP?
2. Write a short note on:
a. Global array
b. Global keyword
3. Discuss the different date and time functions in PHP?
4. What are Anonymous functions and how Callback works?
5. What are variables functions in PHP?
6. Considering the importance of variable functions, explain the functionalities applied on
PHP variables?
7. Discuss the concept of super global variables with examples.

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Further Readings
 PHP Solutions by David Powers, Apress, 2007.
 Programming PHP by RusmusLerdorf, Oreilly Publishers, 2013.
 Creating dynamic Web sites with PHP and MySQL (PDF 20P) by Ashraful Alam.
 Practical PHP Programming by Paul Hudson.

Web Links
 PHP Global Variable | How Global Variable works in PHP? (educba.com)
 PHP - Global Variables (tutorialspoint.com)
 PHP - Functions (tutorialspoint.com)
 PHP Anonymous functions (tutorialspoint.com)
 PHP - Date & Time (tutorialspoint.com)
 PHP Global Variables - Superglobals (w3schools.com)
 https://youtu.be/YZ3BPzMU3WQ
 https://youtu.be/kUs8bAaab70
 https://youtu.be/B5wMcJC0x5w

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Unit 05: PHP Strings and Math Functions

Dr. Tarandeep Kaur, Lovely Professional University

Unit 05: PHP Strings and Math Functions

CONTENTS
Objectives
Introduction
5.1 Importance of Using String Functions in PHP
5.2 Other String Functions
5.3 Math Functions in PHP
Summary
Keywords
Self Assessment
Answers for Self Assessment
Review Questions
Further Readings

Objectives
After studying this unit, you will be able to:

 Know about the string functions in PHP.

 Explore the working of PHP strings.
 Analyze the use of various string functions in PHP.
 Compare strings in PHP.
 Learn about the use of Math functions in PHP.

Introduction
The term "string" refers to a series of characters. PHP supports a number of data types, including
strings. The alphanumeric characters are allowed in string variables.When these conditions are met,
strings are generated. It is possible to create a variable and assign it to string characters. With the
echo argument, using PHP Strings directly.
The string functions in PHP are language constructs that aid in the capture of terms. These are used
to modify a string or query knowledge about a string (some do both).The length (string) function is
the most basic example of a string function.The length of a string literal is returned by this
function:str(len)

5.1 Importance of Using String Functions in PHP

The string function can be used for various operations such as:

 Finding length of a string

 Counting number of words in string
 Reversing a string
 Searching text in string
 Replacing text in a string
 Converting lowercase into title case
 Converting a whole string into UPPERCASE and lowercase

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 Comparing string

Finding Length of a String:The length of a string can be found by using the most basic type of
built-in function.The length of a string can be determined using a predefined function in
PHP.strlen() function returns the length of any string. It's most widely used in input fields where
the user can only type a certain number of characters.
Syntax: Strlen(String);

Example:
<?php
echo strlen('Learning string functions in PHP');
//Will return the length of given string
?>
Output:32

<?php
$s = "Good Day Ahead";
// Illustrate the use of strlen
echo "Total string length is: ". strlen($s);
?>
Output:Total string length is: 14

Counting Number of Words in String: A built-in function can be used to display the number
of words in a given string(). The validation of input fields is also possible with this feature.
Syntax: Str_word_count(String)

Example:
<?php
echo str_word_count('We are taking online class of PHP');
//returns the number of words in a String
?>
Output: 7

<?php
$s = "Good Day Everyone";
//Use of word count() function
echo "Total string length is: ". str_word_count($s);
?>
Output:Total string length is: 3

Reversing a String:The Strrev() is a function that reverses a string and can be used to get the
reverse version of any string.
Syntax: Strrev(String)

Example:
<?php

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echo strrev('Welcome to string functions in php');

//returns the reverse of the string passed
?>
Output:php nisnoitcnufgnirtsotemocleW

Searching Text in String:Strpos() allows you to check for specific text within a string. It works
by simply matching a string's basic text. If a match is found, the location is returned. It will return
"False" if the item is not found at all. It is widely used to validate input fields such as email
addresses.
Syntax: Strops(String,text);

Example:
<?php
echo strpos('We are learning about string functions in PHP','string');
//Returns the location of the word being searched
?>
Output: 22

Replacing Text in a String:Strreplace() is a built-in function that allows you to replace specific
text in a string.
Syntax: Str_replace((string to be replaced,text,string)

Example:
<?php
echo str_replace('python', 'php', 'Learning python is fun');
//Replaces desired word
?>
Output:Learning php is fun

<?php
//replacement from the front of string
$r1 = substr_replace("Hello Everyone", "Day", 6);
echo $r1;
//replacement from end of the string
$r2 = substr_replace("All the best", "Great", -4);
echo $r2;
?>
Output:Hello DayAll the Great

Converting Lowercase into Title Case:Ucwords() is a function that converts the first letter of
each word to uppercase.
Syntax: Ucwords(string);

Example:
<?php

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echo ucwords('welcome to the world of learning PHP');

?>
Output: Welcome To The World Of Learning PHP

Converting a Whole String into UPPERCASE and lowercase: There are two functions
related to converted whole string into UPPERCASE and lowercase.

 Strtoupper() used to convert all string characters into upper.

 Strtolower() used to convert all string characters into lower.
Syntax:
Strtoupper(String);
Strtolower(String);

Example:
<?php
echo strtoupper('welcome to the world of learning PHP');
echo "<br/>";
echo strtolower('Welcome to THE WORLD OF LEARNING PHP');
?>

Output: WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF LEARNING PHP

welcome to the world of learning php

Comparing String:strcmp can be used to compare two strings () and produces the output that is
either greater than, less than, or equal to zero. It returns greater than zero if string 1 is greater than
string 2. It returns less than zero if string 1 is less than string 2. If the strings are equal, it returns
zero.
Syntax: Strcmp(string1,string2)

Example:
<?php
echo strcmp("hi","hi");
echo '<br>';
?>
//Output: 0

Example:
<?php
echo strcmp("hi hello","hi");
echo '<br>';
?>
Output: 6

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Example:
<?php
echo strcmp("hi","hi hello");
echo '<br>';
?>
Output: -6

5.2 Other String Functions

There are several other functions that can perform different operations related to the strings.
chr() Function:This function returns a character from the specified ASCII value.The ASCII value
can be specified in decimal, octal, or hex values. The octal values are defined by a leading 0, while
hex values are defined by a leading 0x.
Syntax: chr(ascii)

Example:
<?php
echo chr(65) . "<br>";
echo chr(062) . "<br>";
echo chr(0x75) . "<br>";
?>
Output:
A
2
U

chop() Function: The chop() function removes the whitespaces or other predefined characters
from the right end of a string.
Syntax: chop(string)

Example:
<?php
echo chop("Hello World ");
//Chops whitespace from the right of the string
?>
Output: Hello World

substr() Function:A built-in function in PHP that is used to extract a part of string.The first
argument is the string itself, second argument is the starting index of the substring to be extracted
and the third argument is the length of the substring to be extracted.
Syntax: substr($str, $start, $length)

Example:
<?php
echo substr("Good Morning",5,2);

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//substr($str, $start, $length)

?>
Output: Mo

substr_count() Function:It counts the number of times a substring occurs in the given
string.Substr_count() is a case-sensitive function., which means it treats uppercase and loweSyntax
Syntax of the substr_count() is given below, which accepts four parameters, two string, and two
integer type values.
substr_count($string, $substring)

Example:
<?php
$s = "Good Mood Leads to Good Day";
echo substr_count($s,"Good");
?>
Output: 2

ucfirst() Function:This function is used to convert the first character of the string into the
uppercase.
Syntax: Contains only one string parameter.
ucfirst( $string)

Example:
<?php
$st1 = "hello dear how r you?";
echo ucfirst($st1);
echo "<br/>";
echo ucwords($st1);
?>
Output: Hello dear how r you?
Hello Dear How R You?

lcfirst() Function:This function converts the first character of a string to lowercase.

Syntax: lcfirst(string)

Example:
<?php
$st1 = "HELLO DEAR HOW R YOU?";
echo lcfirst($st1);
echo "<br/>";
//echo ucwords($st1);
?>
Output: hELLO DEAR HOW R YOU?

str_split() Function:str_split() function splits a string into an array.

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Syntax: str_split(string,length)

Example:
<?php
print_r(str_split("Good",2));
?>
Output: Array ( [0] => Go [1] => od )

Strcasecmp() Function: The strcasecmp() function compares two string.

Syntax: strcasecmp(string1,string2)

Example:
<?php
echo strcasecmp("Good Day","good day");
?>
Output: 0

trim() Function:trim() function removes whitespace and other predefined characters from both
sides of a string.

 ltrim()- Removes whitespace or other predefined characters from the left side of a string.
 rtrim()- Removes whitespace or other predefined characters from the right side of a string.

Parameter Description

string Required. Specifies the string to check

Charlist Optional. Specifies which characters to remove from the string. If omitted,
all of the following characters are removed:
"\0" - NULL
"\t" - tab
"\n" - new line
"\x0B" - vertical tab
"\r" - carriage return
" " - ordinary white space

Example:Trim Function example:

<?php
$str = "Hello World!";
echo $str . "<br>";
echo trim($str,"Hed!");
?>
Output: Hello World!
lloWorl

Trimming white spaces: Write a program to remove whitespaces from both sides of a

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string?
<?php
$str = " Hello World! Hii ";
echo "Without trim: " . $str;
echo "<br>";
echo "With trim: " . trim($str);
?>
Output:Without trim: Hello World! Hii
With trim: Hello World! Hii

Lab Exercise: Write a program to remove newlines (\n) from both sides of the string.

5.3 Math Functions in PHP

Math functions offer the inbuilt functionalities of PHP. These provide a mechanism in which a
developer can do some sort of math calculations or similar stuff. Using such functions, provides a
quick hands-on for development without writing a long piece of code.

Range of PHP Math Functions

The range of PHP math functions is within integer and float types. The range of integer data type in
PHP for a 32-bit computer is -2,147,483,647 to 2,147,483,647. Any number smaller than -
2,147,483,647 or any number greater than 2,147,483,647 or any number smaller than -2,147,483,647 is
considered as float.
Abs () Function:This function was introduced in PHP 4+ version and returns the absolute value
of the number. It is used to return the absolute (positive) value of a number and is identical to what
we call modulus in mathematics. The modulus or absolute value of a negative number is positive.
Syntax: number abs(value)
Parameters: Accepts single parameter value which holds the number whose absolute value you
want to find.
Return Value: Return type of the function is float or integer number depending upon what type of
argument passed in the function.

Example:
<?php
echo (abs(-9)); //Output: 9
?>

ceil() Function:Ceil() function rounds fractions up.

Syntax: float ceil (float $value)

Example:
<?php
echo (ceil(3.3)."<br/>");// 4
echo (ceil(7.333)."<br/>");// 8
echo (ceil(-4.8)."<br/>");// -4
?>

floor() Function:floor() function rounds fractions down.

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Syntax: float floor (float $value)

Example:
<?php
echo (floor(3.3)."<br/>"); // 3
echo (floor(7.333)."<br/>"); // 7
echo (floor(-4.8)."<br/>"); // -5
?>

sqrt () Function: sqrt() function returns square root of given argument.

Syntax: float sqrt (float $arg)

Example:
<?php
echo (sqrt(16)."<br/>"); // 4
echo (sqrt(25)."<br/>"); // 5
echo (sqrt(7)."<br/>"); // 2.6457513110646
?>

Example:
sqrt() by declaring variables
<?php
$five = sqrt(25);
echo $five;
echo "<br/>";
$four = sqrt(16);
echo $four;
?>
Output:
5
4

pi() Function:This function was introduced in PHP 4+ version. It returns value of a PI and its
return type is a float.

Example:
<?php
echo(pi() . "<br>");
?>
Output: 3.1415926535898

pow() Function:This function was introduced in PHP 4+ version. It accepts two arguments say x
and y. It calculates x raised to the power of y. The return type is integer or float which depends
upon the nature of the argument.

Example:

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<?php
echo(pow(2,3) . "<br>");
echo(pow(2,4) . "<br>");
echo(pow(5,6) . "<br>");
echo(pow(3,5));
?>
Output:
8
16
15625
243

log() Function:This function was introduced in PHP 4+ version. It accepts two arguments say x
and y where x is a number and y is the logarithm of a number to base.If y is not passed then the
default value ‘e’ is assumed. Its return type is float.

Example:
<?php
echo(log(2.718) . "<br>");
echo(log(2) . "<br>");
echo(log(1) . "<br>");
echo(log(0)); //Infinite
?>
Output:
0.99989631572895
0.69314718055995
0
-INF

log10() Function: It was introduced in PHP 4+ version and accepts one argument says x where x
is a number whose base 10 logarithm needs to be calculated. The return type is float.

Example:
<?php
echo(log10(656) . "<br>");
echo(log10(455) . "<br>");
echo(log10(145) . "<br>");
?>
Output:
2.8169038393757
2.6580113966571
2.161368002235

round() Function:This function was introduced in PHP 4+ version. It rounds a number and
expects three parameters where the first parameter is number, the second parameter is for precision
and the third argument is for mode. The only first argument is mandatory.

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Example:
<?php
echo(round(3.35) . "<br>");
echo(round(-2.35) . "<br>");
echo(round(5) . "<br>");
?>
Output:
3
-2
5

max() Function:This function was used to find the numerically maximum value in an array or the
numerically maximum value of several specified values. It can take an array or several numbers as
an argument and return the numerically maximum value among the passed parameters.
Return type is not fixed, it can be an integer value or a float value based on input.
Syntax: max (array_values) or max(value1, value2, ...)
Parameters: This function accepts two different types of arguments which are explained below:

 array_values: It specifies an array containing the values.

 value1, value2, …: It specifies two or more than two values to be compared.

Example:
<?php
echo (max(12, 4, 62, 97, 26));
?>
Output: 97

min() Function: This function returns the lowest value in an array, or the lowest value of several
specified values.
Syntax: min (array_values); or min(value1,value2,...);
Parameters

 array_values: Required. Specifies an array containing the values

 value1,value2,...: Required. Specifies the values to compare (must be at least two values)

Example:
<?php
echo(min(2,4,6,8,10) . "<br>");
echo(min(22,14,68,18,15) . "<br>");
echo(min(array(4,6,8,10)) . "<br>");
echo(min(array(44,16,81,12)));
?>
Output:
2
14

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4
12

decbin() Function:The decbin() function converts decimal number into binary. It returns binary
number as a string.
Syntax: string decbin (int $number)

Example:
<?php
echo (decbin(2)."<br/>");
echo (decbin(10)."<br/>");
echo (decbin(22)."<br/>");
?>
Output:
10
1010
10110

dechex() Function:It converts decimal number into hexadecimal. It returns hexadecimal

representation of given number as a string.
Syntax: string dechex (int $number)

Example:
<?php
echo (dechex(2)."<br/>");
echo (dechex(10)."<br/>");
echo (dechex(22)."<br/>");
?>
Output:
2
a
16

Base convert() Function: This function converts a number from one number base to another.
Syntax: base convert(number,frombase,tobase);
Parameter

 Number Required. Specifies the number to convert

 Frombase: Required. Specifies the original base of number. Has to be between 2 and 36,
inclusive. Digits in numbers with a base higher than 10 will be represented with the letters a-z,
with “a meaning 10”, “b meaning 11” and “z meaning 35”.
 Tobase: Required. Specifies the base to convert to. Has to be between 2 and 36, inclusive.
Digits in numbers with a base higher than 10 will be represented with the letters a-z, with a
meaning 10, b meaning 11 and z meaning 35

Task:

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1.Convert an octal number to a decimal number?

2.Convert a hexadecimal number to octal number?
3.Convert an octal number to a hexadecimal number?

Lab Exercise:
Write a PHP script to find the maximum and minimum marks from the set of arrays?
$marks1 = array(360,310,310,330,313,375,456,111,256);
$marks2 = array(350,340,356,330,321);
$marks3 = array(630,340,570,635,434,255,298);
Expected Output :
Maximum marks:
Minimum marks:
<?php
$marks1 = array(360,310,310,330,313,375,456,111,256);
$marks2 = array(350,340,356,330,321);
$marks3 = array(630,340,570,635,434,255,298);
$max_marks = max(max($marks1),max($marks2),max($marks3));
$min_marks = min(min($marks1),min($marks2),min($marks3));
echo "Maximum marks : ".$max_marks."\n";
echo "Minimum marks : ".$min_marks."\n";
?>

Lab Exercise:
Write a PHP script which rounds the following values with 1 decimal digit precision?
Sample values and Output :
1.65 --> 1.7
1.65 --> 1.6
-1.54 --> -1.5
<?php
echo round( 1.65, 1, PHP_ROUND_HALF_UP)."\n"; // 1.7
echo "<br/>";
echo round( 1.65, 1, PHP_ROUND_HALF_DOWN)."\n"; // 1.6
echo "<br/>";
echo round(-1.54, 1, PHP_ROUND_HALF_EVEN)."\n"; // -1.5
?>

Summary
 PHP is a server scripting language, and a powerful tool for making dynamic and interactive
Web pages. It is widely used, free, and efficient alternative to competitors such as Microsoft's
ASP.

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 The term "string" refers to a series of characters. PHP supports a number of data types,
including strings.
 Alphanumeric characters are allowed in string variables. When these conditions are met,
strings are generated.
 It is possible to create a variable and assign it to string characters.
 The string functions in PHP are language constructs that aid in the capture of terms. These are
used to modify a string or query knowledge about a string (some do both).
 Math functions offer the inbuilt functionalities of PHP. These provide a mechanism in which a
developer can do some sort of math calculations or similar stuff.
 strcmp can be used to compare two strings () and produces the output that is either greater
than, less than, or equal to zero. It returns greater than zero if string 1 is greater than string 2.
It returns less than zero if string 1 is less than string 2.

Keywords
PHP: PHP is a server scripting language, and a powerful tool for making dynamic and interactive
Web pages. PHP is a widely used, free, and efficient alternative to competitors such as Microsoft's
ASP.
chop() Function:The chop() function removes the whitespaces or other predefined characters from
the right end of a string.
abs() Function:This function was introduced in PHP 4+ version and returns the absolute value of
the number. It is used to return the absolute (positive) value of a number.
Ucwords() Function:Ucwords() is a function that converts the first letter of each word to uppercase.
pow() Function: This function accepts two arguments say x and y. It calculates x raised to the power
of y. The return type is integer or float which depends upon the nature of the argument.
trim() Function:trim() function removes whitespace and other predefined characters from both
sides of a string.
chr() Function:This function returns a character from the specified ASCII value. The ASCII value
can be specified in decimal, octal, or hex values. The octal values are defined by a leading 0, while
hex values are defined by a leading 0x.
substr_count() Function: It counts the number of times a substring occurs in the given string.
Substr_count() is a case-sensitive function., which means it treats uppercase and loweSyntax
floor() Function:floor() function rounds fractions down.

SelfAssessment
1. Which of the following function converts a string to all uppercase?
A. upper ()
B. uppercase ()
C. struppercase()
D. strtoupper()

2. String values in PHP must be enclosed within

A. Double Quotes
B. Single Quotes
C. Both (a) and (b)
D. None of the above

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3. Which of the following is the use of strlen() function in PHP?

A. The strlen() function returns the type of string
B. The strlen() function returns the length of string
C. The strlen() function returns the value of string
D. The strlen() function returns both value and type of string

4. Which of the following function is used to get the ASCII value of a character in PHP?
A. val()
B. asc()
C. ascii()
D. chr()

5. _____________ function removes whitespace and other predefined characters from the left
side of a string.
A. strim()
B. lefttrim()
C. ltrim()
D. lftrim()

6. The statement that aptly indicates the feature(s) for substr_count() function:
A. It counts the number of times a substring occurs in the given string.
B. It is a built-in function.
C. It is a case-sensitive function.
D. All of the above

7. Which of the following is the correct way to print "Hello World" in PHP?
A. "Hello World";
B. write ("Hello World");
C. echo "Hello World";
D. None of the above

8. The _____________ function is used used to get the reverse version of any string.
A. strrev()
B. strrevs()
C. rev()
D. revstrr()

9. Which of the following statement(s) true regarding the abs() function in PHP?
A. It is an inbuilt function in PHP which is used to return the absolute (positive) value of a
number.
B. It is identical to what we call modulus in mathematics.

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C. Accepts single parameter value which holds the number whose absolute value you want
to find.
D. All of the above

10. The baseconvert() function is used to convert a:

A. String argument into floats
B. String argument into numbers
C. String argument into Boolean
D. String argument into arrays

11. The ______________ function returns square root of given argument.

A. sqrt()
B. squareroot()
C. sqroot()
D. square()

12. ______________ function rounds the fractions up while __________ function rounds the
fractions down.
A. floor(), ceil()
B. ceil(), floor()
C. RoundUp(), RoundDown()
D. FracUp(), FracDown()

13. PHP offers 1000’s of built-in functions. The functions that offer mechanism for the
developer to do some sort of mathematical calculations or similar stuff are:
A. Math functions
B. Formula functions
C. Calculate functions
D. Compute functions

14. The pi() function in PHP was introduced in

A. PHP 5 version
B. PHP 7 version
C. PHP 8 version
D. PHP 4+ version

15. Which of the following statement is/are true for pow() function in PHP?
A. It was introduced in PHP 4+ version.
B. It accepts two arguments say x and y. It calculates x raised to the power of y.
C. The return type is integer or float which depends upon the nature of the argument.
D. All of the above

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Answers for Self Assessment

1. D 2. C 3. B 4. D 5. C

6. D 7. C 8. A 9. D 10. B

11. A 12. B 13. A 14. D 15. D

Review Questions
1. What are String functions? Explain any two.
2. Write a PHP script to find the sum of square root of 125 and 16.
3. Discuss the significance of using the math functions in PHP.
4. Explore the concept of in-built functions taking examples from string and math functions
in PHP.
5. Which functions are used to find the length of a string and concatenate it?
6. Discuss the working of the following functions:
a. decbin
b. dechex
c. log()
d. pow()
e. pi()
7. Write a short note on:
a. String functions in PHP
b. Math functions in PHP

Further Readings
 The Joy of PHP: A Beginner’s Guide by Alan Forbes.
 Programming PHP: Creating Dynamic Web Pages by Kevin Tatroe and Peter
MacIntyre.
 Learn PHP in One Day and Learn It Well by Jamie Chan.
 Web Technologies: A Computer Science Perspective by Jackson, Pearson Education
India.

Web Links
 https://www.w3schools.com/php/
 https://www.educba.com/php-math-functions/?source=leftnav
 https://www.w3schools.com/pHp/php_ref_math.asp
 https://wpshout.com/php-math-functions/

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Dr. Tarandeep Kaur, Lovely Professional University Unit 06: Arrays in PHP

Unit 06: Arrays in PHP

CONTENTS
Objectives
Introduction
6.1 Storing Data in Arrays
6.2 Adding Values to the End of an Array
6.3 Types of Arrays in PHP
6.4 Indexed or Numeric Arrays
6.5 Associative Arrays
6.6 Multidimensional Arrays
6.7 Traversing Arrays in PHP
6.8 Traversing Different Types of Arrays in PHP
6.9 PHP Array Functions
6.10 Converting Between Arrays and Variables
6.11 Sorting Arrays
Summary
Keywords
Self Assessment
Answers for Self Assessment
Review Questions
Further Readings

Objectives
After studying this unit, you will be able to:

 Learn about arrays and their different types in PHP.

 Explorethe traversal of different types of arrays.
 Know aboutthe different array functions in PHP.
 Understand converting between arrays and variables.
 Implement the sorting of arrays in PHP.

Introduction
An array is a series of elements of the same type placed in contiguous memory locations that can be
individually referenced by adding an index to a unique identifier. The arrays in PHP are a type of
data structure that allow us to store multiple elements of similar data type under a single variable
thereby saving us the effort of creating a different variable for every data.
Arrays are helpful to create a list of elements of similar types, which can be accessed using their
index or key. For example, we can store 5 values of type int in an array without having to declare 5
different variables, each one with a different identifier. Instead of that, using an array we can store 5
different values of the same type, int for example, with a unique identifier.
Arrays can be used to hold multiple values of similar type in a single variable.Suppose we want to
store five names and print them accordingly. This can be easily done by the use of five different

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string variables. But if instead of five, the number rises to a hundred, then it would be really
difficult for the user or developer to create so many different variables.
Here, array comes into play and helps us to store every element within a single variable and also
allows easy access using an index or a key. PHP array is an ordered map (contains value on the
basis of key).
array () function is used to create a PHP array. This function can be used to create indexed arrays or
associative arrays. PHP arrays could be single dimensional or multi-dimensional.The array()
function was first introduced as part of core PHP 4.0.0. The syntax to create PHP indexed arrays:
$a = array(value1, value2, value3, ...)
The syntax to create PHP associative arrays:
$a = array(key1 => value1, key2 => value2...)
Where

 Key (Optional): Specifies the key, of type numeric or string. If not set, an integer key is
generated, starting at 0.
 Value (Required): Specifies the value.

6.1 Storing Data in Arrays

Arrays are used to store data. The scalar variables are also the basis for assigning values to elements
of a array. Using the array name as well as the index in parentheses, reference the values according
to the operator (=) followed by values, then pass these values on to the assignment operator (=).

Caution: Storing a value in an array will create the array if it didn’t already exist, but
trying to retrieve a value from an array that hasn’t been defined won’t create the array.

An easier way to initialize an array is to use the array() construct, which builds an array from its
arguments. This builds an indexed array, and the index values (starting at 0) are created
automatically. In order to create an associative array with array(), use the => symbol to separate
indices (keys) from values.You can specify an initial key with => and then a list of values.The
values are inserted into the array starting with that key, with subsequent values having sequential
keys.If the initial index is a nonnumeric string, subsequent indices are integers beginning at 0. Thus,
the following code is probably a mistake. Also, in order to construct an empty array, pass no
arguments to array() like $addresses = array();When we store a value in an array it will create the
array if it didn’t already exist, but trying to retrieve a value from an array that hasn’t been defined
yet won’t create the array. For example:

Example:
<?php
// $postcode not defined before this point
echo $postcode[0]; // prints nothing
echo$postcode; // prints nothing
$postcode[0] = '[email protected]';
echo$postcode; // prints “Array”
?>

Notes:Using simple assignment to initialize an array in your program leads to code like
this:
<?php
$postcode[0] = '[email protected]';

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$postcode[1] = '[email protected]';
$postcode[2] = '[email protected]';
echo $postcode[0] . "</br>";
echo $postcode[1] . "</br>";
echo $postcode[2];
?>

6.2 Adding Values to the End of an Array

The syntax, is used to insert more values into the end of an existing indexed array. Example:

Example:
<?php
$friend = array('Harish', 'Pinky');
$friend[] = 'Tushar'; // $friend[2] is ‘Tushar’
echo $friend[2];
?>
Output:Tushar

This construct assumes the array’s indexes are numbers and assigns elements into the next
available numeric index, starting from 0.

