PHP Programming

PHP programming focuses on developing dynamic and interactive web applications using server-side scripting. This PHP programming course helps developers build database-driven websites, process forms, manage sessions, work with APIs, and create practical web solutions.

 

Duration 5 Days – 35 hrs.

 

Overview

This course provides participants with a practical foundation in PHP programming for developing dynamic, database-driven web applications. It covers PHP syntax, control structures, functions, object-oriented programming, form processing, database integration, session management, security, error handling, and application deployment.

Participants will complete guided exercises and build a functional web application using PHP and MySQL or MariaDB. The course focuses primarily on core PHP concepts that can later support progression to frameworks such as Laravel or Symfony.

 

Learning Objectives

• Explain how PHP works within a web application environment
• Set up and configure a local PHP development environment
• Apply PHP syntax, variables, data types, operators, and expressions
• Use conditional statements and loops to control application logic
• Create reusable functions and organize PHP source code
• Work with strings, arrays, dates, and common built-in functions
• Process HTML forms and validate user input
• Apply object-oriented programming principles in PHP
• Connect PHP applications to MySQL or MariaDB using PDO
• Perform database create, read, update, and delete operations
• Manage sessions, cookies, and user authentication
• Apply fundamental web application security practices
• Handle errors and exceptions effectively
• Build and deploy a basic database-driven PHP application

 

Target Audience 

• Aspiring PHP and web developers
• Junior software developers
• Front-end developers transitioning to back-end development
• Application developers requiring PHP knowledge
• IT professionals supporting PHP-based systems
• Technical support and quality assurance professionals
• Students and career shifters interested in web development

 

Prerequisites 

• Basic computer and file-management skills
• Basic understanding of websites and web browsers
• Familiarity with HTML and CSS
• Basic programming or scripting knowledge is helpful but not mandatory
• Basic SQL knowledge is helpful but not required

 

Technical Requirements

Each participant should have access to:

• A laptop or desktop computer with administrator privileges
• A modern web browser
• A code editor, such as Visual Studio Code
• A PHP development environment, such as XAMPP, WampServer, MAMP, Docker, or an equivalent setup
• PHP 8.x or the organization’s supported PHP version
• Apache or Nginx web server
• MySQL or MariaDB
• Internet access for downloading packages and accessing documentation, where permitted

Course Outline

 

Day 1 – PHP and Web Development Fundamentals

Module 1: Introduction to PHP 

• Overview and common uses of PHP
• PHP in modern web development
• Client-side versus server-side programming
• How web servers process PHP requests
• PHP versions and compatibility considerations
• Overview of the PHP development ecosystem
• Introduction to PHP documentation and community resources

Module 2: Setting Up the Development Environment 

• Installing and configuring PHP
• Setting up Apache or an equivalent web server
• Setting up MySQL or MariaDB
• Using an integrated development package
• Configuring a code editor
• Understanding project and document-root directories
• Creating and running the first PHP script
• Using the PHP development server
• Basic PHP configuration using php.ini

 Module 3: PHP Syntax and Basic Programming 

• PHP opening and closing tags
• Statements, code blocks, and comments
• Variables and naming conventions
• Constants
• PHP data types
• Type declarations and type casting
• Operators and expressions
• String interpolation and concatenation
• Displaying output
• Basic debugging using var_dump() and print_r()

 Module 4: Decision-Making and Loops 

• Boolean expressions
• if, elseif, and else
• switch and match
• Comparison and logical operators
• Null coalescing and conditional operators
• while and do-while loops
• for and foreach loops
• break and continue

       Hands-On Exercises

• Create and execute PHP scripts
• Perform calculations using variables and operators
• Develop conditional and repetitive processing logic
• Generate dynamic HTML content using PHP

 

Day 2 – Functions, Arrays, Strings, and Modular Programming

Module 5: Working with Functions 

• Defining and calling functions
• Function parameters and arguments
• Default and named arguments
• Returning values
• Variable scope
• Pass-by-value and pass-by-reference
• Anonymous functions and arrow functions
• Type declarations and return types
• Reusable programming practices

 Module 6: Arrays and Data Processing 

• Indexed arrays
• Associative arrays
• Multidimensional arrays
• Adding, updating, and removing array elements
• Traversing arrays
• Sorting and filtering arrays
• Common array functions
• Array destructuring
• Processing structured data

 Module 7: Strings, Numbers, and Dates 

• Creating and manipulating strings
• Searching and replacing string content
• String formatting
• Regular-expression fundamentals
• Numeric operations and formatting
• Date and time handling
• Time zones
• Common date and time functions

