PHP and MySQL Web Development 4th Ed-tqw-_darksiderg

11
Accessing Your MySQL Database
from the Web with PHP
PREVIOUSLY, IN OUR WORK WITH PHP, WE used a flat file to store and retrieve data.
When we looked at this file in Chapter 2,“Storing and Retrieving Data,” we mentioned
that relational database systems make a lot of these storage and retrieval tasks easier, safer,
and more efficient in a web application. Now, having worked with MySQL to create a
database, we can begin connecting this database to a web-based front end.
In this chapter, we explain how to access the Book-O-Rama database from the Web
using PHP.You learn how to read from and write to the database and how to filter
potentially troublesome input data.
Key topics covered in this chapter include
n How web database architectures work
n Querying a database from the Web using the basic steps
n Setting up a connection
n Getting information about available databases
n Choosing a database to use
n Querying the database
n Retrieving the query results
n Disconnecting from the database
n Putting new information in the database
n Using prepared statements
n Using other PHP-database interfaces
n Using a generic database interface: PEAR MDB2