6.3 Types of Arrays in PHP

There are three types of arrays in PHP:

 Indexed or Numeric Arrays: An array with a numeric index where values are stored linearly.
 Associative Arrays: An array with a string index where instead of linear storage, each value
can be assigned a specific key.
 Multidimensional Arrays: An array which contains single or multiple arrays within it and can
be accessed via multiple indices.

6.4 Indexed or Numeric Arrays

These types of arrays can be used to store any type of elements, but an index is always a number.
By default, the index starts at zero. There are 2 different ways to create indexed arrays.

Way 1:
<?php
$cars = array("Volvo", "BMW", "Toyota");
echo "I like " . $cars[0] . ", " . $cars[1] . " and " . $cars[2] . ".";
?>
Output:I like Volvo, BMW and Toyota.

Way 2: Indexed arrays can be created in two different ways as shown in the following
example:
<?php
// One way to create an indexed array
$names= array("Taran", "Gurfateh", "Seerat", "Anhad", "Ravinder");

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// Accessing the elements directly

echo "Accessing the 1st array elements directly:\n";
echo $names[2], "\n";
echo $names[0], "\n";
echo $names[4], "\n";
// Second way to create an indexed array
$naming[0] = "TARAN";
$naming[1] = "GURFATEH";
$naming[2] = "SEERAT";
$naming[3] = "ANHAD";
echo "<br/>";
// Accessing the elements directly
echo "Accessing the 2nd array elements directly:\n";
echo $naming[2], "\n";
echo $naming[0], "\n";
echo $naming[3], "\n";
?>
Output:
Accessing the 1st array elements directly: SeeratTaran Ravinder
Accessing the 2nd array elements directly: SEERAT TARAN ANHAD

6.5 Associative Arrays

These types of arrays are similar to the indexed arrays but instead of linear storage, every value can
be assigned with a user-defined key of string type. The associative arrays use named keys that you
assign to them.There are two ways to create an associative array:
$age=array(“Taran”=>”35",”Gurfateh”=>”37",”Ravu”=>”43");
Or:
$age[‘Taran’]=“35";
$age[‘Gurfateh’]=”37";
$age[‘Ravu’]=”43";

Creating Associative Arrays

Example:
<?php
// One way to create an associative array
$names= array("Taran"=>"Tara", "Gurfateh"=>"Guru", "Raju"=>"Rani", "Seerat"=>"Doll",
"Ravinder"=>"Ravu");

// Second way to create an associative array

$naming["Taran"]="Tara";
$naming["Gurfateh"]="Guru";
$naming["Raju"] = "Rani";

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$naming["Seerat"] = "Doll";
$naming["Ravinder"] = "Ravu";

echo "Accessing the elements directly:\n"; // Accessing the elements directly

echo $naming["Taran"], "\n";
echo $naming["Gurfateh"], "\n";
echo $naming["Raju"], "\n";
echo $naming["Seerat"], "\n";
echo $naming["Ravinder"], "\n";
?>
Output:
Accessing the elements directly: Tara Guru Rani Doll Ravu

<?php
$age=array("Taran"=>"35","Gurfateh"=>"37","Ravinder"=>"43");
echo "Taran is " . $age['Taran'] . " years old.";
?>
Output:
Taran is 35 years old.

6.6 Multidimensional Arrays

Arrays that store another array at each index instead of a single element. In other words, we can
define multi-dimensional arrays as an array of arrays. Every element in this array can be an array
and they can also hold other sub-arrays within. The arrays or sub-arrays in multidimensional
arrays can be accessed using multiple dimensions.

Example:
<?php
// Defining a multidimensional array
$details=array(array("name"=>"Taran","mob"=>"5678", "email"=>"[email protected]", ),
array("name"=>"Gurfateh","mob"=>"1234","email"=>"[email protected]",),
array("name"=>"Ravinder","mob"=>"9999","email"=>"[email protected]", ));
// Accessing elements
echo "Taran email-id is: " . $details[0]["email"], "\n <br/>";
echo "Gurfateh mobile number is: " . $details[2]["mob"];
?>

Output:
Taran email-id is: [email protected]
Gurfateh mobile number is: 9999

Scope of Arrays in PHP

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When declaring a regular array of local scope (within a function, for example), if we do not specify
otherwise, its elements will not be initialized to any value by default, so their content will be
undetermined until we store some value in them. The elements of global and static arrays, on the
other hand, are automatically initialized with their default values, which for all fundamental types
this means they are filled with zeros. In both cases, local and global, when we declare an array, we
have the possibility to assign initial values to each one of its elements by enclosing the values in
braces { }.

6.7 Traversing Arrays in PHP

PHP provides several ways to traverse arrays using both array iteration functions and language
constructs: array_walk, array_map, array_filter, for each, list/each, and for loops.

Using Using
foreach list/each

while reset
loop function

As you iterate over the array, each function is used to return the current key-value pair and
advance the array pointer. list function is used to assign the key and value to variables. While loop
ends when the last element in the array is reached. Reset function is invoked to restore the array
pointer to the first element in the array.

 Using foreach:PHP's foreach loop provides a convenient way to iterate over arrays. There are
two forms: one uses both the key and value of each array entry while the other uses only the
value. Firstly, we demonstrate the key => value form:

Example:
<?php
$cars = ['BMW', 'Maruti', 'Porsche', 'Mercedes' => 'XT4'];
foreach ($cars as $carrrr => $val)
{
echo "$carrrr => $val \n";
}
?>
Output:
0 => BMW 1 => Maruti 2 => Porsche Mercedes => XT4

The body of the loop uses echo to display the key and value of each array element in turn. In this
example, foreach uses only the value of the array elements:

Example:
<?php

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$cars = ['BMW', 'Maruti', 'Porsche', 'Mercedes' => 'XT4'];

foreach ($cars as $val) {
echo "$val \n"; }
?>
Output:
BMW Maruti Porsche XT4

Using list/each: Another common way to traverse arrays uses a while loop with the list language
construct and the each function. The following example achieves the same result as the first foreach
example shown above:

Example:
<?php
$cars = ['BMW', 'Maruti', 'Porsche', 'Mercedes' => 'XT4'];
reset($cars); // reset array pointer
while ( list($key, $val) = each($cars) ) {
echo "$key => $val \n";
}
?>
Output: 0 => BMW 1 => Maruti 2 => Porsche Mercedes => XT4

Using for: A for loop can be used to iterate over numerically indexed arrays.

Example:
<?php
$cars= ['BMW', 'Mercedes', 'Creta', 'Breeza'];
for ($i=0, $len=count($cars); $i<$len; $i++) {
echo "$cars[$i] \n";
}
?>
Output:
BMW Mercedes Creta Breeza

6.8 Traversing Different Types of Arrays in PHP

1. Traversing Indexed Arrays: Indexed arrays can be used to store any type of elements, but an
index is always a number. By default, the index starts at zero. We can traverse an indexed array
using loops in PHP. We can loop through the indexed array in two ways. First by using for loop
and secondly by using foreach.

Example:
<?php
// Creating an indexed array
$names= array("Taran", "Gurfateh", "Seerat", "Anhad", "Ravinder");
// One way of Looping through an array using foreach
echo "Looping using foreach: \n";

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foreach ($names as $valuing) {

echo $valuing. "\n <br/>"; }
// count() function is used to count the number of elements in an array
$countelements = count($names);
echo "\n The number of elements are $countelements \n <br/>";
// Another way to loop through the array using for
echo "Looping using for: \n";
for($n = 0; $n < $countelements; $n++){
echo $names[$n], "\n";
}
?>

Output:
Looping using foreach: Taran
Gurfateh
Seerat
Anhad
Ravinder
The number of elements are 5
Looping using for: TaranGurfatehSeeratAnhad Ravinder

2. Traversing Associative Arrays:Associative arrays are similar to the indexed arrays but instead of
linear storage, every value can be assigned with a user-defined key of string type. Associative
arrays use named keys that you assign to them. We can traverse associative arrays in a similar way
did in numeric arrays using loops. We can loop through the associative array in two ways. First by
using for loop and secondly by using for each.

Example:
<?php
// Creating an associative array
$names= array("Taran"=>"Tara", "Gurfateh"=>"Guru", "Raju"=>"Rani", "Seerat"=>"Doll",
"Ravinder"=>"Ravu");
// Looping through an array using foreach
echo "Looping using foreach: \n <br/>";
foreach ($names as $valuing => $valuing_value) {
echo "Husband is ".$valuing." and Wife is ".$valuing_value."\n <br/>"; } //echo
"<br/>";
// Looping through an array using for
echo "\nLooping using for: \n";
$keys = array_keys($namesarray_two);
$counters = count($namesarray_two);
for($i=0; $i< $counters; ++$i) {
echo $keys[$i] . ' ' . $namesarray_two[$keys[$i]] . "\n"; }
?>

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Output:
Looping using foreach:
Husband is Taran and Wife is Tara
Husband is Gurfateh and Wife is Guru
Husband is Raju and Wife is Rani
Husband is Seerat and Wife is Doll
Husband is Ravinder and Wife is Ravu

3. Traversing Multidimensional Arrays:An array of arrays. Every element in this array can be an
array and they can also hold other sub-arrays within. Arrays or sub-arrays in multidimensional
arrays can be accessed using multiple dimensions. We can traverse through the multidimensional
array using for and foreach loop in a nested way. That is, one for loop for the outer array and one
for loop for the inner array.

Example:
<?php
// Defining a multidimensional array
$multi=array("Taran"=>array("mob"=>"123","email"=>"[email protected]",),
"Taran" =>array("mob" => "1234", "email" => "[email protected]", ),
"Johny" =>array("mob" => "4567", "email" => "[email protected]", ));
// Using for and foreach in nested form
$keys = array_keys($multi);
for($i = 0; $i< count($multi); $i++) {
echo $keys[$i] . "\n";
foreach($multi[$keys[$i]] as $key => $value) {
echo $key . " : " . $value . "\n"; }
echo "\n";
}
?>
Output:
Taran mob : 1234 email : [email protected] Johny mob : 4567 email : [email protected]

6.9 PHP Array Functions

 array () Function:array() function is used to create a PHP array. This function can be used to
create indexed arrays or associative arrays.

Example:
1. <?php
$a = array("Hi", "Bye", "All");
print_r($a);
?>
Output: Array ([0] => Hi [1] => Bye [2] => All)

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2. <?php
$a = array("A" => "Apple", "B" => "Banana", "C" => "Cactus");
print_r($a);
?>
Output : Array ( [A] => Apple [B] => Banana [C] => Cactus)

Table 1: Different Array Functions

Array Functions Description

array() Creates an array

array_change_key_case() Changes all keys in an array to lowercase or uppercase

array_chunk() Splits an array into chunks of arrays

array_column() Returns the values from a single column in the input array

array_combine() Creates an array by using the elements from one "keys" array
and one "values" array

array_count_values() Counts all the values of an array

array_diff() Compare arrays, and returns the differences (compare values

only)

array_diff_assoc() Compare arrays, and returns the differences (compare keys and
values)

array_diff_key() Compare arrays, and returns the differences (compare keys

only)

array_diff_uassoc() Compare arrays, and returns the differences (compare keys and
values, using a user-defined key comparison function)

array_diff_ukey() Compare arrays, and returns the differences (compare keys only,
using a user-defined key comparison function)

array_fill() Fills an array with values

array_fill_keys() Fills an array with values, specifying keys

array_flip() Flips/Exchanges all keys with their associated values in an array

array_intersect() Compare arrays, and returns the matches (compare values only)

array_intersect_assoc() Compare arrays and returns the matches (compare keys and
values)

array_intersect_key() Compare arrays, and returns the matches (compare keys only)

array_intersect_uassoc() Compare arrays, and returns the matches (compare keys and
values, using a user-defined key comparison function)

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array_intersect_ukey() Compare arrays, and returns the matches (compare keys only,
using a user-defined key comparison function)

array_key_exists() Checks if the specified key exists in the array

array_keys() Returns all the keys of an array

array_map() Sends each value of an array to a user-made function, which

returns new values

array_merge() Merges one or more arrays into one array

array_merge_recursive() Merges one or more arrays into one array recursively

array_multisort() Sorts multiple or multi-dimensionalarrays

array_pad() Inserts a specified number of items, with a specified value, to an

array

array_pop() Deletes the last element of an array

array_product() Calculates the product of the values in an array

array_push() Inserts one or more elements to the end of an array

array_rand() Returns one or more random keys from an array

array_reduce() Returns an array as a string, using a user-defined function

array_replace() Replaces the values of the first array with the values from
following arrays

array_replace_recursive() Replaces the values of the first array with the values from
following arrays recursively

array_reverse() Returns an array in the reverse order

 array_change_key_case() Function: This function changes the case of all key of an array.
Notably, it changes case of key only. It changes the case of all keys of the passed array and
returns an array with all keys either in lower case or upper case based on the option passed.
Syntax: array array_change_key_case (array $array [,int $case= CASE_LOWER])

Example:
<?php
$cars=array("BMW"=>"550000","MERCEDES"=>"250000","CHEVROLET"=>"200000");
print_r(array_change_key_case($cars,CASE_LOWER));
?>
Output:
Array ( [bmw] => 550000 [mercedes] => 250000 [chevrolet] => 200000 )

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 array_chunk() Function:By using array_chunk() method, you can divide array into many
parts. The array_chunk() function takes an array as input and split that array into smaller
chunks of the given size. The last chunk may contain less number of elements than
passed size based on the multiplicity factor of the total numbers available in the array. It
returns a multidimensional numerically indexed array, starting with zero, with each
dimension containing size elements.
Syntax:
array array_chunk ( array $input, int $size );

Example:
1.<?php
$cars=array("BMW"=>"550000","MERCEDES"=>"250000","CHEVROLET"=>"200000",
"Maruti"=>"50000");
print_r(array_chunk($cars,2));
?>
// Output: Array ( [0] => Array ( [0] => 550000 [1] => 250000 ) [1] => Array ( [0] => 200000 [1]
=> 50000 ) )

2. <?php
$in = array('Hello', 'Hi', 'How', 'Are', 'You');
print_r(array_chunk($in, 3));
?>
// Output:
Array ( [0] => Array ( [0] => Hello [1] => Hi [2] => How ) [1] => Array ( [0] => Are [1] => You )
)

 count() Function: This function counts all elements in an array.

Syntax: int count(mixed $array_or_countable);

Example:
<?php
$courses=array("Data Structures","PHP","Python","Software Engineering", "Algorithm
Designing", "C Programming", "Web Programming");
echo count($courses); // Will display the count of the elements in an array
?>
Output: 7

 sort() Function: This function sorts all the elements in an array.

Syntax: bool sort ($array);

Example:
<?php
$courses=array("Data Structures","PHP","Python","Software Engineering", "Algorithm
Designing", "C Programming", "Web Programming");
sort($courses);
foreach( $courses as $c) {

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echo "$c<br />"; }

?>
Output:
Algorithm Designing
C Programming
Data Structures
PHP
Python
Software Engineering
Web Programming

 array_reverse() Function: This function returns an array containing elements in reversed

order.
Syntax: array array_reverse (array $array);

Example:
<?php
$cars=array("BMW","MERCEDES","PAJERO","DUSTER", "ECOSPORT");
$reversecars=array_reverse($cars);
foreach( $cars as $c )
{
echo "$c <br />";
}
echo "<br/>";
foreach( $reversecars as $rc )
{
echo "$rc<br />"; } ?>

Output:
BMW
MERCEDES
PAJERO
DUSTER
ECOSPORT

ECOSPORT
DUSTER
PAJERO
MERCEDES
BMW

 array_search() Function: This function searches the specified value in an array. It returns key
if search is successful.

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Syntax: array_search(item, array $arrayname);

Example:
<?php
$cars=array("BMW","MERCEDES","PAJERO","DUSTER", "ECOSPORT");
$key=array_search("PAJERO",$cars);
echo $key;
?>
Output: 2

 array_intersect() Function:PHParray_intersect() function returns the intersection of two array.

Syntax: array array_intersect (array $array1 , array $array2)

Example:
<?php
$a1=array("good","day","morning");
$a2=array("Good","morning");
$res=array_intersect($a1,$a2);
print_r($res);
?>
Output : Array ( [2] => morning )

 array_merge() Function:Thearray_merge() function merges one or more arrays into one array.
Syntax: array_merge(array1, array2, array3, ...)

Example:
<?php
$arr1=array("Hello","Dear");
$arr2=array("Good","Day");
print_r(array_merge($arr1,$arr2));
?>
Output:
Array ([0] => Hello [1] => Dear [2] => Good [3] => Day)

 array_unique() Function:array_unique() function removes duplicate values from an array. If

two or more array values are the same, the first appearance will be kept and the other will be
removed
Syntax: array_unique(array)

Example:
<?php

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$arr=array("good","Day","good");
print_r(array_unique($arr));
?>
Output: Array ( [0] => good [1] => Day)

 array_column() Function:array_column() function returns the values from a single column of

the input array and identified by the column_key.The function array_column returns an array
of values representing a single column from the input array.
Syntax: array_column(array, column_key, index_key)

Example:
<?php
// An array that represents a possible record set returned from a database
$a = array (
array( 'roll' => 2, 'f_name' => 'Great', 'l_name' => 'India', ),
array( 'roll' => 4, 'f_name' => 'Hello', 'l_name' => 'Hi',),
array( 'roll' => 3, 'f_name' => 'Good', 'l_name' => 'Morning',)
);
$l_names = array_column($a, 'l_name');
print_r($l_names);
?>
Output: Array ( [0] => Kumar [1] => Sharma [2] => Morning )

 array_diff() Function:This function compares array1 against one or more other arrays passed
to it and returns the values in array1 that are not present in any of the other arrays.
Syntax: array array_diff( array $array1, array $array2 [, array $array3 ...] );

Example:
<?php
$arr1 = array("Black", "Red", "Green");
$arr2 = array("Orange", "Red", "Black");
print_r(array_diff($arr1, $arr2));
?>
Output: Array ( [2] => Green )

6.10 Converting Between Arrays and Variables

PHP provides two functions that convert between arrays and variables.

 extract()
 compact()
For instance, this array:
$person = array('name' => "Fred", 'age' => 35, ‘friend' => "Betty");
Can be converted to, or built from, these variables:
$name = "Fred";

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$age = 35;
$wife = "Betty";

Creating an Array from Variables

Extract () function automatically creates local variables from an array. The indices of the array
elements become the variable names:
$person = array('name' => "Fred", 'age' => 35, 'wife' => "Betty");
extract($person);
Conditions:
If a variable created by the extraction has the same name as an existing one, the variable’s value is
overwritten with that from the array.You can modify extract()’s behavior by passing a second
argument.The most useful value is EXTR_PREFIX_ALL, which indicates that the third argument to
extract() is a prefix for the variable names that are created.This helps ensure that you create unique
variable names when you use extract ().

Example:
<?php
$shape = "round";
$array = array('cover' => "bird", 'shape' => "rectangular");
extract($array, EXTR_PREFIX_ALL, "book");
echo "Cover: {$book_cover}, Book Shape: {$book_shape}, Shape: {$shape}";
?>
Output:
Cover: bird, Book Shape: rectangular, Shape: round

compact() function is the reverse of extract(). It creates an associative array whose keys are the
variable names and whose values are the variable’s values.Any names in the array that do not
correspond to actual variables are skipped.

Example:
<?php
$color = "indigo";
$shape = "curvy";
$floppy = "none";
$a = compact("color", "shape", "floppy");
//or
//$names = array("color", "shape", "floppy");
//$a = compact($names);
?>

6.11 Sorting Arrays

PHP has several functions that deal with sorting arrays.Sorting arrays is the process of arranging
elements in ascending and descending. PHP provides functions to sort elements of indexed and
associative arrays.
The indexed array may contain elements that can be numeric or string. The sorting of numeric
elements arranged them in numeric ascending and descending. While sorting string elements
arranged them in alphabetical ascending and descending orders.

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The sorting of associative arrays including arranging elements according to the keys or values.
There are certain pre-conditions which are:

 Some sort based on the array keys, whereas others by the values: $array['key'] = 'value';
 Whether or not the correlation between the keys and values are maintained after the sort,
which may mean the keys are reset numerically (0,1,2 ...)
 The order of the sort: alphabetical, ascending (low to high), descending (high to low), natural,
random, or user defined.

Notes: These entire sort functions act directly on the array variable itself, as opposed to
returning a new sorted array. If any of these sort functions evaluates two members as equal
then they retain their original order.

There are some in-built functions relevant to sorting in arrays:

 sort (): Sorting Indexed Arrays in Ascending Order.

 rsort(): Sorting Indexed Arrays in Descending Order.
 asort(): Sorting Associative Arrays in Ascending Order by Value.
 arsort(): Sorting Associative Arrays in Descending Order by Value.
 ksort(): Sorting Associative Arrays in Ascending Order by Key.
 krsort(): Sorting Associative Arrays in Descending Order by Key.

Sorting Indexed Arrays in Ascending Order- sort()

 sort () Function: You can arrange the elements of an indexed array in ascending order using
the sort() in PHP.

Example:
The below example contains the alphabetical elements and the function arranges them in
ascending alphabetically.
<?php
$vehicles = array("Cycle", "Bike", "Car", "Bolero");
//Sort Indexed Array in Ascending Order
sort($vehicles);
//Traversing elements of an indexed array
foreach ($vehicles as $veh)
{
echo $veh;
echo "<br>";
}
?>
Output:
Bike
Bolero
Car
Cycle

Example:
Similarly, you can sort the numerically indexed array element in ascending numerically
using the sort() of PHP.

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<?php
$numbers = array(1, 9, 3, 0, 13, 7);
//Sort Indexed Array in Ascending Order
sort($numbers);
//traversing elements of an indexed array
foreach ($numbers as $num)
{
echo $num;
echo "<br>";
}
?>

Output:
0
1
3
7
9
13

 rsort() Function: The indexed array can be arranged in descending order using the rsort()
function in PHP.

Example:
The below example contains the indexed array with alphabetical elements. The function
arranges the elements in ascending order alphabetically.

<?php
$vehicles = array("Cycle", "Bike", "Car", "Bolero");
//Sort Indexed Array in Descending Order
rsort($vehicles);
//traversing elements of an indexed array
foreach ($vehicles as $veh)
{
echo $veh;
echo "<br>";
}
?>
Output:
Cycle
Car
Bolero
Bike

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Example:
You can perform sorting over the numerically indexed array elements in descending order.
It uses the same sort() function to arrange elements in descending order numerically in
PHP.
<?php
$numbers = array(1, 9, 3, 0, 13, 7);
//Sort Indexed Array in Descending Order
rsort($numbers);
//traversing elements of an indexed array
foreach ($numbers as $num)
{
echo $num;
echo "<br>";
}
?>

Output:
13
9
7
3
1
0

 asort() Function: It arranges the elements of an associative array in ascending order by value.
The below example contains the associative array that uses the function for sorting:

Example:
<?php
$assoCars = array("Cycle" => 2, "Bike" => 5, "Car" => 9);
//Sort Associative Array in Ascending Order by Value
asort($assoCars);
//traversing elements of an associative array
foreach ($assoCars as $key => $aCars)
{
echo "Key is: ".$key.", "."Value is: ".$aCars;
echo "<br>";
}
?>

Output:
Key is: Cycle, Value is: 2

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Key is: Bike, Value is: 5

Key is: Car, Value is: 9

 arsort() Function: You can arrange the elements of an associative array in descending order
using the arsort() in PHP. The following example sorts the elements in descending according
to the value as given below:

Example:
<?php
$assoCars = array("Cycle" => 2, "Bike" => 5, "Car" => 9);
//Sort Associative Array in Ascending Order by Value
arsort($assoCars);
//traversing elements of an associative array
foreach ($assoCars as $key => $val)
{
echo "Key is: ".$key.", "."Value is: ".$val;
echo "<br>";
}
?>

Output:
Key is: Car, Value is: 9
Key is: Bike, Value is: 5
Key is: Cycle, Value is: 2

 ksort() Function: The elements of an associative array can be arranged in ascending order
using the ksort(). It sorts the elements in ascending order according to the key.

Example:
<?php
$assoCars = array("Cycle" => 2, "Bike" => 5, "Car" => 9);
//Sort Associative Array in Ascending Order by Key
ksort($assoCars);
//traversing elements of an associative array
foreach ($assoCars as $key => $val)
{
echo "Key is: ".$key.", "."Value is: ".$val;
echo "<br>";
}
?>

Output:
Key is: Bike, Value is: 5

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Key is: Car, Value is: 9

Key is: Cycle, Value is: 2

Summary
 An array is a series of elements of the same type placed in contiguous memory locations that
can be individually referenced by adding an index to a unique identifier.
 The arrays in PHP are a type of data structure that allow us to store multiple elements of
similar data type under a single variable thereby saving us the effort of creating a different
variable for every data.
 Arrays are helpful to create a list of elements of similar types, which can be accessed using
their index or key.
 Indexed arrays can be used to store any type of elements, but an index is always a number. By
default, the index starts at zero.
 PHP provides several ways to traverse arrays using both array iteration functions and
language constructs: array_walk, array_map, array_filter, foreach, list/each, and for loops.
 Sorting arrays is the process of arranging elements in ascending and descending. PHP
provides functions to sort elements of indexed and associative arrays.

Keywords
 Arrays: An array is a series of elements of the same type placed in contiguous memory
locations that can be individually referenced by adding an index to a unique identifier.
 Indexed arrays: The indexed arrays can be used to store any type of elements, but an index is
always a number. By default, the index starts at zero.
 Associative arrays: Associative arrays are similar to the indexed arrays but instead of linear
storage, every value can be assigned with a user-defined key of string type. Associative arrays
use named keys that you assign to them.
 Multidimensional array: Arrays that store another array at each index instead of a single
element. In other words, we can define multi-dimensional arrays as an array of arrays.
 Foreach Loop:PHP's foreach loop provides a convenient way to iterate over arrays. There are
two forms: one uses both the key and value of each array entry while the other uses only the
value.

SelfAssessment
1. The statement that is true for PHP arrays is
A. An array is a series of elements of the same type placed in contiguous memory locations.
B. An array can be individually referenced by adding an index to a unique identifier.
C. An array is a type of data structure that allows us to store multiple elements of similar
data type under a single variable.
D. All of the above

2. By default, the index of array in php starts from ______?

A. 0
B. 1

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C. -1
D. 2

3. An array which contains single or multiple arrays within it and can be accessed via
multiple indices is
A. single dimensional array
B. multi-dimensional array
C. Both A and B
D. None of the above

4. ____________ construct helps to initialize an array, building it from its arguments.

