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PHP Looping - : For Loops

The document discusses PHP loops and functions. It provides examples of for and foreach loops to iterate through arrays and lists. It also covers defining and calling functions, including passing parameters and returning values. Functions allow code to be reused and organized in a modular way. The document also demonstrates built-in PHP functions for retrieving form data submitted via GET and POST methods.

Uploaded by

waassi
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© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
154 views

PHP Looping - : For Loops

The document discusses PHP loops and functions. It provides examples of for and foreach loops to iterate through arrays and lists. It also covers defining and calling functions, including passing parameters and returning values. Functions allow code to be reused and organized in a modular way. The document also demonstrates built-in PHP functions for retrieving form data submitted via GET and POST methods.

Uploaded by

waassi
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 46

PHP Looping - For Loops

« Previous Next Chapter »

Loops execute a block of code a specified number of times, or while a specified condition is
true.

The for Loop


The for loop is used when you know in advance how many times the script should run.

Syntax

for (init; condition; increment)


  {
  code to be executed;
  }

Parameters:

 init: Mostly used to set a counter (but can be any code to be executed once at the beginning of the
loop)
 condition: Evaluated for each loop iteration. If it evaluates to TRUE, the loop continues. If it
evaluates to FALSE, the loop ends.
 increment: Mostly used to increment a counter (but can be any code to be executed at the end of
the loop)

Note: Each of the parameters above can be empty, or have multiple expressions (separated by commas).

Example

The example below defines a loop that starts with i=1. The loop will continue to run as long as i is less than,
or equal to 5. i will increase by 1 each time the loop runs:

<html>
<body>

<?php
for ($i=1; $i<=5; $i++)
  {
  echo "The number is " . $i . "<br />";
  }
?>

</body>
</html>

Output:

The number is 1
The number is 2
The number is 3
The number is 4
The number is 5

The foreach Loop


The foreach loop is used to loop through arrays.

Syntax

foreach ($array as $value)


  {
  code to be executed;
  }

For every loop iteration, the value of the current array element is assigned to $value (and the array pointer
is moved by one) - so on the next loop iteration, you'll be looking at the next array value.

Example

The following example demonstrates a loop that will print the values of the given array:

<html>
<body>

<?php
$x=array("one","two","three");
foreach ($x as $value)
  {
  echo $value . "<br />";
  }
?>

</body>
</html>

Output:

one
two
three

PHP Functions
« Previous Next Chapter »

The real power of PHP comes from its functions.

In PHP, there are more than 700 built-in functions.

PHP Built-in Functions


For a complete reference and examples of the built-in functions, please visit our PHP Reference.

PHP Functions
In this chapter we will show you how to create your own functions.

To keep the script from being executed when the page loads, you can put it into a function.

A function will be executed by a call to the function.

You may call a function from anywhere within a page.

Create a PHP Function


A function will be executed by a call to the function.

Syntax

function functionName()
{
code to be executed;
}

PHP function guidelines:

 Give the function a name that reflects what the function does
 The function name can start with a letter or underscore (not a number)

Example

A simple function that writes my name when it is called:

<html>
<body>

<?php
function writeName()
{
echo "Kai Jim Refsnes";
}

echo "My name is ";


writeName();
?>

</body>
</html>

Output:

My name is Kai Jim Refsnes

PHP Functions - Adding parameters


To add more functionality to a function, we can add parameters. A parameter is just like a variable.

Parameters are specified after the function name, inside the parentheses.

Example 1

The following example will write different first names, but equal last name:

<html>
<body>

<?php
function writeName($fname)
{
echo $fname . " Refsnes.<br />";
}

echo "My name is ";


writeName("Kai Jim");
echo "My sister's name is ";
writeName("Hege");
echo "My brother's name is ";
writeName("Stale");
?>

</body>
</html>

Output:

My name is Kai Jim Refsnes.


My sister's name is Hege Refsnes.
My brother's name is Stale Refsnes.

Example 2
The following function has two parameters:

<html>
<body>

<?php
function writeName($fname,$punctuation)
{
echo $fname . " Refsnes" . $punctuation . "<br />";
}

echo "My name is ";


writeName("Kai Jim",".");
echo "My sister's name is ";
writeName("Hege","!");
echo "My brother's name is ";
writeName("Ståle","?");
?>

</body>
</html>

Output:

My name is Kai Jim Refsnes.


My sister's name is Hege Refsnes!
My brother's name is Ståle Refsnes?
 

PHP Functions - Return values


To let a function return a value, use the return statement.

Example

<html>
<body>

<?php
function add($x,$y)
{
$total=$x+$y;
return $total;
}

echo "1 + 16 = " . add(1,16);


?>

</body>
</html>

Output:

1 + 16 = 17
« Previous Next Chapter »

PHP Forms and User Input


« Previous Next Chapter »

The PHP $_GET and $_POST variables are used to retrieve information from forms, like user
input.

PHP Form Handling


The most important thing to notice when dealing with HTML forms and PHP is that any form element in an
HTML page will automatically be available to your PHP scripts.

Example

The example below contains an HTML form with two input fields and a submit button:

<html>
<body>

<form action="welcome.php" method="post">


Name: <input type="text" name="fname" />
Age: <input type="text" name="age" />
<input type="submit" />
</form>

</body>
</html>

When a user fills out the form above and click on the submit button, the form data is sent to a PHP file,
called "welcome.php":

"welcome.php" looks like this:


<html>
<body>

Welcome <?php echo $_POST["fname"]; ?>!<br />


You are <?php echo $_POST["age"]; ?> years old.

</body>
</html>

Output could be something like this:

Welcome John!
You are 28 years old.

The PHP $_GET and $_POST functions will be explained in the next chapters.