 Module 8: Organizing PHP Applications 

• Using include, require, include_once, and require_once
• Separating application logic from presentation
• Creating reusable headers, footers, and components
• PHP namespaces
• Autoloading concepts
• Introduction to Composer
• Basic project folder structure
• Coding standards and naming conventions

       Hands-On Exercises

• Create reusable functions
• Process and display array-based data
• Build reusable page components
• Organize a small PHP application into multiple files

 

Day 3 – Forms, File Handling, and Object-Oriented PHP

Module 9: HTML Forms and Request Processing 

• Understanding HTTP requests and responses
• GET and POST methods
• Accessing request data
• Working with PHP superglobal variables
• Building and processing HTML forms
• Required and optional fields
• Server-side input validation
• Sanitizing user input
• Preserving submitted form values
• Displaying validation messages
• Redirecting users after form submission

 Module 10: File and Directory Handling 

• Reading and writing text files
• Opening and closing files
• File and directory operations
• Processing CSV files
• Uploading files
• Validating file type and size
• Secure file naming and storage
• Handling file-upload errors

 Module 11: Object-Oriented Programming in PHP 

• Procedural versus object-oriented programming
• Classes and objects
• Properties and methods
• Constructors and destructors
• Visibility: public, protected, and private
• Encapsulation
• Inheritance
• Method overriding
• Abstract classes and interfaces
• Static properties and methods
• Traits
• Type hints and nullable types

       Hands-On Exercises

• Develop a validated registration form
• Process a file upload securely
• Create PHP classes representing application entities
• Refactor procedural code into object-oriented components

 

Day 4 – PHP Database Programming

Module 12: Database and SQL Fundamentals 

• Relational database concepts
• Tables, records, columns, and keys
• Primary and foreign keys
• Basic database design
• Introduction to SQL
• SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, and DELETE
• Filtering, sorting, and joining data
• Database normalization fundamentals

 Module 13: Connecting PHP to a Database 

• Overview of PHP database extensions
• Introduction to PHP Data Objects
• Creating database connections using PDO
• Connection configuration
• Handling connection errors
• Executing database queries
• Fetching single and multiple records
• Using different fetch modes
• Closing and managing connections

 Module 14: Secure CRUD Operations 

• Creating database records
• Reading and displaying records
• Updating existing records
• Deleting records
• Prepared statements
• Named and positional parameters
• Preventing SQL injection
• Validating database input
• Database transactions
• Pagination and basic search functionality

 Module 15: Data Access Architecture 

• Separating database logic from presentation
• Creating reusable database classes
• Introduction to repositories and data-access objects
• Managing configuration settings
• Using environment variables
• Avoiding hard-coded credentials

       Hands-On Exercises

• Connect a PHP application to MySQL or MariaDB
• Build a database-driven records page
• Implement secure CRUD operations
• Add search, filtering, and pagination

 

Day 5 – Sessions, Security, Error Handling, and Capstone Project

Module 16: Sessions, Cookies, and Authentication 

• HTTP state-management concepts
• Creating and reading cookies
• Starting and managing sessions
• Storing session data
• Session expiration and logout
• Building a basic login system
• Password hashing and verification
• Role-based access fundamentals
• Protecting restricted pages

 Module 17: PHP Web Application Security 

• Common web application security risks
• Cross-site scripting prevention
• Cross-site request forgery protection
• SQL injection prevention
• Secure password management
• Input validation and output escaping
• Secure session and cookie configuration
• File-upload security
• Protecting configuration and sensitive information
• Security headers and HTTPS considerations

 Module 18: Error Handling, Logging, and Debugging 

• PHP error types
• Development versus production error settings
• Error reporting and display configuration
• Exceptions and try-catch-finally
• Creating and throwing exceptions
• Application logging
• Debugging techniques
• Troubleshooting common PHP errors
• Introduction to testing concepts

  Module 19: Application Deployment and Maintenance 

• Preparing an application for deployment
• Environment-specific configuration
• Managing dependencies with Composer
• Web server and directory considerations
• File and folder permissions
• Database migration and backup considerations
• Performance and caching fundamentals
• Application maintenance and version-control practices
• Introduction to PHP frameworks and recommended next steps

 Module 20: Capstone Project 

Participants will build a small database-driven PHP application incorporating:

• Structured PHP project files
• Object-oriented programming
• Validated HTML forms
• Secure CRUD operations
• User login and session management
• Search or filtering functionality
• Error handling and user feedback
• Fundamental application security
• Final application testing and presentation