book

PHP and MySQL

Name: PHP and MySQL
ISBN: 9781807786373

by Rheinwerk Publishing, Inc, Christian Wenz, Tobias Hauser

April 2026

Intermediate

1009 pages

34h 15m

English

Packt Publishing

Read now

Unlock full access

Notes on Usage
Table of Contents
Preface
Materials for the Book The Concept The Content About the PHP 8.3 Edition Support
Part I Preparations
1 Introduction to PHP
1.1 History of PHP
1.2 Success and Commitment
1.3 The Concept of PHP
1.4 The Most Important New Features in PHP 8 to 8.4
1.5 The Most Important Features in PHP 7.3
1.6 The Most Important Features in PHP 7

1.7 The Most Important Features in PHP 5.4, 5.5, and 5.6
1.8 Downloads and Documentation
2 Installation
2.1 Install PHP2.1.1 Structure of PHP2.1.2 Windows2.1.3 macOS2.1.4 Linux
2.2 PEAR
2.2.1 Install PEAR2.2.2 PEAR Packages without Installation
3 Testing and Help
3.1 Common Errors3.1.1 The Page Cannot Be Displayed3.1.2 The Website Was Not Found—File Not Found3.1.3 Server Not Found3.1.4 Unable to Initialize Module3.1.5 Module Not Found3.1.6 The Browser Opens a Download Window3.1.7 No Input File Specified (or Something Similar)3.1.8 Call to Undefined Function3.1.9 Internal Server Error3.1.10 VCRUNTIME140.DLL Is Missing3.1.11 White Page in the Browser3.1.12 Extension Does Not Appear in phpinfo()
3.2 Additional Resources
Part II Getting Started with PHP
4 PHP Language Basics
4.1 PHP in HTML4.1.1 Comments4.1.2 Instructions4.1.3 External File
4.2 Output with PHP
4.2.1 Abstract4.2.2 Quotation Marks
4.3 Variables
4.3.1 Data Types4.3.2 Naming4.3.3 Variable Variables4.3.4 Output Variables4.3.5 Useful and Helpful Information4.3.6 Predefined Variables
4.4 Constants
5 Programming
5.1 Operators5.1.1 Arithmetic Operators5.1.2 Comparison Operators5.1.3 Logical Operators5.1.4 Binary Numbers and Bitwise Operators5.1.5 Operators that Step out of Line5.1.6 Ranking of the Operators
5.2 Case Distinctions
5.2.1 "if"5.2.2 "switch"5.2.3 "match"
5.3 Loops
5.3.1 "for"5.3.2 "while"5.3.3 "do-while"
5.4 Jumps
6 Functions and Language Constructs
6.1 Functions6.1.1 Parameters6.1.2 Validity of Variables6.1.3 Return Value6.1.4 Function Names in Variables6.1.5 Anonymous Functions6.1.6 Recursive Functions6.1.7 Type Declarations6.1.8 Enumerations6.1.9 Helpful and Useful Information6.1.10 Functions of PHP
6.2 Language Constructs
6.2.1 "heredoc"6.2.2 "nowdoc"6.2.3 Formatted Strings6.2.4 "print_r" and "var_dump"
7 Strings
7.1 Connect
7.2 Splitting and Joining
7.2.1 Accessing Characters7.2.2 Interrupt Evenly7.2.3 Line Breaks7.2.4 Split into Strings7.2.5 Strings and Arrays
7.3 Upper- and Lowercase
7.4 Pruning
7.4.1 Cut Out Characters7.4.2 Remove Whitespaces
7.5 Search and Replace
7.5.1 Search7.5.2 Replace
7.6 Special Characters, HTML, and the Like
7.6.1 Escaping for Databases7.6.2 Escaping for Regular Expressions7.6.3 HTML7.6.4 URLs
7.7 Compare
7.7.1 Comparison Functions7.7.2 Similarities and Differences7.7.3 Pronunciation
7.8 Helpful and Useful Information
