Easy PHP Tools and Instructions
Easy PHP download resources, tips, tools and tutorials for those who want to learn one of the most prevalent programming languages on the web and deliver a better visitor experience on their own website or blog. Over 20 million websites currently utilize this script programming code and it's not quite as intimidating as you might have thought. Once you sift through all the technical information, you'll find all the help you need to start learning PHP scripting in no time.
I am fairly adept at HTML, I can even write a CSS style sheet if I have to, but I had no previous experience with PHP - in fact, I didn't even know what it was or whether or not it was available to just anyone. Were only IT programmers allowed access? No, as I soon discovered. It's available under a PHP license - and it's completely free.
(Credit to hetemeel.com for their PHP script for dynamic images.)
PHP in Plain English
What is PHP?
PHP is a scripting language used on the server side of a website to generate web pages more quickly, to produce real-time data from databases for use in those web pages, and to improve a visitor's experience on a website. I know - that sounds pretty technical so let's walk through an example.
You're an aspiring online entrepreneur with an online store. You've written the CSS and HTML for your website. You have a nice layout, a header with your logo, some sidebars, images, and a description of your website on the home page. You're running a special on a particular product and it's selling really well but you think you could do better. If only your new visitors could see how many orders have already been placed, maybe they'd feel more confident ordering as well.
You could use some HTML to put a box in the upper corner of your web page to show the current number of product orders, updating that box each time you receive a new order but that seems awfully time consuming.
You could decide to go in once a day, maybe every other day, and take a few minutes to update the number in that box. Of course, returning visitors might see that number hasn't changed in a day or two and think the product isn't selling as well as it is and that's not the impression you want to give either.
Here's where a PHP script comes in handy: Your total orders are stored somewhere in your server files. You write a PHP script that tells your server to go and grab the latest total order count and throw it on the web page each time a new visitor arrives.
Using an easy PHP code to retrieve real time information from your server and display it on your web page with no additional programming is a huge time saver!
PHP scripts can do so much more than this, though. They can grab information from your own site's server, another server to which you have access, and they can even gather information for you and store it in a file.
With PHP, you can create scripts to include forms on your website with which you can gather information from your site members. You can customize a closing message when a visitor has filled out the form. You can even customize your pages for each type of visitor so that returning visitors see something different than new visitors.
Providing real time information to customers and customizing your website for certain actions or visitors can greatly improve how customers feel about visiting your website.
Photo used under Creative Commons from bixentro.
PHP Basics
Examples
I learn better by seeing real examples. Just understanding that PHP was a scripting language wasn't enough for me. I wanted to see elements of the code. After seeing some easy PHP download examples I understand the concept is similar to HTML. There are opening tags (<?php), closing tags (?>), and commands that go in between those tags. The language is different, maybe a little intimidating at first, but not impossible to understand with the right tools.
A simple piece of PHP code with HTML:
<html>
<head>
<title>I Can Script in PHP</title>
</head>
<body>
<?php
echo "You can, too.";
?>
</body>
</html>
If you installed this easy piece of PHP code as the index page for your website, it would display the words You can, too. at the top right of your web page.
If, like me, you use WordPress for your website, you will likely see PHP code if you've ever gone in to edit the template files for your theme. Any of those that end in the file extension .php are PHP files. Just looking that over will give you some idea of what can be done with some easy php download code.
Photo used under Creative Commons from roland.
Getting Started with PHP
Finding a PHP Editor
While you can begin writing PHP code in notepad, save it as a .php file extension, put it on your PHP supported server and go, you risk serious consequences to your site if your code is not clean and valid. If not done properly, you'll have "broken" scripts meaning your pages won't look right or, worse, your site could be open to hackers. There are two ways you can write PHP more effectively to be sure your site is safe.
USE A PHP EDITOR: To get started, make sure the server on which your website sits supports PHP. Your web hosting service can tell give you this information. Then pick a PHP editing package. This will help you write the actual code, debug it, and make sure it's valid. Based on an article from Smashing Magazine, I decided to download NetBeans 6.5 IDE.
(Note: The Smashing Magazine article linked to a ranking of all of the editors included in their review and they referenced NetBeans 7.0 but NetBeans' own site only allows a download of 6.5. The features listed were nearly the same. This seemed to have the most options and the most stable code. It was also available with some added software packs like Java scripting and mobile app development. I chose to install the All option.)
Tip: It was easy to download this PHP editor but did take my relatively fast laptop a good 7 minutes. I missed the note that I'd need a JDK (Java Developer's Kit) file download first so I had to redo the download. Save yourself a step, visit Java's site and download the appropriate developer's kit for your operating system before starting the download for NetBeans.
TEST CODE ON YOUR LOCAL MACHINE: If you download a complete package, like NetBeans or Xampp, you can manipulate your desktop or laptop to act like a web server and show you what your code will look like and how it will act on your own browser. You can still use a PHP editor, but you'll need to make sure you've also downloaded PHP, MySQL, Apache and any other relevant software. An article on The Site Wizard will walk you through step-by-step instructions on how to download all the necessary software and configure your computer to run easy PHP tests.
A Note On Web Hosts:
For my website, a blog, I chose BLUEHOST as my web hosting service. I spent hours researching reviews (most of which turned out to be ads) and compared services and benefits of multiple hosting providers before settling on BlueHost. I've been with them for almost four months and have never experienced any downtime or any site issues whatsoever. Setup was simple, the information I needed to get started was readily available and easy to understand, servers support PHP, and I have unlimited space and file transfer capacity all for $6.95/month.