Form Validation
User input should be validated on the browser whenever possible (by client scripts). Browser validation is
faster and reduces the server load.

You should consider server validation if the user input will be inserted into a database. A good way to
validate a form on the server is to post the form to itself, instead of jumping to a different page. The user
will then get the error messages on the same page as the form. This makes it easier to discover the error.

« Previous Next Chapter »

PHP $_GET Function


« Previous Next Chapter »

The built-in $_GET function is used to collect values in a form with method="get".

The $_GET Function


The built-in $_GET function is used to collect values from a form sent with method="get".

Information sent from a form with the GET method is visible to everyone (it will be displayed in the
browser's address bar) and has limits on the amount of information to send (max. 100 characters).
Example

<form action="welcome.php" method="get">


Name: <input type="text" name="fname" />
Age: <input type="text" name="age" />
<input type="submit" />
</form>

When the user clicks the "Submit" button, the URL sent to the server could look something like this:

http://www.w3schools.com/welcome.php?fname=Peter&age=37

The "welcome.php" file can now use the $_GET function to collect form data (the names of the form fields
will automatically be the keys in the $_GET array):

Welcome <?php echo $_GET["fname"]; ?>.<br />


You are <?php echo $_GET["age"]; ?> years old!

When to use method="get"?


When using method="get" in HTML forms, all variable names and values are displayed in the URL.

Note: This method should not be used when sending passwords or other sensitive information!

However, because the variables are displayed in the URL, it is possible to bookmark the page. This can be
useful in some cases.

Note: The get method is not suitable for large variable values; the value cannot exceed 100 characters.

« Previous Next Chapter »

PHP $_POST Function


« Previous Next Chapter »

The built-in $_POST function is used to collect values in a form with method="post".

The $_POST Function


The built-in $_POST function is used to collect values from a form sent with method="post".

Information sent from a form with the POST method is invisible to others and has no limits on the amount of
information to send.

Note: However, there is an 8 Mb max size for the POST method, by default (can be changed by setting the
post_max_size in the php.ini file).

Example

<form action="welcome.php" method="post">


Name: <input type="text" name="fname" />
Age: <input type="text" name="age" />
<input type="submit" />
</form>

When the user clicks the "Submit" button, the URL will look like this:

http://www.w3schools.com/welcome.php

The "welcome.php" file can now use the $_POST function to collect form data (the names of the form fields
will automatically be the keys in the $_POST array):

Welcome <?php echo $_POST["fname"]; ?>!<br />


You are <?php echo $_POST["age"]; ?> years old.

When to use method="post"?


Information sent from a form with the POST method is invisible to others and has no limits on the amount of
information to send.

However, because the variables are not displayed in the URL, it is not possible to bookmark the page.

The PHP $_REQUEST Function


The PHP built-in $_REQUEST function contains the contents of both $_GET, $_POST, and $_COOKIE.

The $_REQUEST function can be used to collect form data sent with both the GET and POST methods.

Example

Welcome <?php echo $_REQUEST["fname"]; ?>!<br />


You are <?php echo $_REQUEST["age"]; ?> years old.

« Previous Next Chapter »


PHP Advance

PHP Date() Function


« Previous Next Chapter »

The PHP date() function is used to format a time and/or date.

The PHP Date() Function


The PHP date() function formats a timestamp to a more readable date and time.

A timestamp is a sequence of characters, denoting the date and/or time at which a certain event
occurred.

Syntax

date(format,timestamp)

Parameter Description
format Required. Specifies the format of the timestamp
timestamp Optional. Specifies a timestamp. Default is the current date and time

PHP Date() - Format the Date


The required format parameter in the date() function specifies how to format the date/time.

Here are some characters that can be used:

 d - Represents the day of the month (01 to 31)


 m - Represents a month (01 to 12)
 Y - Represents a year (in four digits)

A list of all the characters that can be used in the format parameter, can be found in our PHP Date
reference.

Other characters, like"/", ".", or "-" can also be inserted between the letters to add additional formatting:

<?php
echo date("Y/m/d") . "<br />";
echo date("Y.m.d") . "<br />";
echo date("Y-m-d")
?>

The output of the code above could be something like this:

2009/05/11
2009.05.11
2009-05-11

PHP Date() - Adding a Timestamp


The optional timestamp parameter in the date() function specifies a timestamp. If you do not specify a
timestamp, the current date and time will be used.

The mktime() function returns the Unix timestamp for a date.

The Unix timestamp contains the number of seconds between the Unix Epoch (January 1 1970 00:00:00
GMT) and the time specified.

Syntax for mktime()

mktime(hour,minute,second,month,day,year,is_dst)

To go one day in the future we simply add one to the day argument of mktime():

<?php
$tomorrow = mktime(0,0,0,date("m"),date("d")+1,date("Y"));
echo "Tomorrow is ".date("Y/m/d", $tomorrow);
?>

The output of the code above could be something like this:

Tomorrow is 2009/05/12

Complete PHP Date Reference


For a complete reference of all date functions, go to our complete PHP Date Reference.

The reference contains a brief description, and examples of use, for each function!

« Previous Next Chapter »


PHP Include File
« Previous Next Chapter »

Server Side Includes (SSI)


You can insert the content of one PHP file into another PHP file before the server executes it, with
the include() or require() function.

The two functions are identical in every way, except how they handle errors:

 include() generates a warning, but the script will continue execution


 require() generates a fatal error, and the script will stop

These two functions are used to create functions, headers, footers, or elements that will be reused
on multiple pages.

Server side includes saves a lot of work. This means that you can create a standard header, footer,
or menu file for all your web pages. When the header needs to be updated, you can only update
the include file, or when you add a new page to your site, you can simply change the menu file
(instead of updating the links on all your web pages).

PHP include() Function


The include() function takes all the content in a specified file and includes it in the current file.

