Course Overview

Your complete learning path to master PHP programming.

Learning Path

Follow this structured path to become a proficient PHP developer. Each section builds on the previous one.

Getting Started

  1. 1

    Setting Up Your Environment

    Install XAMPP for Windows/Linux/Mac or MAMP for Mac. Create your first project in the htdocs folder.

    XAMPP MAMP
  2. 2

    Your First PHP File

    Create a file named index.php in your project folder. Start with the basic PHP tags: <?php and ?>

  3. 3

    VS Code Extensions

    Install recommended extensions: PHP IntelliSense, Live Server, Bracket Pair Colorizer, and Code Runner for the best experience.

    PHP IntelliSense Live Server

Embedding PHP in HTML

HTML + PHP 
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
    <title>My First PHP Page</title>
</head>
<body>
    <h1><?php echo "Welcome to PHP"; ?></h1>
    <p>Today is <?php echo date("F j, Y"); ?></p>
</body>
</html>

Note: PHP files must have a .php extension. You can embed PHP code anywhere in your HTML using the PHP tags.

Comments in PHP

PHP Comments 
<?php
// This is a single-line comment

# This is also a single-line comment (shell-style)

/*
 * This is a multi-line comment
 * Use this for detailed explanations
 * or temporarily disabling code blocks
 */

// Commenting best practice: explain WHY, not WHAT
// Bad: // increment counter
// Good: // Moving to next user for batch processing
?>

Dynamic Data in PHP

PHP Variables 
<?php
// Output static text
echo "Hello World";

// Store in variable and output
$title = "My Website";
echo "<h1>$title</h1>";

// Variable interpolation
$name = "John";
echo "Welcome, $name";

// Concatenation
echo "Hello " . $name . "!";
?>

✎ Practice Exercise 

Task 1: Create a variable storing your name and display it with a greeting
Task 2: Write a comment explaining what your code does
Task 3: Embed PHP in HTML to show today's date