Chapter 02

Chapter 2
How to code
a PHP application
Murach's PHP and MySQL, C2 © 2010, Mike Murach & Associates, Inc. Slide 1
Objectives
Applied
1. Given the specifications for a PHP application that requires only
the skills and language elements presented in this chapter, code,
test, and debug the application. That includes these skills:
 Creating variables with valid names and assigning values to
them
 Using literals and concatenating strings
 Using the built-in $_GET and $_POST arrays
 Using echo statements to display data on a page
 Coding string and numeric expressions
 Using compound assignment operators
 Using the built-in number_format, date, isset, empty, and
is_numeric functions
Objectives (continued)
Applied (continued)
 Coding conditional expressions
 Coding if, while, and for statements
 Using built-in functions like include and require to pass
control to another page
2. Access and use the online PHP documentation.
Knowledge
1. Explain how PHP is embedded within an HTML document.
2. Distinguish between PHP statements and comments.
3. Describe these PHP data types: integer, double, Boolean, and
string.
4. List the rules for creating a PHP variable name.
5. Describe the code for declaring a variable and assigning a value to
it.
6. Describe the use of the built-in $_GET and $_POST arrays.
7. Describe the use of the echo statement.
8. Describe the rules for evaluating an arithmetic expression,
including order of precedence and the use of parentheses.
Knowledge (continued)
9. Describe the use of these built-in functions: number_format, date,
isset, is_numeric, include, and require.
10. Describe the rules for evaluating a conditional expression,
including order of precedence and the use of parentheses.
11. Describe the flow of control of an if, while, or for statement.
A PHP file that includes HTML and embedded PHP
<?php
// get the data from the request
$first_name = $_GET['first_name'];
$last_name = $_GET['last_name'];
?>
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional
...>
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
<head>
<title>Name Test</title>
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"
href="main.css"/>
</head>
<body>
<h2>Welcome</h2>
<p>First name: <?php echo $first_name; ?></p>
<p>Last name: <?php echo $last_name; ?></p>
</body>
</html>
The PHP file displayed in a browser
PHP code: comments and statements
<?php
/*********************************************
* This program calculates the discount for a
* price that's entered by the user
********************************************/
// get the data from the form

$list_price = $_GET['list_price'];
// calculate the discount

$discount_percent = .20; // 20% discount
$discount_amount =
$subtotal * $discount_percent;
$discount_price =
$subtotal - $discount_amount;
?>
Another way to code single-line comments

# calculate the discount
$discount_percent = .20; # 20% discount
Syntax rules
 PHP statements end with a semicolon.
 PHP ignores extra whitespace in statements.
The six PHP data types

integer
double
boolean
string
array
object
Integer values (whole numbers)
15 // an integer
-21 // a negative integer
Double values (numbers with decimal positions)

21.5 // a floating-point value
-124.82 // a negative floating-point value
The two Boolean values

true // equivalent to true, yes, or on
false // equivalent to false, no, or off
String values
'Ray Harris' // a string with single quotes
"Ray Harris" // a string with double quotes
'' // an empty string
null // a NULL value
Double values that use scientific notation
3.7e9 // equivalent to 3700000000
4.5e-9 // equivalent to 0.0000000037
-3.7e9 // equivalent to -3700000000
How assign string expressions
Use single quotes to improve PHP efficiency
$first_name = 'Bob';
$last_name = 'Roberts';
Assign NULL values and empty strings

$address2 = ''; // an empty string
$address2 = null; // a NULL value
Use double quotes for variable substitution

$name = "Name: $first_name"; // Name: Bob
$name = "$first_name $last_name"; // Bob Roberts
Mix single and double quotes for special purposes

$last_name = "O'Brien"; // O'Brien
$line = 'She said, "Hi."'; // She said, "Hi."
Using the assignment operator (=)
as you declare a variable and give it a value
$count = 10; // an integer literal
$list_price = 9.50; // a double literal
$first_name = 'Bob'; // a string literal
$first_name = "Bob"; // a string literal
$is_valid = false; // a Boolean literal
$product_count = $count; // $product_count is 10

$price = $list_price; // $price is 9.50
$name = $first_name; // $name is "Bob"
$is_new = $is_valid; // $is_new is FALSE
Rules for creating variable names
 Variable names are case-sensitive.
 Variable names can contain letters, numbers, and underscores.
 Variable names can’t contain special characters.
 Variable names can’t begin with a digit or two underscores.
 Variable names can’t use names that are reserved by PHP such as
the variable named $this that’s reserved for use with objects.
How to declare a constant
define('MAX_QTY', 100); // an integer constant
define('PI', 3.14159265); // a double constant
define('MALE', 'm'); // a string constant
Using a constant
 Since the value of a constant can’t be changed, don’t code the $
when you declare it or use it.
 Most programmers use all caps for constants.
How to use the concatenation operator (.)
How to use the concatenation operator for simple joins
$first_name = 'Bob';
$last_name = 'Roberts';
$name = 'Name: ' . $first_name; // Name: Bob
$name = $first_name . ' ' . $last_name; // Bob Roberts
How to join a number to a string