If an error occurs, the include() function generates a warning, but the script will continue
execution.

Example 1

Assume that you have a standard header file, called "header.php". To include the header file in a
page, use the include() function:

<html>
<body>

<?php include("header.php"); ?>


<h1>Welcome to my home page!</h1>
<p>Some text.</p>

</body>
</html>
Example 2

Assume we have a standard menu file, called "menu.php", that should be used on all pages:
<a href="/default.php">Home</a>
<a href="/tutorials.php">Tutorials</a>
<a href="/references.php">References</a>
<a href="/examples.php">Examples</a>
<a href="/about.php">About Us</a>
<a href="/contact.php">Contact Us</a>
All pages in the Web site should include this menu file. Here is how it can be done:

<html>
<body>

<div class="leftmenu">
<?php include("menu.php"); ?>
</div>

<h1>Welcome to my home page.</h1>


<p>Some text.</p>

</body>
</html>
If you look at the source code of the page above (in a browser), it will look like this:

<html>
<body>

<div class="leftmenu">
<a href="/default.php">Home</a>
<a href="/tutorials.php">Tutorials</a>
<a href="/references.php">References</a>
<a href="/examples.php">Examples</a>
<a href="/about.php">About Us</a>
<a href="/contact.php">Contact Us</a>
</div>

<h1>Welcome to my home page!</h1>


<p>Some text.</p>

</body>
</html>

PHP require() Function


The require() function is identical to include(), except that it handles errors differently.

If an error occurs, the include() function generates a warning, but the script will continue
execution. The require() generates a fatal error, and the script will stop.

Error Example include() Function

<html>
<body>

<?php
include("wrongFile.php");
echo "Hello World!";
?>

</body>
</html>
Error message:

Warning: include(wrongFile.php) [function.include]:


failed to open stream:
No such file or directory in C:\home\website\test.php on line 5

Warning: include() [function.include]:


Failed opening 'wrongFile.php' for inclusion
(include_path='.;C:\php5\pear')
in C:\home\website\test.php on line 5

Hello World!
Notice that the echo statement is executed! This is because a Warning does not stop the script
execution.

Error Example require() Function

Now, let's run the same example with the require() function.

<html>
<body>

<?php
require("wrongFile.php");
echo "Hello World!";
?>

</body>
</html>
Error message:

Warning: require(wrongFile.php) [function.require]:


failed to open stream:
No such file or directory in C:\home\website\test.php on line 5

Fatal error: require() [function.require]:


Failed opening required 'wrongFile.php'
(include_path='.;C:\php5\pear')
in C:\home\website\test.php on line 5
The echo statement is not executed, because the script execution stopped after the fatal error.

It is recommended to use the require() function instead of include(), because scripts should not
continue after an error.

« Previous Next Chapter »


PHP File Handling
« Previous Next Chapter »

The fopen() function is used to open files in PHP.

Opening a File
The fopen() function is used to open files in PHP.

The first parameter of this function contains the name of the file to be opened and the second parameter
specifies in which mode the file should be opened:

<html>
<body>

<?php
$file=fopen("welcome.txt","r");
?>

</body>
</html>

The file may be opened in one of the following modes:

Modes Description
r Read only. Starts at the beginning of the file
r+ Read/Write. Starts at the beginning of the file
w Write only. Opens and clears the contents of file; or creates a new file if it doesn't
exist
w+ Read/Write. Opens and clears the contents of file; or creates a new file if it doesn't
exist
a Append. Opens and writes to the end of the file or creates a new file if it doesn't exist
a+ Read/Append. Preserves file content by writing to the end of the file
x Write only. Creates a new file. Returns FALSE and an error if file already exists
x+ Read/Write. Creates a new file. Returns FALSE and an error if file already exists

Note: If the fopen() function is unable to open the specified file, it returns 0 (false).

Example
The following example generates a message if the fopen() function is unable to open the specified file:

<html>
<body>

<?php
$file=fopen("welcome.txt","r") or exit("Unable to open file!");
?>

</body>
</html>

Closing a File
The fclose() function is used to close an open file:

<?php
$file = fopen("test.txt","r");

//some code to be executed

fclose($file);
?>

Check End-of-file
The feof() function checks if the "end-of-file" (EOF) has been reached.

The feof() function is useful for looping through data of unknown length.

Note: You cannot read from files opened in w, a, and x mode!

if (feof($file)) echo "End of file";

Reading a File Line by Line


The fgets() function is used to read a single line from a file.

Note: After a call to this function the file pointer has moved to the next line.

Example

The example below reads a file line by line, until the end of file is reached:

<?php
$file = fopen("welcome.txt", "r") or exit("Unable to open file!");
//Output a line of the file until the end is reached
while(!feof($file))
  {
  echo fgets($file). "<br />";
  }
fclose($file);
?>

Reading a File Character by Character


The fgetc() function is used to read a single character from a file.

Note: After a call to this function the file pointer moves to the next character.

Example

The example below reads a file character by character, until the end of file is reached:

<?php
$file=fopen("welcome.txt","r") or exit("Unable to open file!");
while (!feof($file))
  {
  echo fgetc($file);
  }
fclose($file);
?>

PHP Filesystem Reference


For a full reference of the PHP filesystem functions, visit our PHP Filesystem Reference.

« Previous Next Chapter »

PHP File Upload


« Previous Next Chapter »

With PHP, it is possible to upload files to the server.


Create an Upload-File Form
To allow users to upload files from a form can be very useful.

