How PHP works

PHP is an embedded scripting language when used in Web pages. This means that PHP code is embedded in HTML code. You use HTML tags to enclose the PHP language that you embed in your HTML file — the same way that you would use other HTML tags. You create and edit Web pages containing PHP the same way that you create and edit regular HTML pages. The PHP software works with the Web server. The Web server is the software that delivers Web pages to the world. When you type a URL into your Web browser, you’re sending a message to the Web server at that URL, asking it to send you an HTML file. The Web server responds by sending the requested file. Your browser reads the HTML file and displays the Web page. You also request the Web server to send you a file when you click a link in a Web page. In addition, the Web server processes a file when you click a Web page button that submits a form.
When PHP is installed, the Web server is configured to expect certain file extensions to contain PHP language statements. Often the extension is .php or .phtml, but any extension can be used. When the Web server gets a request for a file with the designated extension, it sends the HTML statements as-is, but PHP statements are processed by the PHP software before they’re sent to the requester.
When PHP language statements are processed, only the output is sent by the Web server to the Web browser. The PHP language statements are not included in the output sent to the browser, so the PHP code is secure and transparent to the user. For instance, in this simple PHP statement:

Hello World”; ?>

is the closing tag. echo is a PHP instruction that tells PHP to output the upcoming text. The PHP software processes the PHP statement and outputs this:

Hello World

which is a regular HTML statement. This HTML statement is delivered to the user’s browser. The browser interprets the statement as HTML code and displays a Web page with one paragraph — Hello World. The PHP statement is not delivered to the browser, so the user never sees any PHP statements. PHP and the Web server must work closely together. PHP is not integrated with all Web servers but does work with many of the popular Web servers. PHP is developed as a project of the Apache Software Foundation — thus, it works best with Apache. PHP also works with Microsoft IIS/PWS, iPlanet (formerly Netscape Enterprise Server), and others. Although PHP works with several Web servers, it works best with Apache. If you can select or influence the selection of the Web server used in your organization, select Apache. By itself, Apache is a good choice. It is free, open source, stable, and popular. It currently powers more than 60 percent of all Web sites, according to the Web server survey at www.netcraft.com. It runs on Windows, Linux, Mac OS, and most flavors of Unix.

Advantages of PHP

The popularity of PHP is growing rapidly because of its many advantages:

• It’s fast. Because it is embedded in HTML code, the response time is short.
• It’s inexpensive — free, in fact. PHP is proof that free lunches do exist and that you can get more than you paid for.
• It’s easy to use. PHP contains many special features and functions needed to create dynamic Web pages. The PHP language is designed to be included easily in an HTML file.
• It can run on many operating systems. It runs on a variety of operating systems — Windows, Linux, Mac OS, and most varieties of Unix.
• Technical support is widely available. A large base of users provides free support through e-mail discussion lists.
• It’s secure. The user does not see the PHP code.
• It’s designed to support databases. PHP includes functionality designed to interact with specific databases. It relieves you of the need to know the technical details required to communicate with a database.
• It’s customizable. The open source license allows programmers to modify the PHP software, adding or modifying features as needed to fit their own specific environments.

PHP, a Data Mover

PHP, a scripting language designed specifically for use on the Web, is your tool for creating dynamic Web pages. Rich in features that make Web design and programming easier, PHP is in use on more than 20 million domains (according to the Netcraft survey at www.php.net/usage.php). Its popularity continues to grow, so it must be fulfilling its function pretty well. PHP stands for PHP: HyperText Preprocessor. In its early development by a guy named Rasmus Lerdorf, it was called Personal Home Page tools. When it developed into a full-blown language, the name was changed to be more in line with its expanded functionality.
The PHP language’s syntax is similar to the syntax of C, so if you have experience with C, you’ll be comfortable with PHP. PHP is actually simpler than C because it doesn’t use some of the more difficult concepts of C. PHP also doesn’t include the low-level programming capabilities of C because PHP is designed to program Web sites and doesn’t require those capabilities. PHP is particularly strong in its ability to interact with databases. PHP supports pretty much every database you’ve ever heard of (and some you haven’t). PHP handles connecting to the database and communicating with it. You don’t need to know the technical details for connecting to a database or for exchanging messages with it. You tell PHP the name of the database and where it is, and PHP handles the details. It connects to the database, passes your instructions to the database, and returns the database response to you. Technical support is available for PHP. You can join one of several e-mail discussion lists offered on the PHP Web site (www.php.net), including a list for databases and PHP. In addition, a Web interface to the discussion lists is available at news.php.net, where you can browse or search the messages.

