Website Development with PHP and MySQL Introduction

Important information Just in case you forgot Steve Wade CW3/

Introduction to the Module This module builds on the Web Authoring module, extending the range of skills and techniques developed to include server-side scripting and database integration.

Assumed knowledge XHTML JavaScript CSS Be able to use Dreamweaver to create a static website

Code Static XHTML – Pages/data do not change without designer input – All users see the same page Client side script (e.g. JavaScript) – Data still stays the same – Some customisation possible (e.g. colours, image changes) – Validation of user input Server side script (e.g. CGI, ASP, PHP, ColdFusion) – Pages can be ‘made’ on the fly based on variables (e.g. search input, previous choices made by the user on their last visit, inputs from other sites or databases) – Page is constructed at the server end, then sent as simple html to the client

How does it work? HTML First consider an HTML page: – You go to a webpage e.g. – The browser goes and find the Uni. website – Once found it sends a request for the index.htm file – The server finds that page and sends it to the browser – Once received the browser looks at the HTML code, reads it and converts it to a pretty, colourful, but static page

How does it work? CGI After HTML came CGI: – HTML is one way (only receives), so something was needed to send information back to the server. forms and CGI (Common Gateway Interface) were created – Forms used to get information from the user, then that information is sent to the server where a separate program is run to deal with it – Great for small apps like a guestbook, but downside is every time someone sends something to the server, a whole instance of the CGI program is created. E.g. 5 people on site equals 5 programs running. Imagine if hundreds of people wanted to connect at the same time?!?

How does it work? Server API’s CGI too slow, so Server Application Programming Interface born. ISAPI is the Microsoft version Similar to CGI, ISAPI much more efficient. Doesn’t launch new version for every visitor

How does it work? ASP/PHP etc And then came ASP/PHP/ColdFusion Solved all the problems of CGI and ISAPI, and they are simpler to learn and easier to use CGI and ISAPI written in Perl or C ASP/PHP/CFM simply write code in the HTML, side by side – As with JavaScript

How does PHP work? You go to a webpage e.g. The browser goes and finds mydomain.com Once found it sends a request for the index.php file The server finds that page and executes it, which means it looks through the pages and runs any code in the page After the code has run, all php is removed from the result (so people cannot steal it) leaving a pure HTML page The HTML page is sent to the browser for rendering

PHP HTML HTTP Web serverClient

Why server side Content sites, catalogues (imagine news.bbc.co.uk with static code?!) Community features (forums etc) (instead of mailto link, have a form on your site to be filled in) Technical support (search your problem, solutions stored/updated in a database) Web delivered business applications (e.g shopping trolleys) Directories (e.g. uni has an online phonebook) Surveys, polls, tests (storing results and generating reports) Personalisation Etc etc…

Alternative Server Side Options ASP.NET (and the older v3.0) – Microsoft – Windows Server ColdFusion – Macromedia – Runs on a windows server with ColdFusion server installed JSP – Java Server Pages

Installing a server on your machine Easier to get a package (Apache, PHP, MySQL) – – (the one I use) –

Inside Uni PHP, MySQL ASP.NET,

Working with Helios There are many different ftp clients that can be used to upload files to a web server. We will be using FileZilla. It is installed on the machines in Canalside West and it is an Open Source application that you can download for free and use at home. Select start>programs>FileZilla FTP Client. FileZilla will open Near the top of the interface enter the following settings Host: helios.hud.ac.uk Username: Your student number e.g. u Password: Date of Birth e.g. 01jan90

Uploading a File Don’t specify a port Click “quick connect”. In the panels beneath, the left hand panel will show the files on the local machine. The right-hand panel will show the files on the server. On the right-hand panel open the web folder On the left hand panel browse to a PHP file you have created Select the file and press ‘enter’, a copy of the PHP file will be transferred the helios server and placed into the web directory

Viewing the Page Open a web browser Enter the following url (but change the student number and name of the file to your own) You should then be viewing the webpage you have just uploaded.

Tutorial tasks Make sure you can access Have a go at the first PHP exercises