Look at the following HTML form for uploading files:

<html>
<body>

<form action="upload_file.php" method="post"


enctype="multipart/form-data">
<label for="file">Filename:</label>
<input type="file" name="file" id="file" />
<br />
<input type="submit" name="submit" value="Submit" />
</form>

</body>
</html>

Notice the following about the HTML form above:

 The enctype attribute of the <form> tag specifies which content-type to use when submitting the
form. "multipart/form-data" is used when a form requires binary data, like the contents of a file, to
be uploaded
 The type="file" attribute of the <input> tag specifies that the input should be processed as a file.
For example, when viewed in a browser, there will be a browse-button next to the input field

Note: Allowing users to upload files is a big security risk. Only permit trusted users to perform file uploads.

Create The Upload Script


The "upload_file.php" file contains the code for uploading a file:

<?php
if ($_FILES["file"]["error"] > 0)
  {
  echo "Error: " . $_FILES["file"]["error"] . "<br />";
  }
else
  {
  echo "Upload: " . $_FILES["file"]["name"] . "<br />";
  echo "Type: " . $_FILES["file"]["type"] . "<br />";
  echo "Size: " . ($_FILES["file"]["size"] / 1024) . " Kb<br />";
  echo "Stored in: " . $_FILES["file"]["tmp_name"];
  }
?>

By using the global PHP $_FILES array you can upload files from a client computer to the remote server.

The first parameter is the form's input name and the second index can be either "name", "type", "size",
"tmp_name" or "error". Like this:
 $_FILES["file"]["name"] - the name of the uploaded file
 $_FILES["file"]["type"] - the type of the uploaded file
 $_FILES["file"]["size"] - the size in bytes of the uploaded file
 $_FILES["file"]["tmp_name"] - the name of the temporary copy of the file stored on the server
 $_FILES["file"]["error"] - the error code resulting from the file upload

This is a very simple way of uploading files. For security reasons, you should add restrictions on what the
user is allowed to upload.

Restrictions on Upload
In this script we add some restrictions to the file upload. The user may only upload .gif or .jpeg files and the
file size must be under 20 kb:

<?php
if ((($_FILES["file"]["type"] == "image/gif")
|| ($_FILES["file"]["type"] == "image/jpeg")
|| ($_FILES["file"]["type"] == "image/pjpeg"))
&& ($_FILES["file"]["size"] < 20000))
  {
  if ($_FILES["file"]["error"] > 0)
    {
    echo "Error: " . $_FILES["file"]["error"] . "<br />";
    }
  else
    {
    echo "Upload: " . $_FILES["file"]["name"] . "<br />";
    echo "Type: " . $_FILES["file"]["type"] . "<br />";
    echo "Size: " . ($_FILES["file"]["size"] / 1024) . " Kb<br />";
    echo "Stored in: " . $_FILES["file"]["tmp_name"];
    }
  }
else
  {
  echo "Invalid file";
  }
?>

Note: For IE to recognize jpg files the type must be pjpeg, for FireFox it must be jpeg.

Saving the Uploaded File


The examples above create a temporary copy of the uploaded files in the PHP temp folder on the server.

The temporary copied files disappears when the script ends. To store the uploaded file we need to copy it to
a different location:

<?php
if ((($_FILES["file"]["type"] == "image/gif")
|| ($_FILES["file"]["type"] == "image/jpeg")
|| ($_FILES["file"]["type"] == "image/pjpeg"))
&& ($_FILES["file"]["size"] < 20000))
  {
  if ($_FILES["file"]["error"] > 0)
    {
    echo "Return Code: " . $_FILES["file"]["error"] . "<br />";
    }
  else
    {
    echo "Upload: " . $_FILES["file"]["name"] . "<br />";
    echo "Type: " . $_FILES["file"]["type"] . "<br />";
    echo "Size: " . ($_FILES["file"]["size"] / 1024) . " Kb<br />";
    echo "Temp file: " . $_FILES["file"]["tmp_name"] . "<br />";

    if (file_exists("upload/" . $_FILES["file"]["name"]))


      {
      echo $_FILES["file"]["name"] . " already exists. ";
      }
    else
      {
      move_uploaded_file($_FILES["file"]["tmp_name"],
      "upload/" . $_FILES["file"]["name"]);
      echo "Stored in: " . "upload/" . $_FILES["file"]["name"];
      }
    }
  }
else
  {
  echo "Invalid file";
  }
?>

The script above checks if the file already exists, if it does not, it copies the file to the specified folder.

Note: This example saves the file to a new folder called "upload"

« Previous Next Chapter »

PHP Cookies
« Previous Next Chapter »

A cookie is often used to identify a user.

What is a Cookie?
A cookie is often used to identify a user. A cookie is a small file that the server embeds on the user's
computer. Each time the same computer requests a page with a browser, it will send the cookie too. With
PHP, you can both create and retrieve cookie values.
How to Create a Cookie?
The setcookie() function is used to set a cookie.

Note: The setcookie() function must appear BEFORE the <html> tag.

Syntax

setcookie(name, value, expire, path, domain);

Example 1

In the example below, we will create a cookie named "user" and assign the value "Alex Porter" to it. We also
specify that the cookie should expire after one hour:

<?php
setcookie("user", "Alex Porter", time()+3600);
?>

<html>
.....

Note: The value of the cookie is automatically URLencoded when sending the cookie, and automatically
decoded when received (to prevent URLencoding, use setrawcookie() instead).

Example 2

You can also set the expiration time of the cookie in another way. It may be easier than using seconds.

<?php
$expire=time()+60*60*24*30;
setcookie("user", "Alex Porter", $expire);
?>

<html>
.....

In the example above the expiration time is set to a month (60 sec * 60 min * 24 hours * 30 days).

How to Retrieve a Cookie Value?


The PHP $_COOKIE variable is used to retrieve a cookie value.

