PHP Course Notes with Code Examples
1. Introduction to PHP
PHP is a popular server-side scripting language used to create dynamic web pages.
It runs on the server, processes requests, and interacts with databases like MySQL.
Widely supported and powers about 70% of websites worldwide.
Commonly used with development tools like XAMPP and editors such as Visual Studio
Code.
2. Basic Syntax & Variables
PHP code is embedded within <?php ... ?> tags.
Variables start with $ and store data like strings, integers, floats, and booleans.
PHP supports comments using // for single-line and /* ... */ for multi-line.
php
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<?php
// Single line comment
/*
Multi-line comment
*/
$name = "Alice"; // String
$age = 25; // Integer
$price = 19.99; // Float
$is_active = true; // Boolean
?>
3. Form Handling (GET vs POST)
Forms send user input to PHP scripts via GET or POST methods.
GET appends data to URL (less secure, limited data size).
POST sends data in the request body (secure for sensitive data like passwords).
html
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<form method="POST" action="submit.php">
Username: <input type="text" name="username" />
Password: <input type="password" name="password" />
<input type="submit" value="Login" />
</form>
4. Control Structures (if, else, switch)
Use if and else for conditional logic based on true/false conditions.
switch handles multiple conditions more cleanly than many if-else.
php
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<?php
$age = 20;
if ($age >= 18) {
echo "Adult";
} else {
echo "Minor";
}
$day = "Monday";
switch ($day) {
case "Monday":
echo "Start of the week";
break;
case "Friday":
echo "Weekend is near";
break;
default:
echo "Another day";
}
?>
5. Loops (for, while)
for loop: used when the number of iterations is known.
while loop: used when the number of iterations depends on a condition.
php
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<?php
// for loop
for ($i = 0; $i < 5; $i++) {
echo "Count: $i<br>";
}
// while loop
$count = 0;
while ($count < 5) {
echo "Count: $count<br>";
$count++;
}
?>
6. Arrays & Associative Arrays
Arrays store lists of values.
Associative arrays use key-value pairs.
php
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<?php
$fruits = ["Apple", "Banana", "Cherry"];
echo $fruits[1]; // Outputs Banana
$capitals = [
"USA" => "Washington D.C.",
"France" => "Paris",
"Japan" => "Tokyo"
];
echo $capitals["France"]; // Outputs Paris
?>
7. String Manipulation
Useful functions: strtolower(), strtoupper(), str_replace(), substr(), strlen().
php
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<?php
$text = "Hello World!";
echo strtolower($text); // hello world!
echo strtoupper($text); // HELLO WORLD!
echo str_replace("World", "PHP", $text); // Hello PHP!
echo substr($text, 0, 5); // Hello
echo strlen($text); // 12
?>
8. Input Validation & Sanitization
Always sanitize and validate user input to prevent security risks.
Use PHP filters like FILTER_SANITIZE_EMAIL and FILTER_VALIDATE_EMAIL.
php
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<?php
$email = filter_input(INPUT_POST, 'email', FILTER_SANITIZE_EMAIL);
if (!filter_var($email, FILTER_VALIDATE_EMAIL)) {
echo "Invalid email address.";
} else {
echo "Valid email: $email";
}
?>
9. Cookies & Sessions
Cookies store small data on the client-side; expire after a set time.
Sessions store data server-side and persist across pages during a user visit.
php
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<?php
// Set a cookie for 1 hour
setcookie("user", "Alice", time() + 3600);
// Start a session
session_start();
$_SESSION['username'] = "Alice";
?>
10. Password Hashing & Authentication
Never store plain passwords.
Use password_hash() for hashing and password_verify() for checking.
php
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<?php
$password = "mypassword";
// Hash password
$hashed_password = password_hash($password, PASSWORD_DEFAULT);
// Verify password
if (password_verify("mypassword", $hashed_password)) {
echo "Password is valid!";
} else {
echo "Invalid password!";
}
?>
11. Database Connection and Queries (MySQLi)
Use MySQLi to connect to a MySQL database and perform queries.
php
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<?php
$servername = "localhost";
$username = "root";
$password = "";
$dbname = "mydatabase";
// Connect
$conn = mysqli_connect($servername, $username, $password, $dbname);
if (!$conn) {
die("Connection failed: " . mysqli_connect_error());
}
// Insert user data
$sql = "INSERT INTO users (username, password) VALUES ('Alice',
'$hashed_password')";
if (mysqli_query($conn, $sql)) {
echo "New record created successfully.";
} else {
echo "Error: " . mysqli_error($conn);
}
mysqli_close($conn);
?>
