wilamowski-b-m-irwin-j-d-industrial-communication-systems-2011

Development of Interactive Web Pages 62-3
You can download the latest WAMP server software from the following Web site: http://www.
wampserver.com/en/download.php.
After you download the package, double click on the executable file and choose a destination path (by
default c:\wamp) for the software to be installed on your computer. Follow the instructions provided on
the Web site and everything will be easily installed. Once the software is installed, you can add other
releases of PHP, MySQL, and Apache by downloading them from their Web sites, and you will be able
to easily switch between releases. After WampServer is installed, a tray icon to manage your server is
shown at right end of the taskbar. By left clicking on the icon, you will see a menu to manage your server
settings. Once you install WampServer, a “www” directory is created (c:\wamp\www) and you will see an
“index.php” file in it. Do not modify this file because the software recognizes it as its default homepage.
Create a directory inside it and store all your PHP or HTML files in it. To create a database, you can follow
the traditional method by opening the SQL console and typing the commands that will create your
database. Another way of creating databases and handling the administration of one or more MySQl
servers is through phpMyAdmin. PhpMyAdmin is an open-source tool intended to create, modify, or
delete databases, tables, fields, or rows; executing SQL statements; or managing users and permissions.
62.3 Introduction to PHP
A PHP script can be easily embedded into HTML by enclosing the code with PHP tags, < ?php and ? >,
which is similar to HTML tags.
A PHP scripting block can be placed anywhere inside the HTML document.
Example:
Save the HTML file as “test.php” or you can open a notepad, copy the code, and save it as “test.php.”
62.3.1 Variables
All variables in PHP start with the “$” sign followed by the name of the variable. PHP variables are used to
store information and can be used wherever they are needed in the script; like text strings, numbers, or arrays.
Example:
Output of above code: Welcome 20.5
PHP also provides “print_r” function to display the variable contents.
© 2011 by Taylor and Francis Group, LLC