In the example below, we retrieve the value of the cookie named "user" and display it on a page:

<?php
// Print a cookie
echo $_COOKIE["user"];
// A way to view all cookies
print_r($_COOKIE);
?>

In the following example we use the isset() function to find out if a cookie has been set:

<html>
<body>

<?php
if (isset($_COOKIE["user"]))
  echo "Welcome " . $_COOKIE["user"] . "!<br />";
else
  echo "Welcome guest!<br />";
?>

</body>
</html>

How to Delete a Cookie?


When deleting a cookie you should assure that the expiration date is in the past.

Delete example:

<?php
// set the expiration date to one hour ago
setcookie("user", "", time()-3600);
?>

What if a Browser Does NOT Support Cookies?


If your application deals with browsers that do not support cookies, you will have to use other methods to
pass information from one page to another in your application. One method is to pass the data through
forms (forms and user input are described earlier in this tutorial).

The form below passes the user input to "welcome.php" when the user clicks on the "Submit" button:

<html>
<body>

<form action="welcome.php" method="post">


Name: <input type="text" name="name" />
Age: <input type="text" name="age" />
<input type="submit" />
</form>

</body>
</html>
Retrieve the values in the "welcome.php" file like this:

<html>
<body>

Welcome <?php echo $_POST["name"]; ?>.<br />


You are <?php echo $_POST["age"]; ?> years old.

</body>
</html>

« Previous Next Chapter »

PHP Sessions
« Previous Next Chapter »

A PHP session variable is used to store information about, or change settings for a user
session. Session variables hold information about one single user, and are available to all
pages in one application.

PHP Session Variables


When you are working with an application, you open it, do some changes and then you close it. This is much
like a Session. The computer knows who you are. It knows when you start the application and when you
end. But on the internet there is one problem: the web server does not know who you are and what you do
because the HTTP address doesn't maintain state.

A PHP session solves this problem by allowing you to store user information on the server for later use (i.e.
username, shopping items, etc). However, session information is temporary and will be deleted after the
user has left the website. If you need a permanent storage you may want to store the data in a database.

Sessions work by creating a unique id (UID) for each visitor and store variables based on this UID. The UID
is either stored in a cookie or is propagated in the URL.

Starting a PHP Session


Before you can store user information in your PHP session, you must first start up the session.

Note: The session_start() function must appear BEFORE the <html> tag:

<?php session_start(); ?>


<html>
<body>

</body>
</html>

The code above will register the user's session with the server, allow you to start saving user information,
and assign a UID for that user's session.

Storing a Session Variable


The correct way to store and retrieve session variables is to use the PHP $_SESSION variable:

<?php
session_start();
// store session data
$_SESSION['views']=1;
?>

<html>
<body>

<?php
//retrieve session data
echo "Pageviews=". $_SESSION['views'];
?>

</body>
</html>

Output:

Pageviews=1

In the example below, we create a simple page-views counter. The isset() function checks if the "views"
variable has already been set. If "views" has been set, we can increment our counter. If "views" doesn't
exist, we create a "views" variable, and set it to 1:

<?php
session_start();

if(isset($_SESSION['views']))
$_SESSION['views']=$_SESSION['views']+1;
else
$_SESSION['views']=1;
echo "Views=". $_SESSION['views'];
?>

Destroying a Session
If you wish to delete some session data, you can use the unset() or the session_destroy() function.

The unset() function is used to free the specified session variable:

<?php
unset($_SESSION['views']);
?>

You can also completely destroy the session by calling the session_destroy() function:

<?php
session_destroy();
?>

Note: session_destroy() will reset your session and you will lose all your stored session data.

« Previous Next Chapter »

PHP Sending E-mails


« Previous Next Chapter »

PHP allows you to send e-mails directly from a script.

The PHP mail() Function


The PHP mail() function is used to send emails from inside a script.

Syntax
mail(to,subject,message,headers,parameters)

Parameter Description
to Required. Specifies the receiver / receivers of the email
subject Required. Specifies the subject of the email. Note: This parameter cannot contain
any newline characters
message Required. Defines the message to be sent. Each line should be separated with a LF
(\n). Lines should not exceed 70 characters
headers Optional. Specifies additional headers, like From, Cc, and Bcc. The additional headers
should be separated with a CRLF (\r\n)
parameters Optional. Specifies an additional parameter to the sendmail program

Note: For the mail functions to be available, PHP requires an installed and working email system. The
program to be used is defined by the configuration settings in the php.ini file. Read more in our PHP Mail
reference.

PHP Simple E-Mail


The simplest way to send an email with PHP is to send a text email.

In the example below we first declare the variables ($to, $subject, $message, $from, $headers), then we
use the variables in the mail() function to send an e-mail:

<?php
$to = "someone@example.com";
$subject = "Test mail";
$message = "Hello! This is a simple email message.";
$from = "someonelse@example.com";
$headers = "From: $from";
mail($to,$subject,$message,$headers);
echo "Mail Sent.";
?>

PHP Mail Form


With PHP, you can create a feedback-form on your website. The example below sends a text message to a
specified e-mail address:

<html>
<body>

<?php
if (isset($_REQUEST['email']))
//if "email" is filled out, send email
  {
  //send email
  $email = $_REQUEST['email'] ;
  $subject = $_REQUEST['subject'] ;
  $message = $_REQUEST['message'] ;
  mail( "someone@example.com", "Subject: $subject",
  $message, "From: $email" );
  echo "Thank you for using our mail form";
  }
else
//if "email" is not filled out, display the form
  {
  echo "<form method='post' action='mailform.php'>
  Email: <input name='email' type='text' /><br />
  Subject: <input name='subject' type='text' /><br />
  Message:<br />
  <textarea name='message' rows='15' cols='40'>
  </textarea><br />
  <input type='submit' />
  </form>";
  }
?>

</body>
</html>

This is how the example above works:

 First, check if the email input field is filled out


 If it is not set (like when the page is first visited); output the HTML form
 If it is set (after the form is filled out); send the email from the form
 When submit is pressed after the form is filled out, the page reloads, sees that the email input is
set, and sends the email

Note: This is the simplest way to send e-mail, but it is not secure. In the next chapter of this tutorial you
can read more about vulnerabilities in e-mail scripts, and how to validate user input to make it more secure.