A. array()
B. initarray()
C. helloarray()
D. arry()

5. The array with a string index where instead of linear storage, each value can be assigned a
specific key is
A. Indexed array
B. Multi-dimensional array
C. Associative array
D. None of the above

6. Which of the following is also called as an array of arrays?

A. Multi-dimensional array
B. Single dimensional array
C. Two-way array
D. Three-way array

7. An array is a series of elements of the same type placed in _____________ memory

locations that can be individually referenced by adding an index to a unique identifier.
A. Contiguous
B. Non-contiguous
C. Temporary
D. Indefinite

8. The indexed arrays used to store any type of elements have default index starting at
_________.
A. One
B. Zero
C. Two
D. Infinite

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9. In array traversal, the ____________ function is invoked to restore the array pointer to the
first element in the array.
A. Reach
B. First
C. Reset
D. Support

10. The indexed arrays can be used to store any type of elements, but an index is always
a_________.
A. String
B. Date
C. Alphanumeric
D. Number

11. Array_merge function merges __________ into one array.

A. Two arrays
B. Three arrays
C. More than three arrays
D. Merges array with a string

12. Which function displays structured information about variables including its type and
value?
A. Asort( )
B. Ksort( )
C. Sort ( )
D. Var_dump( )

13. Which of the following statement represents arrays in PHP?

A. Arrays are helpful to create a list of elements of similar types.
B. Arrays can be accessed using their index or key.
C. Array is an ordered map.
D. All of the above.

14. ____________ function takes an array as input and split that array into smaller chunks of
the given size.
A. array_break()
B. array_chunk()
C. array_crop()
D. array_cut()

15. Sorting of ___________ arrays including arranging elements according to the keys or
values.
A. Associative

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B. Numeric
C. Indexed
D. Definite

Answers forSelf Assessment

1. D 2. A 3. B 4. A 5. C

6. A 7. A 8. B 9. C 10. D

11. A 12. D 13. D 14. B 15. A

Review Questions
1. Discuss the different functions used for sorting the arrays in PHP?
2. What are the asort() and rsort() functions in PHP used for?
3. Write a short note on:
a. Sorting arrays in PHP
b. Traversing arrays in PHP
4. What are arrays and their different types in PHP?
5. How the indexed and associative arrays are traversed in PHP?
6. Explain the traversal of indexed, associative and multidimensional arrays?
Suppose you want to add any element at the end of an array. How this can be done? Explain.

Further Readings
 The Joy of PHP: A Beginner’s Guide by Alan Forbes.
 Programming PHP: Creating Dynamic Web Pages by Kevin Tatroe and Peter
MacIntyre.
 Learn PHP in One Day and Learn It Well by Jamie Chan.
 Web Technologies: A Computer Science Perspective by Jackson, Pearson Education
India.

Web Links
 PHP | Arrays - GeeksforGeeks
 www.w3schools.com
 PHP - Wikipedia
 www.php.net
 www.tutorialrepublic.com
 https://youtu.be/z4GE46lCv_U
 https://youtu.be/zBaHBmZLDxY
 https://youtu.be/u-KgdtNnIlI

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Dr. Tarandeep Kaur, Lovely Professional University Unit 07: Working with Databases in PHP

Unit 07: Working with Databases in PHP

CONTENTS
Objectives
Introduction
7.1 Data to Database
7.2 Database
7.3 Database Organization
7.4 Database Views
7.5 Using PHP to Access Database
7.6 MySQL Database
7.7 Connect to MySQL
7.8 Create Database
7.9 Creating a Table in a Database
7.10 Inserting Data in a Database
7.11 Updating Records in the Database
7.12 Advance Database Techniques
7.13 Database Validation Techniques
Summary
Keywords
Self Assessment
Answers for Self Assessment
Review Questions
Further Readings

Objectives
After studying this unit, you will be able to:

 learn about database and its role.

 explore the usage of PHP to access database.
 performing database operations using mysqli.
 explore the advanced database techniques.
 learn about the database validation techniques.

Introduction
Data are units of information, often numeric, that are collected through observation. In a more
technical sense, data are a set of values of qualitative or quantitative variables about one or more
persons or objects, while a datum (singular of data) is a single value of a single variable. Data is the
raw material from which useful information is derived. It is defined as raw facts or observations.
Data is a collection of unorganized facts but can be made organized into useful information (Figure
1). A set of values of qualitative or quantitative variables about one or more persons or objects. Data
is employed in scientific research, businesses management (e.g., sales data, revenue, profits, stock
price), finance, governance (e.g., crime rates, unemployment rates, literacy rates), human

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organizational activity (e.g., censuses of the number of homeless people by non-profit

organizations).
Data is basically a collection of raw facts and figures we have a rough material that can be
possessed by any computing machine that actually pertains to data. Example, we have few
numbers with us, but which number it is referring to, it is unknown. We have no idea if it is
specifying somebody's age, or it is specifying some currency what it is specifying we don't know. It
is just a number. Okay, so actually the collection of facts, which can be in different kind of
conclusions can be drawn from it that is actually called as data.
Information pertains to a systematic and meaningful form of data. It is the knowledge acquired
through study or experience. The information helps human beings in their decision-making.
Information can be said to be data that has been processed in such a way as to increase the
knowledge of the person who uses the data.
The process of converting the facts into meaningful information.Data processing refers to the
process of performing specific operations on a set of data or a database.As illustrated in Error!
Reference source not found.1, Input one input two input three there are so many different kinds of
data processing stages that are involved, like pre-processing is there storage is there, then
manipulations are there analysis is there and we have so many different kinds of stages involves
sorting is also involved over here, and then an output is generated so this output is the meaningful
information or we can say organized data.

Figure 1: Conversion of Raw Data into Information

7.1 Data to Database

Data is encountered in our day-to-day life everyday. For example, the age of a person, price of
potato, number of students in a class, pin code of a city etc. Such data is easy to remember all
information for a few individuals. It is easy to tell accurately the age, height, complexion, income,
educational qualification, residential address, etc. of your close friends. However, it is difficult to
memorize all such information for a large number of individuals.
Example, every year about one lakh students take admission in National Open School (NOS). If you
are asked to memorize records of date of birth, subjects offered and postal address of all these
students, it will not be possible for you. In order to deal with such problems, we construct a
database where in such situations, all information about students can be arranged in a tabular form.
Several records can be maintained. A database helps to arrange all the information about students
in a tabular form. It keeps all the records.

7.2 Database
A database is an organized collection of facts and information, such as records on employees,
inventory, customers, and potential customers. Database is a system intended to organize, store,
and retrieve large amounts of data easily. It consists of an organized collection of data for one or
more uses, typically in digital form. One way of classifying databases involves the type of their

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contents, for example: bibliographic, document-text, statistical. digital databases are managed using
database management systems, which store database contents, allowing data creation and
maintenance, and search and other access.
A database is a collection of information that is organized so that it can easily be accessed,
managed, and updated. In one view, databases can be classified according to types of content:
bibliographic, full-text, numeric, and images.
In computing, databases are sometimes classified according to their organizational approach. The
most prevalent approach is the relational database, a tabular database in which data is defined so
that it can be reorganized and accessed in a number of different ways. A distributed database is one
that can be dispersed or replicated among different points in a network. An object-oriented
programming database is one that is congruent with the data defined in object classes and
subclasses. The computer databases typically contain aggregations of data records or files, such as
sales transactions, product catalogs and inventories, and customer profiles. Typically, a database
manager provides users the capabilities of controlling read/write access, specifying report
generation, and analyzing usage.
A database is typically designed so that it is easy to store and access information. A good database is
crucial to any company or organization. This is because the database stores all the important details
about the company such as employee records, transactional records, salary
details.Database management systems are essential for businesses because they offer an efficient
way of handling large amounts and multiple types of data. The ability to access data efficiently
allows companies to make informed decisions quicker.

7.3 Database Organization

A database is a place to store information. That information could be sales figures, an inventory of
computers you own, a list of key customers, timesheet information; the possibilities are endless. By
having the database on your site, you can easily share the information with people who need access
to it. The data in a database is organized as Tables. The best way to think of a database is as a
table(Figure 2). The columns in the table are called fields. There are many types of fields you can
create: text, numeric, currency, names, dates, to name a few. The rows in the table are called
records. The records contain all the database information.

Figure 2: Database as a Table

7.4 Database Views

A database is much more powerful than a simple table. With a table, you can only look at the
information in the one way that the table is designed. A database allows you to create many views
of your information. Each view allows you to:

o Select the fields displayed in the view.

o Pick the order in which the fields appear.
o Set up a filter to control which records appear in the view.
o Sort the order in which the records appear.
o Total up fields in the view.
o View fields from more than one database.
A database also allows you to control how views are printed. You can create and print reports
using a number of professionally designed templates. The real power of your database is that it is

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located in your web office. This allows you to easily share the information in the database with any
member of your site, or even with guest users. It also lets other members add information to the
database. Of course, you control access to all of this with database permissions.When you create
your own database, you determine how the information appears, what the names of the fields are,
what the views look like, and who has access to the database. If you already have information that
you would like in your database, you can import that information into the database. You can also
export information from your database for use in another program, such as Microsoft Excel®.

7.5 Using PHP to Access Database

There are two ways to access databases from PHP:

 Use a database-specific extension;

 Use the database-independent PEAR DB library.
MySQL extension’s function names, parameters, error handling, and so on are completely different
from those of the other database extensions. If you want to move your database from MySQL to
PostgreSQL, it will involve significant changes to your code. The PEAR DB, on the other hand,
hides the database-specific functions from you; moving between database systems.

7.6 MySQL Database

With PHP, you can connect to and manipulate databases. MySQL is the most popular database
system used with PHP. MySQL is a database system used on the web that runs on a server. MySQL
is ideal for both small and large applications. MySQL is very fast, reliable, and easy to use. MySQL
uses standard SQL and compiles on a number of platforms. MySQL is free to download and use. It
is developed, distributed, and supported by Oracle Corporation. MySQL is named after co-founder
Monty Widenius's daughter: My.
The data in a MySQL database are stored in tables. PHP combined with MySQL are cross-platform
(you can develop in Windows and serve on a Unix platform). PHP 5 and later can work with a
MySQL database using: MySQLi extension (the "i" stands for improved).
Create a Connection to a MySQL Database

o Start XAMPP (Figure 3)

o Start MySQL
o Open browser> type localhost/phpMyAdmin
localhost / 127.0.0.1 | phpMyAdmin 5.1.1

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Figure 3: XAMPP Control Panel

7.7 Connect to MySQL

The following code creates a connection to a MySQL Database through Code-
“databaseconnect.php” as listed below (Figure 4):

<?php
$servername = "localhost";
$username = "root";
//$password = "password";
// Create connection
//$conn = new mysqli($servername, $username, $password);
$conn = new mysqli($servername, $username, "" );
// Check connection
if ($conn->connect_error) {
die("Connection failed: " . $conn->connect_error);
}
echo "Connected successfully";
?>

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Figure 4: MySQL Database Connected Successfully

7.8 Create Database

The following code illustrates the creation of a database “Dnew” to a MySQL Database through
code- “databaseCreate.php” (Figure 5).

<?php
//Connecting to database and then creating a database
$c1=mysqli_connect("localhost","root","");
if(!$c1)
die("not connected");
echo "connected";
$q="Create database Dnew";
if(mysqli_query($c1,$q)) {
echo "Database created"; }
else {
echo "database not created"; }
mysqli_close($c1);
?>

Notes:Check in the interface if database is created

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Figure 5: New Database Created "dnew"

7.9 Creating a Table in a Database

There are 2 ways to create table, either directly through browser-based MySQL admin or through
code.

1. Through PHPmyadmin:
 Click on the New Option
 Enter the table name and columns, specifying the column names and data types (Figure 6).

Figure 6: Table Creation a dnew Database

2. Through Code: You can create a code file in PHP as listed below:
<?php
$con=mysqli_connect("localhost","root","","Dnew");
$q1="Create table student1(Name varchar(20),Roll integer(4))";
if(mysqli_query($con,$q1))

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{
echo “table created";
}
else
{echo "not created";
}
mysqli_close($con);
?>

7.10 Inserting Data in a Database

Under this, a user input can be retrieved and then the record can be inserted to the table specified.

1. Design a HTML form to get the user input: Save it as insert.html (Figure 7).
2. Design the PHP page to insert the user input.

Example:
<form name=f1 action="insertn.php" method="POST">
Name<input type="text" name="Name"><br>
Regno<input type="text" name="Roll"><br>
<input type="Submit" value="Add Values">
</form>

Figure 7: Form Creation to Get User Input and Insertion in the Database

Example:
<?php
$n=$_POST["Name"];
$r=$_POST["Roll"];
$c=mysqli_connect("localhost","root","","dnew"); //database name and connection
if(!$c)
die("cannot connect"."<br>");
echo "connected";
echo "<br>";
//Insert record to the table student1 through the HTML form

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$s="insert into student1(Name,Roll)value('$n','$r')";

if(mysqli_query($c,$s)) {
echo "Record inserted"; }
else {
echo"Problem in command"; }
mysqli_close($c);
?>

7.11 Updating Records in the Database

Example:
<?php
$c=mysqli_connect("localhost","root","","dnew");
if(!$c)
die("cannot connect"."<br>");
echo "connected";
echo "<br>";
$s="update student1 set Name='Gurfateh' where Roll=123";
if(mysqli_query($c,$s))
{
echo "Record updated";
}
else{echo"Problem in command";}
mysqli_close($c);
?>

Example:Deleting the Data in Database

<?php
$c=mysqli_connect("localhost","root","",“dnew");
if(!$c)
die("cannot connect"."<br>");
echo "connected";
echo "<br>";
$s="delete from student1 where Roll=123";
if(mysqli_query($c,$s))
{
echo "Record Deleted";
}
else{echo"Problem in command";}
mysqli_close($c);

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?>

Lab Exercise:Illustrate the selection of data from a database.

7.12 Advance Database Techniques

How we can connect PHP to MySQL?

 PHP 5 and later can work with a MySQL database using:

o MySQLi extension (the ‘i’ is abbreviation for improved)

o PDO (PHP Data Objects)

Connection to MySQL using PDO

PDO, also called “PHP Data Objects,” is a PHP extension used for connecting to MySQL
databases.First, create a PHP script inside the Apache web root directory for connecting to a
MySQL database using PDO.Unlike MySQLi, PDO is only object-oriented and supports a number
of different database types that use PHP, such as MySQL, MSSQL, Informix, and PostgreSQL.One
of the most important features they both support is prepared statements, which accelerates the time
needed for MySQL to execute the same query multiple times.

Which one should we use MySQLi or PDO?

Both MySQLi and PDO have their recompenses:

o PDO will work with 12 different database systems, whereas MySQLi will only work with
MySQL databases.

o So, if you have to shift your project to use alternative database, PDO makes the process easy.
You only have to change the connection string and a few queries. With MySQLi, you will need
to rewrite the complete code — queries included.

o Both are object-oriented, but MySQLi also offers a procedural API.

Connection to MySQL using PDO (testPDO.php)

Example:
<?php
$servername = "localhost";
$username = "root";
$password = "";
try {
$conn= new PDO("mysql:host=$servername;dbname=dnew",$username, $password);
//Set the PDO error mode to exception
$conn->setAttribute(PDO::ATTR_ERRMODE,PDO::ERRMODE_EXCEPTION);
echo "Connected successfully"; }
catch(PDOException $e) {
echo "Connection failed: ". $e->getMessage(); }
?>

Output:

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Connected succesfully

How to Insert Form Data into Database using PHP

Step 1: Creating a HTML Form
We are going to store data in database which is submitted through HTML form. First, we create an
HTML form that need to take user input from keyboard. An HTML form is a document which
stores information of a user on a web server using interactive controls. An HTML form contains
different kind of information such as username, password, contact number, email id etc.The
elements that are used in an HTML form are check box, input box, radio buttons, submit buttons
etc. With the help of these elements, the information of a user is submitted on the web server.The
form tag is used to create an HTML form.
Syntax: <form> Form Elements... </form>

To pass the values to next page, we use the page name with the syntax. We can use either GET or
POST method to send the data to the server.

<form action=other_page.php method= POST/GET>

Form Elements...
</form>

Example:
<!DOCTYPE html> //student1.html
<html lang="en">
<head>
<title>Student Details</title>
</head>
<body><center>
<h1>Storing Form data in Database</h1>
<form action="formDatabase.php" method="post">
<p> <label for="Name">Student Name:</label>
<input type="text" name="first_name" id="firstName"></p>
<p> <label for="Roll">Roll No:</label>
<input type="text" name="roll_no" id="roll"></p>
<input type="submit" value="Submit">
</form>
</center></body>
</html>

Step 2: Database Connection and Command Execution

The collection of related data is called a database. XAMPP stands for cross-platform, Apache,
MySQL, PHP, and Perl. It is among the simple light-weight local servers for website development.
In PHP, we can connect to database using localhost XAMPP web server.

Example:

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<?php //formDatabase.php
$servername = "localhost";
$username = "root";
$password = "";
$dbname = "dnew";
// Create connection
$conn = new mysqli($servername,$username, $password, $dbname);
// Check connection
if ($conn->connect_error) {
die("Connection failed: “ . $conn->connect_error); }
$sqlquery = "INSERT INTO student1 VALUES ('Seerat', 76)"
if ($conn->query($sql) === TRUE) {
echo "record inserted successfully";
}
else {
echo "Error: " . $sql . "<br>" . $conn->error;
}

Retrieving the Form Data

We can also collect the form data submitted through HTML form. The PHP $_POST method is a
PHP super global variable which is used to collect data after submitting the HTML form.

Example:
<form name=f1 action="form.php" method="POST">//formsample.html
Name<input type="text" name="Name"><br>
Regno<input type="text" name="Roll"><br>
<input type="Submit" value="Add Values">
</form>

//Insertion Code
<!DOCTYPE html> //form.php
<html><head>
<title>Insert Page page</title>
</head><body><center>
<?php
// Taking all 2 values from the form data(input)
$names = $_POST["Name"];
$rolls = $_POST["Roll"];
$conn = mysqli_connect("localhost", "root", "", "dnew");
// Check connection
if(!$conn)

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die("cannot connect"."<br>");
echo "connected <br>"; //echo "<br>";
//Performing insert query execution
$sql = "INSERT INTO student1(Name,Roll) VALUE('$names','$rolls')";
if(mysqli_query($conn, $sql)) {
echo "<h3>data stored in a database successfully.";
echo nl2br("\n$names\n $rolls\n "); }
else { echo "ERROR: Hush! Sorry $sql. ". mysqli_error($conn);
}
mysqli_close($conn); // Close connection
?>
</center></body>
</html>

7.13 Database Validation Techniques

Validation techniques validate the required fields, checking whether the field is filled or not in the
proper way. Validation means checking the input submitted by the user. There are two types of
validation are available in PHP as mentioned follow:

o Client-side Validation: Validation is performed on the client machine web browsers.

o Server-side Validation: After submitted by data, the data has sent to a server and perform
validation checks in server machine.Table 1lists the validation rules.
Table 1: Some of Validation Rules for Field

Field Validation Rules

Name Should require letters and white-spaces

Email Should require @ and .

Website Should require a valid URL

Radio Must be selectable at least once

Check Box Must be checkable at least once

Drop Down menu Must be selectable at least once

The following program involve whether a username and password entered by the user indicate if
the user is valid or invalid user. Here, we will create three files, namely,

o connect.php

o index.php

o user.php

In the first case, “connect.php” will establish the connection to the database. In “index.php”, the
form to obtain user input has been designed and propagates an action to user.php file where the
database validation is done.

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Example:
<?php //connect.php
// Create connection
$con=mysqli_connect("localhost","root","","dnew");
// Check connection
if (mysqli_connect_errno())
{
echo "Failed to connect to MySQL: " .mysqli_connect_error();
}
?>

<html><head> //index.php
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1">
<title>Login Form</title></head><body>
<form method="post" action="user.php" name="contactForm">
<table border="1" >
<tr>
<td><label for="username">User Name</label></td>
<td><input type="text" name="username" id="username"></td></tr>
<tr>
<td><label for="userpassword">Password</label></td>
<td><input type="password" name="userpassword" id="userpassword"></td></tr>
<tr>
<td><input type="submit" value="Submit"/>
<td><input type="reset" value="Reset"/></tr>
</table>
</form></body>
</html>

<?php //user.php
//Grab User submitted information
$username= $_POST["username"];
$userpassword1 = $_POST["userpassword"];
include('connect.php’); //Connect to the database

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//Fetching user record from database

$result=mysqli_query($con,"select username, userpassword from users where
username='$username'");
//checking if record selected
if($result === FALSE) {
die('no record fetched'.mysql_error());
}
$row =mysqli_fetch_array($result);
if($userpassword1===$row['userpassword’])
{
echo "valid user"; }
else {
echo "invalid user"; }
mysqli_close($con);
?>

Summary
 Data are units of information, often numeric, that are collected through observation.
 Data are a set of values of qualitative or quantitative variables about one or more persons or
objects, while a datum (singular of data) is a single value of a single variable.
 Data is a collection of unorganized facts but can be made organized into useful information.
 Information pertains to a systematic and meaningful form of data. It is the knowledge acquired
through study or experience.
 By having the database on your site, you can easily share the information with people who need
access to it. The data in a database is organized as tables.
 MySQL is the most popular database system used with PHP. MySQL is a database system used
on the web that runs on a server.
 MySQL uses standard SQL and compiles on a number of platforms. MySQL is free to download
and use. It is developed, distributed, and supported by Oracle Corporation.
 PHP combined with MySQL are cross-platform (you can develop in Windows and serve on a
Unix platform). PHP 5 and later can work with a MySQL database using: MySQLi extension
(the "i" stands for improved).

Keywords
Data Processing:The process of converting the facts into meaningful information.Data processing
refers to the process of performing specific operations on a set of data or a database.

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Database:A database is a collection of information that is organized so that it can easily be

accessed, managed, and updated. In one view, databases can be classified according to types of
content: bibliographic, full-text, numeric, and images.
MySQL:MySQL is the most popular database system used with PHP. MySQL is a database system
used on the web that runs on a server.
Validation:Validation techniques validate the required fields, checking whether the field is filled or
not in the proper way. Validation means checking the input submitted by the user.
PDO:PDO, also called “PHP Data Objects,” is a PHP extension used for connecting to MySQL
databases.

SelfAssessment
1. The process of converting the facts into meaningful information is termed as
A. Data processing
B. Data converging
C. Data analyzing
D. Data deduplication

2. A(n) ______________ database is one that can be dispersed or replicated among different
points in a network.
A. optical
B. analytical
C. distributed
D. back-end

3. MySQL database is of type

A. Access Jet Database Engine
B. Object-relational DBMS
C. General Public
D. Single platform database

4. A database is defined as “A collection of ____________ data items that can be processed by

one or more application programs”.
A. interrelated
B. non-related
C. sampling
D. factual

5. The database classification can be done on the basis of type of their content(s) like,
A. bibliographic
B. document-text
C. statistical
D. all of the above

6. The rows in the database table are called as ____________ that contain all the database
information.
A. Attributes

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Unit 07: Working with Databases in PHP

B. records
C. lines
D. links

7. ______________database is one that is congruent with the data defined in object classes and
subclasses.
A. Convergent
B. Object-oriented programming
C. Class
D. Insecure

8. Columns in the database table are called____________.

A. records
B. aids
C. fields
D. links

9. MySQL is the most popular database system used with PHP. Which of the following
statement(s) is/are true for MySQL?
A. MySQL is a database system that runs on a server
B. MySQL uses standard SQL
C. MySQL compiles on a number of platforms
D. All of the above

10. The MySQL extension’s function names, parameters, error handling, and so on are
completelydifferent from those of the other database extensions.
A. True
B. False

11. In MySQLi extension, the ‘i’ is abbreviation that stands for

A. impact
B. included
C. injected
D. improved

12. PDO is a PHP extension used for connecting to MySQL databases. Here, PDO stands for
A. PHP Data Obstacles
B. PHP Database Orientation
C. PHP Database Objects
D. PHP Data Objects

13. HTML form is a document which stores information of a user on a web server using
interactive controls.
A. True
B. False

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14. Which of the following statement(s) is/are true?

A. XAMPP stands for cross-platform, Apache, MySQL, PHP, and Perl.
B. XAMPP is among the simple light-weight local servers for website development.
C. In PHP, we can connect to database using localhost XAMPP web server.
D. All of the above

15. PHP ___________ method is a PHP super global variable which is used to collect data after
submitting the HTML form.
A. $_POSTING
B. $_POST
C. $_POSTAGE
D. $_SUPER

Answers for Self Assessment

l. A 2. C 3. B 4. A 5. D

6. B 7. B 8. C 9. D 10. A

11. D 12. D 13. A 14. D 15. B

Review Questions
1. What is PDO? Explain how MySQL connection can be done using PDO?
2. What is database? Explain the database organization.
3. How PHP can be used to access database?
4. Explain database views?
5. How to insert form data into database using PHP?
6. Discuss the database validation?
7. Illustrate through an example to validate a user credentials.
8. How do we access a database using PHP? Write the steps of database connectivity withPHP?
9. Discuss the advance database techniques.

Further Readings
 The Joy of PHP: A Beginner’s Guide by Alan Forbes.
 Programming PHP: Creating Dynamic Web Pages by Kevin Tatroe and Peter
MacIntyre.
 Learn PHP in One Day and Learn It Well by Jamie Chan.
 Web Technologies: A Computer Science Perspective by Jackson, Pearson Education
India.

Web Links

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Unit 07: Working with Databases in PHP

PHP MySQL Connect to database (w3schools.com)

How to Connect Database to PHP? | Learn to Connect Database to PHP (educba.com)
Accessing SQL Server Databases from PHP - TechNet Articles - United States (English) -
TechNet Wiki (microsoft.com)
https://youtu.be/Uy5pN1c9KUU
https://youtu.be/2gwXRo-FKW0
https://youtu.be/nN2mIbspaFI

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Dr. Tarandeep Kaur, Lovely Professional University Unit 08: Working with Graphics in PHP

Unit 08: Working with Graphics in PHP

CONTENTS
Objectives
Introduction
8.1 Embedding an Image in a Page
8.2 Graphic Design (GD) Extension
8.3 Working with Images: Adding Text
8.4 Fonts in PHP
8.5 Scaling Images
8.6 Color Handling of Images
Summary
Keywords
Self Assessment
Review Questions
Answers for Self Assessment
Further Readings

Objectives
After studying this unit, you will be able to:

 Learn about working with Graphics in PHP.

 Explore embedding an image in web page using PHP.
 Learn about creating and drawing images in PHP.
 Learn about embedding text in the images.
 Explore fonts in PHP.
 Understand the scaling of images and color handling using PHP.

