PHP Programming 101

MySQL is a Database Management System (DBMS) that is released in May of 1995. It’s commonly use for web applications and acts as the database component of different Platforms such as Linux/BSD/Mac/W-A-M-P/Perl/Python and for open-source bug tracking tools like bugzilla. MySQL are essential components of content management systems such as Joomla, Word Press, Drupal and some Bit Torrent trackers that is written in PHP and uses a MySQL database. The latest MySQL product version is the MySQL 5.0 that is launched last August 2007. It has two different variants such as MySQL Community Server and MySQL Enterprise Server. And soon to release is the MySQL 5.1.

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What is PHP?

PHP is originally known as Personal Homepage but now it’s already known as Hypertext Preprocessor. This general-purpose scripting language was created by Rasmus Lerdorf in 1995. And its main use is to produce Dynamic Web Pages.

PHP is one of the widely-used scripting languages over the web servers because it’s free of charge. PHP can also be used for command-line scripting and client-side GUI application. And in terms security, PHP is the popular target of hacker especially those application that is poorly built.

PHP focuses on server-side scripting. And it’s like other server-side scripting languages that provide dynamic content from a web server to a client such as Microsoft ASP.NET, Sun Microsystem JavaServer Pages and mod_perl.

According to wikipedia.com “PHP is the fourth to the most popular computer programming language, ranking behind JAVA, C, and Visual Basic. PHP was also recorded as the most popular Apache module. And as of April 2007, 20 million Internet domains were hosted on servers with PHP installed.”

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WampServer is a WEB DEVELOPMENT SOLUTION that is easy to manage. Because after installing the package, you don’t need to touch any of its major settings because it’s completely fix. And with its user friendly Graphical User Interface (GUI) you can immediately and easily understand it without seeking the help of the book or the tutorials around the net.

This web development package allows web developer to create web applications using APACHE(server), PHP(coding), and the MySQL(database). Plus it has PHPMyAdmin and SQLiteManager that make web developer managed their database easily.

This is the only program allows the user to reproduce their production server. That’s why there is the possibility that you can add as many apache, mysql or php releases you want.

To know more about this solution visit www.wampserver.com

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Here are some tips on blocking Spams. It might not work 100%, but it definitely would help.

Make a spam list of common site in spam posts. Though some spammers have so many URL at least it would be lessen if you are able to block some of them. With PHP, it is much easier. You can look for a common denominator. You can use PHP to filter through all the posts.

Website cookies. A common denominator with SPAMMERS is that they do not have website set cookies. You can code a cookie check in PHP and it might work to lessen the Spam.

With PHP it is easy to figure out how to block spam although it is still not totally eliminated at least it has lessen and maybe someday it will block out all spams.

You can download PHP and install in the windows system in http://www.php.net, which is the official Web site for PHP. After downloading. Unzip the file into a directory and that’s done.

To check if installation is okay, there are 2 execution interfaces, CLI Command Line Interface and CGI Common Gateway Interface. However, if you installed PHP in the \php directory, you can 1st try to check there.

Run “\php\php -v” command to check the Command Line Interface (CLI).

Run “\php\php-cgi -v” command to check the Common Gateway Interface (CGI).

If you see the PHP version on the screen with both commands, then the installation is okay.

With these, tips you can now try to install you PHP program and know how to check if it is installed properly.

Virus problems can be such a headache and could cost you money as well. How do we avoid these spyware and viruses?

Usually it is in what we download. Know what not to download meaning, pay attention and be careful on your downloads as they are usually the one containing viruses. You can do a virus scan first before downloading if possibles.

Keep windows up to date. Though it takes time as it is very slow, it helps prevent viruses.

Freewares are often bundles with spywares, so be careful.

Also, before opening flash drives, make sure to do a virus scan.

Hope this helps to keep your computer free from virus in more years to come.

What exactly is a cookie? It’s not a food, in the computer world, a cookie is a small amount of information sent by a Web server to a web browser. They are sent back unchanged by the browser each time it accesses that server. They are used for tracking, storing, authenticating information regarding the users which include sites visited. They give capabilities that make the web easier to navigate. If you are using Microsoft’s Internet Explorer to browse, you can see all of the cookies that are stored on your machine. They are usually stored in a directory called c:\windows\cookies.

It is composed of a cookie name and cookie value. The setcookie function() can be used to send a cookie to a browser to request your PHP page.

INFORM THE USERS ABOUT INPUT LIMITS
When your database has a field limit, situate a size limit on a text box - this stops people from entering too much text only to find out that their data has been trimmed down by your database.

KEEP FORMS SHORT
Never make forms too long and verbose- this may cause confusion to people and may intimidate them.

TELL THEM WHERE THEY ARE
In case of splitting forms by pages, it is a good idea to let your visitors know how far they are through the process of form submission. This lets people know where they are at the process all times.

ERROR HANDLING
When there is an error within a field, always put a notice next to it and a message at the top indicating the user about the error - if you don’t put the message at the top, people will not notice that there is an error, and if you don’t put a notice near the problem field, people might not tell it from the others.

MARKING NECESSARY FIELDS
Always mark required fields - either with bold text, or, more commonly, an asterisk *. This is to make the users aware that the essential fields must first be satisfied before proceeding to the next step.

To be continued…

The use of forms is the main method in which users can send data to the scripts, so it is essential to get them right. Aside from the coding aspect of forms, there are a number of basic usability guidelines to follow to further improve the effectivity:

TABLES

The use of tables will make the layout of the elements appear neat and organized. Tables make the form easier to read, and it would also be easier to report individual errors that occur on fields. Also tables can also be utilized to give the form a design that would be pleasing to the eye without sacrificing practicality.

To be continued…