how to start php : step by step.

============================================
Before we can do the big fancy stuff we must first learn the basics from which we build on.
Start by creating a blank file using any program that can save in plain text format.
==>open note pad
==>Save as .php file for example testpage.php
==>enter the following code :


==> here " echo"Bismillah" indicates print the word "Bismillah"
==>"?>" indicates end point of php tags.
Comments in PHP

In PHP, we use // to make a single-line comment or /* and */ to make a large comment block.

for example:


//This is a comment

/*
This is
a comment
block
*/
?>
One reason you may want to put a comment in your code is to make a note to yourself about what the code is doing for reference when you edit it later. You may also want to put comments in your code if you plan on sharing it with others and want them to understand what it does, or to include your name and terms of use within the script.

how to install

If your server supports PHP you don't need to do anything.

Just create some .php files in your web directory, and the server will parse them for you. Because it is free, most web hosts offer PHP support.

However, if your server does not support PHP, you must install PHP.
Here is a link to a good tutorial from PHP.net on how to install PHP5: http://www.php.net/manual/en/install.php

Download PHP

Download PHP for free here: http://www.php.net/downloads.php

Download MySQL Database

Download MySQL for free here: http://www.mysql.com/downloads/

Download Apache Server

Download Apache for free here: http://httpd.apache.org/download.cgi

Or you can Install wamp which contains whole php,apache,mysql So now we can say Installing PHP is easy. You can install PHP on your computer easily with WAMP5. WAMP5 is an open source application which comes with with PHP5, Apache web server, MySQL database and phpMyAdmin (mysql database administration program). You can install these items on your windows machine using WAMP5. You can read more about WAMP5 at www.wampserver.com.

Installing WAMP5

1. Download the latest version of WAMP5.
2. Run the installation wizard and follow the easy instructions to install WAMP5.
3. Once you're done installing WAMP5, please go to your folder where you installed wamp5. If you didn’t specify which folder to install wamp during the installation wizard, then it should be installed in your C:/ drive, i.e. C:/wamp.
4. In your wamp directory you should see the following folders.
1. apache2 – This is where the apache web server is installed. Apache will run our php code and scripts on the web browser. You will not need to do anything in this folder. So you can relax and ignore it for now:)
2. mysql – This is where MySql databse is installed. MySQL is an open source database. PHP and MySQL work really well together. You can use PHP and MySql to store data. Don’t worry, we will learn how to do all that in our tutorials.
3. php – You guessed it. This is where php modules are stored.
4. www – This is the root folder of our web server. This is where you are going to put all your php files and scripts.
5. wampserver.exe – This file will run the WAMP program. We need to start WAMP everytime we want to work with PHP. So, go ahead and double click on this file.
5. Once you run the wamp server file, you will see a small icon on your windows tray.
   
   
   Right click on this icon and then click on “Start All Services”. This will start the apache web server along with everything we need to run PHP pages on our machine.


That it! You’re almost done.
6. Now open up your web browser and type in http://localhost. You should see the WAMP welcome page.
When you type in http://localhost in your browser, it executes the index.php file in your www folder. All our php files will go in the www folder. Follow the next tutorials to see how that is done.

You have done

Basic Knowledge about php,mysql

What is PHP?
PHP stands for PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor
PHP is a server-side scripting language, like ASP
PHP scripts are executed on the server
PHP supports many databases (MySQL, Informix, Oracle, Sybase, Solid, PostgreSQL, Generic ODBC, etc.)
PHP is an open source software
PHP is free to download and use
What is MySQL?

MySQL is a database server
MySQL is ideal for both small and large applications
MySQL supports standard SQL
MySQL compiles on a number of platforms
MySQL is free to download and use

PHP + MySQL

PHP combined with MySQL are cross-platform (you can develop in Windows and serve on a Unix platform)

Why PHP?

PHP runs on different platforms (Windows, Linux, Unix, etc.)
PHP is compatible with almost all servers used today (Apache, IIS, etc.)
PHP is FREE to download from the official PHP resource: www.php.net
PHP is easy to learn and runs efficiently on the server side

Where to Start?

To get access to a web server with PHP support, you can:

Install Apache (or IIS) on your own server, install PHP, and MySQL
Or find a web hosting plan with PHP and MySQL support