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	PHP/MySQL Tutorial Pt. 1 - Introduction

Solution Definitions and MySQL setup

We provide our clients with access to some of the most powerful technologies in the world, including PHP and MySQL, plus the most popular tool for administering a MySQL database - phpMyAdmin.

This series of tutorials are designed to assist you in getting familiar with PHP, MySQL and phpMyAdmin. We'll include instructions on how to set up a database via the hosting control panel, add tables and fields, add, browse and edit records in your database using phpMyAdmin; plus also take a look at creating input/output forms and pages using PHP.

What is PHP?

PHP is an Open-Source server-side (processing occurs on the server) scripting language for creating dynamic (more responsive to user interaction) web pages. Dynamic Web applications are common in ecommerce, membership and forum web sites where the content displayed is generated from a data file or database.

PHP was created in 1994 by Rasmus Lerdorf. It is estimated that by late 1996 PHP was in use on at least 15,000 web sites around the world. Today, many millions of web sites use the technology. As PHP is Open Source, there is a very strong community to support it and further develop and refine the technology.

What is MySQL?

MySQL is the world's most popular Open Source SQL (Structured Query Language) database management system. A database is a structured collection of data, which may be anything from a list of staff telephone numbers to complex information based on a query. The main benefits of MySQL are speed and robustness. Like PHP, MySQL is a rapidly evolving technology strongly supported by the Open Source community.

MySQL was developed by Michael Widenius in the mid-1990s. It was developed to provide features that were missing from the very few Open Source databases available at the time.

What is phpMyAdmin?

phpMyAdmin is a PHP-based MySQL Administration package. It allows you to create, delete and view databases and tables. It will also allow you to backup and restore databases, plus perform simple and complex queries.

phpMyAdmin was originally created by Tobias Ratschiller and released in 1998. phpMyAdmin is currently one of the most widely used PHP applications.

Bringing it together

Using PHP, MySQL and phpMyAdmin, you have everything you need to create almost any sort of application you can dream up!

Of course, learning it all can take some time, so we'll start you off with an exercise in creating a useful application that will get you on the right track to taking advantage of these powerful technologies.

The goal of this series isn't to confuse you with all the ins and outs of PHP/MySQL, you'll be able to see through the basic example how everything is working. This will either provide you with what you need to do the job, or whet your appetite to learn even more.

Creating your database

First up, you'll need a database. When you set up a database via the control panel interface, it only creates the database itself, not all the tables that will hold your information or the forms for retrieving and/or inputting information - that's for later.

"How to create a database" tutorial.

In the next tutorial in this PHP/MySQL series, we'll take a look at setting up a table within your database and inputting/viewing data using phpMyAdmin. Read the tutorial here.

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Created On:

22 Jan 2008 11:32 PM

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