PHP Basics For Beginners

I am currently offering an online class: PHP Basics for Beginners. This class is available to anyone who wants to learn the basics of PHP programming. Those with no prior knowledge of programming are encouraged to apply! This class is available online. To access it, click here

Although the class is centered around PHP, the principles you are going to learn transcend above PHP and can be applied to other areas of programming. You are going to learn key programming concepts such as variables, constants, loops, and decision-making. You will also be introduced to basic web-programming concepts such as using web forms.

By the end of this lesson, not only will you be a guru at PHP, but you will have a more rounded understanding of programming in general. You will be ready to tackle the complex world of web application development and much more!

Course Outline

Let me layout the contents of the class for you. Take a look and see what topics are covered in this course.

  1. Introduction to PHP: This lesson is basically an overview of what PHP is, what it is used for and what makes it different from other languages. We also tackle the most asked questions about PHP: Is it a programming Language? Is it useful? Why should you bother learning PHP when there could be other, better programming languages that can achieve the same and more?
    • What is PHP?
    • Why should you use PHP?
    • Undersanding Client-Server Paradigm
    • Why is PHP a scripting language and how does it differ from other languages?
  2. Setting up the environment: In his session, you will set up your computer to enable you to create and deploy PHP applications. The idea is to be able to simulate an environment that can run PHP applications so that you can try out the concepts as you learn them.
    • Installing XAMPP or WAMP
    • Installing Code Editors such as Notepad++ and Visual Studio Code
  3. Syntax Overview: Syntax refers to the structure and or arrangement of elements in a programming language. It essentially refers to the rules that must be followed to arrange and combine symbols correctly to form correct statements and expressions.
    • Canonical PHP tags
    • Comments
    • Outputting to screen (print, echo)
    • Case sensitivity
    • Expressions
    • statements and statement termination
    • blocks, curly braces
  4. Variables and Constants and Data Types: Learn what variables and constants are and how they are used in PHP, especially when it comes to holding data that is being used to perform calculations and tasks.
    • Naming conversions
    • Floats
    • Integers
    • Strings
    • Booleans
    • Variable Scope
  5. Arrays: Learn about this intriguing data structure, and how it is defined and used to sort out complex issues that you may come across in your programming journey.
  6. Operators: Learn what operators are, how they are used to operate on values to produce results and why these are important to the core of computer programming.
    • Arithmetic
    • Comparison
    • Logical
    • Assignment
    • Precedence of Operators
  7. Control StructuresIn this lesson, you will learn how these important structures control the flow of programming logic and how they are used to make decisions. You will come to understand the control structures that exist and how you can leverage these efficiently without making your code too complex.
    • Making Decisions
    • Conditions
    • if statements
    • if else statements
    • switch statements
    • tenary operator
  8. Loops, Iteration: This part of the lesson will tackle how to handle repetitive tasks using constructs known as loops. Programming aims to make things easier, and one of the ways is to minimise your overall effort in solving complex tasks. See for yourself how Loops and iterations can minimise the amount of code you have to write.
  9. String functions: Strings are among the most important data type in programming, and PHP being a web-programming language deals with strings quite a lot! Learn most of the predefined functions and how to use them to your advantage.
  10. Code Resusability: The key to good programming is to avoid writing the same code in many places. In fact, this is an important topic under security and allows you to write maintainable code. See for yourself in this session how you can reuse code using the following:
    • Functions
    • File Includsion
  11. Working With Files (Input and Output)
  12. Working with Forms
    • GET
    • POST
    • File Uploading
  13. Sessions and Cookies
  14. Error and Exception Handling: Exceptions are unplanned events that occur during the execution of a program. In this lesson, we shall learn how to handle such events and provide an alternative execution path to handle them.
    • Try Catch
  15. (OOP) Object Oriented Programming: Object Oriented Programming is a powerful programming paradigm that you just have to learn about. You are doing yourself a disservice if you do not acquaint yourself with this concept.
    • Encapusulation
    • Inheritance
    • Polymorphisim
    • Classes
    • Objects
    • UML
  16. Database Handling: One core feature of PHP that makes it quite popular is its ability to interact with databases. Learn how to integrate your PHP application with power Database Management Software like MySQL, MSSQL and even Oracle!
    • SQL
    • Connecting to Database
    • MySQL
    • PDO
    • Mysqli Extention
  17. Date and Time Functions
  18. Working with Emails: What use is a web application that cannot send useful emails to its users? Aside from confirming accounts and resetting passwords, learn how to leverage PHP's mail function to send useful, timely notifications to your web application users. Also, learn how to avoid the spam box.
  19. JSON
  20. Dependency Management
    • Composer
  21. Coding Standards

Class Fees

All lessons are available at a fixed rate of K50 per month.

If you are interested in being a part of this class, sign up over here