Introduction
PHP makes it very easy to do many things needed on a website, among which is to embed or create
an image. The ability to generate an image in PHP can be useful if you want to do things like create
CAPTCHA images, or even design a banner or logo on the fly the way some free blogging software
do.
There are two types of computer graphics, vector and raster. The raster graphics are the
representation of images as an array of pixels. The vector graphics use geometrical primitives such
as points, lines, curves or polygons to represent images. The primitives are created using
mathematical equations.The Cairo Graphics Library takes a vector approach to graphics, allowing
smaller size, infinite zooming, and moving, scaling, and rotating without degrading image quality.

8.1 Embedding an Image in a Page

The command to place an image is constant. You will use the same format every time. Now might
be a good time to talk about where to store everything on your web server because you are starting
to call for additional items to fill up your home page. Until now, all you did was put text on the
page.At this point in your HTML, it is a good idea for you to place whatever images you are going
to use in a subdirectory called “images”. That means place the image in a directory (to be called

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“images”) under the directory where your web pages are located (which would be the “root”
directory for your site).

Format for Placing an Image

<IMG SRC=”image.gif” ALT=”some text” WIDTH=32 HEIGHT=32>
 <img> tag defines an image in an HTML page.
 <img> tag has two required attributes: src and alt.
 Images are not technically inserted into an HTML page, images are linked to HTML pages.
The <img> tag creates a holding space for the referenced image. To link an image to another
document, simply nest the <img> tag inside <a> tags.Table 1lists the image element
parameter values.

Table 1: Image Element Parameters

Attribute Value Description

align top Specifies the alignment of an image according to surrounding

bottom elements
middle
left
right
alt text Specifies an alternate text for an image

height pixels Specifies the height of an image

src url Specifies the url of an image

width pixels Specifies the width of an image

hspace pixels Specifies the whitespace on left and right side of an image
vspace pixels Specifies the whitespace on top and bottom of an image

Image Formats for the Web

Image file formats are standardized means of organizing and storing digital images. The image files
are composed of digital data in one of these formats that can be rasterized for use on a computer
display or printer. An image file format may store data in uncompressed, compressed, or vector
formats.Table 2 lists the best file types.
Table 2: Best file types for these General Purposes

Photographic Images Graphics, including

Logos or Line Art

Properties Photos are continuous tones, Graphics are often solid colours, with few
24-bit colour or 8-bit Gray, colours, up to 256 colours, with text or lines
no and sharp edges
text, few lines and edges

For TIF or PNG (lossless PNG or TIF (lossless compression,

Unquestionable compression and no JPG artifacts)
Best Quality and no JPG artifacts)

Smallest File Size JPG with a higher Quality TIF LZW or GIF or PNG (graphics/logos
factor can be decent. without gradients normally permit
indexed colour of 2 to 16 colours for
smallest
file size)

Maximum TIF or JPG TIF or GIF

Compatibility
(PC, Mac, Unix)

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Worst Choice 256 color GIF is very limited JPG compression adds artifacts, smears
color, and is a larger file than text and lines and edges
24 -bit JPG
Major considerations to choose the necessary file type include:

 Compression quality- Lossy for smallest files (JPG), or Lossless for best quality images (TIF,
PNG).
 Full RGB color for photos (TIF, PNG, JPG), or Indexed Color for graphics (PNG, GIF, TIF).
 16-bit color (48-bit RGB data) is sometimes desired (TIF and PNG).
 Transparency or Animation is used in graphics (GIF and PNG).
 Documents- line art, multi-page, text, fax, etc. - this will be TIF.
 CMYK color is certainly important for commercial pre-press (TIF).
A common misconception is that there is a mixture of text and graphics flowing across a single
HTTP request. When we view a page, we see a single page containing such a mixture. It is
important to understand that a standard web page containing text and graphics is created through
a series of HTTP requests from the web browser, each answered by a response from the web server.
Each response can contain one and only one type of data, and each image requires a separate HTTP
request and web server response. When a page that contains some text and two images, it has taken
three HTTP requests and corresponding responses to construct this page.To embed a PHP-
generated image in an HTML page, imagine that the PHP script that generates the image is actually
the image. Thus, we can have cake.php and truck.php scripts that embed the images.

Example:
<html> //image.html
<head>
<title>Example Page</title>
</head>
<body>
<h2>This page contains two images:</h2>
<imgsrc="cake.jpg" alt="Image 1" />
<imgsrc="truck.jpg" alt="Image 2" />
</body>
</html>

Example:
<?php //image123.php
echo '
<html>
<head>
<title>Example Page</title>
</head>
<body>
<h2>This page contains two images:</h2>
<imgsrc="cake.php" alt="Cake Image" />
<imgsrc="truck.php" alt="Truck Image" />

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</body>
</html>

In the above examples, instead of referring to real images on your web server, the <img> tags now
refer to the PHP scripts that generate and return image data as indicated below:

Example:
<?php //cake.php
echo '
<html>
<head>
<title>Example Page</title>
</head>
<body>
<h2>This page contains cake image:</h2>
<imgsrc="cake.jpg" />
</body>
</html>
';
?>

Example:
<?php //truck.php
echo '
<html>
<head>
<title>Example Page</title>
</head>
<body>
<h2>This page contains truck image:</h2>
<imgsrc="truck.jpg" />
</body>
</html>
';
?>

Did You Know?

It's possible to embed an image into a web page.The entire image is in the web page source
code. The image can have no URL to an external file that needs to be pulled in.

Example:
<?php //apple.php

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echo '
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<title>HTML img Tag</title>
</head>
<body>
<imgsrc="apple.jpg" alt="Seeing an Apple" width="500" height=“150">
</body>
</html>
';
?>

Activating an Image: Turning an Image into a Link

To make an image into a click-able hyperlink, simply replace the hyperlink text with some HTML
image code. Images can have a relative path (/images/sample-image.gif), or they can have an
absolute path (http://hyperlinkcode.com/images/sample-image.gif).
<a href=”http://www.hyperlinkcode.com”><imgsrc=”http://hyperlinkcode.com/
images/sample-image.gif”></a>

Example:
//Embedding Image as a Link (newimageTry.php)
<?php
echo '
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<title>HTML img Tag</title>
</head>
<body>
<img src="https://th.bing.com/th/id/OIP.4fAh9-
yxTtVDBQIIoWi35AHaEo?pid=ImgDet&rs=1" alt="Cloud Computing" width="500"
height="180">
</body>
</html>
';
?>

Example:
Image as a Hyperlink //apple1.php
<?php
echo '
<html><head><title> HTML img Tag</title></head>

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<body>
<a
href="https://th.bing.com/th/id/R.72638d880f4bfa8cba105e189fdda4eb?rik=H0ETBzc%2f
O8oGaQ&riu=https%3a%2f%2ffanyv88.com%3a443%2fhttp%2fpngimg.com%2fuploads%2fphp%2fphp_PNG18.png&ehk=
xcypO1gi5ecKt%2f%2btOGbfko3qA%2fucsGkdT7UikIh3cxw%3d&risl=&pid=ImgRaw&r=
0">
<img
src="https://th.bing.com/th/id/R.72638d880f4bfa8cba105e189fdda4eb?rik=H0ETBzc%2f
O8oGaQ&riu=https%3a%2f%2ffanyv88.com%3a443%2fhttp%2fpngimg.com%2fuploads%2fphp%2fphp_PNG18.png&ehk=
xcypO1gi5ecKt%2f%2btOGbfko3qA%2fucsGkdT7UikIh3cxw%3d&risl=&pid=ImgRaw&r=
0" alt="PHP Logo" width="400" height="300">
</a>
</body></html>
';
?>

8.2 Graphic Design (GD) Extension

GD library is used for dynamic image creation. The structure of a graphics program is as follows:

 From PHP, we use with the GD library to create GIF, PNG or JPG images instantly from our
code.
 This allows us to do things such as create charts on the fly, create an anti-robot security image,
create thumbnail images, or even build images from other images.
 PHP is not limited to create just HTML output.
 PHP can also be used to create and manipulate image files in a variety of different image
formats, including GIF, PNG, JPEG, WBMP, and XPM.

Creating and Drawing Images

PHP can output image streams directly to a browser. You will need to compile PHP with the GD
library of image functions for this to work. GD and PHP may also require other libraries,
depending on which image formats you want to work with. You can use the image functions in
PHP to get the size of JPEG, GIF, PNG, SWF, TIFF and JPEG2000 images.

Changing the Output Format

There are many image formats out there for many different uses. A format stores an image in a
lossless or lossy format; with lossy formats you suffer some image degradation but save disk space
because the image is saved using fewer bytes. A lossless format preserves the image exactly, pixel
for pixel. You can break formats down into static images and movie clips.
Within either category there are standards (static formats and clip codecs) which may be
proprietary standards (developed and controlled by one company), or open standards (which are
community or consortium-controlled). The open standards generally outlive any one particular
company and will always be royalty-free and freely obtained by the viewer. The proprietary
formats may only work with a specific video card, or while the codec may be free, the viewer may
cost.
As you may have deduced, generating an image stream of a different type requires only two
changes to the script: send a different Content-Type and use a different image-generating
function.An image is a rectangle of pixels of various colors. The colors are identified by their
position in the palette, an array of colors. Each entry in the palette has three separate color values—
one for red, one for green, and one for blue.Each value ranges from 0 (this color not present) to 255
(this color at full intensity). The image files are rarely a straightforward dump of the pixels and the
palette.
Imagesetpixel(image, x, y, color) : Imagesetpixel( ) sets the color of a specified pixel.

Basic Drawing Functions

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Instead, various file formats (GIF, JPEG, PNG, etc.) have been created that attempt to compress the
data somewhat to make smaller files. The different file formats handle image transparency, which
controls whether and how the background shows through the image, in different ways.
Functions for drawing lines:
Image line (image, start_x, start_ y, end_x, end_ y, color);
Image dashed line (image, start_x, start_ y, end_x, end_ y, color);
Functions for drawing rectangles
Imagerectangle(image, tlx, tly, brx, bry, color);
Imagefilledrectangle(image, tlx, tly, brx, bry, color);
Functions for drawing polygons
Image polygon (image, points, number, color);
Image filled polygon (image, points, number, color);

PHP imagecreate() Function

The imagecreate() function is an inbuilt function in PHP which is used to create a new image. This
function returns the blank image of given size. The function returns the given image in a specific
size. We need to define the width and height of the required image.In general,
imagecreatetruecolor() function is used instead of imagecreate() function because
imagecreatetruecolor() function creates high quality images. The syntax is:
Imagecreate( $width, $height )
Where,

 $width: It is mandatory parameter which is used to specify the image width.

 $height: It is mandatory parameter which is used to specify the image height.

Notes:Image create() function returns the resource identifier of an image on successful

execution of the program and FALSE on a failed attempt.

PHP imagecolorallocate() Function

Imagecolorallocate( ) function is another inbuilt PHP function mainly used to implement a new
color to an image. It returns the color of an image in an RGB format (RED GREEN BLUE).
Syntax:
Imagecolorallocate($ image , $red , $green , $blue)
This function accepts four parameters as listed in the Table 3 below:
Table 3: imagecolorallocate() Parameters

Notes:The image color allocate ( ) function returns the identifier of the new color on
successful execution of the program. If the color of the image is not specified or does not

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contain any color, it will return a false on a failed attempt.

Example: Write a program making use of image color allocate (), image create true color,
and image fill functions.
<?php //imgAlloc.php
// to define the size of the image
$image= image create true color (400, 200);
// to define the background color of the image
$background color= image color allocate($image, 0, 150, 2);
// to fill the selected color in the background
Image fill ( $image , 0 , 0 , $background color ) ;
header('Content-Type: image/jpeg’);
//The Content-Type header is used to indicate the media type of the //resource. The
media type is a string sent along with the file indicating the //format of the file.
Image png($image);
Image destroy($image);
?>

Imagedashedline() Function
This function is used to draw a dashed line. The syntax is:
Imagedashedline (GdImage $image, int $x1, int $y1, int $x2, int $y2, int
$colour)where,

 Image: A GdImage object, returned by one of the image creation functions, such as
imagecreatetruecolor().
 x1: Upper left x coordinate.
 y1: Upper left y coordinate 0, 0 is the top left corner of the image.
 x2: Bottom right x coordinate.
 y2: Bottom right y coordinates.
 Colour: The fill colour. A colour identifier created with imagecolourallocate().
Return Values: Returns true on success or false on failure.

Example: Program making use of imagedashedline() Function.

<?php //dashedl.php
// Create a 100x100 image
$im = imagecreatetruecolor(100, 100);
$white = imagecolorallocate($im, 75, 150, 200);
// Draw a vertical dashed line
Imagedashedline($im, 50, 25, 50, 75, $white);
// Save the image
header('Content-Type: image/jpeg');
imagepng($im);
imagedestroy($im);
?>

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The output is as follows:

ImageFilledRectangleFunction
This function is used to draw a filled rectangle. The syntax is:

Imagefilledrectangle(GdImage $image, int $x1, int $y1, int $x2, int $y2, int$colour)
Where:

 x1: x-coordinate for point 1.

 y1: y-coordinate for point 1.
 x2: x-coordinate for point 2.
 y2: y-coordinate for point 2.

Example: PHP program to display the basic use of image colour allocate( ) with image
filled rectangle( ) function
<?php
$img = imageCreate(200,200);
$bgcolor = imageColorAllocate($img,100,150,20);//bg
$imgcolor =imageColorAllocate($img,255,255,255);//image
ImageFilledRectangle($img,50,50,150,150,$imgcolor);
ImageString($img,5,30,160,"Creation of image",$imgcolor);
Header('Content-Type: image/png');
ImagePNG($img);
?>

The output for the above example is:

Imagepolygon() Function
This function is used to draw a polygon. The syntax is:

Imagepolygon(GdImage $image, array $points, int $color)

or
imagepolygon(GdImage $image, array $points, int $num_points, int $color)
Where:

 Array $points: An array containing the polygon's vertices

 $num_points: Total number of points (vertices), which must be at least 3.

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Example: PHP program to display the use of imagecreate( ) function to draw a polygon
<?php
// Set the vertices of polygon
$values = array( 150, 50, // Point 1 (x, y)
55, 119, // Point 2 (x, y)
91, 231, // Point 3 (x, y)
209, 231, // Point 4 (x, y)
245, 119, // Point 5 (x, y)
290,140);
$image = imagecreatetruecolor(300, 300); // Create the size of image or blank image
$background_color = imagecolorallocate($image, 0, 153, 0); // Set background color of
image
// Fill background with above selected color
imagefill($image, 0, 0, $background_color);
// Allocate a color for the polygon
$col_poly = imagecolorallocate($image, 255, 255, 255);
imagepolygon($image, $values,5, $col_poly); // Draw the polygon
header('Content-type: image/png’); // Output the picture to the browser
imagepng($image); ?>

The output is as follows:Here in this program, we have declared various variables like $image to
define the size of the image that we require, $background color to define the color of background
we require, $text color to define the color of text we require, an array $values to set the coordinates
of the polygon we need to declare, and we have used image polygon ( ) function to display the
polygon we want to display as an image, to display the output of the image we have used an
inbuilt PHP command header and imagepng to display on browser.

Imageellipse() Function
This function is used to draw an ellipse. The syntax is:
Imageellipse(GdImage $image, int $center_x, int $center_y, int $width, int $height, int
$color)
Where:

 center_x: x-coordinate of the center.

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 center_y: y-coordinate of the center.

 Width: The ellipse width.
 Height: The ellipse height.

Imagefilledellipse() Function
This function draws a filled ellipse. It returns true on success or false on failure. The syntax is:
Imagefilledellipse(GdImage $image, int $centre x, int $centery, int $width, int $height, int $color)
Where:

 center_x: x-coordinate of the center.

 center_y: y-coordinate of the center.
 width: The ellipse width.
 height: The ellipse height.
 image: A GdImage object, returned by one of the image creation functions, such as
imagecreatetruecolor().
 Colour: The fill colour. A colour identifier created with image colour allocate().

Example: PHP program to display the use of imagefilledellipse() function

<?php //ellipse123.php
// Create a blank image.
$image = imagecreatetruecolor(400, 300);
// Select the background color.
$bg = imagecolorallocate($image, 255, 0, 0);
// Fill the background with the color selected above.
imagefill($image, 0, 0, $bg);
// Choose a color for the ellipse.
$col_ellipse = imagecolorallocate($image, 255, 255, 255);
// Draw the ellipse.
imageellipse($image, 200, 150, 300, 200, $col_ellipse);
// Output the image.
header("Content-type: image/png");
imagepng($image);
?>

The output is as follows:

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Imagerotate() Function
This function rotates an image with a given angle. It rotates the image using the given angle in
degrees. The syntax is:
Imagerotate(GdImage $image, float $angle, int $background_color, bool $ignore_transparent
= false)
Where: $ignore_transparent is an unused parameter

Example: Program illustrating the use of imagerotate() Function

<?php //imagerotate.php
$image = imagecreate(200, 200);
$white = imagecolorallocate($image, 0xFF, 0xFF, 0xFF);
$black = imagecolorallocate($image, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00);
imagefilledrectangle($image, 50, 50, 150, 150, $black);
$rotated = imagerotate($image,45,$black);
header("Content-Type: image/png");
imagepng($rotated);
?>

The output is as follows:

8.3 Working with Images: Adding Text

It is possible to add text to the images.Various in-built functions can be used.

Images With Text: imagestring() Function

This function draws a string horizontally. It draws a string at the given coordinates. The syntax is:

Imagestring(GdImage $image, GdFont|int $font, int $x, int $y, string $string, int $color)

Where:

 Image: A GdImage object, returned by one of the image creation functions, such as
imagecreatetruecolor().
 Font: Can be 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 for built-in fonts in latin2 encoding (where higher numbers
corresponding to larger fonts) or GdFont instance, returned by imageloadfont().
 x: x-coordinate of the upper left corner.
 y: y-coordinate of the upper left corner.
 string: The string to be written.
 color: A color identifier created with imagecolorallocate().

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Program using imagestring() Function //imgText.php

<?php
// to define the size of the image
$image= imagecreate(400,200);
// to define the background color of the image
$backgroundcolor= imagecolorallocate($image,0, 155, 2);
// to define the text color of the image
$textcolor = imagecolorallocate($image,255, 255, 255);
// These functions will define the character to be displayed on the screen
Imagestring($image,13,151,121,"this is text 1", $textcolor);
Imagestring($image,4,151,101,"this is text 2", $textcolor);
Imagestring($image,10,151,81," this is text 3", $textcolor);
Imagestring($image,13,151,61," this is text 4", $textcolor);
Header("Content-Type: image/png");
Imagepng($image);
Imagedestroy($image);
?>

The output is as follows:

Here in this program, we have declared various variables like $image to define the size of the image
that we require, $background color to define the color of background we require, $text color to
define the color of text we require. We have used the image string ( ) function to declare the string
we want to display as an image. To display the output of the image, we have used an inbuilt PHP
command header and imaging to display on the browser.

Example: Program using image string() Function

<?php //imageCre.php
//to define the size of the image
$image= imagecreate(400, 200);
//to define the background color of the image
$backgroundcolor= imagecolorallocate($image, 0, 150, 2);
//to define the text color of the image
$textcolor= imagecolorallocate($image, 255, 255, 255);
//function which will define character to be displayed on screen
Imagestring($image, 5, 180, 100, "GOOD MORNING EVERYONE", $textcolor);

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Imagestring($image, 3, 160, 120, "HELLO WORLD", $textcolor);

Header("Content - Type: image/png");
Imagepng($image);
?>

The output is as follows:

Here in this program, we have declared various variables like $image to define the size of the image
that we require, $background color to define the color of background we require, $text color to
define the color of text we require. We have used the image string ( ) function to declare the string
we want to display as an image. In order to display the output of the image, we have used an
inbuilt PHP command header and imagepng to display on the browser.

8.4 Fonts in PHP

We can specify the fonts for the text added to the images.

Setting Text Fonts

Example: <?php //imagefont.php

$image = imagecreate(200, 200);
$white = image color allocate($image, 0xFF, 0xFF, 0xFF); //background color by default
$black = imagecolorallocate($image, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00);
Imagestring($image, 1, 10, 10, "Font 1: ABCDEfghij", $black);
Imagestring($image, 2, 10, 30, "Font 2: ABCDEfghij", $black);
Imagestring($image, 3, 10, 50, "Font 3: ABCDEfghij", $black);
Imagestring($image, 4, 10, 70, "Font 4: ABCDEfghij", $black);
Imagestring($image, 5, 10, 90, "Font 5: ABCDEfghij", $black);
header("Content-Type: image/png");
imagepng($image);
?>

The output is as follows:

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Setting Image Text Fonts: imagefontheight() Function

This function is used to get the font height. The syntax is:

Imagefontheight(GdFont|int $font)
It returns the pixel height of a character in the specified font. It returns the pixel height of the font.

Example:
#1: Using imagefontheight() on built-in fonts
<?php //font.php
echo 'Font height: '. imagefontheight(4);
?>

Example:
#2: Using imagefontheight() together with imageloadfont()
<?php //fontgdf.php
// Load a .gdf font
$font = imageloadfont('anonymous.gdf');
echo 'Font height: ' .imagefontheight($font);
?>

Image Text Fonts: imagefontwidth() Function

This function helps to get the font width. The syntax is:

Imagefontwidth(GdFont|int $font)
It returns the pixel width of a character in font.

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Example:
#1 Using imagefontwidth() on built-in fonts
<?php //font1.php
echo 'Font width: ' .imagefontwidth(4);
?>

Example:
#2 Using imagefontwidth() together with imageloadfont()
<?php //fontgdf1.php
// Load a .gdf font
$font = imageloadfont('anonymous.gdf');
echo 'Font width: ' .imagefontwidth($font);
?>

Images With Text- imagettftext() Function

In PHP, five fonts are built-in, and you can load additional fonts through the
imageloadfont()function. The TrueType is an outline font standard; it provides more precise control
over the rendering of the characters. In order to add text in a TrueType font to an image, use
imagettftext() The imagettftext() function is used to write text to the image using TrueType fonts.
Syntax:

Imagettftext(GdImage $image,float $size, float $angle,int $x, int $y, int $color,string $font_filename,
string $text, array $options= [])
or
imagettftext (resource $image , $size , $angle , $x , $y , $color , $fontfile , $text )
Where:

 size: The font size in points.

 angle: The angle in degrees, with 0 degrees being left-to-right reading text. Higher values
represent a counter-clockwise rotation. For example, a value of 90 would result in bottom-to-
top reading text.
 x: The coordinates given by x and y will define the basepoint of the first character (roughly the
lower-left corner of the character). This is different from the imagestring(), where x and y
define the upper-left corner of the first character. For example, "top left" is 0, 0.
 y: The y-ordinate. This sets the position of the fonts baseline, not the very bottom of the
character.

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 The angle in degrees, with 0 degrees being left-to-right reading text. Higher values represent a
counter-clockwise rotation. For example, a value of 90 would result in bottom-to-top reading
text.

8.5 Scaling Images

The images can be scaled using various in-built functions.The imagescale() function is used for
scaling the images.

Imagescale() Function

 Scale an image using the given new width and height. The syntax is:
Imagescale (GdImage $image, int $width, int $height = -1,int $mode = IMG_BILINEAR_FIXED)
Where:

 Image:A GdImage object, returned by one of the image creation functions, such
asimagecreatetruecolour().
 Width: The width to scale the image to.
 Height: The height to scale the image to. If omitted or negative, the aspect ratio will be
preserved.
 Mode: One of IMG_NEAREST_NEIGHBOUR, IMG_BILINEAR_FIXED,
IMG_BICUBIC,IMG_BICUBIC_FIXED or anything else (will use two pass).

Notes:Unlike many of other image functions, image scale() does not modify the passed
image; instead, a new image is returned.

Example:
<?php //imagescale.php
// Load image file
$image = imagecreatefrompng('PHP1.png'); //source of image
// Use imagescale() function to scale the image
$img = imagescale($image, 500, 400 );
// Output image in the browser
header("Content-type: image/png");
imagepng($img);
?>

Original Image: Scaled Image:

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There are other two ways to change the size of an image: ImageCopyResized() function
andImageCopyResampled() function can be used.Both the functions take the same arguments:
ImageCopyResized(dest, src, dx, dy, sx, sy, dw, dh, sw, sh);
ImageCopyResampled(dest, src, dx, dy, sx, sy, dw, dh, sw, sh);

 The destand src parameters are image handles. The point (dx,dy) is the point in the
destination image where the region will be copied.
 The point (sx,sy) is the upperleft corner of the source image.
 The sw, sh, dw, and dh parameters give the width and height of the copy regions in the source
and destination.

Notes:The imagecopy resized () function is fast but crude, and may lead to jagged edges in
your new images. The image copy resampled() function is slower, but features pixel
interpolation to give smooth edges and clarity to the resized image.

Resizing with ImageCopyResampled( )

Example: <?php //scale.php

$src = ImageCreateFromPNG('PHP1.png');//source of image
//Retrieve width and height of the image
$width = ImageSx($src); //inbuilt function used to return width of given image.
$height = ImageSy($src); //inbuilt function used to return height of given image.
$x = $width/16; //Provide the resizing dimensions
$y = $height/16;
$dst = ImageCreateTrueColor($x,$y);
ImageCopyResampled($dst,$src,0,0,0,0,$x,$y,$width,$height);
header('Content-Type: image/png');
ImagePNG($dst);
?>

Original Image: After Image size has been reduced by 1/16:

8.6 Color Handling of Images

In order to create a true color image, we can use the ImageCreateTrueColor() function:

Syntax: $image = ImageCreateTrueColour(width, height);

We can use ImagecolorAllocate() to allocate a color for an image. The syntax is:

Imagecolorallocate( GdImage $image, int $red, int $green, int $blue)

Example: <?php //color.php

$im = imagecreate(100, 100);

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// sets background to red

$background = imagecolorallocate($im, 255, 0, 0);
// Save the image
header('Content-Type: image/jpeg');
imagepng($im);
imagedestroy($im);
?>

Another function Imagealphan blending () can be used with syntax:

Imagealphablending(resource $image, bool $blendmode)
This offers two different modes of drawing on truecolor images: The blendingmode determines
how much of the underlying color should be allowed to shine through.In the non-blending mode,
the drawing color is copied literally with its alpha channel information, replacing the destination
pixel.

Example:
Program depicting a simple orange ellipse on a white background
<?php //orange.php
$im = ImageCreateTrueColour(150,150); //(w,h)
$white = ImageColourAllocate($im,255,255,255); //(r,g,b)
ImageAlphaBlending($im, false);
ImageFilledRectangle($im,0,0,150,150,$white); //(x1,y1,x2,y2)
$red=ImageColourResolveAlpha($im,255,50,0,50); //(r,g,b,alpha)
ImageFilledEllipse($im,75,75,80,63,$red); //(x,y,w,h,c)
header('Content-Type: image/png');
ImagePNG($im);
?>

The output for the above example is:

Summary
 PHP makes it very easy to do many things needed on a website, among which is to embed or
create an image.

