Ubuntu 7.10 Linux Unleashed, Third Edition

Chapter 25. Writing PHP Scripts

<feature><title>In This Chapter</title>

• Introduction to PHP

• Basic Functions

• Handling HTML Forms

• Databases

• Reference

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This chapter introduces you to the world of PHP programming, from the point of view of using it as a web scripting language and as a command-line tool. PHP originally stood for personal home page because it was a collection of Perl scripts designed to ease the creation of guest books, message boards, and other interactive scripts commonly found on home pages. However, since those early days, it has received two major updates (PHP 3 and PHP 4), plus a substantial revision in PHP 5, which is the version bundled with Ubuntu.

Part of the success of PHP has been its powerful integration with databases—its ...