PHP Mail Reference


For more information about the PHP mail() function, visit our PHP Mail Reference.

« Previous Next Chapter »


PHP MySQL Introduction
« Previous Next Chapter »

MySQL is the most popular open-source database system.

What is MySQL?
MySQL is a database.

The data in MySQL is stored in database objects called tables.

A table is a collections of related data entries and it consists of columns and rows.

Databases are useful when storing information categorically. A company may have a database with the
following tables: "Employees", "Products", "Customers" and "Orders".
Database Tables
A database most often contains one or more tables. Each table is identified by a name (e.g. "Customers" or
"Orders"). Tables contain records (rows) with data.

Below is an example of a table called "Persons":

LastName FirstName Address City


Hansen Ola Timoteivn 10 Sandnes
Svendson Tove Borgvn 23 Sandnes
Pettersen Kari Storgt 20 Stavanger

The table above contains three records (one for each person) and four columns (LastName, FirstName,
Address, and City).

Queries
A query is a question or a request.

With MySQL, we can query a database for specific information and have a recordset returned.

Look at the following query:

SELECT LastName FROM Persons

The query above selects all the data in the "LastName" column from the "Persons" table, and will return a
recordset like this:

LastName
Hansen
Svendson
Pettersen

Download MySQL Database


If you don't have a PHP server with a MySQL Database, you can download MySQL for free here:
http://www.mysql.com/downloads/index.html

Facts About MySQL Database


One great thing about MySQL is that it can be scaled down to support embedded database applications.
Perhaps it is because of this reputation that many people believe that MySQL can only handle small to
medium-sized systems.
The truth is that MySQL is the de-facto standard database for web sites that support huge volumes of both
data and end users (like Friendster, Yahoo, Google).

Look at http://www.mysql.com/customers/ for an overview of companies using MySQL.

« Previous Next Chapter »

PHP MySQL Connect to a Database


« Previous Next Chapter »

The free MySQL database is very often used with PHP.

Create a Connection to a MySQL Database


Before you can access data in a database, you must create a connection to the database.

In PHP, this is done with the mysql_connect() function.

Syntax

mysql_connect(servername,username,password);

Parameter Description
servername Optional. Specifies the server to connect to. Default value is "localhost:3306"
username Optional. Specifies the username to log in with. Default value is the name of the user
that owns the server process
password Optional. Specifies the password to log in with. Default is ""

Note: There are more available parameters, but the ones listed above are the most important. Visit our full
PHP MySQL Reference for more details.

Example

In the following example we store the connection in a variable ($con) for later use in the script. The "die"
part will be executed if the connection fails:

<?php
$con = mysql_connect("localhost","peter","abc123");
if (!$con)
  {
  die('Could not connect: ' . mysql_error());
  }

// some code
?>

Closing a Connection
The connection will be closed automatically when the script ends. To close the connection before, use the
mysql_close() function:

<?php
$con = mysql_connect("localhost","peter","abc123");
if (!$con)
  {
  die('Could not connect: ' . mysql_error());
  }

// some code

mysql_close($con);
?>

« Previous Next Chapter »

PHP MySQL Create Database and Tables


« Previous Next Chapter »

A database holds one or multiple tables.

Create a Database
The CREATE DATABASE statement is used to create a database in MySQL.

Syntax

CREATE DATABASE database_name


To learn more about SQL, please visit our SQL tutorial.

To get PHP to execute the statement above we must use the mysql_query() function. This function is used
to send a query or command to a MySQL connection.

Example

The following example creates a database called "my_db":

<?php
$con = mysql_connect("localhost","peter","abc123");
if (!$con)
  {
  die('Could not connect: ' . mysql_error());
  }

if (mysql_query("CREATE DATABASE my_db",$con))


  {
  echo "Database created";
  }
else
  {
  echo "Error creating database: " . mysql_error();
  }

mysql_close($con);
?>

Create a Table
The CREATE TABLE statement is used to create a table in MySQL.

Syntax

CREATE TABLE table_name


(
column_name1 data_type,
column_name2 data_type,
column_name3 data_type,
....
)

To learn more about SQL, please visit our SQL tutorial.

We must add the CREATE TABLE statement to the mysql_query() function to execute the command.

Example

The following example creates a table named "Persons", with three columns. The column names will be
"FirstName", "LastName" and "Age":
<?php
$con = mysql_connect("localhost","peter","abc123");
if (!$con)
  {
  die('Could not connect: ' . mysql_error());
  }

// Create database
if (mysql_query("CREATE DATABASE my_db",$con))
  {
  echo "Database created";
  }
else
  {
  echo "Error creating database: " . mysql_error();
  }

// Create table
mysql_select_db("my_db", $con);
$sql = "CREATE TABLE Persons
(
FirstName varchar(15),
LastName varchar(15),
Age int
)";

// Execute query
mysql_query($sql,$con);

mysql_close($con);
?>

Important: A database must be selected before a table can be created. The database is selected with the
mysql_select_db() function.

Note: When you create a database field of type varchar, you must specify the maximum length of the field,
e.g. varchar(15).

The data type specifies what type of data the column can hold. For a complete reference of all the data
types available in MySQL, go to our complete Data Types reference.

Primary Keys and Auto Increment Fields


Each table should have a primary key field.

A primary key is used to uniquely identify the rows in a table. Each primary key value must be unique within
the table. Furthermore, the primary key field cannot be null because the database engine requires a value to
locate the record.