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 The ability to generate an image in PHP can be useful if you want to do things like create
CAPTCHA images, or even design a banner or logo on the fly the way some free blogging
software do.
 PHP cleans up the image when the script ends, but, if you wish to manually deallocate the
memoryused by the image, calling ImageDestroy($image)forces PHP to get rid of theimage
immediately.The standard rectangular or Cartesian (named after René Descartes) has two
perpendicular real number lines (axes) which divide the plane into four quadrants. The place
where thenumber lines cross is the origin (0, 0) and the numbering is positive to the right and
up; negative to the left and down.
 GD has an existing API, and PHP tries to follows its syntax and function-naming conventions.
So, if you are familiar with GD from other languages, such as C or Perl, you can easily use GD
with PHP.
 One of the most basic features of computers today is the ability to edit graphics. Manytimes,
you need to build web applications that take image data from users and scale itdown to a
format that can easily be displayed on your website.
 There are two types of computer graphics, vector and raster.
 Imagecolor allocate ( ) function is another inbuilt PHP function mainly used to implement a
new color to an image. It returns the color of an image in an RGB format (RED GREEN BLUE).
 GD library is used for dynamic image creation. From PHP, we use with the GD library to
create GIF, PNG or JPG images instantly from our code.

Keywords
Raster graphics:The raster graphics are the representation of images as an array of pixels.
Vector graphics:The vector graphics use geometrical primitives such as points, lines, curves or
polygons to represent images. The primitives are created using mathematical equations.
Cairo Graphics Agreement: The Cairo Graphics Library takes a vector approach to graphics,
allowing smaller size, infinite zooming, and moving, scaling, and rotating without degrading image
quality.
Image:An image is a rectangle of pixels that have various colors. The colors are identified bytheir
position in the palette, an array of colors.
IMG:It stands for “image.” It announces to the browser that an image will go here on the page.
WIDTH:It stands for just that, the width of the image in pixels. It can range from 1 pixel to, well,
just about any number, but generally will be less than the width of the web browser.
HEIGHT:It stands for, as you might guess, the height of the image in pixels. Again, the heightcan be
just about anything, but generally will be less than the height of the web browser.

SelfAssessment
1. ____________ Graphics are the representation of images as an array of pixels.
A. Raster
B. Vector
C. Line
D. Coordinate

2. ____________ graphics use geometrical primitives such as points, lines, curves or polygons
to represent images.

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A. Raster
B. Vector
C. Line
D. Coordinate

3. Which of the following is an attribute in the <img> tag?

A. atl
B. agt
C. sco
D. src

4. Image files are composed of digital data in one of these formats that can be rasterized for
use on a computer display or printer. An image file format may store data in __________
format(s).
A. Uncompressed
B. Compressed
C. Vector
D. All of the above

5. Which of the following is/are major consideration(s) to choose the necessary file type?
A. Compression quality-
B. Transparency
C. Documents
D. All of the above

6. A standard web page containing text and graphics is created through a series of HTTP
requests from the web browser, each answered by a response from the web server.
A. True
B. False

7. GD library is used for dynamic image creation. GD here stands for

A. Graph Designing
B. Graphic Design
C. Graphic Doppler
D. Graph Doppling

8. An image is a rectangle of ____________ of various colours.

A. Pixels
B. Values
C. Formats
D. Vertices

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9. Imagecreatetrue color() function is used instead of imagecreate() function because

imagecreatetrue color() function creates high quality images.
A. True
B. False

10. Imagecolor allocate ( ) function is another inbuilt PHP function mainly used to implement
a new color to an image. It returns the color of an image in an RGB format which stands
for
A. Red, Green, Black
B. Red, Green Brown
C. Red, Green, Blue
D. Red, Green, Blended

11. In the imagepolygon() function syntax as “imagepolygon(Gd Image $image, array $points,
int $num_points, int $colour)”, the parameter that defines the total number of points or
vertices in the polygon is
A. array $points
B. $num_points
C. $image
D. $colour

12. In order to add the text in a TrueType font to an image, the function that can be used is:
A. Imagefontheight()
B. Imagettf()
C. Imagetext()
D. Imagettftext()

13. The function imagefontheight () retrieves the font height and returns the ___________
height of a character in the specified font.
A. Pixels
B. Format
C. vertice
D. upper

14. _____________ Function helps to scale an image using the given new width and height.
A. Imagescalar()
B. Scaleimage()
C. Imagescale()
D. imgscl()

15. Which of the following function(s) can be used to resize the image in PHP?
A. ImageCopyResized()
B. ImageCopyResampled()

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C. Imagescale()
D. All of the above

Answers for Self Assessment

1. A 2. B 3. D 4. D 5. D

6. A 7. B 8. A 9. A 10. C

11. B 12. D 13. A 14. C 15. D

Review Questions
1. What is the meaning of Graphics? How it is used with PHP? Explain with example.
2. How an image embedding in a page with PHP?
3. How an Image converts into a Link? Explain with example.
4. Write a short note on:
a. Colour handling of images
b. Scaling images
5. Why we use GD library? Explain the GD extensions with example
6. What are the basic concepts of graphics? Explain briefly.
7. What is the process to create and draw the images with graphics?
8. How the images embedded with text? Explain with example.
9. What is the meaning of scaling of image? How does it perform in Graphics? Explain
withexample.
10. How the colour handlings proceed in graphics? Write a program to create a red rectangle
on a white background.

Further Readings
 The Joy of PHP: A Beginner’s Guide by Alan Forbes.
 PHP: The Complete Reference by Steven Holzner. 2017.
 Learning PHP by Ramesh Bangia, 2012.
 Learn PHP in One Day and Learn It Well by Jamie Chan.
 Learning PHP, MySQL & JavaScript with j Query, CSS & HTML5by Robin Nixon, 2015.

Web Links

 How To Embed Images In PHP Mail - Simple Examples (code-boxx.com)

 PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor
 Php | Graphics Code Examples (happycodings.com)
 Creating Simple Graphics Program in PHP (c-sharpcorner.com)
 https://blogs.oracle.com/oswald/entry/scaling_images_in_php_done

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Dr. Tarandeep Kaur, Lovely Professional University Unit 09: Working with PDF in PHP

Unit 09: Working with PDF in PHP

CONTENTS
Objectives
Introduction
9.1 PDF Extensions
9.2 FPDF Library
9.3 Documents and Pages in PDF
9.4 Putting Text in PDF Pages Using PHP
9.5 Inserting Images and Graphics in PDF
9.6 Navigation in PDF Pages Using PHP
9.7 Creating a PDF with Header and Footer
Summary
Keywords
Self Assessment
Answers for Self Assessment
Review Questions
Further Readings

Objectives
After studying this unit, you will be able to:

 learn about the pdf extensions available in PHP.

 know regarding the pdf documents and pages.
 carry out putting text in PDF pages using PHP.
 insert images and graphics in PDF with PHP.
 perform navigation in PDF pages using PHP.
 design headers and footers in PDF using PHP.

Introduction
PDF stands for Portable Document Format. As the name implies, it is a data format that can be used
to describe documents. Adobe, the developers of PDF, market software to create, edit and visualize
PDF files. Because the specifications of the file format are publicly available and meanwhile even
became an official ISO-standard, a lot of other companies develop PDF-related software as well. In
pre-press, PDF is commonly used as a format to exchange data, either complete pages that need to
be printed or advertisements that needs to be included in a publication. The file format is also
popular for soft proofing and reviewing content, because there are applications that allow you to
make annotations on the PDF pages.

9.1 PDF Extensions

A common problem when developing a web application is having producing a high-quality PDF
out of an existing layout/view/template. Perhaps for a reporting engine, an invoice, a receipt, or
any number of other situations.Often, this involves using somewhat cryptic output primitives and
creating the PDF by hand.

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PDF has a unique number of advantages:

o It is a cross platform standard: This means that somebody can create a PDF file on a Unix
workstation and you can open it on a Mac or PC and still see the document just like it was
intended to be viewed.

o PDF files can be device independent: They can be printed on a cheap ink jet printer as well as
on an expensive imagesetter. This does not necessarily mean that the output will be optimized
for each device. A lot depends on the way the document is created.

o PDF files are compact: PDF supports a number of sophisticated compression algorithms as
well as a clever file structure to keep the file size of PDF files down to an absolute minimum.

o PDF files can contain multimedia elements like movies or sound as well as hypertext
elements like bookmarks, links to e-mail addresses or web pages and thumbnail views of
pages.

o PDF supports security: The creator of a PDF file can set various security options. It is possible
to lock a PDF so it can only be opened with a password. It is also possible to forbid changing
the content of a PDF or disable the option to print a PDF file.

Did you Know?

The PDF format is so powerful and has been adopted around the world because it acts as a
container for various types of content.
Adobe’s Portable Document Format (PDF) provides a popular way to get a consistent look, both on
screen and when printed, for documents.PHP has several libraries for generating PDF
documents.The FPDF library is a set of PHP code you include in your scripts with the require
function, so it doesn’t require any server-side configuration or support, meaning you can use it
even without support from your host.

http://www.fpdf.org/en/download.php can be used to download the fpdf library (v 1.81, ZIP).

You need to download the FPDF class from the FPDF website and include it in your PHP script.

require('fpdf/fpdf.php');

9.2 FPDF Library

FPDF is a PHP class which allows to generate PDF files with pure PHP, that is to say without using
the PDFlib library. F from FPDF stands for Free: you may use it for any kind of usage and modify it
to suit your needs. FPDF has other advantages: high level functions. Here is a list:

o Choice of measure unit, page format and margins

o Page header and footer management
o Automatic page break
o Automatic line break and text justification
o Image support (JPEG, PNG and GIF)
o Colors
o Links
o TrueType, Type1 and encoding support
o Page compression

9.3 Documents and Pages in PDF

A PDF document is made up of a number of pages. Each page contains text and/or images.

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FPDF('P', 'in', 'Letter');

o P or L
o Units of font pt, mm, ct, in
o Paper size A3, A4, A5, Legal, Letter
Addpage(orientation, paper size, rotation)

o P or L
o A3, A4, A5, Letter, Legal
o Multiple of 90. Default is 0
Cell(float w , float h , string txt , mixed border , int ln , string align , boolean fill , mixed link)
or
Cell(width, height, string, border, ln, align, fill, link)

o W = Cell width. If 0, the cell extends up to the right margin. .

o H = Cell height. Default value: 0.
o Txt = String to print. Default value empty
o Border = (1,0), (L,T,R,B)
o In = 0 to the right, 1 beginning of next line, 2 below
o Align = L,R,C
o Fill = cell background to be painted true or false
o Mixed = url returned by addlink()

Notes:Cell extends upto the right margin. The cell height. Default is zero.
String to be print. Default is empty.
It can be 0 or 1 for frame. It can L, R, T and B
Current position should go after the call 0 to the right, 1 beginning of the next line, 2 below.
Position of text L,C and R
Background of cell true or false. Default is false
Link returned by addlink()
Ln(height) line break
Height of break. Default is height of last printed cell

9.4 Putting Text in PDF Pages Using PHP

Text: There are many options for changing the appearance and layout of text.
Coordinates: The origin (0,0) in a PDF document with the FPDF library is in the top-left corner of
the defined page.All of the measurements are specified in points, millimeters, inches, or
centimeters. A point (the default) is equal to 1/72 of an inch, or 0.35 mm
Text Attributes: There are three common ways to alter the appearance of text: bold, underline, and
italics.The following functions can be used:

 Setfont(string family , string style , float size);

o where, Family= Courier (fixed width), Helvetica or Arial (Sans Serif), Times (Serif), Symbol
(Symbolic), Zapfdingbats (Symbolic)
o Style = empty, B, I, U
o Size = font size in point.
 setDrawColor(r,g,b)where,

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o Red component (0 to 255)

o Green component (0 to 255)
o Blue component (0 to 255)
•AliasNbPages([string alias]): Defines an alias for the total number of pages.

 Addfont() Function: Used to add a font. We have an existing library of fonts. We can add any
fontto a PDF document.
Addfont(string family , string style , string file)

o where, Family = font family name.

o Style = empty, B, I, U
o File = The font definition file.
 Settextcolor()
Settextcolor(int r , int g, int b)

o r = red component (0 – 255)

o g = green component (0 – 255)
o b = blue component (0 – 255)
 setFillColor(r,g,b)
o Red component (0 to 255)
o Green component (0 to 255)
o Blue component (0 to 255)

Example:<?php //pdf1.php
require("../fpdf184/fpdf.php"); // path to fpdf.php
//reference to the FPDF library with the require function
$pdf = new FPDF(); //created a new instance of the FPDF object.
$pdf->addPage(); //After you have created new instance of FPDF object, you will need to add
//at least one page to object, so the AddPage method is called.
$pdf->setFont("Arial", 'B’, 16); //Text style as Bold
//You need to set the font for the output you are about to generate with the //SetFont call
$pdf->cell(40, 10, "Hello Out There!");
//using the cell method call, you can place the output on your created document.
$pdf->output(); //To send all your work to the browser, simply use the Output method.
?>

Example: <?php //pdf3.php

require("../fpdf184/fpdf.php");
$pdf = new FPDF();
$pdf->AddPage();
$pdf->SetFont("Arial", "I", 12); //Text style as Italic
$pdf->Cell(40, 10, "Hello World");
$pdf->Output();
?>

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Example:<?php //pdf2.php
require('../fpdf184/fpdf.php');
// Instantiate and use the FPDF class
$pdf = new FPDF();
//Add a new page
$pdf->AddPage();
// Set the font for the text
$pdf->SetFont('Arial', 'U', 18); //Text as Underline
// Prints a cell with given text
$pdf->Cell(60,20,'Hello GeeksforGeeks!');
// return the generated output
$pdf->Output();
?>

Example:Putting Text in PDF Pages Using PHP- Example for addfont() (Figure 1).
<?php //addfontPDF.php
//define('FPDF_FONTPATH', '.');
require '../fpdf184/fpdf.php';
$pdf = new FPDF();
//$pdf->addFont('Calligrapher', '', 'calligra.php');
//$pdf->addFont('courier', '', 'courier.php');
$pdf->addFont('helvetica', '', 'helvetica.php');
$pdf->addPage();
//$pdf->setFont('courier', '', 35);
$pdf->setFont('helvetica', '', 45);
$pdf->cell(0, 10, 'Enjoy new fonts with FPDF!');
$pdf->output
();
?>

Figure 1: Adding Fonts in PDF

Example:Putting Text in PDF Pages Using PHP- Example for settextcolor() andsetfillcolor()
<?php //fillcolo.php

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require('../fpdf184/fpdf.php');
// Instantiate and use the FPDF class
$pdf = new FPDF();
//Add a new page
$pdf->AddPage();
// Set the font for the text
$pdf->settextcolor(255,0,0);
$pdf->SetFont('Arial', 'U', 18); //Text as Underline
$pdf->setfillcolor(255,255,0);
// Prints a cell with given text
$pdf->Cell(60,20,'Hello World',0,0,0,1);
// return the generated output
$pdf->Output();
?>

9.5 Inserting Images and Graphics in PDF

PHP helps to add images and graphics to the PDF pages using the inbuilt function such as image().
Syntax: image(file, x, y, w, h, type, link)

o Path or URL of JPEG, GIF, PNG

o Upper left corner
o Upper left corner
o Width of image
o Height of image
o Format JPEG, JPG, GIF and PNG
o URL or identifier returned by addlink()

Example:Program to insert images and graphics in PHP (Figure 2).

<?php //testimage.php
require('../fpdf184/fpdf.php');
$pdf = new FPDF(); // Instantiate and use the FPDF class
$pdf->AddPage(); //Add a new page
$pdf->SetFont('Arial', 'U', 18); // Set the font for the text
$pdf->Cell(60,20,'Hello World'); // Prints a cell with given text
$pdf->image("google.png", 50, 50, 100, 0, ‘ ', "http://www.google.com");
//Syntax: image(file, x, y, w, h, type, link)
$pdf->ln(20);
$pdf->output(); //return the generated output
?>

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Figure 2: Inserting Image in PHP

9.6 Navigation in PDF Pages Using PHP

It is possible to navigate across PDF pages as well. The following functions can be used:

o addLink(): Creates an internal link and returns its identifier.

o setLink(link, y, page)

The link identifier returned by AddLink(). The coordinate of target position; -1 indicates the current
position. The default value is 0 (top of page). The number of target page; -1 indicates the current
page. This is the default value.

Example:Program to navigate in PDF pages using PHP.

<?php //samplenavi.php
require("../fpdf184/fpdf.php");
$pdf = new FPDF();
$pdf->addPage(); //First page
$pdf->setFont("Times", 'B', 14);
$pdf->write(5, "For a link to the next page - Click");
$pdf->setFont('Times', 'U');
$pdf->setTextColor(0, 0, 255);
$linkToPage2 = $pdf->addLink();
$pdf->write(5,"Please click here", $linkToPage2);
//write(h, txt, link) wher line height, String or text to print &Url or identifier
returned by addlink()
$pdf->setFont('Times',"U");
$pdf->addPage(); //Second page
$pdf->setLink($linkToPage2);
$pdf->image("google.png", 50, 50, 100, 0, '', "http://www.google.com");
$pdf->ln(20);
$pdf->setTextColor(1);
$pdf->cell(0, 5, "Click the following link, or click on the image", 0, 1, 'L');
$pdf->setFont('', 'U');
$pdf->setTextColor(0,0,255);

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$pdf->write(5, "Social Networking", "http://www.facebook.com");

$pdf->output();
?>

9.7 Creating a PDF with Header and Footer

FPDF is actually a class definition provided for your use and extension.There are two methods:
header() and footer() that are used to add header and footer in a PDF. The AliasNbPages() method
is used to track the overall page count in the PDF document before it is sent to the browser.The
FPDF library also allows you to create a custom header and footer for your PDF files.

Example:Program for adding Footer.

<?php //footer123.php
require("../fpdf184/fpdf.php");
class PDF extends FPDF {
function Footer() {
// Go to 1.5 cm from bottom
$this->SetY(-15); //Function in Footer specifying the position
$this->SetFont('Arial','I',8); // Select Arial italic 8
// Print current and total page numbers
$this->Cell(0,10,'Page '.$this->PageNo().'/{nb}',0,0,'C');
}}
$pdf = new PDF();
$pdf->AliasNbPages();
$pdf->AddPage();
$pdf->Output();
?>

Example:The following code illustrates creating a PDF file with a header and footer.
<?php //headerfooter.php
require ("../fpdf184/fpdf.php");
class PDF extends FPDF{
function Header() {
$this->SetFont("Arial", "B", 24);
$this->Cell(80);
$this->Cell(40, 10, "Heading");
$this->Ln(25); }
function Footer() {
$this->SetY(-15);
$this->SetFont("Arial", "U", 10);
$this->Cell(0,10 "Page: ".$this->PageNo() . "/{nb}",0,0,"C"); } }
$pdf = new PDF();

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$pdf->AliasNbPages();
$pdf->AddPage();
$pdf->SetFont("Arial", "I", 12);
$pdf->Output();
?>
The above example code generates a PDF file with a header and footer as specified.

Example:Program to create PDF with a header and footer (Figure 3).

<?php //ihf.php
require('fpdf.php');
class PDF extends FPDF {
function Header(){
$this->Image('logo.png',10,50,50);
$this->SetFont('Arial','B',15);
$this->Cell(80);
$this->Cell(30,10,'Title',1,0,'C');
$this->Ln(20); }
function Footer() {
$this->SetY(-20);
$this->SetFont('Arial','I',8);
$this->Cell(0,10,'Page '.$this->PageNo().
'/{nb}',0,0,'C’); }}
$pdf = new PDF();
$pdf->AliasNbPages();
$pdf->AddPage(); //Page 1
$pdf->SetFont('Times','',12);
$pdf->Cell(30,10,'page 1',1,0,'C');
$pdf->AddPage(); //Page 2
$pdf->SetFont('Times','',12);
$pdf->Cell(30,10,'page 2',1,0,'C');
$pdf->Output();
?>

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Figure 3: PDF with a header and footer

Summary
 PHP makes it very easy to do many things needed on a website, among which is to embed or
create an image in a PDF file.
 PHP helps to add images and graphics to the PDF pages using the inbuilt function such as
image().
 Adobe’s Portable Document Format (PDF) provides a popular way to get a consistent look, both
on screen and when printed, for documents.
 PHP has several libraries for generating PDF documents.
 The FPDF library is a set of PHP code you include in your scripts with the require function, so it
doesn’t require any server-side configuration or support, meaning you can use it even without
support from your host.
 It is possible to navigate across PDF pages as well using functions like addlink() that helps to
create an internal link and returns its identifier.

Keywords
FPDF:FPDF is a PHP class which allows to generate PDF files with pure PHP, that is to say without
using the PDFlib library.
Cross platform standard:Using cross platform support, one can create a PDF file on a Unix
workstation and you can open it on a Mac or PC and still see the document just like it was intended
to be viewed.
AliasNbPages(): AliasNbPages() method is used to track the overall page count in the PDF
document before it is sent to the browser.
PDF:PDF stands for Portable Document Format. As the name implies, it is a data format that can be
used to describe documents. Adobe, the developers of PDF, market software to create, edit and
visualize PDF files.

SelfAssessment
1. PDF stands for _______________.
A. Portable Document File

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B. Portable Document Format

C. Portable Design Format
D. Portable Design File

2. ______________ is a data format that can be used to describe documents.

A. FPDF
B. TPDF
C. XPDF
D. PDF

3. Which of the following is/are true statement(s) for PDF?

A. PDF is commonly used as a format to exchange data, either complete pages that need to be
printed or advertisements that needs to be included in a publication.
B. popular for soft proofing and reviewing content, because there are applications that allow
you to make annotations on the PDF pages.
C. Adobe is the developer of PDF and has capability to market software to create, edit and
visualize PDF files.
D. All of the above

4. Which of the following is NOT an advantage of PDF?

A. PDF files can be device independent
B. PDF files can contain multimedia elements
C. PDF does not support cross platform standard
D. PDF supports security

5. ______________ is a set of PHP code you include in your scripts with the require function, so
it doesn’t require any server-side configuration or support, meaning you can use it even
without support from your host.
A. FPDF library
B. XPDF library
C. Workgroup library
D. Session library

6. The addpage(orientation, paper size, rotation) is used for adding page in a PDF using PHP.
The orientation attribute here can take ______________ layouts.
A. portrait
B. landscape
C. both
D. none of the above

7. In the setDrawColor(r,g,b) function, the “rgb” stands for

A. Red, golden, black
B. Red, green, brown
C. Red, green, blue
D. Red, green, black

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8. The AliasNbPages([string alias]) defines

A. an alias for the margin of PDF pages.
B. an alias for the total number of pages.
C. an alias for orientation of PDF pages.
D. an alias for the layout of PDF pages.

9. In the function, Settextcolor(int r , int g, int b), the minimum and maximum value taken by ‘r’,
‘g’ or ‘b’ can be
A. 0 and 255
B. 1 and 255
C. 0 and 125
D. 1 and 125

10. Which of the following is/are way(s) to alter the appearance of the text?
A. Bold
B. Underline
C. Italics
D. All of the above

11. ____________ function creates an internal link and returns its identifier.
A. setlink()
B. addLink()
C. internlink()
D. linker()

12. _______________ method is used to track the overall page count in the PDF document before
it is sent to the browser.
A. AliasNbPages()
B. trackPages()
C. PageCounter()
D. trackCount()

13. PHP helps to add images and graphics to the PDF pages using the inbuilt function such as
_______________.
A. imageSetting()
B. setImage()
C. imagePixel()
D. image()

14. In PHP, it is not possible to navigate across PDF pages.

A. True
B. False

15. The syntax, image(file, x, y, w, h, type, link) is used to insert image in a PDF. The type
attribute can take _________ files.
A. JPG

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B. GIF
C. PNG
D. All of the above

Answers for Self Assessment

l. B 2. D 3. D 4. C 5. A

6. C 7. C 8. B 9. A 10. D

11. B 12. A 13. C 14. B 15. D

Review Questions
1. What is the meaning of Graphics? How it is used with PHP? Explain with example.
2. What is the mean of PDF? What are the PDF files and why these are used?
3. What are the uses of PDF documents and pages? How do these create?
4. Discuss about putting text in PDF.
5. What is the importance of font in PDF? How does it embed in it?
6. How do we use images and graphics in PDF?
7. Write a PHP program to place an image in several places on a page.
8. What is the meaning of navigation? How PDF provide navigation?
9. Write a short note on:
(a) Headers and Footers in PHP
(b) FPDF Library

Further Readings
The Joy of PHP: A Beginner’s Guide by Alan Forbes.
PHP: The Complete Reference by Steven Holzner. 2017.
Learning PHP by Ramesh Bangia, 2012.
Learn PHP in One Day and Learn It Well by Jamie Chan.
Learning PHP, MySQL & JavaScript with j Query, CSS & HTML5by Robin Nixon, 2015.

Web Links
How to generate PDF file using PHP ? – GeeksforGeeks
Create PDF in PHP | Delft Stack
Generate PDFs with PHP - SitePoint
How to Create a PDF in PHP (linuxhint.com)
PHP Write Text Into an Existing PDF (fullstack-tutorials.com)
fpdf - How to insert Image in pdf using PHP (Generating a PDF)? - Stack Overflow
Insert an Image into a PDF in PHP | PDFTron SDK

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How to Generate a PDF File in PHP (tutsplus.com)

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Dr. Tarandeep Kaur, Lovely Professional University Unit 10: Working with XML in PHP

Unit 10: Working with XML in PHP

CONTENTS
Objectives
Introduction
10.1 XML Advantages
10.2 How is XML Defined?
10.3 XML vs HTML
10.4 Embedding XML in PHP
10.5 XML Parsers
10.6 Generating XML in PHP- simplexml_load_string() Function
Summary
Keywords
Self Assessment
Answers for Self Assessment
Review Questions
Further Readings

Objectives
After studying this unit, you will be able to:

 learn about working with XML in PHP and embedding XML in PHP.
 know about parsing XML with simple XML and parsing XML with XSLT.
 learn about generating XML in PHP.

Introduction
XML is a markup language that looks a lot like HTML. The Extensible Markup Language (XML) is
a markup language and file format for storing, transmitting, and reconstructing arbitrary data. An
XML document is plain text and contains tags delimited by < and >. It defines a set of rules for
encoding documents in a format that is both human-readable and machine-readable.

10.1 XML Advantages

XML is a good choice for data transfer using text-based documents supporting Unicode.
The beauty of XML tags is that it permits lay readers to understand the data and its meaning. XML
is written in Unicode so its symbols and special characters are included as part of the data. No more
need to scour the data to find the single symbol that threw an error.