7.8.1 ASCII and Conversion7.8.2 Unicode Code Point7.8.3 Encryption7.8.4 Turn Over7.8.5 Multibyte String Functions
8 Arrays
8.1 Basics8.1.1 Create Arrays8.1.2 Adding and Changing Elements8.1.3 Delete Elements8.1.4 Associative Arrays8.1.5 Shorthand with JSON8.1.6 Multidimensional Arrays
8.2 Arrays and Loops
8.2.1 "for"8.2.2 "foreach"8.2.3 Functions for Iteration
8.3 Examine
8.4 Transform
8.4.1 Adding and Removing8.4.2 Delete and Replace8.4.3 Connect8.4.4 Variables and Arrays8.4.5 Dereferencing8.4.6 Conversion to Parameters
8.5 Search and Sort
8.5.1 Search8.5.2 Sort
8.6 Superglobal Arrays
9 Mathematical and Date Functions
9.1 Math9.1.1 Basics9.1.2 Constants9.1.3 Convert Numbers9.1.4 Random Numbers9.1.5 Maximum, Minimum, and Rounding9.1.6 Radians and More9.1.7 Higher Accuracy
9.2 Date and Time
9.2.1 Current Date with Functions9.2.2 Current Date with "DateTime"9.2.3 Any Date Values9.2.4 Timestamp9.2.5 Format Date9.2.6 Countdown: Calculate with Dates
10 Regular Expressions
10.1 Basics
10.2 Functions for Regular Expressions
10.2.1 "preg_match()"10.2.2 Further Functions10.2.3 Reuse Replacement Strings10.2.4 Modifiers for Search Patterns
10.3 Application Examples
10.3.1 Zip Codes10.3.2 Telephone and Fax Numbers10.3.3 Filter Links
11 Object-Oriented Programming
11.1 History of Object Orientation in PHP
11.2 Classes and Objects: Basic Concepts
11.2.1 Classes and Objects in PHP11.2.2 Properties11.2.3 Methods11.2.4 Inheritance
11.3 Advanced
11.3.1 Clone Objects11.3.2 Constructor11.3.3 Destructor11.3.4 Private, Protected, and So On11.3.5 Interfaces11.3.6 Late Static Binding11.3.7 Abstract Classes11.3.8 Anonymous Classes11.3.9 Constants11.3.10 Overloaded11.3.11 Traits
11.4 Helpful and Useful Information
11.4.1 Error Level11.4.2 "spl_autoload_register()"11.4.3 "__METHOD__"11.4.4 "__toString()"11.4.5 Class Types and "instanceof"11.4.6 Compare Objects11.4.7 Serialize Objects11.4.8 Automated Reading of Objects11.4.9 Iteration11.4.10 Reflection API11.4.11 SPL11.4.12 Native Metadata with Attributes
11.5 Namespaces
11.5.1 Why Namespaces?11.5.2 Working with Namespaces11.5.3 Use Namespaces11.5.4 Determine the Current Namespace11.5.5 Namespaces via Alias
12 Design Patterns: MVC and Co.
12.1 Laminas
12.2 MVC
12.3 Adapter and Factory
Part III Web Techniques
13 Forms
13.1 Preparations
13.2 Forms with PHP
13.2.1 The “Good” Old Days13.2.2 HTTP Methods13.2.3 Text Field(s)13.2.4 Radio Buttons13.2.5 Checkboxes13.2.6 Selection Lists13.2.7 Determine the HTTP Method
13.3 Form Validation
13.3.1 Text Field(s)13.3.2 Radio Buttons13.3.3 Checkboxes13.3.4 Selection Lists13.3.5 More Detailed Error Messages
13.4 Prefill
13.4.1 Preparations13.4.2 Text Fields13.4.3 Radio Buttons13.4.4 Checkboxes13.4.5 Selection Lists
13.5 File Uploads
13.6 Application Examples
13.6.1 JavaScript Form Check13.6.2 Picture Gallery
13.7 Settings
14 Cookies
14.1 Preparations
14.2 Facts and Background
14.2.1 What Is a Cookie?14.2.2 Restrictions14.2.3 The Transparent Surfer?
14.3 Working with Cookies in PHP
