PHP in a Nutshell

Now installed on more than 20 million Internet domains around the world, PHP is an undisputed leader in web programming languages. Database connectivity, powerful extensions, and rich object-orientation are all reasons for its popularity, but nearly everyone would agree that, above all, PHP is one of the easiest languages to learn and use for developing dynamic web applications. The ease of development and simplicity of PHP, combined with a large community and expansive repository of open source PHP libraries, make it a favorite of web designers and developers worldwide.

PHP in a Nutshell is a complete reference to the core of the language as well as the most popular PHP extensions. This book doesn't try to compete with or replace the widely available online documentation. Instead, it is designed to provide depth and breadth that can't be found elsewhere. PHP in a Nutshell provides the maximum information density on PHP, without all the fluff and extras that get in the way. The topic grouping, tips, and examples in this book complement the online guide and make this an essential reference for every PHP programmer. This book focuses on the functions commonly used by a majority of developers, so you can look up the information you need quickly. Topics include:

• Object-oriented PHP
  
• Networking
  
• String manipulation
  
• Working with files
  
• Database interaction
  
• XML
  
• Multimedia creation
  
• Mathematics

Whether you're just getting started or have years of experience in PHP development, PHP in a Nutshell is a valuable addition to your desk library.

 

 

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Preface 
1. Introduction to PHP

      PHP History 

      Advantages of PHP 

      Getting Help 

      Getting Certified 

      PHP Resources 
 
2. Installing PHP

      Installing on Windows 

      Installing on Unix 

      Testing Your Configuration 

      System Configuration 

 
 
 
3. The PHP Interpreter

      Running PHP Scripts 

      Extending PHP 

      PEAR 

      Abnormal Script Termination 

 
4. The PHP Language

      The Basics of PHP 

      Variables 

      Whitespace 

      Heredoc 

      Brief Introduction to Variable Types 

      Code Blocks 

      Opening and Closing Code Islands 

      Comments 

      Conditional Statements 

      Case Switching 

      Loops 

      Infinite Loops 

      Special Loop Keywords 

      Loops Within Loops 

      Mixed-Mode Processing 

      Including Other Files 

      Functions 

5. Variables and Constants

      Types of Data 

      True or False 

      Strings 

      Integers 

      Floats 

      Automatic Type Conversion 

      Checking Whether a Variable Is Set: isset(  ) 

      Variable Scope 

      Variable Variables 

      Superglobals 

      Using $_ENV and $_SERVER 

      References 

      Constants 

      Arrays 

6. Operators

      Arithmetic Operators 

      Assignment Operators 

      String Operators 

      Bitwise Operators 

      Comparison Operators 

      Incrementing and Decrementing Operators 

      Logical Operators 

      Some Operator Examples 

      The Ternary Operator 

      The Execution Operator 

      Operator Precedence and Associativity 

7. Function Reference

      Undocumented Functions 

      Handling Non-English Characters 

8. Object-Oriented PHP

      Conceptual Overview 

      Classes 

      Objects 

      Properties 

      The `this' Variable 

      Objects Within Objects 

      Access Control Modifiers 

      Object Type Information 

      Class Type Hints 

      Constructors and Destructors 

      Copying Objects 

      Comparing Objects with == and === 

      Saving Objects 

      Magic Methods 

      Static Class Methods and Properties 

      Helpful Utility Functions 

      Interfaces 

      Dereferencing Object Return Values 

9. HTML Forms

      What Does It Mean to Be Dynamic? 

      Designing a Form 

      Handling Data 

      Splitting Forms Across Pages 

      Validating Input 

      Form Design 

      Summary 

10. Cookies and Sessions

      Cookies Versus Sessions 

      Using Cookies 

      Using Sessions 

      Storing Complex Data Types 

11. Output Buffering

      Why Use Output Buffering? 

      Getting Started 

      Reusing Buffers 

      Stacking Buffers 

      Flushing Stacked Buffers 

      Reading Buffers 

      Other OB Functions 

      Flushing Output 

      Compressing Output 

      URL Rewriting 

12. Security

      Security Tips 

      Encryption 

13. Files

      Reading Files 

      Creating and Changing Files 

      Moving, Copying, and Deleting Files 

      Other File Functions 

      Checking Whether a File Exists 

      Retrieving File Time Information 

      Dissecting Filename Information 

      Handling File Uploads 

      Locking Files with flock(  ) 

      Reading File Permissions and Status 

      Changing File Permissions and Ownership 

      Working with Links 

      Working with Directories 

      Remote Files 

      File Checksums 

      Parsing a Configuration File 

14. Databases

      Using MySQL with PHP 

      PEAR::DB 

      SQLite 

      Persistent Connections 

      MySQL Improved 

15. Regular Expressions

      Basic Regexps with preg_match(  ) and preg_match_all(  ) 

      Regexp Character Classes 

      Regexp Special Characters 

      Words and Whitespace Regexps 

      Storing Matched Strings 

      Regular Expression Replacements 

      Regular Expression Syntax Examples 

      The Regular Expressions Coach 

16. Manipulating Images

      Getting Started 

      Choosing a Format 

      Getting Arty 

      More Shapes 

      Complex Shapes 

      Outputting Text 

      Loading Existing Images 

      Color and Image Fills 

      Adding Transparency 

      Using Brushes 

      Basic Image Copying 

      Scaling and Rotating 

      Points and Lines 

      Special Effects Using imagefilter(  ) 

      Interlacing an Image 

      Getting an Image's MIME Type 

17. Creating PDFs

      Getting Started 

      Adding More Pages and More Style 

      Adding Images 

      PDF Special Effects 

      Adding Document Data 

18. Creating Flash

      A Simple Movie 

      Flash Text 

      Actions 

      Animation 

19. XML & XSLT

      SimpleXML 

      Transforming XML Using XSLT 

20. Network Programming

      Sockets 

      HTTP 

      Sending Mail 

      Curl 

21. Distributing Your Code

      Cross-Platform Code 1: Loading Extensions 

      Cross-Platform Code 2: Using Extensions 

      Cross-Platform Code 3: Path and Line Separators 

      Cross-Platform Code 4: Coping with php.ini Differences 

      Cross-Platform Code 5: Checking the PHP Versionwith phpversion(  ) and version_compare(  ) 

22. Debugging

      The Most Basic Debugging Technique 

      Making Assertions 

      Triggering Your Own Errors 

      Testing with php_check_syntax(  ) 

      Source Highlighting 

      Handling MySQL Errors 

      Exception Handling 

      Backtracing Your Code 

      Custom Error Handlers 

      Custom Exception Handlers 

      Using @ to Disable Errors 

      phpinfo(  ) 

      Output Style 

23. Performance

      Write Your Code Sensibly 

      Use the Zend Optimizer 

      Use a PHP Code Cache 

      Compress Your Output 

      Don't Use CGI 

      Debug Your Code 

      Use Persistent Connections 

      Compile Right 
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