The following example sets the personID field as the primary key field. The primary key field is often an ID
number, and is often used with the AUTO_INCREMENT setting. AUTO_INCREMENT automatically increases
the value of the field by 1 each time a new record is added. To ensure that the primary key field cannot be
null, we must add the NOT NULL setting to the field.

Example
$sql = "CREATE TABLE Persons 
(
personID int NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT,
PRIMARY KEY(personID),
FirstName varchar(15),
LastName varchar(15),
Age int
)";

mysql_query($sql,$con);

« Previous Next Chapter »

PHP MySQL Insert Into


« Previous Next Chapter »

The INSERT INTO statement is used to insert new records in a table.

Insert Data Into a Database Table


The INSERT INTO statement is used to add new records to a database table.

Syntax

It is possible to write the INSERT INTO statement in two forms.

The first form doesn't specify the column names where the data will be inserted, only their values:

INSERT INTO table_name


VALUES (value1, value2, value3,...)

The second form specifies both the column names and the values to be inserted:

INSERT INTO table_name (column1, column2, column3,...)


VALUES (value1, value2, value3,...)

To learn more about SQL, please visit our SQL tutorial.

To get PHP to execute the statements above we must use the mysql_query() function. This function is used
to send a query or command to a MySQL connection.

Example

In the previous chapter we created a table named "Persons", with three columns; "Firstname", "Lastname"
and "Age". We will use the same table in this example. The following example adds two new records to the
"Persons" table:

<?php
$con = mysql_connect("localhost","peter","abc123");
if (!$con)
  {
  die('Could not connect: ' . mysql_error());
  }

mysql_select_db("my_db", $con);

mysql_query("INSERT INTO Persons (FirstName, LastName, Age)


VALUES ('Peter', 'Griffin', '35')");

mysql_query("INSERT INTO Persons (FirstName, LastName, Age)


VALUES ('Glenn', 'Quagmire', '33')");

mysql_close($con);
?>

Insert Data From a Form Into a Database


Now we will create an HTML form that can be used to add new records to the "Persons" table.

Here is the HTML form:

<html>
<body>

<form action="insert.php" method="post">


Firstname: <input type="text" name="firstname" />
Lastname: <input type="text" name="lastname" />
Age: <input type="text" name="age" />
<input type="submit" />
</form>
</body>
</html>

When a user clicks the submit button in the HTML form in the example above, the form data is sent to
"insert.php".

The "insert.php" file connects to a database, and retrieves the values from the form with the PHP $_POST
variables.

Then, the mysql_query() function executes the INSERT INTO statement, and a new record will be added to
the "Persons" table.

Here is the "insert.php" page:

<?php
$con = mysql_connect("localhost","peter","abc123");
if (!$con)
  {
  die('Could not connect: ' . mysql_error());
  }

mysql_select_db("my_db", $con);

$sql="INSERT INTO Persons (FirstName, LastName, Age)


VALUES
('$_POST[firstname]','$_POST[lastname]','$_POST[age]')";

if (!mysql_query($sql,$con))
  {
  die('Error: ' . mysql_error());
  }
echo "1 record added";

mysql_close($con)
?>

« Previous Next Chapter »

PHP MySQL Select


« Previous Next Chapter »

The SELECT statement is used to select data from a database.

Select Data From a Database Table


The SELECT statement is used to select data from a database.

Syntax

SELECT column_name(s)
FROM table_name

To learn more about SQL, please visit our SQL tutorial.

To get PHP to execute the statement above we must use the mysql_query() function. This function is used
to send a query or command to a MySQL connection.

Example

The following example selects all the data stored in the "Persons" table (The * character selects all the data
in the table):

<?php
$con = mysql_connect("localhost","peter","abc123");
if (!$con)
  {
  die('Could not connect: ' . mysql_error());
  }

mysql_select_db("my_db", $con);

$result = mysql_query("SELECT * FROM Persons");

while($row = mysql_fetch_array($result))
  {
  echo $row['FirstName'] . " " . $row['LastName'];
  echo "<br />";
  }

mysql_close($con);
?>

The example above stores the data returned by the mysql_query() function in the $result variable.

Next, we use the mysql_fetch_array() function to return the first row from the recordset as an array. Each
call to mysql_fetch_array() returns the next row in the recordset. The while loop loops through all the
records in the recordset. To print the value of each row, we use the PHP $row variable ($row['FirstName']
and $row['LastName']).

The output of the code above will be:


Peter Griffin
Glenn Quagmire

Display the Result in an HTML Table


The following example selects the same data as the example above, but will display the data in an HTML
table:

<?php
$con = mysql_connect("localhost","peter","abc123");
if (!$con)
  {
  die('Could not connect: ' . mysql_error());
  }

mysql_select_db("my_db", $con);

$result = mysql_query("SELECT * FROM Persons");

echo "<table border='1'>


<tr>
<th>Firstname</th>
<th>Lastname</th>
</tr>";

while($row = mysql_fetch_array($result))
  {
  echo "<tr>";
  echo "<td>" . $row['FirstName'] . "</td>";
  echo "<td>" . $row['LastName'] . "</td>";
  echo "</tr>";
  }
echo "</table>";

mysql_close($con);
?>

The output of the code above will be:

Firstname Lastname
Glenn Quagmire
Peter Griffin

« Previous Next Chapter »

PHP MySQL The Where Clause


« Previous Next Chapter »

The WHERE clause is used to filter records.

The WHERE clause


The WHERE clause is used to extract only those records that fulfill a specified criterion.

Syntax

SELECT column_name(s)
FROM table_name
WHERE column_name operator value

To learn more about SQL, please visit our SQL tutorial.