14.3.1 Set Cookies14.3.2 Read Cookies14.3.3 Delete Cookies14.3.4 "New" Cookies
14.4 Cookie Test
14.5 Final Considerations
15 Sessions
15.1 Preparations
15.2 Facts, Background, and Configuration
15.2.1 Keep Data15.2.2 Performance
15.3 Working with Sessions in PHP
15.3.1 Write Data15.3.2 Read Out Data15.3.3 Delete Data15.3.4 Configure Sessions
15.4 Protected Area
15.5 Sessions in Databases
15.6 Security Concerns
15.6.1 No Sessions without Cookies!15.6.2 Check the Referrer15.6.3 Change the Session ID15.6.4 Making Cross-Site Request Forgery More Difficult15.6.5 Prevent JavaScript Access to the Session Cookie
16 Email
16.1 Preparations
16.2 Sending Mails with PHP
16.2.1 Standard Mails16.2.2 MIME Mails16.2.3 IMAP and POP
Part IV Databases
17 SQL
17.1 Create Databases and Tables17.1.1 Primary Key17.1.2 Data Types
17.2 Enter Data
17.3 Query Data
17.4 Update Data
17.5 Delete Data
17.6 Special Features
17.6.1 Relational Database Design17.6.2 Joins17.6.3 Aggregate Functions17.6.4 Transactions17.6.5 Stored Procedures
18 PDO
18.1 Preparations
18.2 Database Access with PDO
18.2.1 Connection Setup18.2.2 Queries18.2.3 Return Values18.2.4 Special Features
18.3 Guestbook
18.3.1 Create Table18.3.2 Enter Data18.3.3 Output Data18.3.4 Delete Data18.3.5 Edit Data
19 MySQL
19.1 Preparations
19.2 Database Access with MySQL
19.2.1 Connection Setup19.2.2 Queries19.2.3 Return Values19.2.4 Special Features
19.3 Application Example
19.3.1 Create Table19.3.2 Enter Data19.3.3 Output Data19.3.4 Delete Data19.3.5 Edit Data
19.4 Settings
20 SQLite
20.1 Preparations
20.2 Database Access with SQLite
20.2.1 Connection Setup20.2.2 Queries20.2.3 Return Values20.2.4 Special Features20.2.5 Migration of Old Code
20.3 Application Example
20.3.1 Create Table20.3.2 Enter Data20.3.3 Output Data20.3.4 Delete Data20.3.5 Edit Data
21 Microsoft SQL Server
21.1 Preparations
21.2 Microsoft SQL Server Driver for PHP
21.2.1 Connection Setup21.2.2 Queries21.2.3 Return Values21.2.4 Special Features
21.3 Application Example
21.3.1 Create Table21.3.2 Enter Data21.3.3 Output Data21.3.4 Delete Data21.3.5 Edit Data
22 Oracle
22.1 Preparations
22.2 Database Access with Oracle
22.2.1 Connection Setup22.2.2 Queries22.2.3 Return Values22.2.4 Special Features
22.3 Application Example
22.3.1 Create Table22.3.2 Enter Data22.3.3 Output Data22.3.4 Delete Data22.3.5 Edit Data
23 PostgreSQL
23.1 Preparations
23.2 Database Access with PostgreSQL
23.2.1 Connection Setup23.2.2 Queries23.2.3 Return Values23.2.4 Special Features
23.3 Application Example
23.3.1 Create Table23.3.2 Enter Data23.3.3 Output Data23.3.4 Delete Data23.3.5 Edit Data
23.4 Settings
24 MongoDB
24.1 Preparations
24.2 Database Access with MongoDB
24.2.1 Connection Setup24.2.2 Insert24.2.3 Queries and Return Values24.2.4 Refresh24.2.5 Delete
24.3 Application Example
24.3.1 Create Data Memory24.3.2 Enter Data24.3.3 Output Data24.3.4 Delete Data24.3.5 Edit Data
24.4 Settings
Part V Communication
25 Files
25.1 Preparations
