- Your First PHP Web Application using MySQL and PHP with Examples
- What is PHP?
- Why PHP?
- PHP and MySQL
- Introducing Myflix Video Library Application
- Myflix Video Library Screenshots
- Summary
- Developing Web Applications Using Php and Mysql
- Why use PHP?
- Methods of Responsible Growth and Development
- Using PHP in conjunction with a database system
- Configuring the MySQL database
- Putting PHP instructions into action
- Input and output of data
- Conclusion:
Your First PHP Web Application using MySQL and PHP with Examples
Congratulations for your success completion of the SQL tutorial series.
We looked at how we can design a database from scratch, the relational database management system model among others, MySQL as a database management system and how it implements the SQL language, what tools are available for us to use in the database design phase, SQL development and MySQL server administration such as MySQL workbench and finally produced a working database for a fictional video library system “Myflix”.
Excited as you might be with your newly acquired knowledge, have you given any thoughts’ as to how your database uses will use your database?
How about developing an simple web application using PHP and MySQL that hides all the SQL statements inside and provide a visual graphical user interface for the users to use when interacting with the database?
We can use PHP to create sample PHP application with MySQL…
What is PHP?
PHP is a general purpose server side scripting language that we can use to develop dynamic web sites and applications. PHP only needs to be installed on the web server that will host the web application and client applications can access the server resources via web browsers. The diagram shown below illustrates the basic architecture of a PHP web application.
Why PHP?
You have obviously head of a number of programming languages out there; you may be wondering why we would want to use PHP over other languages to develop our video library application? PHP just like MySQL is open source and free, you don’t need to pay for you to get PHP; all you have to do is download it. Packages such as XAMPP come bundled already with a web server, MySQL and PHP among others. This is also unbelievably free. This makes PHP a cost effective choice compared to other scripting languages such as CFML or ASP.
Other benefit that you get with PHP is that it’s a server side scripting language; this means you only need to install it on the server and client computers requesting for the resources from the server do not need to have PHP installed; only a web browser would be enough.
PHP also has in built support for working hand in hand with MySQL; this doesn’t mean you can’t use PHP with other database management systems.
PHP is cross platform which means you can deploy your application on a number of different operating systems such as windows, Linux, Mac OS etc.
PHP and MySQL
PHP and MySQL are like two different sides of the same coin. Just like MySQL has built in functions for data manipulations, so does PHP has built in functions for connecting to MySQL server and manipulating the data in the database. Let’s now look at some of PHP functions that allow us to manipulate MySQL databases
$dh = mysql_connect(servername,username,password);
- “mysql_connect” is the PHP built in function for connecting to MySQL database
- “servername” is the name of the server running MySQL server.
- “username” is the name of the user that we will use to authenticate ourselves when connecting to the server.
- “password” is the password that we will use to authenticate ourselves when connecting to the server.
Alternatively we can also use the PHP Data Object PDO to connect to MySQL server. It has the following basic syntax.
$dbconn = new PDO(mysql:host=servername;dbname=databasename,username,password);
- “dbconn” is the database connection object that we can use to manipulate our database.
- “new PDO (…)” creates an instance of the PDO class.
- “mysql:host=servername;” is the name of the server running MySQL server.
- “dbname=databasename” is the name of the database to be manipulated from PHP.
- “username,password” are login credentials we will use to authenticate ourselves.
As you can see from the above PHP sample application database connection examples, not only is PHP simple to use but it’s also flexible. The PHP web application example diagram shown below illustrates how the client application, PHP powered web server and MySQL interact.
Introducing Myflix Video Library Application
Assuming we have acquired knowledge of the PHP language combined with what we just learnt in the MySQL tutorial series, we can write the web based application in PHP that runs on top of the MySQL database to provide our Myflix database users with a Visual Graphical User Interface for interactions.
Myflix Video Library Screenshots
The screenshots of PHP MySQL example below show how the video library application running on top of Myflixdb would look like.
Members listing window shown in the above PHP with MySQL project:
Movie details editing window shown above
Summary
- MySQL is a powerful open source database engine that can meet the requirements of both stand-alone as well as client server applications.
- PHP is a general purpose scripting language that can be used to develop client applications that run on top of MySQL databases.
- Equipping yourself with both MySQL and PHP web application development knowledge is double blessing.
Developing Web Applications Using Php and Mysql
To create dynamic websites and programmes, PHP is a server-side scripting language that is widely used. It is sufficient to install PHP on the server hosting the web application; from there, clients may use web browsers to get access to the server’s resources. In the following diagram, you can see the basic structure of a PHP-based website. MySQL, in the simplest sense, is a database management system for high-level administration. Building databases into a site’s framework has a number of advantages. For the most part, the most eye-catching web assets our clients commission from us are database-driven email lists, online journals, and content management systems (CMS). To create dynamic websites, hire php developers and MySQL are inseparable partners. This course covers a wide range of PHP tasks as well as MySQL inquiries, with more than 8 hours of substance and more than 70 addresses, and it guides you through the right procedure so that you can function as a PHP and MySQL engineer. Both PHP and MySQL are open source and free to use, and the combination of the two makes it the best solution for web designers.