XML is a platform, network, and system independent

The biggest dilemma any company faces is adhering to internal data rules and standards, external
industry standards, plus their own customers’ requirements. Being text-based, XML can be read by
any coding language, on any platform, or on any system. There is no longer a long drawn-out
process to ensure compatibility, because data can be transferred quickly and seamlessly.

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Users define their own tags in XML

These days, companies have their own data requirements and standards. The developers don’t
have wait for emerging new standards, with XML tags they can proceed based upon known
requirements.

Searching data in XML is easy

Not only are XML tags written in an easy-to-read format, but utilizing an XML parser permits users
to search for a particular tag. The days of plodding through endless code are over!.

XML provides easy communication of the hierarchy of data elements using the tree
structure.

It can be saved in XML or text format, in any database: The SQL, Oracle, or Documentum. With
XML, data can be saved in any database and modified for any requirements, context, or syntax.

User interface can rearranged for cosmetic reasons or better usability, without needing to
change the underlying data structure
Frequently data specialists are asked to rearrange the interface of the data. Without XML, this
means the underlying data structure must also be changed. This is costly in terms of time and
manpower, and it increases the probability of errors. When the data structure does not have to be
touched, costs are minimized.

Developers have greater flexibility as they design and develop websites or user display
formats
Developers can easily revamp a website, or change the way data is displayed creating a design-
driven site with changing the supporting data structures. XML continues to grow in popularity as
the language of choice for transmitting data between different platforms, devices or data targets. It
is a platform independent language which can simplify complex data transfers like attributes for
catalog data or multiple table structures supporting your website. The web services such as SOAP
and REST use XML format to exchange information. XML documents can be used to store
configuration settings of an application.It allows you to create your own custom tags which make it
more flexible.

10.2 How is XML Defined?

XML is not a programming language like C++ or Java, but a markup specification language.A
browser or other application must read the XML document in order to make it do something. The
development of XML documents begins with the identification and definition of the data elements
that will be displayed or exchanged. The data elements are defined using tags that indicate what a
data element represents.

For example, a person’s name might contain three tags:

<?xml version=”1.0" ?> //set.xml
<Name>
<First>Taran</First>
<MiddleInitial>deep</MiddleInitial>
<Last>Kaur</Last>
</Name>

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The developers create a schema that contains the tag name, their data formats, and the relationships
to one another.

10.3 XML vs HTML

There are two big differences between XML and HTML:
XML doesn't define a specific set of tags you must use.XML is extremely picky about document
structure.XML gives you a lot more freedom than HTML. HTML has a certain set of tags: the
<a></a> tags surround a link, the <p> starts paragraph and so on. An XML document, however,
can use any tags you want. Put <rating></rating> tags around a movie rating, <height></height>
tags around someone's height. Thus, XML gives you option to device your own tags.
HTML was designed to display data with focus on how data looks while XML was designed to be a
software and hardware independent tool used to transport and store data, with focus on what data
is.

o HTML is a markup language itself while XML provides a framework for defining markup
languages.
o HTML is a presentation language while XML is neither a programming language nor a
presentation language.
o HTML is case insensitive while XML is case sensitive.
o HTML is used for designing a web-page to be rendered on the client side while XML is used
basically to transport data between the application and the database.
o HTML has its own predefined tags while what makes XML flexible is that custom tags can be
defined and the tags are invented by the author of the XML document.
XML is very strict when it comes to document structure.HTML lets you play fast and loose with
some opening and closing tags. But this is not the case with XML.HTML is not strict if the user does
not use the closing tags but XML makes it mandatory for the user the close each tag that has been
used.HTML does not preserve white space while XML does.HTML is about displaying data, hence
static but XML is about carrying information, hence dynamic.

Notes:HTML list that's not valid XML:

<ul>
<li>Hello
<li>How are U
<li>World is beautiful
</ul>
This is not a valid XML document because there are no closing </li> tags to match up with the
three opening <li> tags. Every opened tag in an XML document must be closed.

10.4 Embedding XML in PHP

It is possible to embed XML in PHP. The following example illustrates the concept of embedding
XML in PHP.

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Example 1:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?> //xml2.xml
<wines>
<record>
<title>India</title>
<desc>Country with skill talent</desc>
<population>1.2 Billion</population>
</record>
<record>
<title>Canada</title>
<desc>Country sought for immigration</desc>
<population>8 Million</population>
</record>
<record>
<title>USA</title>
<desc>World Power</desc>
<population>2 Million</population>
</record>
</wines>

<?php //xml2.php
$wines = simplexml_load_file('xml2.xml');
echo "<table border='2'>";
echo "<tr>";
echo "<th>Country</th>";
echo "<th>Description</th>";
echo "<th>Population</th>";
echo "</tr>";
foreach ($wines->record as $records)
{
echo "<tr>";
echo "<td>$records->title</td>";
echo "<td>$records->desc</td>";
echo "<td>$records->population</td>";
echo "</tr>";
}
echo "</table>";
?>
Output:Figure 1shows the output of the example above.

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Figure 1: Output for Example 1

Example 2:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> //practicexml.xml
<note> //root node
<to>Dr Tarandeep</to> //fields in root node
<from>Gurfateh</from>
<heading>Welcome message....</heading>
<body>Please come and meet me on Saturday</body>
</note>
<?php //practicexml.php
$xml=simplexml_load_file("practicexml.xml"); //parsing
echo "To: ".$xml->to . "<br>";
echo "From: ".$xml->from . "<br>";
echo "Subject: ".$xml->heading . "<br>";
echo "Information: ".$xml->body;
?>
Output: Figure 2 shows the output of the example above.

Figure 2: Output for Example 2

Example 3:
Write XML program to create employees XML file by employee id, employee name, designation,
phone number and address.Write a PHP program to retrieve the employees’ details from
employees XML file.
Way 1:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?> //work.xml
<employees> //root node
<record emp_no = "101"> //child1

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<name>Tarandeep Kaur</name>
<position>CEO</position>
</record>
<record emp_no = "102"> //child2
<name>Gurfateh</name>
<position>Finance Manager</position>
</record>
</employees>

<?php //work.php
$xml=simplexml_load_file('work.xml');
echo '<h2> Employee Data</h2>';
$list123 = $xml->record;
for ($i = 0; $i<count($list123); $i++)
{
echo '<b>Employee No:</b>' . $list123[$i]->attributes()->emp_no . '<br>';
echo '<b>Employee-NAME:</b>' . $list123[$i]->name . '<br>';
echo '<b>Position Held: </b>' . $list123[$i]->position . '<br><br><br>';
}
?>
Output:Figure 3shows the output of the example above.

Figure 3: Output for Example 3

Example 4:
Write XML program to create employees XML file by employee id, employee name, designation,
phone number and address.Write a PHP program to retrieve the employees’ details from
employees XML file.
Way 2:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?> //practicexml2.xml
<employees> //root node or element
<record emp_id = "101"> //child1
<ename>Dr Taran</ename>
<designation>Assistant Professor</designation>
<phone>98767876</phone>

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<address>Punjab</address>
</record>
<record emp_id = "102"> //child2
<ename>Gurfateh</ename>
<designation>Assistant Professor</designation>
<phone>9786672</phone>
<address>Haryana</address>
</record>
</employees>
In the above code:
“<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>” specifies the xml version to be used and encoding
“<employees is the root element.
“<record…>…</record>” are the child elements of administration and sales respectively.

<?php //practicexml2.php
$xml = simplexml_load_file('practicexml2.xml');
echo '<h2> LPU -- List of Employees </h2>';
$list = $xml->record;
for ($i = 0; $i< count($list); $i++) {
echo '<b>Employee-Id:</b> ' . $list[$i]->attributes()->emp_id . '<br>';
echo '<b>Employee-Name:</b> ' . $list[$i]->ename . '<br>’;
echo '<b>Job-Title:</b> ' . $list[$i]->designation . '<br>’;
echo '<b>Phone-Number:</b> ' . $list[$i]->phone . '<br>’;
echo '<b>Employee-Address:</b> ' . $list[$i]->address . '<br><br><br>';
}
?>
Output: Figure 4shows the output of the example above.

Figure 4: Output for Example 4

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10.5 XML Parsers

An XML parser is a program that translates the XML document into an XML Document Object
Model (DOM) Object.The XML DOM Object can then be manipulated using JavaScript, Python, and
PHP etc.The keyword CDATA which is the acronym for (Unparsed) Character Data.It is used to
ignore special characters such as “<,>” when parsing an XML document.

Parsing XML in PHPUsing Document Object Model (DOM)

DOM is the acronym for Document Object Model.It is a cross platform and language neutral
standard that defines how to access and manipulate data in

 HTML

 XHTML

 XML

DOM XML is used to access and manipulate XML documents. It views the XML document as a
tree-structure.

Example:
<?php //createxml.php
$dom = new DOMDocument();
$dom->encoding = 'utf-8';
$dom->xmlVersion = '1.0';
$dom->formatOutput = true;
$xml_file_name = 'movies_list.xml';
$root = $dom->createElement('Movies');
$movie_node = $dom->createElement('movie');
$attr_movie_id = new DOMAttr('movie_id', '5467');
$movie_node->setAttributeNode($attr_movie_id);
$child_node_title = $dom->createElement('Title', 'The Campaign');
$movie_node->appendChild($child_node_title);
$child_node_year = $dom->createElement('Year', 2012);
$movie_node->appendChild($child_node_year);
$child_node_genre = $dom->createElement('Genre', 'The Campaign');
$movie_node->appendChild($child_node_genre);
$child_node_ratings = $dom->createElement('Ratings', 6.2);
$movie_node->appendChild($child_node_ratings);
$root->appendChild($movie_node);
$dom->appendChild($root);
$dom->save($xml_file_name);
echo "$xml_file_name has been successfully created";
?>
Output: Figure 5shows the output for the example above.

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Figure 5: Output for Parsing XML in PHP Using Document Object Model (DOM)

Parsing XML With XSLT

Extensible Style sheet Language Transformations (XSLT) is a language for transforming XML
documents into different XML, HTMLor any other format.Many websites offer several formats of
their content—HTML, printable HTML, and WML (Wireless Markup Language) are common.The
easiest way to present these multiple views of the same information is to maintain one form of the
content in XML and use XSLT to produce the HTML, printable HTML, and WML. The PHP’s XSLT
extension uses the libxslt C library to provide XSLT support. The three documents are involved in
an XSLT transformation: -

o The original XML document,

o The XSLT document containing transformation rules,

o And the resulting document.

1. To do an XSLT transformation in PHP, you create an XSLT processor, give it some input to
transform, and then destroy the processor. You can create a processor by creating a new
XsltProcessorobject:

$processor = new XsltProcessor;

2. Then, parse the XML and XSL files into DOM objects:

$xml = new DomDocument;

$xml->load($filename);
$xsl= new DomDocument;
$xsl->load($filename);
3. Attach the XML rules to the object:

$processor->importStyleSheet($xsl);
4. Process a file with the transformToDoc(), transformToUri(), or transformToXml() methods:

$result = $processor->transformToXml($xml);

10.6 Generating XML in PHP- simplexml_load_string() Function

PHP simplexml_load_string() Function: We can convert an XML string into an object, then output
the keys and elements of the object. In order to attach the XML rules to the object, use:

$processor->importStyleSheet($xsl);
Then, process a file with the transformToDoc(), transformToUri(), or transformToXml() methods:

$result = $processor->transformToXml($xml);

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We can convert an XML string into an object, then output the keys and elements of the object as
illustrated below:

Example:
<?php //generatexml.php
$note=<<<XML
<note>
<to>Dr Santosh</to>
<from>Chanakya</from>
<heading>Reminder for birthday....</heading>
<body>Please come and attend birthday party on coming Saturady</body>
</note>
XML;
$xml=simplexml_load_string($note);
print_r($xml);
?>

Example:
Creating an XML Document and PHP with one PHP Program:
<?php //books123.php- Creating a separate XML Document
$simplexml= new SimpleXMLElement('<?xml version="1.0"?><books/>');
$book1= $simplexml->addChild('book');
$book1->addChild("Booktitle", “Punjab Rules");
$book1->addChild("PublicationDate", 2007);
$book2= $simplexml->addChild('book');
$book2->addChild("Booktitle", “India Rules");
$book2->addChild("PublicationDate", 2009);
$book3= $simplexml->addChild('book');
$book3->addChild("Booktitle", “United kingdom Rules");
$book3->addChild("PublicationDate", 2012);
file_put_contents('books.xml', $simplexml->asXML());
echo "Sucessfully created books.xml file";
?>

Summary
 XML is not a programming language like C++ or Java, but a markup specification language.

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 XML is a markup language that looks a lot like HTML. XML is extremely picky about document
structure. XML gives you a lot more freedom than HTML.
 HTML lets you play fast and loose with some opening and closing tags. But this is not the case
with XML. HTML is not strict if the user does not use the closing tags but XML makes it
mandatory for the user the close each tag that has been used.
 HTML does not preserve white space while XML does. HTML is about displaying data, hence
static but XML is about carrying information, hence dynamic.
 HTML was designed to display data with focus on how data looks while XML was designed to
be a software and hardware independent tool used to transport and store data, with focus on
what data is.
 The keyword CDATA which is the acronym for (Unparsed) Character Data.It is used to ignore
special characters such as “<,>” when parsing an XML document.
 The PHP’s XSLT extension uses the libxslt C library to provide XSLT support.

Keywords
XML:Extensible Markup Language (XML) is a markup language and file format for storing,
transmitting, and reconstructing arbitrary data.
XML Document: An XML document is plain text and contains tags delimited by < and >. It defines
a set of rules for encoding documents in a format that is both human-readable and machine-
readable.
XML Parser:An XML parser is a program that translates the XML document into an XML
Document Object Model (DOM) Object.The XML DOM Object can then be manipulated using
JavaScript, Python, and PHP etc.

Document Object Model (DOM):DOM specifies interfaces which may be used to manage XML or
HTML documents.

Extensible Style sheet Language Transformations (XSLT):Extensible Style sheet Language

Transformations (XSLT) is a language for transforming XML documents into different XML,
HTML,or any other format.

SelfAssessment
1. XML stands for
A. Extensible Markup Language
B. Extensible Makeup Language
C. Extendable Markup Language
D. Extendable Makeup Language

2. _______________ is a markup language and file format for storing, transmitting, and
reconstructing arbitrary data.
A. Orbit
B. XML
C. R programming
D. HTTP

3. Which of the following statement is/are true for an XML document?

A. An XML document is plain text.

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B. Contains tags delimited by < and >.

C. Defines a set of rules for encoding documents in a format that is both human-readable and
machine-readable.
D. All the above.

4. ___________ is a markup language itself while ___________ provides a framework for

defining markup languages.
A. HTML, XML
B. XML, HTML
C. HTTP, XML
D. XML, HTTP

5. HTML is case insensitive while XML is case sensitive.

A. True
B. False

6. ___________ includes both a transformation language (XSLT) and a formatting language.

A. Extendable Style sheet Language
B. Extensible Style sheet Language
C. Extensible Stylus Setting Language
D. Extendible Stylus Setting Language

7. XML was designed to be a software and hardware independent tool used to transport and
store data, with focus on what data is.
A. True
B. False

8. Which of the following statement is/are true for XML?

A. XML is a programming language like C++ or Java.
B. XML is a markup specification language.
C. XML is case sensitive.
D. All the above.

9. The users can define their own tags in XML.

A. True
B. False

10. XML provides easy communication of the hierarchy of data elements using the ________
structure.
A. linked list
B. queue
C. tree
D. graph

11. The term DOM stands for

A. Distant Object Model

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B. Document Object Model

C. Document Orbit Model
D. Development Object Model

12. Which of the following statement is/are true for DOM?

A. It is a cross platform and language neutral standard that defines how to access and
manipulate data in HTML, XHTML or XML.
B. DOM XML is used to access and manipulate XML documents.
C. It views the XML document as a tree-structure.
D. All the above.

13. ______________ is a language for transforming XML documents into different XML, HTML,
or any other format.
A. XSMT
B. XMTL
C. XSLT
D. XMIT

14. _____________ function is used for converting an XML string into an object, then output the
keys and elements of the object.
A. simplexml_convert_string()
B. simplexml_loadstring()
C. simplexml_output_string()
D. simplexml_set_string()

15. An XML parser is a program that translates the XML document into an XML DOM object.
A. True
B. False

Answers for Self Assessment

l. A 2. B 3. D 4. A 5. A

6. B 7. A 8. B 9. A 10. C

11. B 12. D 13. C 14. B 15. A

Review Questions
1. What is XML? What are the main development goals of XML?
2. Write the features of XML.
3. How do we generate XML document in PHP? Explain with example.
4. How do we parse XML in PHP? Which parsers are used in PHP?
5. How do we create a parser? Explain with example.
6. How do we transform XML with XSLT?

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7. Discuss simplexml_load_string() function with example.

8. Is it possible to embed XML in PHP? If yes, how?
9. Compare XML and HTML.
10. Write a short note on:
a) Parsing XML in PHP using Document Object Model (DOM)
b) Parsing XML With XSLT

Further Readings
The Joy of PHP: A Beginner’s Guide by Alan Forbes.
PHP: The Complete Reference by Steven Holzner. 2017.
Learning PHP by Ramesh Bangia, 2012.
Learn PHP in One Day and Learn It Well by Jamie Chan.
XML and PHP by Vikas Vaswani, 2002

Web Links
PHP & XML (tutorialspoint.com)
PHP XML Tutorial: Create, Parse, Read with Example (guru99.com)
XML vs HTML - Head to Head Comparison (stechies.com)
HTML vs XML - GeeksforGeeks
Embedding PHP in Web Pages - Programming PHP [Book] (oreilly.com)
Embedding PHP in XML - Stack Overflow

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Unit 11: Forms & Ownership of Foreign Production

Dr. Tarandeep Kaur, Lovely Professional University

Unit 11: File Upload and File Permissions in PHP

CONTENTS
Objectives
Introduction
11.1 include() Function
11.2 PHP Accessing Files
11.3 File Uploads in PHP
11.4 File Permissions
11.5 Unset() Function
Delete an Array Element based on Key Using Unset() Function
11.6 Unlink() v/s Unset() Function
Summary
Keywords
Self Assessment
Answers for Self Assessment
Review Questions
Further Readings

Objectives
After studying this unit, you will be able to:

 know about the file handling and files access options in PHP.
 demonstrate the file uploading and file permissions in PHP.
 understand different methods of appending data in a file.
 know the process of deleting a file and use of unset() function.

Introduction
The file handling is an important part of any web application.You often need to open and process a
file for different tasks.PHP allows you to include file so that a page content can be reused many
times.It is very helpful to include files when you want to apply the same HTML or PHP code to
multiple pages of a website. There are two ways to include file in PHP:
 include

 Require

Both include and require are identical to each other, except failure.

o include only generates a warning, i.e., E_WARNING, and continue the execution of the script.

o require generates a fatal error, i.e., E_COMPILE_ERROR, and stop the execution of the script.

Table 1 lists the difference between include() and require() function.

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11.1 include() Function

PHP include is used to include a file based on the given path. You may use a relative or absolute
path of the file.There are two syntaxes available for include:

include 'filename’;
or
include ('filename');

Example:
<?php //filesample.php
include("webscript.txt");
echo "Implementation of include in file"
?>
The output for the above example is:

Table 1: Include() v/s Require()

include() require()

Does not stop the execution of the script even Stop the execution of the script when an error
if any error occurs. occurs.

Does not give a no fatal error, will only Gives a fatal error, (E_COMPILE_ERROR)
produce a warning (E_WARNING) and the along with the warning.
script will continue to execute.

Mostly used when the file is not required, and Mostly used when the file is mandatory for
the application should continue to execute its the application.
process when the file is not found.

11.2 PHP Accessing Files

PHP has several functions for creating, reading, uploading, and editing files.

PHP readfile() Function

The readfile() function reads a file and writes it to the output buffer.It returns the number of bytes
read on success. The readfile() function is useful if all you want to do is open up a file and read its
contents.

Example:
<?php //webscript.txt
echo readfile("webscript.txt");
?>

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The output for the above example is:

PHP File Open- fopen()

A better method to open files is with the fopen() function. This function gives you more options
than the readfile() function. The syntax for the function is:

fopen(“<filename>", "<mode>")

The first parameter of fopen() contains the name of the file to be opened and the second parameter
specifies in which mode the file should be opened. The file may be opened in one of the following
modes (Table 2):

Table 2: Different File Modes

PHP File Read- fread()

The fread() function reads from an open file.The first parameter of fread() contains the name of the
file to read from and the second parameter specifies the maximum number of bytes to read.

Syntax:

fread($myfile,filesize("webscript.txt"));

PHP Close File- fclose()

The fclose() function is used to close an open file. It requires the name of the file (or a variable that
holds the filename) we want to close.

Syntax:

fclose(<filename> or <variable holding the file>);

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PHP File Open/Read/Close

Example 1: The following example also generates a message if the fopen() function is unable
to open the specified file:

<?php //filereader.php
$myfile = fopen("webscript.txt", "r") or die("Unable to open file!");
echo fread($myfile,filesize("webscript.txt"));
fclose($myfile);
?>

Example 2:
<?php //fileclose.php
$myfile = fopen("webscript.txt", "r");
// some code to be executed....
fclose($myfile);
?>
The output for the above example is:

PHP File Write- fwrite()

Example:Write a file (‘w’)

<?php //filewriter.php
$myfile = fopen("webscript.txt", "w") or die("Unable to open file!");
echo fwrite($myfile, "Hello World to PHP Learning");
// Syntax: fwrite(file, string, length) where string to be written; length is optional
fclose($myfile);
?>

PHP Read Single Line- fgets()

The fgets() function is used to read a single line from a file.

Example:<?php //fgets.php
$myfile = fopen("webscript.txt", "r") or die("Unable to open file!");
echo fgets($myfile);
fclose($myfile);

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?>

PHP Check End-Of-File- feof()

The feof() function checks if the "end-of-file" (EOF) has been reached. It is useful for looping
through data of unknown length.

Example:The example below reads the "webscript.txt" file line by line, until end-of-file is
reached:
<?php //endof.php
$myfile = fopen("webscript.txt", "r") or die("Unable to open file!");
// Output one line until end-of-file
while(!feof($myfile)) {
echo fgets($myfile) . "<br>";
}
fclose($myfile);
?>

PHP Read Single Character- fgetc()

The fgetc() function is used to read a single character from a file.

Example:The example below reads the "webscript.txt" file character by character, until end-
of-file is reached:
<?php //readsingle.php
$myfile = fopen("webscript.txt", "r") or die("Unable to open file!");
// Output one character until end-of-file
while(!feof($myfile))
{
echo fgetc($myfile);
}
fclose($myfile);
?>

11.3 File Uploads in PHP

With PHP, it is easy to upload files to the server. There are certain steps involved in the process of
uploading file in PHP.

1. Configure the "php.ini" File

2. First, ensure that PHP is configured to allow file uploads.
3. In your "php.ini" file, search for the file_uploads directive, and set it to On:
file_uploads= On
Create The HTML Form: Next, create an HTML form that allow users to choose the image file they
want to upload.Some rules to follow for the HTML form above:

o Make sure that the form uses method="post"

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o The form also needs the following attribute: enctype="multipart/form-data". It specifies

which content-type to use when submitting the form

o Without the requirements above, the file upload will not work.

Example:<!DOCTYPE html> //fupload.html

<html>
<body>
<form action="fupload.php" method="post" enctype="multipart/form-data">
Select image to upload:
<input type="file" name="google" id="gp">
<input type="submit" value="Upload Image" name="submit">
</form>
</body>
</html>
In the above example, there are other things to notice:

o The type="file" attribute of the <input> tag shows the input field as a file-select control, with
a "Browse" button next to the input control

o The form above sends data to a file called "upload.php", which we will create next.

o Create the upload file, PHP script.

Example:The "fupload.php" file contains the code for uploading a file.

<?php
$target_dir = "uploads/";
$target_file = $target_dir .basename($_FILES["google"]["name"]);
$uploadOk = 1;
$imageFileType = strtolower(pathinfo($target_file,PATHINFO_EXTENSION));
// Check if image file is a actual image or fake image
if(isset($_POST["submit"])) {
$check = getimagesize($_FILES["google"]["tmp_name"]);
if($check !== false) {
echo "File is an image - " . $check["mime"] . ".";
$uploadOk = 1; }
else {
echo "File is not an image.";
$uploadOk = 0; }}
?>

The above PHP script description is explained below:

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o $target_dir = "uploads/" - specifies the directory where the file is going to be placed

o $target_file specifies the path of the file to be uploaded

o $uploadOk=1 is not used yet (will be used later)

o $imageFileType holds the file extension of the file (in lower case)

11.4 File Permissions

• fopen()

• fread()

• fwrite() and fputs() functions are used to write data into file.

• Files append

Fopen(), fread() and fwrite() functions have already been explained above. The other functions are:

 fputs(): The fputs() function is an alias of the fwrite() function. The fputs() function in PHP is an
inbuilt function which is used to write to an open file. The fputs() function stops at the end of the
file or when it reaches the specified length passed as a parameter, whichever comes first.The file,
string and the length which has to be written are sent as parameters to the fputs() function and it
returns the number of bytes written on success, or FALSE on failure. The syntax is:
fputs(file, string)

Example 1:
<?php //fileput.php
// Opening a file
$myfile = fopen("data.txt", "w");
// writing content to a file using fputs
echo fputs($myfile, "World is Beautiful!");
// closing the file
fclose($myfile);
?>

Example 2:
<?php //fileput2.php
$fp = fopen("data.txt", "w"); // Opening a file
echo fputs($fp, "World is Changing", 13);
//writing content to a file with a specified string length using fputs
fclose($fp); //closing the file

$fp=fopen("data.txt", "r"); //opening the same file to read its contents

echo fread($fp, filesize("data.txt"));
// closing the file
fclose($fp);

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?>

 Appending into File:You can append data into file by using a or a+ mode in fopen() function
(Table 3). The fwrite() function is used to write and append data into file.
Table 3: Difference between a and a+

a a+

Append to a file. Writing Open a file for reading and appending. All writing operations are
operations append data at performed at the end of the file, protecting the previous content
the end of the file. The file to be overwritten. You can reposition the internal pointer to
is created if it does not anywhere in the file for reading, but writing operations will move
exist. it back to the end of file. The file is created if it does not exist.

Example:<?php //fileapp.php
$fp = fopen('webscript.txt', 'a'); //opens file in append mode
fwrite($fp, 'We are working with Files');
fwrite($fp, 'appending data');
fclose($fp);
echo "File appended successfully";
?>
<?php //fileapp2.php
$fp = fopen('webscript.txt', 'a+’); //opens file in append mode
fwrite($fp, 'Hello World');
echo fread($fp,filesize("webscript.txt")) or die('unable to read');
fclose($fp);
?>

 Deletion of a File using Unlink() Function:We can delete any file using unlink() function. The
deleting of a file means completely erase a file from a directory so that the file is no longer exist. A
function, unlink() function accepts only one argument, the file name. It is similar to UNIX C
unlink() function.The function generates E_WARNING level error if file is not deleted. It returns
TRUE if file is deleted successfully otherwise FALSE. The syntax is:
bool unlink (string $filename)
where $filename represents the name of the file to be deleted.

