Learn PHP Easily

This is the first post
in a new blog.

This blog is dedicated
to learning PHP easily.

PHP is a programming
language for creating
web pages that are dynamic.

What does that mean?

Basically, a dynamic web
page is one that can
respond to things.

A static web page is
the opposite of a
dynamic web page.

A static web page
is, for the most
part, unresponsive.
What you see is what
you get.

What is meant by a
responsive web page?

It is a web page that
responds to user input.

For example, if a web
page allows you to
fill out a form and
send it in, that is
a responsive web page.
In this context, responsive
means dynamic. The web
page responds to you
dynamically.

So basically, a dynamic
web page is a web page
that responds to you
dynamically whereas a
static web page is a
little bit like a page
in a book or magazine.
It's just there and it
does not respond to you.

So the first thing you
want to know about PHP
is that it is there to
help you make your web
pages dynamic. If you
don't need your web
pages to be dynamic,
you don't need PHP.

There are many many web
pages that are static
web pages and that is
fine. For example, an
About Us page
on a website could easily
be a static web page.

What about a Contact Us
page? Should that be static
or dynamic?

It could be either static or
dynamic.

A Contact Us page could have
just a phone number and an email
address as well as a physical
mailing address.

If that's all a Contact Page
is required to have, then it will
suffice for to be a static web page.

Let's change the scenario.

What if you want to put a fill-out
form on your contact page? What
if you want people contacting you
by filling out a form?

In this case, you are going to want
to make your web page into a dynamic
web page. This is where PHP can
help.

PHP can process the form that web
visitors fill out and send that
form to you via email. You receive
the form in your email.

The use of PHP makes the web page
a dynamic one because now the web
page is responding to the actions
of web visitors.

What action? The action of web
visitors filling out the form
and sending it to you.

So the first thing to understand
about PHP is that it only comes
into play when your web page
transitions from being a static
web page to being a dynamic
web page.

The second thing to understand
about PHP is it is a programming
language that is used to make
web pages respond like computer
programs respond.

The third thing to understand
about PHP is that it is designed
for web pages in particular and
the World Wide Web in general.

If your web pages respond to the
web visiting public in real time,
you may need PHP.

Bank ATM machines respond in real
time. You ask for the money, you
get the money.

So it is with web pages that respond
in real time. PHP is here to respond
to your web visitors in real time.

In general, static web pages only
respond in real time to the links
you click.

Clicking on links that take you from
one static web page to another static
web page will not qualify your pages
as dynamic web pages.

It takes more than this.

If you need more out of your web pages
than just having the links work, you
may need PHP.

In general, any web visitor activity
that goes beyond clicking on links
may be considered dynamic activity
that will sometimes be implemented
using PHP. At other times, it will
be implemented using some other
programming language.

Ed Abbott