Easy PHP Tutorial Available Online
Start learning PHP now
Having the right software, is part of the equation. Knowing how to write and download PHP code is the next step. Teaching you the code would take more than just this page of information. Here's a great resource you can use immediately:
Robert Plank has put together a tutorial set that includes an ebook with over 140 pages of scripting lessons and comes with over two hours of online video tutorials. This makes a huge difference in learning a new programming code. It wasn't until I watched the YouTube video coming up on this page that I felt most comfortable tackling some PHP coding on my own. Robert's videos and book will walk you step-by-step through writing and downloading a number of scripts that can help you on your website. This package isn't free, but it costs the same as most PHP books you'd find at a bookstore and includes the instructional videos. If you're a visual learner, you know what a difference this can make.
Video Demo PHP and Dreamweaver
Step-by-step form instructions
Watching this video completely put my mind at ease that PHP was not quite as intimidating as I first thought. If you can write HTML, it won't take you long to grasp the concepts of some basic PHP programming. This programmer uses DreamWeaver as the PHP editor. You can purchase DreamWeaver for $399, hence my preference for the free PHP editors.
Send Emails with a Web Form: PHP Scripting
Check this video out at Hi-Res here: http://www.tutvid.com/tutorials/dreamweaver/tutorials/phpFormHandler.php Files are Located here: http://www.tutvid.com/resources/projectFiles/ In the following tutorial we will start with a few html files and we will build an Email Handling PHP script that sends info from your web form to your email! It is pretty easy PHP so enjoy learning and Have fun! I am using Dreamweaver CS3, but you can use pretty much any version of Dreamweaver, just follow closely and try not to make mistakes. Please enjoy and don't forget to check out the site http://www.tutvid.com
curated content from YouTube
Easy PHP Download Resources
Information at the click of a button
- Hot Scripts PHP Download Center
Over 14,000 easy PHP download codes available. Some charge a fee but there were lots of free PHP scripts to choose from, too. Covers all topics: forums, comment sections, image galleries, countdowns, calendars, and more. This site has been up for a long time and there's some old download links on here, too. For each easy PHP download listing you like, check the date it was added, the last update date, and recent reviews/ratings to see if there are any problems. You can then get the code, enter it into your editor and validate that it's accurate. All of this information is available if you click on the individual PHP code listing.
- PHP Code Widget for WordPress
I use WordPress for my domain and found this handy WordPress Plug-In that will let me put PHP code in a widget and install the widget on my sidebar with a few easy steps. Using PHP Code Widget versus a TXT widget makes sure that the server parses the PHP code accurately to reduce any chance of error or broken code.
- PHP's own online tutorial
PHP's official online tutorial will walk you through installing PHP and provides links to the other software you'll need to download to do local web development. There are also instructions for setting up your own form as a first PHP exercise.
- Java Script Kit Article on Combining PHP and Javascript
PHP is a very flexible language and works will with other applications. Developers have been working on combining it with other scripting tools, like Java, although it takes some serious expertise.
PHP Books Online
PHP and MySQL Web Development (4th Edition)
Amazon Price: $34.64 (as of 12/04/2009) 
PHP 6 and MySQL 5 for Dynamic Web Sites: Visual QuickPro Guide
Amazon Price: $29.69 (as of 12/04/2009)
Wicked Cool PHP: Real-World Scripts That Solve Difficult Problems
Amazon Price: $19.77 (as of 12/04/2009)
PHP Suggestions
If you used an easy PHP download for your own site, leave a note here to help future visitors. What kind of script did you use and how has it worked for you?
For Squidoo'ers, check out Gil's lens on Building Squidoo. Guess what they used?
June 2, 2009
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Reply
- Sojourn Sojourn Aug 26, 2009 @ 10:51 am | in reply to Yahoo-Web-Hosting
- I would agree 100% so I'll let you have that link. LOL I have used Blue Host since March of this year. No problems ever. Unlimited domain hosting, lots of server space and great tools for building websites for stores or blogs. Thanks!
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Reply
- Yahoo-Web-Hosting Yahoo-Web-Hosting Aug 26, 2009 @ 10:48 am
- A great web hosting company that support PHP is Bluehost
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Reply
- ChapelHillFiddler ChapelHillFiddler Jun 23, 2009 @ 3:05 am
- Hi Erica, thanks for visiting my donkey's lens and critiquing it, I really appreciate it. This php lens caught my eye because I have two wordpress blogs and am itching to tinker with them, except php is Greek to me. I even bought a book, but the downloading of a whole virtual server is offputting... this lens is clear and inches me closer to the edge...
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Reply
- sandyspider sandyspider Jun 7, 2009 @ 2:09 pm
- Before last year I wouldn't even know what PHP was. But I have been uploading my own websites and learning hands-on about web design and scripting. Thanks for explaining this very well.
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Reply
- ChineseKitesforKids ChineseKitesforKids Jun 7, 2009 @ 12:24 am
- This is great information, thanks for sharing. I love the font the whole thing is written in, it's very easy to read. You're writing style is very engaging. I can see just from this one lens why you're a Rocket Mom. Awesome job! 5*****
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Sojourn's Bio
Lensmaster Sojourn has been a member since February 22 2009, has rated 829 lenses, favorited 287, and has created 116 lenses from scratch. This member's top-ranked page is "Lightning McQueen Games". See all my lenses
by Sojourn
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