Example:<?php //fdelete.php
$res=unlink('data.txt');
if($res){
echo "Successfully Deleted"; }
else {
echo "Sorry! no such file exsists"; }
?>

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11.5 Unset() Function

The unset() function is an inbuilt function in PHP which is used to remove the content from the file
by emptying it. It means that the function clears the content of a file rather then deleting it. The
unset() function not only clears the file content but also is used to unset a variable, thereby making
it empty. The syntax is:

unset($variable)

Example 1:
<?php //funset.php
$v1 = "Keep Smiling";
// No change would be reflected outside
function unset_value()
{
unset($v1);
}
unset_value();
echo $v1;
?>

Example 2:
<?php //funset2.php
$v1= "Good Day";
//Change would be reflected outside the function
function unset_Example()
{
unset($GLOBALS['v1']);
}
unset_Example();
echo $v1;
?>

11.6 Delete an Array Element based on Key Using Unset() Function

The unset() function is used to remove element from the array. It is used to destroy any other
variable and same way use to delete any element of an array. The unset() command takes the array
key as input and removed that element from the array. After removal the associated key and value
does not change. The syntax is:
unset($variable)

Example:
<?php //funset3.php
$ar = array('H', 'E', 'L', 'L', 'O');

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echo "Before Deletion <br/>";

// Display the aray element
print_r($ar);
unset($ar[1]);
echo "<br/>After deletion <br/>";
print_r($ar);
?>

11.7 Unlink() v/s Unset() Function

Table 4 lists the differences between unlink and unset functions.
Table 4: Unlink() vs Unset() Function

unlink() Function unset() Function

Used to delete a file within a directory Used to make a specific file empty by
completely on successful execution. removing its content.

There are two parameter filename and the other

There is only one parameter variable.
one is context.

Returns True on success and false on failure. Does not return any value.

Function for file system handling. Function for variable management.

Summary
 The file handling is an important part of any web application. PHP allows you to include file so
that a page content can be reused many times.
 It is very helpful to include files when you want to apply the same HTML or PHP code to
multiple pages of a website.
 There are two ways to include file in PHP, include() and require().
 PHP has several functions for creating, reading, uploading, and editing files.
 With PHP, it is easy to upload files to the server.
 We can delete any file in PHP using unlink() function. The deleting of a file means completely
erase a file from a directory so that the file is no longer exist.
 The unset() function is an inbuilt function in PHP which is used to remove the content from the
file by emptying it.

Keywords
Include(): include only generates a warning, i.e., E_WARNING, and continue the execution of the
script.
Require(): require generates a fatal error, i.e., E_COMPILE_ERROR, and stop the execution of the
script.
PHP readfile() Function: The readfile() function reads a file and writes it to the output buffer.

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PHP fread(): The fread() function reads from an open file.

PHP fopen(): A better method to open files is with the fopen() function. This function gives you
more options than the readfile() function.
PHP fclose(): The fclose() function is used to close an open file. It requires the name of the file (or a
variable that holds the filename) we want to close.
PHP feof(): The feof() function checks if the "end-of-file" (EOF) has been reached. It is useful for
looping through data of unknown length.
Fputs(): The fputs() function in PHP is an inbuilt function which is used to write to an open file. The
fputs() function stops at the end of the file or when it reaches the specified length passed as a
parameter, whichever comes first.
Unset() Function: The unset() function is an inbuilt function in PHP which is used to remove the
content from the file by emptying it.

Self Assessment
1. Which of the following is/are ways to include file in PHP?
A. include
B. requirement
C. inclusion
D. None of the above

2. __________ generates a fatal error, i.e., E_COMPILE_ERROR, and stop the execution of the
script.
A. Include
B. Require
C. feof
D. fputs

3. The use of ________ does not stop the execution of the script even if any error occurs.
A. include
B. require
C. feof
D. fputs

4. ______ function reads a file and writes it to the output buffer.

A. fopen()
B. fclose()
C. readfile()
D. fread()

5. Which of the following statement is/are true for fopen()?

A. A better method to open files.
B. This function gives you more options than the readfile() function.
C. The first parameter of fopen() contains the name of the file to be opened and the second
parameter specifies in which mode the file should be opened.
D. All the above.

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6. _____________ function is used to close an open file.

A. fclose()
B. fopen()
C. fclosure()
D. fopening()

7. The function used to read a single character from a file is _________.

A. fgetf()
B. fgetr()
C. fgetc()
D. sgetc()

8. Which of the following statement is TRUE for require?

A. Stop the execution of the script when an error occurs.
B. Gives a fatal error, (E_COMPILE_ERROR) along with the warning.
C. Mostly used when the file is mandatory for the application.
D. All the above.

9. The ___________ function is used to read a single line from a file.

A. fgets()
B. fgetc()
C. fgetr()
D. fgetf()

10. The _________ function is an inbuilt function in PHP which is used to remove the content
from the file by emptying it.
A. set()
B. link()
C. unset()
D. unlink()

11. ____________ function is used to write content of the string into file.
A. fwriter()
B. fwrite()
C. fcontent()
D. fstring()

12. When a file is opened in write mode, all the existing data in the file is erased and new data
can be written to the file using the fwrite() function.
A. True
B. False

13. The unset() command takes the ____________ as input and removes that element from the
array.
A. array key
B. array pointer

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Unit 11: Forms & Ownership of Foreign Production

C. array element
D. array bound

14. Which of the following statement is/are TRUE for fputs() function?
A. It is an alias of the fwrite() function.
B. An inbuilt function which is used to write to an open file.
C. Returns the number of bytes written on success.
D. All the above.

15. Which of the following statement(s) aptly describes unlink() function?

A. Accepts only one argument, the file name.
B. Similar to UNIX C unlink() function.
C. Can be used to delete any file, completely erasing it from a directory so that the file no
longer exists.
D. All the above.

Answers for Self Assessment

l. A 2. B 3. A 4. C 5. D

6. B 7. C 8. D 9. A 10. B

11. B 12. A 13. A 14. D 15. D

Review Questions
1. Indicate the use of unlink() function?
2. Compare unlink() and unset() function?
3. How the files are uploaded in PHP?
4. Explain the functions for different file permissions?
5. How is file handling carried out in PHP?
6. How the file appending can be carried out?
7. Differentiate a and a+ append modes?
8. What are the different file modes in PHP?
9. Compare the following:
(a) Include() vs Require()
(b) Unlink() vs unset()
10. Explain with examples:
(a) fread()
(b) fopen()
(c) fwrite()

Further Readings
The Joy of PHP: A Beginner’s Guide by Alan Forbes.
PHP: The Complete Reference by Steven Holzner. 2017.

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Learning PHP by Ramesh Bangia, 2012.

Learn PHP in One Day and Learn It Well by Jamie Chan.
XML and PHP by Vikas Vaswani, 2002.

Web Links
PHP File Handling | Most Commonly Used PHP File Handling (educba.com)
PHP File() Handling & Functions (guru99.com)
PHP | Basics of File Handling - GeeksforGeeks
PHP File - javatpoint
File Handling in PHP with Examples [2 Steps] (fosstechnix.com)
PHP File Handling (w3schools.com)

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Dr. Tarandeep Kaur, Lovely Professional University Unit 12: PHP Forms

Unit 12: PHP Forms

CONTENTS
Objectives
Introduction
12.1 Get v/s Post Method
12.2 Working with Forms in PHP and Database
12.3 Form Validation
12.4 Form-Database Validation Techniques
Summary
Keywords
Self Assessment
Answers for Self Assessment
Review Questions
Further Readings

Objectives
After studying this unit, you will be able to:

 Understand working with forms in PHP.

 Learn to create HTML form in PHP.
 Differentiate between GET and POST methods.
 Learn about validation in forms.

Introduction
A form is a document containing black fields that the user can fill the data or user can select the
data.Casually, the data will store in the data base. Using the forms, the data can be collected from
the user and can be sent directly to the server through PHP scripting.There are two methods for
sending data to the server,

 GET
 POST
The PHP super global $_GET and $_POST are used to collect form-data.

Example:
A simple HTML form looks like:
<html> //wform.html
<body>
<form action="wform.php" method="post">
Name: <input type="text" name="name"><br>
E-mail: <input type="text" name="email"><br>
<input type="submit">
</form>

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</body>
</html>

When the user fills out the form above and clicks the submit button, the form data is sent for
processing to a PHP file named “wform.php" (Figure 1 and Figure 2). The form data is sent with the
HTTP POST method.

Figure 1: Output for wform.html

Example:
<html> //wform.php
<body>
Welcome <?php echo $_POST["name"]; ?><br>
Your email address is: <?php echo $_POST["email"]; ?>
</body>
</html>

Figure 2: Output for wform.php

The same result could also be achieved using the HTTP GET method:

Example:
<html> //wform_get.html
<body>
<form action="wform_get.php" method="get">
Name: <input type="text" name="name"><br>
E-mail: <input type="text" name="email"><br>
<input type="submit">
</form>
</body>
</html>

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Figure 3: Output for wform_get.html

Example:
<html> //wform_get.php
<body>
Welcome <?php echo $_GET["name"]; ?><br>
Your email address is: <?php echo $_GET["email"]; ?>
</body>
</html>

Figure 4: Output for wform_get.php

12.1 Get v/s Post Method

Table 1lists the difference between the GET and POST method.

GET POST

Harmless Data will be re-submitted (the browser should alert the

user that the data are about to be re-submitted)

Can be bookmarked Cannot be bookmarked

Can be cached Not cached

urlencoded Use multipart encoding for binary data

Parameters remain in browser history Parameters are not saved in browser history

Only ASCII characters allowed No restrictions. Binary data is also allowed

GET is less secure compared to POST because POST is a little safer than GET because the parameters
data sent is part of the URL are not stored in browser history or in web server logs
Never use GET when sending passwords or
other sensitive information.

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Data is visible to everyone in the URL Data is not displayed in the URL

GET method adds the data to the URL No restrictions

Table 1: GET vs POST Method

When to use GET?

 Information sent from a form with the GET method is visible to everyone (all variable names
and values are displayed in the URL).
 GET also has limits on the amount of information to send. The limitation is about 2000
characters. However, because the variables are displayed in the URL, it is possible to
bookmark the page. This can be useful in some cases.
 GET may be used for sending non-sensitive data.

Notes:GET should NEVER be used for sending passwords or other sensitive information!

When to use POST?

 Information sent from a form with the POST method is invisible to others (all names/values
are embedded within the body of the HTTP request) and has no limits on the amount of
information to send.
 Moreover, POST supports advanced functionality such as support for multi-part binary input
while uploading files to server.
 However, because the variables are not displayed in the URL, it is not possible to bookmark
the page.

Notes: Developers prefer POST for sending form data.

12.2 Working with Forms in PHP and Database

1. How to Insert Form Data into Database using PHP: We are going to store data in database
which is submitted through HTML form.

 First, we create an HTML form that need to take user input from keyboard.
 HTML form is a document which stores information of a user on a web server using
interactive controls. An HTML form contains different kind of information such as username,
password, contact number, email id etc.The elements that are used in an HTML form are
check box, input box, and radio buttons, submit buttons etc. With the help of these elements,
the information of a user is submitted on the web server. The form tag is used to create an
HTML form.
 Syntax: <form> Form Elements... </form>
 To pass the values to next page, we use the page name with the following syntax. We can use
either GET or POST method to send data to the server.
<form action=other_page.php method= POST/GET>
Form Elements...
</form>
2. Database Connection and Command Execution

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 The collection of related data is called a database.

 XAMPP stands for cross-platform, Apache, MySQL, PHP, and Perl. It is among the simple
light-weight local servers for website development.
 In PHP, we can connect to database using localhost XAMPP web server.
3. How to Get the Form Data

 We are going to collect the form data submitted through HTML form.
 PHP $_POST method is a PHP super global variable which is used to collect data after
submitting the HTML form.

Example:
//formsample.html
<form name=f1 action="form.php" method="POST">
Name<input type="text" name="Name"><br>
Regno<input type="text" name="Roll"><br>
<input type="Submit" value="Add Values">
</form>

Example:
<!DOCTYPE html> //form.php
<html><head>
<title>Insert Page page</title>
</head><body><center>
<?php
// Taking all 2 values from the form data(input)
$names = $_POST["Name"];
$rolls = $_POST["Roll"];
$conn = mysqli_connect("localhost", "root", "", "dnew");
// Check connection
if(!$conn)
die("cannot connect"."<br>");
echo "connected <br>"; //echo "<br>";
//Performing insert query execution
$sql = "INSERT INTO student1(Name,Roll) VALUE('$names','$rolls')";
if(mysqli_query($conn, $sql)) {
echo "<h3>data stored in a database successfully.";
echo nl2br("\n$names\n $rolls\n "); }
else { echo "ERROR: Hush! Sorry $sql. ". mysqli_error($conn); }
mysqli_close($conn); // Close connection
?>
</center></body></html>

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12.3 Form Validation

We can work with validation of various fields in a form. For example, HTML form contains various
input fields: required and optional text fields, radio buttons, and a submit button.The validation
rules for the form are as follows (Table 2):
Table 2: Form Validation Rules

Figure 5shows the output for the fvalidate.php program.

Example:
<!DOCTYPE HTML> //fvalidate.php- Single code on 3 slides
<html><head></head><body>
<?php // define variables and set to empty values
$name = $gender = "";
if ($_SERVER["REQUEST_METHOD"] == "POST") {
$name = test_input($_POST["name"]);
$gender = test_input($_POST["gender"]); }
function test_input($data) {
$data = trim($data);
$data = stripslashes($data);
$data = htmlspecialchars($data);
return $data; }
?>

<h2>PHP Form Validation Example</h2>

<form method="post" action="<?php echo
htmlspecialchars($_SERVER["PHP_SELF"]);?>">
Name: <input type="text" name="name"> //Text Fields
<br><br>
Gender: //Radio Buttons
<input type="radio" name="gender" value="female">Female
<input type="radio" name="gender" value="male">Male
<br><br>
<input type="submit" name="submit" value="Submit">
</form>
//The $_SERVER["PHP_SELF"] is a super global variable that returns the //filename of

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the currently executing script.

//The htmlspecialchars() function converts special characters to HTML //entities. This
means that it will replace HTML characters like < and > with //&lt; and &gt;. This
prevents attackers from exploiting the code by injecting //HTML or Javascript code
(Cross-site Scripting attacks) in forms.
<?php
echo "<h2>Your Input:</h2>";
echo $name;
echo "<br>";
echo $gender;
?>
</body>
</html>

Figure 5: Output for fvalidate.php

Notice that at the start of the script, we check whether the form has been submitted using
$_SERVER["REQUEST_METHOD"]. If the REQUEST_METHOD is POST, then the form has been
submitted- and it should be validated. If it has not been submitted, skip the validation, and display
a blank form.

12.4 Form-Database Validation Techniques

The required field will check whether the field is filled or not in the proper way.

What is Validation?
Validation means check the input submitted by the user. There are two types of validation are
available in PHP. They are as follows:

 Client-Side Validation: Validation is performed on the client machine web browsers.

 Server-SideValidation: After submitted by data, the data has sent to a server and perform
validation checks in server machine.

Example: Program to check whether a Valid or Invalid Username and Password.

 connect.php

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 index.php
 user.php

Example:
<?php //connect.php
// Create connection
$con=mysqli_connect("localhost","root","","dnew");
// Check connection
if (mysqli_connect_errno())
{
echo "Failed to connect to MySQL: " .mysqli_connect_error();
}
?>

Example:
<html><head> //index.php
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1">
<title>Login Form</title></head><body>
<form method="post" action="user.php" name="contactForm">
<table border="1" >
<tr>
<td><label for="username">User Name</label></td>
<td><input type="text" name="username" id="username"></td></tr>
<tr>
<td><label for="userpassword">Password</label></td>
<td><input type="password" name="userpassword" id="userpassword"></td></tr>
<tr>
<td><input type="submit" value="Submit"/>
<td><input type="reset" value="Reset"/></tr>
</table>
</form></body></html>

<?php //user.php
//Grab User submitted information
$username= $_POST["username"];
$userpassword1 = $_POST["userpassword"];
include('connect.php’); //Connect to the database
//Fetching user record from database
$result=mysqli_query($con,"select username, userpassword from users where
username='$username'");

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//checking if record selected

if($result === FALSE) {
die('no record fetched'.mysql_error());
}
$row =mysqli_fetch_array($result);
if($userpassword1===$row['userpassword’]) {
echo "valid user"; }
else {
echo "invalid user"; }
mysqli_close($con);
?>

Summary
 A form is a document containing black fields that the user can fill the data or user can select
the data.
 Usingthe forms, the data can be collected from the user and can be sent directly to the server
through PHP scripting.
 The <form> element has two important attributes:action and method.
 The action specifies the URL that processes the form submission while the method specifies
the HTTP method for submitting the form. The most used form methods are POST and GET.
 The form method is case-insensitive. It means that you can use either post or POST. If you
don’t specify the method attribute, the form element will use the get method by default.
 Unlike the POST method, the GET method appends the form data in the URL that processes
the form.
 The informationsent from a form with the POST method is invisible to others (all
names/values are embedded within the body of the HTTP request) and has no limits on the
amount of information to send.

Keywords
Form: A form is a document containing black fields, that the user can fill the data or user can select
the data.
HTTP POST method:If a form uses the POST method, the web browser will include the form data
in the HTTP request’s body. After submitting the form, you can access the form data via the
associative array $_POST in PHP.
HTTP GET method:The get request is the default form request. The data passed through get request
is visible on the URL browser, so it is not secured. You can send limited amount of data through get
request.
Validation:Validation means check the input submitted by the user. There are two types of
validation are available in PHP. They areClient-side and Server-side validation.
Client-side Validation:Validation performed on the client machine web browsers is client-side
validation.
Server-side Validation:After submitted by data, the data has sent to a server and perform
validation checks in server machine.

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SelfAssessment
1. ___________ is a PHP super global that can be used to collect the form data.
A. $_GETCH
B. $_POST
C. $_GETTING
D. $_GETFL

2. Which of the following statement is TRUE for POST method?

A. Data will be re-submitted (the browser should alert the user that the data are about to be
re-submitted).
B. Uses multipart encoding for binary data.
C. Parameters are not saved in browser history.
D. All the above.

3. Which of the following statement reflects, POST is better method than GET?
A. GET is more secure compared to POST.
B. Data is sent as a part of the URL in GET.
C. POST can be used for sending passwords or other sensitive information.
D. None of the above.

4. In ____________ method, data is not displayed in the URL.

A. POST
B. GET
C. GETCH
D. POSTCH

5. A _____________ is a document containing black fields, that the user can fill the data or
user can select the data.
A. Form
B. Format
C. Formal
D. Session

6. ________ method can be used for sending data to the server.

A. POSTF
B. GET
C. GETF
D. POSTCH

7. In _____________ method, the parameters remain in the browser history.

A. GETF
B. POSTF

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C. POSTCH
D. GET

8. The __________ method involves using the ASCII characters.

A. GETCH
B. GET
C. POST
D. POSTF

9. Which of the following statement is FALSE for GET method?

A. GET has no limitation. It allows using binary data.
B. Variables are displayed in the URL; it is possible to bookmark the page.
C. GET may be used for sending non-sensitive data.
D. All the above.

10. _____________ is a super global variable that returns the filename of the currently
executing script.
A. $_SERVER["PHP_SELFLESS"]
B. $_SERVER["PHP_SELF"]
C. $_SERVERFUL["PHP_SELF"]
D. $_SERVERLESS["PHP_SELF"]

11. Which of the following statement is/are TRUE for htmlspecial chars ()?
A. Converts special characters to HTML entities.
B. Replaces HTML characters like < and > with &lt; and &gt;.
C. Prevents attackers from exploiting the code by injecting HTML or Javascript code (Cross-
site Scripting attacks) in forms.
D. All the above.

12. For form validation, you need to check whether the form has been submitted using
$_SERVER["REQUEST_METHOD"].
A. True
B. False

13. Which of the following statement is/are TRUE for PHP form validation?
A. It is the backend validation method.
B. It is also called as server-side validation.
C. It prevents from entering invalid data into the input field.
D. All the above.

14. Which of the following correspond to the rules for creating form validation?
A. All the Input Fields must be required.

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B. Email Address must be valid format containing @ symbol.

C. The password must contain a combination of one uppercase & lowercase letter, number,
special characters & minimum characters length 8. Even It will not accept any white
spaces.
D. All the above.

15. Using the forms, the data can be collected from the user and can be sent directly to the
server through PHP scripting. The <form> element has two important attributes: action
and method.
A. True
B. False

Answers for Self Assessment

1. B 2. D 3. C 4. A 5. A

6. B 7. D 8. B 9. A 10. B

11. D 12. A 13. D 14. D 15. A

Review Questions
1. Compare GET and POST method?
2. What situations involve using GET method in Forms?
3. Elaborate GET vs POST method.
4. In which situations, POST method in Forms can be used?
5. What steps are involved in inserting form data into a database?
6. What is form validation? Discuss with example.
7. Discuss with example getting form data in PHP.
8. Explain different form validation rules.
9. What arethe various form-database validation techniques? Discuss with example.
10. Write a short note on:
a. Form validation
b. GET method
c. POST method

Further Readings
 The Joy of PHP: A Beginner’s Guide by Alan Forbes.
 PHP: The Complete Reference by Steven Holzner. 2017.
 Learning PHP by Ramesh Bangia, 2012.
 Learn PHP in One Day and Learn It Well by Jamie Chan.
 XML and PHP by Vikas Vaswani, 2002.

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Web Links
 PHP - Form Introduction (tutorialspoint.com)
 PHP: Dealing with Forms - Manual
 PHP Form Handling (w3schools.com)
 PHP Form | Learn Two Main Important PHP Form Methods (educba.com)
 PHP Complete Form Example (w3schools.com)

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Dr. Tarandeep Kaur, Lovely Professional University Unit 13: PHP State Management

Unit 13: PHP State Management

CONTENTS
Objectives
Introduction
13.1 Steps Involved in PHP sessions
13.2 session_unset() vs session_destroy()
13.3 Cookie in PHP
Summary
Keywords
Self Assessment
Answers for Self Assessment
Review Questions
Further Readings

Objectives
After studying this unit, you will be able to:

 Explorethe concept of the PHP state management.

 Understandsession creation, session accessing, and session destroy in PHP.
 Learnabout working with cookies in PHP.

Introduction
A session is a way to store information (in variables) to be used across multiple pages.When you
work with an application, you open it, do some changes, and then you close it. This is much like a
session.The computer knows who you are. It knows when you start the application and when you
end. But on the internet, there is one problem: the web server does not know who you are or what
you do, because the HTTP address doesn't maintain state. The session variables solve this problem
by storing user information to be used across multiple pages (e.g. username, favorite color, etc). By
default, the session variables last until the user closes the browser.So, the session variables hold
information about one single user, and are available to all pages in one application.

Session Function
PHP session is used to store data on a server rather than the computer of the user. The Session
Identifiers (SID) is a unique number which is used to identify every user in a session-based
environment. SID is used to link the user with his information on the server like posts, emails etc. A
session is started with the session_start() function. The session variables are set with the PHP global
variable: $_SESSION.It creates a session or resumes the current one based on a session identifier
passed via a GET or POST request or passed via a cookie.

Session Function- session_start(): The session_start() creates a session or resumes the current
one based on a session identifier passed via a GET or POST request, or passed via a cookie (Figure
1).

Example:
<?php //session1.php
session_start();

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?>
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html><body>
<?php
$_SESSION["favcolor"]="green";
$_SESSION["favanimal"]="cat";
echo "Session variables are set“. "</br>";
echo "The fav color is: " . $_SESSION["favcolor"] . "</br>";
echo "The fav color is: " . $_SESSION["favanimal"];
?>
</body></html>

Figure 1: Output for session1.php

13.1 Steps Involved in PHP sessions

 Starting a PHP Session
 Storing Session Data
 Accessing Session Data
 Destroying Session data:
 Destroying certain session data
 Destroying complete session

Starting a PHP Session

The firststep is to start up a session. After a session is started, session variables can be created to
store information. The PHP session_start() function is used to begin a new session. It also creates a
new session ID for the user.

Example:
<?php
session_start();
?>

Storing Session Data

The session data in key-value pairs using the $_SESSION[] superglobalarray.The stored data can be
accessed during lifetime of a session.

Example:
Below is the PHP code to store a session with two session variables Rollnumber and Name.
<?php //session2.php

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session_start();
$_SESSION["Fname"] = "Tarandeep";
$_SESSION["Lname"] = "Kaur";
echo $_SESSION["Lname"];
?>

Accessing Session Data

The data stored in sessions can be easily accessed by firstly calling session_start() and then by
passing the corresponding key to the $_SESSION associative array (Figure 2).

Example:
The PHP code to access a session data with two session variables Fname and Lname is
shown below:
<?php //session3.php
session_start();
echo 'The First Name is :' . $_SESSION["Fname"] . '<br>';
echo 'The Last Name is :' . $_SESSION["Lname"] . '<br>';
?>

Figure 2: Output for session3.php

Destroying Session Data- unset()

Todelete only a certain session data, the unset feature can be used with the corresponding session
variable in the $_SESSION associative array (Figure 3).

Example:
PHP code to unset only the “Lname ” session variable from the associative session array.
Session is unset. Now, runsession3.php again and the error occurs.
<?php
session_start();
if(isset($_SESSION["Fname"]))
{
unset($_SESSION["Lname"]);
}
?>

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Figure 3: Output for session3.php

Destroying Session- session_destroy()

The session_destroy() function is used to completely destroy a session (Figure 4, Figure 5 and
Figure 6). The session_destroy() function does not require any argument.

Example:
<?php
session_start();
session_destroy();
?>

Example of Session Creation, Destroying

<?php //session5.php
session_start();
$_SESSION["id"] = “3";
$_SESSION["Name"] = "Gurfateh";
echo 'The entered id is :' . $_SESSION["id"] . '<br>';
echo 'Name enterd by you is :' . $_SESSION["Name"] . '<br>';
?>

Figure 4: Output for session5.php

Example:
<?php //sessiondestroy.php
session_start();
if(isset($_SESSION["id"])){
unset($_SESSION["Name"]);
}
echo "Session data for name destroy sucessfully<br>";
echo 'The entered id is :' . $_SESSION["id"] . '<br>';
echo 'Name enterd by you is :' . $_SESSION["Name"] . '<br>';
?>

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Figure 5: Output for sessiondestroy.php

Example:
<?php //sessiondestroyall.php
session_start();
session_destroy();
echo "all variables destroyed<br>";
echo 'The entered id is :' . $_SESSION["id"] . '<br>';
echo 'Name enterd by you is :' . $_SESSION["Name"] . '<br>';
?>

Figure 6: Output for sessiondestroyall.php

13.2 session_unset() vs session_destroy()

Table 1lists the difference between session_unset() and session_destroy().
Table 1: session_unset() vs session_destroy()

session_destroy() session_unset()

It destroys all the data associated with the It deletes only the variables from session and
current session. It does not unset any of the session still exists. Only data is truncated.
global variables associated with the session or
unset the session cookie.

bool session_destroy( void ) bool session_unset( void )

13.3 Cookie in PHP

PHP cookie is a small piece of information which is stored at client browser.It is used to recognize
the user.

