How to Write and Learn PHP Program for Beginner
Advanced programmers know a secret.
The secret that they know relates to how a PHP program is constructed.
Here is the secret:
"Complex programs are built up
from simple programs. If you can learn how to create a simple program, you can
learn how to build a complex program, no matter how complicated."
A program can be constructed of only
a few lines. They always start the same way. Start with the PHP start tag,
followed by your programming code, and last by the PHP end tag.
Example
1:
<?PHP
//statement
to show on web ending with (;)
?>
The PHP program shown above has only
3 lines. Line 1 & 3 are the start and end tags, line 2 is your functional
code. In this case however, line 2 is a comment and will not perform any
specific action other than to remind you of something. Comments are not
processed by the interpreter. Once a comment is encountered, it is basically
ignored.
Example
2:
<?PHP
This
is the first time I learn php;
This
is repeat that I learn php;
?>
The code in example 1 behaves exactly
as the code in example 2. Even though example 2 has 2 more lines. If you
noticed, the additional lines in example 2 are only comments. Once again they
are ignored by the PHP interpreter (PHP Engine).
If there is one comment or multiple
comments, the interpreter will act the same way. It will ignore any comments
that it finds.
Example
3:
<?PHP
Echo “This
is the first time I learn php”;
Echo “This
is repeat that I learn php”;
?>
In example 3 you will see your first
functioning PHP program. The 'echo' command was added to this program, located
on line 3. An 'echo' statement is a built in PHP command that will output
whatever follows it to the screen. Anytime you want to output something using
PHP to the screen, web browser, or visual display. Use the simple 'echo'
command.
As you can see, the words This is the first time I learn php '
follows the 'echo' command. It is very important to enclose the words that you
want 'echoed' on the screen inside single or double quotes. This way the echo
command knows from what character to start with, and
what character to end with, as it
generates the output to the screen.
When the echo command is called, it
takes the contents inside the quotes, and sends it out to the screen - minus
the quotes. So the output would be:
My First Real Program
Example 4:
<?PHP
Echo “This
time you are learn php with easy way”;
?>
The output to this program would be:
This time
you are learn php with easy way
When you start programming, there is
no limit to how many comments and commands you can enter in your program. Go
ahead, try it yourself. As you get better you won't need so many comments to
remind you of what you are doing in your program.
Complex programs are made up of
simple programs. Learning how to mix simple commands together, along with PHP
start and end tags makes a fully functioning PHP program. As you are learning,
a good suggestion is to add as many comments as you need to help remember what
you are doing. Comments are like taking notes that you can refer back to. As
you get better at programming, you will naturally enter less comment. The PHP
'echo' command outputs characters to the screen. Enclose all characters after
an 'echo' command with single or double quotes.
Congratulations, you just wrote your
first PHP program.