25.2 File Handling with PHP
25.2.1 Working with Files25.2.2 Working with the File System
25.3 Application Examples
25.3.1 Guestbook25.3.2 File Browser
25.4 Settings
26 HTTP and Beyond: Connections to the Outside World
26.1 Preparations
26.2 External Connection with PHP
26.2.1 Streams26.2.2 HTTP Streams26.2.3 PHP Streams26.2.4 Compression Streams
26.3 Fibers
26.4 Application Examples
26.4.1 Text Versions of Web Pages26.4.2 Online Compressor
27 APIs and Services
27.1 Preparation27.1.1 Web Services Basics27.1.2 Installation
27.2 REST
27.3 nuSOAP
27.3.1 Server27.3.2 Client27.3.3 WSDL27.3.4 Conclusion
27.4 PHP-SOAP
27.4.1 Server27.4.2 Client27.4.3 WSDL27.4.4 Conclusion
28 JavaScript
28.1 Preparations
28.2 Connecting JavaScript with PHP
28.2.1 Reading PHP Variables with JavaScript28.2.2 Reading JavaScript Variables with PHP
28.3 Ajax
28.4 WebSockets
28.4.1 Server28.4.2 Client
Part VI Data Formats
29 XML
29.1 Preparations29.1.1 XML Basics29.1.2 Installation
29.2 XML Access
29.2.1 SAX29.2.2 SimpleXML29.2.3 DOM Access29.2.4 Validation29.2.5 XSLT
29.3 XMLReader and XMLWriter
29.3.1 XMLReader29.3.2 XMLWriter
29.4 EXIF
29.4.1 Preparation29.4.2 Implementation
30 Graphics with PHP
30.1 Preparations30.1.1 Installation
30.2 GD 2 in Action
30.2.1 Basic Framework30.2.2 Text30.2.3 Shapes30.2.4 Lines and Styles30.2.5 Output of the Images30.2.6 Image Processing30.2.7 Dynamic Diagram
30.3 The Alternatives
30.3.1 ImageMagick30.3.2 GraphicsMagick30.3.3 NetPBM
31 PDF with PHP
31.1 Preparation31.1.1 TCPDF31.1.2 FPDF31.1.3 Haru
31.2 TCPDF
31.2.1 Basics31.2.2 Cells31.2.3 Lines and Points31.2.4 Pie Chart31.2.5 Write HTML
31.3 FPDF
31.3.1 Basics31.3.2 Drawing
31.4 Conclusion
Part VII Administration and Security
32 Security
32.1 User Input
32.2 XSS
32.3 SQL Injection
32.4 Hidden Fields
32.5 Input Filter
32.6 Cross-Site Request Forgery
32.7 Screen Scraping and Captchas
32.8 Encrypt Passwords
33 Authentication
33.1 Apache Authentication
33.2 IIS Authentication
33.3 HTTP Authentication by Hand
33.4 Standards-Based Authentication
33.4.1 Preparation of the Google Project33.4.2 Access via PHP
33.5 Conclusion
34 Configuration Options in php.ini
34.1 Where to Configure?34.1.1 Storage Location34.1.2 Other Configuration Files
34.2 Configure What?
Part VIII Beyond PHP
35 Troubleshooting with Xdebug
35.1 Debugging by Hand
35.2 Debugging with Xdebug
35.3 Resolution
36 Unit Tests with PHPUnit
36.1 Unit Tests
36.2 Install PHPUnit
36.3 Testing with PHPUnit
37 Apache Functions
37.1 Preparations
37.2 Application Examples
37.2.1 Information about Apache37.2.2 Reading HTTP Headers37.2.3 URI Information37.2.4 Integrate Other Server Technologies37.2.5 Terminate Apache Process
38 Composer
38.1 Install Composer
38.2 Install Packages via Composer
38.3 Customize Your Own Code for Composer
39 PHP Extensions
39.1 Programming
39.2 Compile
39.3 Testing
40 Contribute to PHP
40.1 Patches for PHP40.1.1 Bug Fix40.1.2 New Features
40.2 Further Options
The Authors
Index
Service Pages
Legal Notes