3
1
2
Figure 7: Cookies in PHP
Figure 7depicts the cookies in PHP where 1 is the request send through client browser and in step 2
server is sending the response along with the cookie. In the 3rd steps the client again the send the
request along with the cookie.
The cookie is created at server side and saved to client browser.Each time when client sends request
to the server, cookie is embedded with request. Such way, cookie can be received at the server

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side.The cookie in PHP is a small file with a maximum size of 4KB that the web server stores on the
client computer. They are typically used to keep track of information such as a username that the
site can retrieve to personalize the page when the user visits the website next time. A cookie can
only be read from the domain that it has been issued from. The cookies are usually set in an HTTP
header but JavaScript can also set a cookie directly on a browser.

Setting Cookies- setcookie() Function

To set a cookie in PHP, the setcookie() function is used. The setcookie() function needs to be called
prior to any output generated by the script otherwise the cookie will not be set (Figure 8).

Syntax: setcookie (name, value, expire, path, domain, security);

Parameters used in setcookie(): setcookie() function requires six arguments in general which are:

 Name: It is used to set the name of the cookie.

 Value: It is used to set the value of the cookie.
 Expire: It is used to set the expiry timestamp of the cookie after which the cookie can’t be
accessed.
 Path: It is used to specify the path on the server for which the cookie will be available.
 Domain: It is used to specify the domain for which the cookie is available.
 Security: It is used to indicate that the cookie should be sent only if a secure HTTPS
connection exists.

Example:
<?php //cookie1.php
$cname = "Gurfateh";
$cvalue = "14";
setcookie($cname, $cvalue, time() + 3 * 24 * 60 * 60);
echo "cookie with name " .$cname ." is created successfully";
?>

Figure 8: Output for cookie1.php

Setting Cookies- isset() Function

This function is used to check whether a cookie is set or not. It is always advisable to check whether
a cookie is set or not before accessing its value. Therefore, to check whether a cookie is set or not,
the PHP isset() function is used (Figure 9 and Figure 10).

Example:
<?php //cookie3.php
$cname="Gurfateh";
$croll="14";
setcookie("cname", "croll", time() + 3* 24 * 60 * 60);
echo $cname . " and " . $croll;?>

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Figure 9: Output for cookie3.php

Example:
<?php //cookie2.php
if (isset($_COOKIE["cname"]))
{
echo "The cookie with name " . $cname. " and value ".$croll. " is set<br>";
}
else
{
echo "No cookie is set reload the page to check the cookie details<br>";
}
?>

Figure 10: Output for cookie2.php

Deleting a Cookie
You can delete a cookie by calling setcookie() function with the cookie name and any value (Figure
11).

Example:
<!DOCTYPE html> //cookiedelete.php
<?php
// set the expiration date to one hour ago
setcookie("user", "", time() - 3600);
?>
<html>
<body>
<?php
echo "Cookie 'user' is deleted.";
?>
</body>
</html>

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Figure 11: Output for cookiedelete.php

Summary
 A session is a way to store information (in variables) to be used across multiple pages.When
you work with an application, you open it, do some changes, and then you close it. This is
much like a session.
 PHP session is used to store data on a server rather than the computer of the user.A session is
started with the session_start() function.
 Session Identifiers (SID) is a unique number which is used to identify every user in a session-
based environment. SID is used to link the user with his information on the server like posts,
emails etc.
 The first step is to start up a session. After a session is started, session variables can be created
to store information. The PHP session_start() function is used to begin a new session. It also
creates a new session ID for the user.
 The data stored in sessions can be easily accessed by firstly calling session_start() and then by
passing the corresponding key to the $_SESSION associative array.
 In PHP, a cookie is a small piece of information which is stored at client browser.It is used to
recognize the user.
 A cookie is created at server side and saved to client browser.Each time when client sends
request to the server, cookie is embedded with request. Such way, cookie can be received at
the server side.

Keywords
Session: A session is a way to store information (in variables) to be used across multiple pages. W
Session Identifier: The Session Identifiers (SID) is a unique number which is used to identify every
user in a session-based environment.
$_SESSION: The session variables are set with the PHP global variable: $_SESSION.It creates a
session or resumes the current one based on a session identifier passed via a GET or POST request
or passed via a cookie.
Setcookie():The setcookie() function needs to be called prior to any output generated by the script
otherwise the cookie will not be set.
isset() Function:This function is used to check whether a cookie is set or not: It is always advisable
to check whether a cookie is set or not before accessing its value.
Unset() Function:To delete only a certain session data, the unset feature can be used with the
corresponding session variable in the $_SESSION associative array.
Cookie: In PHP, a cookie is a small piece of information which is stored at client browser.It is used
to recognize the user.

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SelfAssessment
1. Which of the following statement is TRUE for the session variables?
A. Session variables store the user information to be used across multiple pages (e.g.
username, favoritecolor, etc).
B. Session variables last until the user closes the browser.
C. Session variables hold information about one single user, and are available to all pages in
one application.
D. All the above.

2. The full form for SIDs is

A. Session Identifiers
B. Service Identifiers
C. Scope Identifiers
D. Set Identifiers

3. A ___________ is a way to store information (in variables) to be used across multiple

pages.
A. Scope
B. Setter
C. Session
D. Spare

4. ______________ is a unique number which is used to identify every user in a session-based

environment.
A. Service Identifiers
B. Session Identifiers
C. Scope Identifiers
D. Set Identifiers

5. _________________ is a PHP global variable that is used for setting the session variable.
A. $_SETSESSION
B. $_SESSION
C. $_SESSION_GLOBAL
D. $_SESSIONSETUP

6. The session_start() function creates a session or resumes the current one based on a session
identifier passed via a ________ request, or passed via a cookie.
A. GET
B. GETCHS
C. GETCH
D. GETTS

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7. The session_destroy() function is used to completely destroy a session.

A. True
B. False

8. Which of the following statement is correct for session_unset()?

A. It deletes only the variables from session and session still exists.
B. Only data is truncated.
C. The syntax for the unset() is bool session_unset(void).
D. All the above.

9. The function used to destroy all the data associated with the current session is _________.
A. session_unset()
B. session_current()
C. session_destroy()
D. currentsession_destroy()

10. The cookie is created at server side and saved to client browser. Each time when client
sends request to the server, cookie is embedded with request.
A. True
B. False

11. A cookie in PHP is a small file with a maximum size of 4KB that the __________ stores on
the client computer.
A. Web browser
B. Web server
C. Network
D. cacher

12. Which of the following is not a parameter in setcookie() function?

A. Name
B. Value
C. Timer
D. Path

13. ___________ function is used to check whether a cookie is set or not?

A. isset()
B. unset()
C. cookie_set()
D. cookieset_check()

14. You cannot delete a cookie by calling setcookie() function with the cookie name and any
value.

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A. True
B. False

15. ___________ parameter is used to set the expiry timestamp of the cookie after which the
cookie can’t be accessed.
A. Timer
B. Session
C. Timestamping
D. Expiry

Answers forSelf Assessment

1. D 2. A 3. C 4. B 5. B

6. A 7. A 8. D 9. C 10. A

11. B 12. C 13. A 14. B 15. D

Review Questions
1. What are the different steps involved in PHP sessions?
2. Discuss the accessing and destroying of the session data.
3. How deletion of cookie can be done?
4. Discuss the session_start() and session_destroy() functions.
5. What are cookies? How cookies can be set and deleted?
6. Explain with example the setting of cookies?
7. What are sessions in PHP? Discuss the steps in session management in PHP?
8. Discuss about the PHP state management.
9. Explain the significance of $_SESSION[]superglobal array?
10. Explain the following in context with cookies:
a. isset() Function
b. Setcookie() Function

Further Readings
 The Joy of PHP: A Beginner’s Guide by Alan Forbes.
 PHP: The Complete Reference by Steven Holzner. 2017.
 Learning PHP by Ramesh Bangia, 2012.
 Learn PHP in One Day and Learn It Well by Jamie Chan.
 XML and PHP by Vikas Vaswani, 2002.

Web Links
 PHP | Sessions - GeeksforGeeks
 PHP Session - javatpoint

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 PHP - Sessions (tutorialspoint.com)

 Session in PHP: Creating, Destroying, and Working With Session in PHP
(simplilearn.com)
 PHP - Cookies (tutorialspoint.com)
 https://youtu.be/ngZpU7Q0j2k
 https://youtu.be/opoI4C8xoN8
 https://youtu.be/jort8_4U-88
 https://youtu.be/Ly34Z8DFvdE

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Dr. Tarandeep Kaur, Lovely Professional University Unit 14: Advanced PHP Concepts

Unit 14: Advanced PHP Concepts

CONTENTS
Objectives
Introduction to Using PHP to Access Database
14.1 PHP and MySQL Database
14.2 Connect to MySQL
14.3 Create Database
14.4 Creating a Table in a Database
14.5 Inserting Data in a Database
14.6 Updating Records in the Database
14.7 Pre-defined Variables
14.8 Pre-defined Variables- $_SERVER
14.9 Object-oriented Concepts
14.10 Important Terms Related to Object-Oriented Concepts
14.11 Defining PHP Classes
14.12 Creating Objects and Calling Methods in PHP
Summary
Keywords
Self Assessment
Review Questions
Self Assessment
Further Readings

Objectives
After studying this unit, you will be able to:

 Explore the usage of PHP to access database.

 Performing database operations using mysqli.
 Know about the pre-defined variables in PHP and their working.
 Learn the object-oriented concepts in PHP.

Introduction
There are two ways to access databases from PHP:

1. Use a database-specific extension.

2. Use the database-independent PEAR DB library.
MySQL extension’s function names, parameters, error handling, and so on are completely different
from those of the other database extensions. If you want to move your database from MySQL to
PostgreSQL, it will involve significant changes to your code.The PEAR DB, on the other hand, hides
the database-specific functions from you, moving between database systems.

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14.1 PHP and MySQL Database

With PHP, you can connect to and manipulate databases.MySQL is the most popular database
system used with PHP.MySQL is a database system used on the web. MySQL is a database system
that runs on a server. MySQL is ideal for both small and large applications. It is very fast, reliable,
and easy to use. It uses standard SQL and compiles on several platforms. MySQL is free to
download and use. It has been developed, distributed, and supported by Oracle Corporation.
MySQL is named after co-founder Monty Widenius's daughter: My.
The data in a MySQL database are stored in tables. PHP combined with MySQL are cross-platform
(you can develop in Windows and serve on a Unix platform). PHP 5 and later can work with a
MySQL database using: MySQLi extension (the "i" stands for improved).

Create a Connection to a MySQL Database

 Start XAMPP (Figure 1)

 Start MySQL
 Open browser> type localhost/phpMyAdmin
localhost / 127.0.0.1 | phpMyAdmin 5.1.1

Figure 1: XAMPP Control Panel

14.2 Connect to MySQL

The following code creates a connection to a MySQL Database through Code-
“databaseconnect.php” as listed below (Figure 2):

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<?php
$servername = "localhost";
$username = "root";
//$password = "password";
// Create connection
//$conn = new mysqli($servername, $username, $password);
$conn = new mysqli($servername, $username, "" );
// Check connection
if ($conn->connect_error) {
die("Connection failed: " . $conn->connect_error);
}
echo "Connected successfully";
?>

Figure 2: MySQL Database Connected Successfully

14.3 Create Database

The following code illustrates the creation of a database “Dnew” to a MySQL Database through
code- “databaseCreate.php” (Figure 3).

<?php
//Connecting to database and then creating a database
$c1=mysqli_connect("localhost","root","");
if(!$c1)
die("not connected");
echo "connected";
$q="Create database Dnew";
if(mysqli_query($c1,$q)) {
echo "Database created"; }
else {
echo "database not created"; }
mysqli_close($c1);
?>

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Notes:Check in the interface if database is created

Figure 3: New Database Created "dnew"

14.4 Creating a Table in a Database

There are 2 ways to create table, either directly through browser-based MySQL admin or through
code.

1. Through PHPmyadmin:
 Click on the New Option
 Enter the table name and columns, specifying the column names and data types (Figure 4).
2. Through Code: You can create a code file in PHP as listed below (Figure 5):

Figure 4: Table Creation in "dnew" Database

<?php
$con=mysqli_connect("localhost","root","","Dnew");
$q1="Create table student1(Name varchar(20),Roll integer(4))";
if(mysqli_query($con,$q1))
{
echo “table created";
}
else
{echo "not created";
}
mysqli_close($con);
?>

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Figure 5: Table Created

14.5 Inserting Data in a Database

Under this, a user input can be retrieved and then the record can be inserted to the table specified.

1. Design a HTML form to get the user input: Save it as insert.html (Figure 6).
2. Design the PHP page to insert the user input.

Example: <form name=f1 action="insertn.php" method="POST">

Name<input type="text" name="Name"><br>
Regno<input type="text" name="Roll"><br>
<input type="Submit" value="Add Values">
</form>

Figure 6: Form Creation to Get User Input and Insertion in the Database

Example:<?php
$n=$_POST["Name"];
$r=$_POST["Roll"];
$c=mysqli_connect("localhost","root","","dnew"); //database name and connection
if(!$c)
die("cannot connect"."<br>");
echo "connected";
echo "<br>";
//Insert record to the table student1 through the HTML form
$s="insert into student1(Name,Roll)value('$n','$r')";
if(mysqli_query($c,$s)) {
echo "Record inserted"; }
else {
echo"Problem in command"; }
mysqli_close($c);
?>

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14.6 Updating Records in the Database

Example: <?php
$c=mysqli_connect("localhost","root","","dnew");
if(!$c)
die("cannot connect"."<br>");
echo "connected";
echo "<br>";
$s="update student1 set Name='Gurfateh' where Roll=123";
if(mysqli_query($c,$s))
{
echo "Record updated";
}
else{echo"Problem in command";}
mysqli_close($c);
?>

Example:Deleting the Data in Database

<?php
$c=mysqli_connect("localhost","root","",“dnew");
if(!$c)
die("cannot connect"."<br>");
echo "connected";
echo "<br>";
$s="delete from student1 where Roll=123";
if(mysqli_query($c,$s))
{
echo "Record Deleted";
}
else{echo"Problem in command";}
mysqli_close($c);
?>

Lab Exercise: Illustrate the selection of data from a database.

14.7 Pre-defined Variables

PHP provides many predefined variables to any script which it runs. PHP provides an additional
set of predefined arrays containing variables from the web server, the environment, and user input.
The new arrays are called superglobals as listed below:

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 $GLOBALS: Contains a reference to every variable which is currently available within the
global scope of the script. The keys of this array are the names of the global variables.
 $_GET: An associative array of variables passed to the current script via the HTTP GET
method.
 $_POST: An associative array of variables passed to the current script via the HTTP POST met.
 $_FILES: An associative array of items uploaded to the current script via the HTTP POST
method.
 $_REQUEST: An associative array consisting of the contents of $_GET, $_POST, and
$_COOKIE.
 $_COOKIE: An associative array of variables passed to the current script via HTTP cookies.
 $_SESSION: An associative array containing session variables available to the current script.
 $_PHP_SELF: A string containing PHP script file name in which it is called.
 $php_errormsg: $php_errormsg is a variable containing the text of the last error message
generated by PHP.
 $_SERVER: This is an array containing information such as headers, paths, and script
locations. The entries in this array are created by the web server. There is no guarantee that
every web server will provide any of these.

14.8 Pre-defined Variables- $_SERVER

Table 1lists the different variables of super global array $_SERVER. Figure 7 depicts the output for
using $_SERVER variable through serverdetail.php.
Table 1: $_SERVER Variable

Variable Description

$_SERVER['PHP_SELF'] The filename of the currently executing script, relative to

the document root

$_SERVER['argv'] Array of arguments passed to the script. When the

script is run on the command line, this gives C-style
access to the command line parameters. When called via
the GET method, this will contain the query string.

$_SERVER['argc'] Contains the number of command line parameters

passed to the script if run on the command line.

$_SERVER['SERVER_ADDR'] The IP address of the server under which the current

script is executing.

$_SERVER['SERVER_NAME'] The name of the server host under which the current
script is executing. If the script is running on a virtual
host, this will be the value defined for that virtual host.

$_SERVER['SERVER_SOFTWARE'] Server identification string, given in the headers when

responding to requests.

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$_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD'] Which request method was used to access the page; i.e.
'GET', 'HEAD', 'POST', 'PUT'.

Example: Program to illustrate the use of pre-defined variables.

<?php //serverdetail.php
echo $_SERVER['PHP_SELF'];
echo "<br>";
echo $_SERVER['SERVER_NAME'];
echo "<br>";
echo $_SERVER['HTTP_HOST'];
echo "<br>";
echo $_SERVER['HTTP_REFERER'];
echo "<br>";
echo $_SERVER['HTTP_USER_AGENT'];
echo "<br>";
echo $_SERVER['SCRIPT_NAME'];
?>

Figure 7: Output for Using $_SERVER Variable

14.9 Object-oriented Concepts

We can imagine our universe made of different objects like sun, earth, moon etc. Similarly, we can
imagine our car made of different objects like wheel, steering, gear etc. Similarly, there is object-
oriented programming concepts which assume everything as an object and implement a software
using different objects.

14.10 Important Terms Related to Object-Oriented Concepts

 Class− this is a programmer-defined data type, which includes local functions as well
as local data. You can think of a class as a template for making many instances of the same
kind (or class) of object.
 Object− an individual instance of the data structure defined by a class. You define a class once
and then make many objects that belong to it. Objects are also known as instance.

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 Member variable− these are the variables defined inside a class. This data will be invisible to
the outside of the class and can be accessed via member functions. These variables are called
attribute of the object once an object is created.
 Member function− these are the function defined inside a class and are used to access object
data.
 Inheritance− When a class is defined by inheriting existing function of a parent class then it is
called inheritance. Here child class will inherit all or few member functions and variables of a
parent class.
 Parent Class− A class that is inherited from by another class. This is also called a base class or
super class.
 Child Class− A class that inherits from another class. This is also called a subclass or derived
class.
 Polymorphism−
− this is an object-oriented concept where same function can be used for
different purposes. For example, function name will remain same, but it takes different
number of arguments and can-do different task.
 Overloading−
−AA type of polymorphism in which some or all of operators have different
implementations depending on the types of their arguments. Similarly, functions can also be
overloaded with different implementation.
 Data Abstraction− any representation of data in which the implementation details are hidden
(abstracted).
 Encapsulation− Refers to a conceptwhere we encapsulate all the data and member functions
together to form an object.
 Constructor− Refers to a special type of functionwhich will be called automatically whenever
there is an object formation from a class.
 Destructor− Refersto aspecial type of function which will be called automatically whenever an
object is deleted or goes out of scope.

14.11 Defining PHP Classes

The general form for defining a new class in PHP is as follows:

Example: <?php
class phpClass
{
var $var1;
var $var2 = "constant string";
function myfunc ($arg1, $arg2)
{ }
}
?>

Here is the description of each line: The special form class, followed by the name of the class that
you want to define.A set of braces enclosing any number of variable declarations and function
definitions. The variable declarations start with the special form var, which is followed by a
conventional $ variable name; they may also have an initial assignment to a constant value. The
function definitions look much like standalone PHP functions but are local to the class and will be
used to set and access object data.

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14.12 Creating Objects and Calling Methods in PHP

Once you defined your class, then you can create as many objects as you like of that class type.
Following is an example of how to create object using new operator:
$physics = new Books;
$maths = new Books;
$chemistry = new Books;
Here,we have created three objects and these objects are independent of each other and they will
have their existence separately. The example for creating objects and calling methods is shown
below. Figure 8 depicts the output for the code, “sample1234.php”.

Example: <?php //sample1234.php

class cars {
//Properties
var $name;
var $color;
//Methods
function set_name($name) {
$this->name = $name;
}
function get_name() {
return $this->name;
}
function set_color($color) {
$this->color = $color;
}
function get_color() {
return $this->color;
}
}
$BMW = new cars();
$audi = new cars();
$volvo = new cars();
$BMW->set_name('BMW ');
$BMW->set_color('red');
$audi->set_name('audi ');
$audi->set_color('blue');
$volvo->set_name('volvo ');
$volvo->set_color('black');
echo $BMW->get_name();
echo " --> ";
echo $BMW->get_color();
echo "<br>";

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echo $audi->get_name();
echo " --> ";
echo $audi->get_color();
echo "<br>";
echo $volvo->get_name();
echo " --> ";
echo $volvo->get_color();
?>

Figure 8: Output for sample1234.php

Summary
 MySQL is the most popular database system used with PHP. MySQL is a database system
used on the web that runs on a server.
 MySQL uses standard SQL and compiles on a number of platforms. MySQL is free to
download and use. It is developed, distributed, and supported by Oracle Corporation.
 PHP combined with MySQL are cross-platform (you can develop in Windows and serve on a
Unix platform). PHP 5 and later can work with a MySQL database using: MySQLi extension
(the "i" stands for improved).
 PHP provides many predefined variables to any script which it runs. PHP provides an
additional set of predefined arrays containing variables from the web server the environment,
and user input.
 In object-oriented programming, everything as an object and implement a software using
different objects.
 Once you defined your class, then you can create as many objects as you like of that class type.

Keywords
Database:A database is a collection of information that is organized so that it can easily be
accessed, managed, and updated. In one view, databases can be classified according to types of
content: bibliographic, full-text, numeric, and images.
MySQL:MySQL is the most popular database system used with PHP. MySQL is a database system
used on the web that runs on a server.
Objects:An individual instance of the data structure defined by a class. You define a class once and
then make many objects that belong to it. Objects are also known as instance.
Class:This is a programmer-defined data type, which includes local functions as well as local data.
You can think of a class as a template for making many instances of the same kind (or class) of
object.
Inheritance:When a class is defined by inheriting existing function of a parent class then it is called
inheritance. Here child class will inherit all or few member functions and variables of a parent class.

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Polymorphism:This is an object-oriented concept where same function can be used for different
purposes. For example, function name will remain same, but it takes different number of
arguments and can-do different task.

SelfAssessment
1. MySQL database is of type
A. Access Jet Database Engine
B. Object-relational DBMS
C. General Public
D. Single platform database

2. ______________database is one that is congruent with the data defined in object classes
and subclasses.
A. Convergent
B. Object-oriented programming
C. Class
D. Insecure

3. MySQL is the most popular database system used with PHP. Which of the following
statement(s) is/are true for MySQL?
A. MySQL is a database system that runs on a server
B. MySQL uses standard SQL
C. MySQL compiles on several platforms
D. All the above

4. The MySQL extension’s function names, parameters, error handling, and so on are
completely different from those of the other database extensions.
A. True
B. False

5. In MySQLi extension, the ‘i’ is abbreviation that stands for

A. Impact
B. Included
C. Injected
D. Improved

6. Which of the following statement(s) is/are true?

A. XAMPP stands for cross-platform, Apache, MySQL, PHP, and Perl.
B. XAMPP is among the simple light-weight local servers for website development.
C. In PHP, we can connect to database using localhost XAMPP web server.
D. All the above.

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7. PHP provides an additional set of predefined arrays containing variables from the web
server the environment, and user input. The new arrays are called as_____________.
A. Varglobal
B. Subglobals
C. Superglobals
D. Preset globals

8. ________ is an associative array of items uploaded to the current script via the HTTP POST
method.
A. $_DELETE
B. $_SETTING
C. $_FILES
D. $_GET

9. ____________ is an associative array consisting of the contents of $_GET, $_POST, and

$_COOKIE.
A. $_REQUEST
B. $_SET
C. $_DELETE
D. $_SETTING

10. Which of the following statement is TRUE for the $_SERVER?

A. This is an array containing information such as headers, paths, and script locations.
B. The entries in this array are created by the web server.
C. There is no guarantee that every web server will provide any of these.
D. All the above.

11. ___________ is a programmer-defined data type, which includes local functions as well
as local data.
A. Class
B. Pointer
C. Degree
D. Inheritance

12. An object is also called as a(n) ________.

A. Class
B. Instance
C. Extraction
D. Domain

13. Which of the following statement aptly indicates the member variables?
A. Member variables are defined inside a class.

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B. The data will be invisible to the outside of the class and can be accessed via member
functions.
C. Member variables are also called attribute of the object once an object is created.
D. All the above.

14. Polymorphism is an object-oriented concept where same function can be used for different
purposes.
A. True
B. False

15. Any representation of data in which the implementation details are hidden represents
_____________.
A. Data extraction
B. Data exclusion
C. Data abstraction
D. Data surfacing

SelfAssessment
1. B 2. B 3. D 4. A 5. D

6. D 7. C 8. C 9. A 10. D

11. A 12. B 13. D 14. A 15. C

Review Questions
1. How PHP can be used to access database?
2. How to insert form data into database using PHP?
3. How do we access a database using PHP? Write the steps of database connectivity withPHP?
4. How can the objects be created?
5. Discuss creating class and calling methods with examples.
6. Write a short note on:
a. Objects
b. Pre-defined Variables
7. Explain object-oriented programming concepts.
8. List the different variables of super global array $_SERVER.
9. How are the PHP classes defined?
10. Discuss the usage of PHP and MySQL Database.

Further Readings
 The Joy of PHP: A Beginner’s Guide by Alan Forbes.
 PHP: The Complete Reference by Steven Holzner. 2017.
 Learning PHP by Ramesh Bangia, 2012.

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 Notes
Unit 14: Advanced PHP Concepts

 Learn PHP in One Day and Learn It Well by Jamie Chan.

 XML and PHP by Vikas Vaswani, 2002.

Web Links
 PHP MySQL Connect to database (w3schools.com)
 How to Connect Database to PHP? | Learn to Connect Database to PHP
(educba.com)
 Accessing SQL Server Databases from PHP - TechNet Articles - United States
(English) - TechNet Wiki (microsoft.com)
 PHP Predefined Variables (tutorialspoint.com)
 PHP: Predefined Variables - Manual
 PHP - Predefined Variables (tutorialspoint.com)
 Object Oriented Concepts in PHP | PHP tutorial by Wideskills
 PHP OOP Intro (w3schools.com)
 https://youtu.be/Uy5pN1c9KUU
 https://youtu.be/2gwXRo-FKW0
 https://youtu.be/nN2mIbspaFI

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