PHP Introduction and Environment setup

PHP Hypertext Preprocessor 

• PHP is a web base server side scripting language and it is embedded in HTML. Using this language we can handle dynamic contents.
• PHP syntax looks like C language.
• characteristics of PHP
• Simplicity
• Efficiency
• Security
• Flexibility
• Familiarity

Environment Setup

• Download the xampp (because you need a server to run the php scripts)
• Install the xampp and open it. It will look like this.
• Then You can start the apache server.
  
• If you can't start the apache server and getting error like this.
  
• Then follow these steps (we are going to change the apache server port number)
• click on the config button and select Apache(Httpd.conf)
• Then it will open a config file from notepad
• Then find  'Listen 8080'
• Then change the 8080 to 8081 or 8082 and save the file and start the server
• After start the just open the browser and put this URL 'localhost' or if you change the (port) 8080 to 8081 then URL should be like this 'localhost:8081'. The you'll be able to see this page.
  
• That's all. Now you can develop PHP web applications, \\//

Important

Go to the xampp install directory and find a folder call 'htdocs'. This is the server root folder. So You better to create a folder and inside that folder you need to develop you php application. Because if you create php files inside the root folder some time you will not be able to use xampp default page. SO keep it in your mind.