$price = 19.99;
$price_string = 'Price: ' . $price; // Price: 19.99
The syntax for the echo statement
echo string_expression;
How to use an echo statement within HTML

<p>Name: <?php echo $name; ?></p>
How to use an echo statement to output HTML

tags and data
<?php
echo '<p>Name: ' . $name . '</p>';
?>
Common arithmetic operators
Operator Example Result
+ 5 + 7 12
- 5 - 12 -7
* 6 * 7 42
/ 13 / 4 3.25
% 13 % 4 1
++ $counter++ adds 1 to counter
-- $counter-- subtracts 1 from counter
Some simple numeric expressions
$x = 14;
$y = 8;
$result = $x + $y; // 22
$result = $x - $y; // 6
$result = $x * $y; // 112
$result = $x / $y; // 1.75
$result = $x % $y; // 6
$x++; // 15
$y--; // 7
The order of precedence
Order Operators Direction
1 ++ Left to right
2 -- Left to right
3 * / % Left to right
4 + - Left to right
Order of precedence and the use of parentheses

3 + 4 * 5 // 23
(3 + 4) * 5 // 35
The compound assignment operators

.= Append a string expression to the variable
+=
-=
*=
/=
%=
Two ways to append string data to a variable
The standard assignment operator
$name = 'Ray ';
$name = $name . 'Harris'; // 'Ray Harris'
A compound assignment operator

$name = 'Ray ';
$name .= 'Harris'; // 'Ray Harris'
Three ways to increment a counter variable
The standard assignment operator
$count = 1;
$count = $count + 1;
The compound assignment operator

$count = 1;
$count += 1;
The increment operator

$count = 1;
$count++;
More examples
How to append numeric data to a string variable
$message = 'Months: ';
$months = 120;
$message .= $months; // 'Months: 120'
How to work with numeric data

$subtotal = 24.50;
$subtotal += 75.50; // 100
$subtotal *= .9; // 90 (100 * .9)
A function for formatting numbers
number_format($number[, $decimals])
Statements that format numbers

$nf = number_format(12345); // 12,345
$nf = number_format(12345, 2); // 12,345.00
$nf = number_format(12345.674, 2); // 12,345.67
$nf = number_format(12345.675, 2); // 12,345.68
To remove or change the decimal or comma

number_format ($number , $decimals, $dec_point=‘ ‘,
$thousands_sep=‘ ‘ )
A function for getting the current date
date($format)
Commonly used characters for date formatting

Character Description
Y A four-digit year such as 2010.
y A two-digit year such as 10.
m Numeric representation of the month with leading
zeroes (01-12).
d Numeric representation of the day of the month with
leading zeroes (01-31).
Statements that format a date

$date = date('Y-m-d'); // 2010-06-12
$date = date('m/d/y'); // 06/12/10
$date = date('m.d.Y'); // 06.12.2010
$date = date('Y'); // 2010
An HTML form that does an HTTP GET request
<form action="display.php" method="get">
<label>First name: </label>
<input type="text" name="first_name"/><br />
<label>Last name: </label>
<input type="text" name="last_name"/><br />
<label> </label>
<input type="submit" value="Submit"/>
</form>
The URL for the HTTP GET request

//localhost/.../display.php?first_name=Ray&last_name=Harris
Getting the data and storing it in variables

$first_name = $_GET['first_name'];
$last_name = $_GET['last_name'];
A PHP page for an HTTP POST request
An HTML form that specifies the POST method

<form action="display.php" method="post">
Code that gets the data from the $_POST array

$first_name = $_POST['first_name'];
$last_name = $_POST['last_name'];
When to use the HTTP GET method
 When the request is for a page that gets data from a database
server.
 When the request can be executed multiple times without causing
any problems.
When to use the HTTP POST method

 When the request is for a page that writes data to a database server.
 When executing the request multiple times may cause problems.
 When you don’t want to include the parameters in the URL for
security reasons.
 When you don’t want users to be able to include parameters when
they bookmark a page.
 When you need to transfer more than 4 KB of data.
The first page (index.html)
The second page (product_discount.php)
The code for the form on the first page
<form action="display_discount.php" method="post">
<div id="data">
<label>Product Description:</label>
<input type="text"
name="product_description"/><br />
<label>List Price:</label>
<input type="text" name="list_price"/><br />
<label>Discount Percent:</label>
<input type="text" name="discount_percent"/>%<br />
</div>
<div id="buttons">
<label> </label>
<input type="submit" value="Calculate Discount" />
<br />
</div>
</form>
The PHP file (display_discount.php)
<?php
$product_description = $_POST['product_description'];
$list_price = $_POST['list_price'];
$discount_percent = $_POST['discount_percent'];
// calculate the discount and discounted price

