PHP for Absolute Beginners

Chapter 2. Understanding PHP: Language Basics

So far you've bypassed the old, cumbersome method of creating a development environment, and you're now ready to start writing code.

But where do you start? In this chapter, I'll cover the steps you need to follow to start using PHP in the creation of powerful, dynamic web applications; you'll also begin to develop the basic skills you need to create your blog.

In this chapter, you'll learn how to accomplish several tasks:

• Embed PHP in web pages

• Send data as output to the browser

• Add comments in your code

• Use variables and understand the datatypes they support

• Use operators to manipulate data

• Use control structures to add power to your scripts

By the end of this chapter, you should be comfortable writing ...