PHP – Introduction to Programming (PHP1)

Course content:

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• Introduction and language overview
1. Compilation, memory allocation and release
2. PHP CLI vs web server usage
3. Difference between static and dynamic pages, embedding PHP in HTML
4. PHP documentation
5. Issues with different PHP versions

• Tools
1. Installing Apache / MySQL / PHP (XAMPP)
2. PHP built-in web server
3. SQLite — serverless database
4. Composer
5. Text editors and IDEs

• Variables
1. Basic data types and assignment
2. Constants
3. Operations and operators (+ - / * .) and operands
4. Comments

• Conditionals and branching
1. if / else, switch / case, match
2. Mixing conditional logic with HTML
3. Logical operators and expression evaluation

• Debugging
1. Built-in PHP debugging functions
2. Nette Laděnka / Tracy

• Arrays and loops
1. Index types
2. Iteration with for, foreach and while
3. Iteration constructs in HTML
4. Multidimensional arrays and built-in array functions

• Built-in PHP functions
1. Including multiple PHP files and templating
2. String and number handling
3. Date and time functions
4. Other helpers (gettype, isset, explode/implode, list...)

• User functions and structure
1. Defining and using functions
2. Arguments and default values
3. Return values
4. Strict and weak typing
5. Variable scope and visibility
6. First-class callables and anonymous functions
7. Short arrow functions
8. PHPDoc comments

• Objects — basic concepts
1. stdClass object and casting from arrays
2. Creating a simple class and using $this

• Forms
1. Required form tag attributes
2. Input types: text, radio, checkbox, select
3. Structuring submitted data by the browser
4. File uploads
5. Client-side and server-side validation
6. Nette Latte — automatic output escaping
7. Nette Forms

• Working with files and directories
1. Moving uploaded files
2. Create, write, read and delete files; directory operations
3. Remote resources

• Sending email
1. PHP built-in support and why it is no longer suitable
2. Nette Mail

• Cookies and sessions
1. Definitions, main differences and appropriate uses
2. Creating, storing, modifying and deleting user cookies
3. Lifetime and limitations of cookies and sessions
4. Security — session id and storage

• Database interaction — basics
1. Adminer, creating a database and table
2. Introduction to basic SELECT SQL
3. Connecting to the database and reading data with PDO
4. INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE
5. Nette Database

• Optional topics — arranged with participants
1. More time for coding and Q&A
2. SEF URL setup using .htaccess
3. Virtual host configuration, .local domains
4. Advanced debugging with Xdebug
5. Recommendations for web hosting
6. Database ORMs and other layers
7. Frameworks and CMS
8. Useful online resources and PHP libraries
9. Working with JSON
10. Working with XML