$discount = $list_price * $discount_percent * .01;
$discount_price = $list_price - $discount;
// apply formatting to the dollar and percent amounts

$list_price_formatted =
"$".number_format($list_price, 2);
$discount_percent_formatted = $discount_percent."%";
$discount_formatted = "$".number_format($discount, 2);
$discount_price_formatted =
"$".number_format($discount_price, 2);
?>
The PHP file (display_discount.php) (continued)
...>
<head>
<title>Product Discount Calculator</title>
href="main.css"/>
</head>
<body>
<div id="content">
<h1>Product Discount Calculator</h1>
<label>Product Description:</label>
<span><?php echo $product_description; ?>
</span><br />
The PHP file (display_discount.php) (continued)
<label>List Price:</label>
<span><?php echo $list_price_formatted; ?>
</span><br />
<label>Standard Discount:</label>
<span><?php echo $discount_percent_formatted; ?>
</span><br />
<label>Discount Amount:</label>
<span><?php echo $discount_formatted; ?>
</span><br />
<label>Discount Price:</label>
<span><?php echo $discount_price_formatted; ?>
</span><br />
</div>
</body>
</html>
The relational operators
Operator Example
== $last_name == "Harris"
$test_score == 10
!= $first_name != "Ray"
$months != 0
< $age < 18
<= $investment <= 0
> $test_score > 100
>= $rate / 100 >= 0.1
The logical operators in order of precedence

Operator Example
! !is_numeric($age)
&& $age > 17 && $score < 70
|| !is_numeric($rate) || $rate < 0
Three functions for checking variable values
isset($var)
empty($var)
is_numeric($var)
Function calls that check variable values

isset($name) // TRUE if $name has been set
// and is not NULL
empty($name) // TRUE if $name is empty
is_numeric($price) // TRUE if $price is a number
An if statement with no other clauses
if ( $price <= 0 ) {
$message = 'Price must be greater than zero.';
}
An if statement with an else clause

if ( empty($first_name) ) {
$message = 'You must enter your first name.';
} else {
$message = 'Hello ' . $first_name.'!';
}
An if statement with else if and else clauses
if ( empty($investment) ) {
$message = 'Investment is a required field.';
} else if ( !is_numeric($investment) ) {
$message = 'Investment must be a valid number.';
} else if ( $investment <= 0 ) {
$message = 'Investment must be greater than zero.';
} else {
$message = 'Investment is valid!';
}
A compound conditional expression
if ( empty($investment) || !is_numeric($investment)
|| $investment <= 0 ) {
$message =
'Investment must be a valid number > zero.';
}
A nested if statement
if ( empty($months) || !is_numeric($months)
|| $months <= 0 ) {
$message = 'Please enter a number of months > zero.';
} else {
$years = $months / 12;
if ( $years > 1 ) {
$message = 'A long-term investment.';
} else {
$message = 'A short-term investment.';
}
}
A while loop that stores the numbers 1 through 5
$counter = 1;
while ($counter <= 5) {
$message = $message . $counter . '|';
$counter++;
}
// $message = 1|2|3|4|5|
A for loop that stores the numbers 1 through 5
for ($counter = 1; $counter <= 5; $counter++) {
$message = $message . $counter . '|';
}
// $message = 1|2|3|4|5|
A while loop that calculates the future value
of a one-time investment
$investment = 1000;
$interest_rate = .01;
$years = 25;
$future_value = $investment;
$i = 1;
while ($i <= $years) {
$future_value =
($future_value + ($future_value * $interest_rate);
$i++;
}
A for loop that calculates the future value
of a one-time investment
$investment = 1000;
$interest_rate = .01;
$years = 25;
for ($i = 1; $i <= $years; $i++) {

$future_value =
($future_value + ($future_value * $interest_rate));
}
Built-in functions that pass control
include($path)
• Inserts and runs the specified file. If this functions fails, it
causes a warning that can allow the script to continue.
include_once($path)
• Same as include, but it makes sure the file is included only
once.
require($path)
• Same as include, but if it fails it causes a fatal error that
stops the script.
require_once($path)
exit([$status])
• Exits the current php script
die([$status])
• Same as exit
The include function
include 'index.php'; // parentheses are optional
include('index.php'); // index.php in the current
// directory
The require function

require('index.php'); // index.php in the current
// directory
The exit function

exit; // parentheses are optional
exit();
exit('Unable to connect to DB.');
// passes a message to the browser
How to pass control to another PHP file in the
current directory
if ($is_valid) {
include('process_data.php');
exit();
}
How to navigate up and down directories

