PHP is a ’server-side’, ‘HTML-embedded’ scripting language that is used extensively to create dynamic web pages. The web server is configured to accept PHP code as input, and produce HTML web page content in the form of output. If you are looking to develop your own web application, here is a short primer on one of the webs most popular development platforms.

PHP is easy to code:

PHP coding style proffers simplicity and ease of development. Its syntax is primarily derived from languages like ‘C’, ‘Perl’ and ‘Java’. PHP files have extensions such as ‘.php’, ‘.phtml’ or ‘.php3’, and are comprised of scripts embedded between HTML tags. Being open source, PHP is available for free download and use. The facility to develop complete web applications at a low cost has made PHP a popular scripting language among developers.

Compatibility issues are minimized with PHP:

PHP supports all popular database management systems such as ‘MySQL’, ‘Oracle’, ‘Informix’, ‘Sybase’, ‘Generic ODBC’, ‘PostgreSQL’ etc. It is compatible with most of the leading web servers and runs on numerous operating systems ranging from UNIX variants including ‘UNIX’, ‘LINUX’, ‘Solaris’ and ‘FreeBSD’ to ‘Windows’ and ‘Macintosh’.

Primary uses of PHP:

• Server-side scripting:
PHP is best suited for creation of dynamic and interactive web pages. With the help of a PHP parser and a web server, HTML pages can be created without difficulty. PHP can also be used to generate XML documents, flash animations, graphics and PDF files.

• Command-line scripting:
PHP has now evolved to execute scripts from command line interfaces such as Perl, UNIX shell etc. These command line scripts may be used to accomplish system administration activities that include log parsing and backup.

• Client-side development of GUI applications:
Development of concrete, cross-platform graphical user interface applications can be easily has been rendered remarkably easy with PHP.