Why use PHP?
The scripting code in PHP is run on the server, which creates HTML that is then delivered back to the client. This is the defining characteristic of PHP and sets it apart from other programming languages. The outcome of running the script is sent to the client, who is kept in the dark about the underlying code. The web server may be configured by the developers to handle each and every HTML file (containing the PHP script).
Methods of Responsible Growth and Development
- Not following the recommended coding standards
- Combining HTML with the functionality of PHP.
- Inconsistencies in the coding
- Utilizing a variety of distinct types of function calls
- Disordered logic
Using PHP in conjunction with a database system
The capability of PHP as a scripting language to communicate with database management systems such as Oracle and MySQL is one of the primary reasons for its widespread adoption among hire web developers.
This article examines how the PHP programming language may be used in conjunction with the MySQL database. Any website may need a variety of data or information in order to show it and to obtain it from the database. This may include the presentation of a straightforward list throughout the operation of the website, which is determined by the data that is saved in the database.
The following is a list of examples that demonstrate how PHP and MySQL may be used together:
- Digital Ad banners, where the PHP script may be used to obtain a digital banner from the database, which then picks a random banner from its table records and delivers it back to the script that called it. Additionally, the PHP script may keep a tally of how many times the banner has been seen and clicked on from the website.
- Internet forums or digital boards that make use of PHP and MySQL to store and retrieve user messages are referred to as «social networking sites.»
- Website design, in which the layout of a complete website may be altered by modifying just a few PHP scripts as opposed to each individual web page being edited and uploaded individually. The PHP script has the capability of connecting to the MySQL database in order to obtain any and all information pertaining to the website.
Configuring the MySQL database
The process of installing the MySQL database on a new host might seem quite different depending on the configuration of that server. Access to any database would need providing a user name and a password, since this is standard practice.
Managing a database may be accomplished via the use of PHP scripts or using the application known as PHPMyAdmin.
The next thing that needs to be done is to construct the database tables that will be used to store the information pertaining to the website. Using PHPMyAdmin to create a database table is likewise a rather straightforward process. Alternately, one may construct and set up the whole of the database by using the PHP script that is listed below:
CREATE TABLE tablename Fields
>
Where the Fields are coded as field name type(length) extra_info
Example: first varchar(15) NOT NULL
In order to connect to the MySQL database, the PHP script makes use of the command that is listed below:
- localhost is the address of the server on which the website is now being hosted.
- The user name for accessing the database is denoted by $username.
- The database access password is specified by the $password variable.
Putting PHP instructions into action
You will be able to begin running PHP commands on the server after the MySQL database has been configured and a connection has been established.
The following are the two ways that a PHP command can be carried out:
Changing the variable in this form of the command is all that is required to execute the command again and again.
- The command will be defined as a variable now. The value of the variable will be set to reflect the outcome of the operation.
Input and output of data
The technique for entering data using PHP is exactly the same as the procedure for entering data using HTML pages. The script does not need to be altered for each new piece of input data when PHP is used, which is one of the advantages of utilizing PHP. In addition, users are able to enter their own data directly into the website.
The following is an example of a page written in HTML that has text boxes and may be used to input data in a form:
form action=»insert php» method=»post»>
First Name: input type=»text» name=»first»>
Last Name:
Web: input type=»text» name=»web»>
input type=»Submit»>
You also have the option of using variables in order to enter information into the database. Example:
$first=$_POST[‘first’];
$last=$_POST[‘last’];
$phone=$_POST[‘phone’];
$mobile=$_POST[‘mobile’];
$fax=$_POST[‘fax’];
$email=$_POST[’email’];
$web=$_POST[‘web’];
…
$query = “INSERT INTO contacts VALUES (”,’$first’,’$last’,’$phone’,’$mobile’,’$fax’,’$email’,’$web’)”;
mysql_query($query);
This script is stored in the insert.php file, and the HTML form is the place from which it can be accessed. When using this approach, the data that is put into the form on the web page is saved in the variables that have been specified, and these variables are then sent to PHP.
Using PHP, you may perform the following MySQL command with the result being assigned to the variable. This will allow you to show (or print) the data that was input.
$query=”SELECT * FROM contacts”;
$result=mysql_query($query);
In order to incorporate the data that was entered into the form into your PHP script, PHP offers two submission methods: GET and POST. In the case of the GET method, the variables and data are made visible in the page URL, however in the case of the POST method, they remain hidden. For instance, a script might be written to show a variety of web pages, each of which would be determined by the link that was clicked.
yourpage.php?user=david (to show David’s page)
yourpage.php?user=tom (to show Tom’s page)
Conclusion:
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