include('view/header.php'); // down one directory
include('./error.php'); // in the current directory
include('../error.php'); // up one directory
include('../../error.php'); // up two directories
The first page
The second page
The first page with an error message
The index.php file
...>
<head>
<title>Future Value Calculator</title>
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="main.css"/>
</head>
<body>
<div id="content">
<h1>Future Value Calculator</h1>
<?php if (!empty($error_message)) { ?>
<p class="error"><?php echo $error_message; ?></p>
<?php } ?>
<form action="display_results.php" method="post">
<div id="data">
<label>Investment Amount:</label>
<input type="text" name="investment"
value="<?php echo $investment; ?>"/><br />
The index.php file (continued)
<label>Yearly Interest Rate:</label>
<input type="text" name="interest_rate"
value="<?php echo $interest_rate; ?>"/><br />
<label>Number of Years:</label>
<input type="text" name="years"
value="<?php echo $years; ?>"/><br />
</div>
<div id="buttons">
<label> </label>
<input type="submit" value="Calculate"/><br />
</div>
</form>
</div>
</body>
</html>
The display_results.php file
<?php
$investment = $_POST['investment'];
$interest_rate = $_POST['interest_rate'];
$years = $_POST['years'];
// validate investment entry

if ( empty($investment) ) {
$error_message = 'Investment is a required field.';
} else if ( !is_numeric($investment) ) {
$error_message =
'Investment must be a valid number.';
} else if ( $investment <= 0 ) {
$error_message =
'Investment must be greater than zero.';
The display_results.php file (continued)
// validate interest rate entry
} else if ( empty($interest_rate) ) {
$error_message =
'Interest rate is a required field.';
} else if ( !is_numeric($interest_rate) ) {
$error_message =
'Interest rate must be a valid number.';
} else if ( $interest_rate <= 0 ) {
$error_message =
'Interest rate must be greater than zero.';
// if no invalid entries,
// set error message to empty string
} else {
$error_message = '';
}
// if an error message exists, go to the index page

if ($error_message != '') {
include('index.php');
exit(); }
// calculate the future value

for ($i = 1; $i <= $years; $i++) {
$future_value =
($future_value +
($future_value * $interest_rate * .01));
}
// apply currency and percent formatting
$investment_f = '$'.number_format($investment, 2);
$yearly_rate_f = $interest_rate.'%';
$future_value_f = '$'.number_format($future_value, 2);
?>
...>
<head>
<title>Future Value Calculator</title>
href="main.css"/>
</head>
<body>
<div id="content">
<h1>Future Value Calculator</h1>
<label>Investment Amount:</label>
<span><?php echo $investment_f; ?></span><br />
<label>Yearly Interest Rate:</label>
<span><?php echo $yearly_rate_f; ?></span><br />
<label>Number of Years:</label>
<span><?php echo $years; ?></span><br />
<label>Future Value:</label>
<span><?php echo $future_value_f; ?></span><br />
</div>
</body>
The URL for the PHP documentation
http://php.net/docs.php
Documentation for the if statement
How to access the PHP manual
 On the first page of the web site, click on the name of the language
that you want to use. That will access the first page of the PHP
manual.
How to use the PHP manual

 Click on PHP Manual in the left pane of the window to display the
contents for the manual in the main pane.
 Scroll down the contents until you find the link you’re looking for,
click on it, and continue this process until the right information is
displayed.
How to find the documentation for a function when

you know its name
 Type the function name in the Search For text box and press the
Enter key.

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Chapter 2

// get the data from the form

// calculate the discount

Another way to code single-line comments

The six PHP data types

Double values (numbers with decimal positions)

The two Boolean values

Assign NULL values and empty strings

Use double quotes for variable substitution

Mix single and double quotes for special purposes

$product_count = $count; // $product_count is 10

How to join a number to a string

How to use an echo statement within HTML

How to use an echo statement to output HTML

Order of precedence and the use of parentheses

The compound assignment operators

A compound assignment operator

The compound assignment operator

The increment operator

How to work with numeric data

Statements that format numbers

To remove or change the decimal or comma

Commonly used characters for date formatting

Statements that format a date

The URL for the HTTP GET request

Getting the data and storing it in variables

An HTML form that specifies the POST method

Code that gets the data from the $_POST array

When to use the HTTP POST method

// calculate the discount and discounted price

// apply formatting to the dollar and percent amounts

The logical operators in order of precedence

Function calls that check variable values

An if statement with an else clause

for ($i = 1; $i <= $years; $i++) {

The require function

The exit function

How to navigate up and down directories

// validate investment entry

// if an error message exists, go to the index page

// calculate the future value

How to use the PHP manual

How to find the documentation for a function when

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