Overview

Master the core principles of PHP and MySQL to build dynamic web applications. Learn how to effectively manage databases and create secure web forms that interact with server-side technologies.

Key Features

Step-by-step guide to mastering PHP and MySQL development.
Practical examples that enhance real-world web development skills.
Emphasis on security practices and database management.

Book Description

PHP and MySQL is an essential guide for both beginner and intermediate developers looking to master web development using PHP and MySQL. The book starts with the basics, including installation, syntax, and testing, providing a solid foundation for those new to programming. It then moves on to cover core PHP concepts such as functions, arrays, strings, and object-oriented programming, giving readers a comprehensive understanding of the language.

As you progress through the chapters, the book dives deeper into more advanced topics, including working with databases using MySQL, PDO, and other database systems like PostgreSQL, Oracle, and MongoDB. It also explores web technologies such as JavaScript, XML, and APIs, empowering readers to create dynamic, data-driven applications.

In the final chapters, the book addresses crucial topics like security, email functionality, session handling, and unit testing with PHPUnit. With practical examples and tips, PHP and MySQL equips developers with the skills needed to build robust web applications, troubleshoot effectively, and contribute to the PHP ecosystem.

What you will learn

Understand the fundamentals of PHP and MySQL databases.
Implement dynamic and interactive web pages using PHP.
Design and manage databases for efficient data storage.
Learn advanced PHP concepts such as classes and functions.
Create and manage forms for data collection and validation.
Connect web applications to databases with PDO.

Who this book is for

This book is ideal for beginner to intermediate web developers who have a basic understanding of programming and are looking to expand their skills. Readers should have a foundational knowledge of HTML and CSS before diving into PHP and MySQL. The book is suitable for those who want to learn server-side programming and work with databases to build functional, dynamic websites. No prior experience with PHP or MySQL is required, but familiarity with web development concepts will be helpful.

Become an O’Reilly member and get unlimited access to this title plus top books and audiobooks from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers, thousands of courses curated by job role, 150+ live events each month,
and much more.

Read now

Unlock full access

More than 5,000 organizations count on O’Reilly

O’Reilly covers everything we've got, with content to help us build a world-class technology community, upgrade the capabilities and competencies of our teams, and improve overall team performance as well as their engagement.

Julian F.

Head of Cybersecurity

I wanted to learn C and C++, but it didn't click for me until I picked up an O'Reilly book. When I went on the O’Reilly platform, I was astonished to find all the books there, plus live events and sandboxes so you could play around with the technology.

Addison B.

Field Engineer

I’ve been on the O’Reilly platform for more than eight years. I use a couple of learning platforms, but I'm on O'Reilly more than anybody else. When you're there, you start learning. I'm never disappointed.

Amir M.

Data Platform Tech Lead

I'm always learning. So when I got on to O'Reilly, I was like a kid in a candy store. There are playlists. There are answers. There's on-demand training. It's worth its weight in gold, in terms of what it allows me to do.

Mark W.

Embedded Software Engineer

Publisher Resources

ISBN: 9781807786373

Cloud Computing

Data Engineering

Data Science

AI & ML

Programming Languages

Software Architecture

IT/Ops

Security

Design

Business

Soft Skills