PHP & MySQL® Web Development All-in-One Desk Reference for Dummies®

1.3. Choosing Your Development Environment

When you know where your Web site is going to be located, you need to set up your development environment. You don't want to develop your Web site in the location where visitors view it because you don't want them to be able to view your Web pages until they're finished and perfect. Here are the two common places to develop Web pages:

• On the computer where your Web site is hosted: You can create your Web page files on the same computer that provides your Web site to the world. To do this, set up a subdirectory for development purposes. When the files are complete and ready for public viewing, transfer the files to the main Web site directory where the Web pages are viewed by the public.

• On a local computer: You can set up a local computer for development. You can install the Web site software on your local computer. You can then create your Web page files on your computer and view them through your local Web server. When the files are complete to your satisfaction, you can transfer them to your public Web site on the computer that hosts your Web site.

Developing on your local computer is common. You can use your editors and software that you're familiar with. Some people use text editors and some use integrated development environments (IDEs), such as Dreamweaver. However, to develop on your local machine, you need to have a Web server, PHP, and MySQL installed on it. The remaining chapters in this minibook provide detailed instructions ...