Communicating with the MySQL server

All your interaction with the database is accomplished by passing messages to the MySQL server. You can send messages to the MySQL server several ways, but this book focuses on sending messages using PHP. The PHP software has specific statements that you use to send instructions to the MySQL server.
The MySQL server must be able to understand the instructions that you send it. You communicate by using SQL (Structured Query Language), which is a standard language understood by many RDBMSs. The MySQL server understands SQL. PHP doesn’t understand SQL, but it doesn’t need to: PHP just establishes a connection with the MySQL server and sends the SQL message over the connection. The MySQL server interprets the SQL message and follows the instructions. The MySQL server sends a return message, stating its status and what it did (or reporting an error if it was unable to understand or follow the instructions).

How MySQL works?

The MySQL software consists of the MySQL server, several utility programs that assist in the administration of MySQL databases, and some supporting software that the MySQL server needs (but you don’t need to know about). The heart of the system is the MySQL server. The MySQL server is the manager of the database system. It handles all your database instructions. For instance, if you want to create a new database, you send a message to the MySQL server that says “create a new database and call it newdata.” The MySQL server then creates a subdirectory in its data directory, names the new subdirectory newdata, and puts the necessary files with the required format into the newdata subdirectory. In the same manner, to add data to that database, you send a message to the MySQL server, giving it the data and telling it where you want the data to be added. You find out how to write and send messages to MySQL in Part II. Before you can pass instructions to the MySQL server, it must be running and waiting for requests. The MySQL server is usually set up so that it starts when the computer starts and continues running all the time. This is the usual setup for a Web site. However, it’s not necessary to set it up to start when the computer starts. If you need to, you can start it manually whenever you want to access a database. When it’s running, the MySQL server listens continuously for messages that are directed to it.

Advantages of MySQL

MySQL is a popular database with Web developers. Its speed and small size make it ideal for a Web site. Add to that the fact that it’s open source, which means free, and you have the foundation of its popularity. Here is a rundown of some of its advantages:

• It’s fast. The main goal of the folks who developed MySQL was speed. Thus, the software was designed from the beginning with speed in mind.
  
• It’s inexpensive. MySQL is free under the open source GPL license, and the fee for a commercial license is reasonable.
  
• It’s easy to use. You can build and interact with a MySQL database by using a few simple statements in the SQL language, which is the standard language for communicating with RDBMSs. Check out Chapter 4 for the lowdown on the SQL language.
• It can run on many operating systems. MySQL runs on many operating systems — Windows, Linux, Mac OS, most varieties of Unix (including Solaris and AIX), FreeBSD, OS/2, Irix, and others.
• Technical support is widely available. A large base of users provides free support through mailing lists. The MySQL developers also participate in the e-mail lists. You can also purchase technical support from MySQL AB for a small fee.
• It’s secure. MySQL’s flexible system of authorization allows some or all database privileges (such as the privilege to create a database or delete data) to specific users or groups of users. Passwords are encrypted.
  
• It supports large databases. MySQL handles databases up to 50 million rows or more. The default file size limit for a table is 4GB, but you can increase this (if your operating system can handle it) to a theoretical limit of 8 million terabytes (TB).
• It’s customizable. The open source GPL license allows programmers to modify the MySQL software to fit their own specific environments.

MySQL, My Database

MySQL is a fast, easy-to-use RDBMS used on many Web sites. Speed was the developers’ main focus from the beginning. In the interest of speed, they made the decision to offer fewer features than their major competitors (such as Oracle and Sybase). However, even though MySQL is less full-featured than its commercial competitors, it has all the features needed by the majority of database developers. It’s easier to install and use than its commercial competitors, and the difference in price is strongly in MySQL’s favor. MySQL is developed, marketed, and supported by MySQL AB, which is a Swedish company. The company licenses it in two ways:

• Open source software: MySQL is available through the GNU GPL (General Public License). MySQL provides two versions of the open source software: MySQL Community Edition: A freely downloadable, open source edition of MySQL, released early and often with the most advanced features. Anyone who can meet the requirements of the GPL can use the software for free. If you’re using MySQL as a database on a Web site (the subject of this book), you can use MySQL for free, even if you’re making money with your Web site. MySQL Network: An enterprise-grade set of software and services available for a monthly subscription fee. MySQL Network provides certified software, thoroughly tested and optimized. Services include technical support, regular updates, access to a knowledge base of hundreds of technical articles, and other services useful to a large business. The subscription is available at four levels, from the Basic level, with a limit of two incidents, no phone support, and a two-day response time, to Platinum support, with unlimited incidents, 24/7 phone support, and a 30-minute response time.
• Commercial license: MySQL is available with a commercial license for those who prefer it to the GPL. If a developer wants to use MySQL as part of a new software product and wants to sell the new product rather than release it under the GPL, the developer needs to purchase a commercial license.

Finding technical support for MySQL Community Edition is not a problem. You can join one of several e-mail discussion lists offered on the MySQL Web site at www.mysql.com. You can even search the e-mail list archives, which contain a large archive of MySQL questions and answers.