In this chapter, students will be introduced to PHP, its history, and its role in web development. They will learn how PHP is executed, the differences between server-side and client-side scripting, and the benefits of using PHP for web development. Students will also set up their development environment and write their first PHP script.

This chapter covers the basics of PHP syntax and variables. Students will learn about PHP statements, declarations, and expressions. They will also explore different data types, including strings, numbers, and booleans, and learn how to declare and assign variables. Students will practice declaring and manipulating variables in PHP scripts.

Control structures are essential for writing conditional logic in PHP. In this chapter, students will learn about PHP's conditional statements, including if, else, and elseif. They will also explore loops, such as for and while, and learn how to use them to iterate through arrays and other data structures. Students will practice writing control structures in PHP scripts.

Functions are reusable pieces of code that can be called multiple times in a PHP script. In this chapter, students will learn how to define and call functions, as well as how to pass arguments and return values. They will also explore built-in PHP functions and learn how to use them to perform common tasks, such as string manipulation and mathematical calculations. Students will practice writing and using functions in PHP scripts.

Arrays are data structures that can store multiple values in a single variable. In this chapter, students will learn how to declare and initialize arrays, as well as how to access and manipulate array elements. They will also explore array functions, such as array_push and array_pop, and learn how to use them to perform common array operations. Students will practice working with arrays in PHP scripts.

Objects and classes are essential for creating complex applications in PHP. In this chapter, students will learn about the basics of object-oriented programming in PHP, including classes, objects, properties, and methods. They will also explore the relationship between classes and objects and learn how to create, instantiate, and manipulate objects. Students will practice creating and using classes and objects in PHP scripts.

In this chapter, students will learn how to create HTML forms and handle user input in PHP. They will explore different form elements, such as text fields, radio buttons, and checkboxes, and learn how to use the $_GET and $_POST superglobals to access user input. They will also learn how to validate user input and sanitize data to prevent common security vulnerabilities. Students will practice creating forms and handling user input in PHP scripts.

In this chapter, students will learn how to work with databases and SQL in PHP. They will explore the basics of database design, including tables, rows, and columns. They will also learn how to create, modify, and delete database tables using SQL. Students will practice connecting to databases, executing SQL queries, and manipulating data using PHP scripts.

In this chapter, students will learn about sessions and cookies in PHP. They will explore the differences between sessions and cookies, and learn how to use both to store and retrieve data between requests. Students will practice creating and managing sessions and cookies in PHP scripts.

In this chapter, students will learn how to read, write, and manipulate files in PHP. They will explore different file handling functions, such as fopen, fread, and fwrite, and learn how to use them to read and write files. They will also learn how to work with directories and create, delete, and rename files and directories. Students will practice working with files in PHP scripts.

In this chapter, students will learn how to handle errors in PHP. They will explore different error handling mechanisms, such as try-catch blocks and error reporting, and learn how to use them to gracefully handle errors and exceptions. Students will practice handling errors in PHP scripts.

In this chapter, students will learn about security best practices in PHP. They will explore common security vulnerabilities, such as SQL injection and cross-site scripting, and learn how to prevent them using techniques such as input validation, output encoding, and session management. Students will practice implementing security measures in PHP scripts.

In this chapter, students will explore advanced topics in PHP, such as regular expressions, XML and JSON, and web services. They will learn how to use regular expressions to perform complex text manipulation, and explore the basics of XML and JSON, two popular data formats for web applications. Students will also learn how to create and consume web services using PHP.

In this chapter, students will apply their knowledge of PHP to build a web application from scratch. They will design the application, create the database schema, and write the PHP code to handle user input, interact with the database, and generate dynamic content. Students will also learn how to use HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to create a user-friendly interface for their application. By the end of this chapter, students will have a fully functional web application that they can be proud of.