1.1 What Is PHP?
PHP is a popular computer programming language with the following major features:
- Easy to Learn and Use
- PHP draws its syntax from other well known languages such as C, Java
and Perl
- General Purpose
- PHP is suitable for a wide range of projects including online web applications,
desktop GUI applications, interactive console programs, server side scripting,
and stand alone web applications (distributed on a CD).
- Ideal for Web Applications
- PHP can be embedded in HTML and includes support for
interfacing with multiple Web Servers and Databases
- Support
- The popularity of PHP ensures the availability of a great deal of
documentation, instructional articles and a helpful development community
Language Features
- Dynamically Typed
- Variable types (string, int, array, etc) do not have to be declared
before use and any variable can hold any type
- Automatic Memory Management
- Memory will automatically be allocated as needed and freed when no longer in use
- Extensive Runtime API
- PHP includes an extensive runtime library for working with strings,
arrays, files, math, networks, and databases to name a few.
- Multiple Programming Styles
- Supports both the
Object Oriented and
Procedural
programming paradigms