All PHP code must be included inside one of the three special markup tags ate are recognised by the PHP Parser.

<?php PHP code goes here ?>

<?    PHP code goes here ?>

<script language="php"> PHP code goes here </script>

A most common tag is the <?php...?> and we will also use the same tag in our tutorial.

From the next chapter we will start with PHP Environment Setup on your machine and then we will dig out almost all concepts related to PHP to make you comfortable with the PHP language.
PHP Environment Setup

We have set up the PHP Programming environment on-line, so that you can compile and execute all the available examples on line. It gives you confidence in what you are reading and enables you to verify the programs with different options. Feel free to modify any example and execute it on-line.

<html>

   <head>

      <title>Online PHP Script Execution</title>

   </head>

   <body>

      <?php

         echo "<h1>Hello, PHP!</h1>";

      ?>

   </body>

</html>

In order to develop and run PHP Web pages three vital components need to be installed on your computer system.

·        Web Server − PHP will work with virtually all Web Server software, including Microsoft's Internet Information Server (IIS) but then most often used is freely available Apache Server. Download Apache for free here − http://httpd.apache.org/download.cgi

·        Database − PHP will work with virtually all database software, including Oracle and Sybase but most commonly used is freely available MySQL database. Download MySQL for free here −http://www.mysql.com/downloads/

·        PHP Parser − In order to process PHP script instructions a parser must be installed to generate HTML output that can be sent to the Web Browser. This tutorial will guide you how to install PHP parser on your computer.

PHP Parser Installation

Before you proceed it is important to make sure that you have proper environment setup on your machine to develop your web programs using PHP.

Type the following address into your browser's address box.

http://127.0.0.1/info.php

If this displays a page showing your PHP installation related information then it means you have PHP and Webserver installed properly. Otherwise you have to follow given procedure to install PHP on your computer.

This section will guide you to install and configure PHP over the following four platforms −

·        PHP Installation on Linux or Unix with Apache

·        PHP Installation on Mac OS X with Apache

·        PHP Installation on Windows NT/2000/XP with IIS

·        PHP Installation on Windows NT/2000/XP with Apache

Apache Configuration

If you are using Apache as a Web Server then this section will guide you to edit Apache Configuration Files.

Just Check it here − PHP Configuration in Apache Server

PHP.INI File Configuration

The PHP configuration file, php.ini, is the final and most immediate way to affect PHP's functionality.

Just Check it here − PHP.INI File Configuration

Windows IIS Configuration

To configure IIS on your Windows machine you can refer your IIS Reference Manual shipped along with IIS.