To get PHP to execute the statement above we must use the mysql_query() function. This function is used
to send a query or command to a MySQL connection.

Example

The following example selects all rows from the "Persons" table where "FirstName='Peter':

<?php
$con = mysql_connect("localhost","peter","abc123");
if (!$con)
  {
  die('Could not connect: ' . mysql_error());
  }

mysql_select_db("my_db", $con);

$result = mysql_query("SELECT * FROM Persons


WHERE FirstName='Peter'");

while($row = mysql_fetch_array($result))
  {
  echo $row['FirstName'] . " " . $row['LastName'];
  echo "<br />";
  }
?>

The output of the code above will be:

Peter Griffin

« Previous Next Chapter »


PHP MySQL Order By Keyword
« Previous Next Chapter »

The ORDER BY keyword is used to sort the data in a recordset.

The ORDER BY Keyword


The ORDER BY keyword is used to sort the data in a recordset.

The ORDER BY keyword sort the records in ascending order by default.

If you want to sort the records in a descending order, you can use the DESC keyword.

Syntax

SELECT column_name(s)
FROM table_name
ORDER BY column_name(s) ASC|DESC

To learn more about SQL, please visit our SQL tutorial.

Example

The following example selects all the data stored in the "Persons" table, and sorts the result by the "Age"
column:

<?php
$con = mysql_connect("localhost","peter","abc123");
if (!$con)
  {
  die('Could not connect: ' . mysql_error());
  }

mysql_select_db("my_db", $con);

$result = mysql_query("SELECT * FROM Persons ORDER BY age");

while($row = mysql_fetch_array($result))
  {
  echo $row['FirstName'];
  echo " " . $row['LastName'];
  echo " " . $row['Age'];
  echo "<br />";
  }

mysql_close($con);
?>

The output of the code above will be:

Glenn Quagmire 33
Peter Griffin 35

Order by Two Columns


It is also possible to order by more than one column. When ordering by more than one column, the second
column is only used if the values in the first column are equal:

SELECT column_name(s)
FROM table_name
ORDER BY column1, column2

« Previous Next Chapter »

PHP MySQL Update


« Previous Next Chapter »

The UPDATE statement is used to modify data in a table.

Update Data In a Database


The UPDATE statement is used to update existing records in a table.
Syntax

UPDATE table_name
SET column1=value, column2=value2,...
WHERE some_column=some_value

Note: Notice the WHERE clause in the UPDATE syntax. The WHERE clause specifies which record or records
that should be updated. If you omit the WHERE clause, all records will be updated!

To learn more about SQL, please visit our SQL tutorial.

To get PHP to execute the statement above we must use the mysql_query() function. This function is used
to send a query or command to a MySQL connection.

Example

Earlier in the tutorial we created a table named "Persons". Here is how it looks:

FirstName LastName Age

Peter Griffin 35

Glenn Quagmire 33

The following example updates some data in the "Persons" table:

<?php
$con = mysql_connect("localhost","peter","abc123");
if (!$con)
  {
  die('Could not connect: ' . mysql_error());
  }

mysql_select_db("my_db", $con);

mysql_query("UPDATE Persons SET Age = '36'


WHERE FirstName = 'Peter' AND LastName = 'Griffin'");

mysql_close($con);
?>

After the update, the "Persons" table will look like this:

FirstName LastName Age

Peter Griffin 36
Glenn Quagmire 33

« Previous Next Chapter »

PHP MySQL Delete


« Previous Next Chapter »

The DELETE statement is used to delete records in a table.

Delete Data In a Database


The DELETE FROM statement is used to delete records from a database table.

Syntax

DELETE FROM table_name


WHERE some_column = some_value

Note: Notice the WHERE clause in the DELETE syntax. The WHERE clause specifies which record or records
that should be deleted. If you omit the WHERE clause, all records will be deleted!

To learn more about SQL, please visit our SQL tutorial.

To get PHP to execute the statement above we must use the mysql_query() function. This function is used
to send a query or command to a MySQL connection.

Example

Look at the following "Persons" table:

FirstName LastName Age


Peter Griffin 35
Glenn Quagmire 33

The following example deletes all the records in the "Persons" table where LastName='Griffin':
<?php
$con = mysql_connect("localhost","peter","abc123");
if (!$con)
  {
  die('Could not connect: ' . mysql_error());
  }

mysql_select_db("my_db", $con);

mysql_query("DELETE FROM Persons WHERE LastName='Griffin'");

mysql_close($con);
?>

After the deletion, the table will look like this:

FirstName LastName Age


Glenn Quagmire 33

« Previous Next Chapter »

PHP Database ODBC


« Previous Next Chapter »

ODBC is an Application Programming Interface (API) that allows you to connect to a data
source (e.g. an MS Access database).

Create an ODBC Connection


With an ODBC connection, you can connect to any database, on any computer in your network, as long as
an ODBC connection is available.

Here is how to create an ODBC connection to a MS Access Database: 

1. Open the Administrative Tools icon in your Control Panel.


2. Double-click on the Data Sources (ODBC) icon inside.
3. Choose the System DSN tab.
4. Click on Add in the System DSN tab.
5. Select the Microsoft Access Driver. Click Finish.
6. In the next screen, click Select to locate the database.
7. Give the database a Data Source Name (DSN).
8. Click OK.

Note that this configuration has to be done on the computer where your web site is located. If you are
running Internet Information Server (IIS) on your own computer, the instructions above will work, but if
your web site is located on a remote server, you have to have physical access to that server, or ask your
web host to to set up a DSN for you to use.

Connecting to an ODBC
The odbc_connect() function is used to connect to an ODBC data source. The function takes four
parameters: the data source name, username, password, and an optional cursor type.

The odbc_exec() function is used to execute an SQL statement.

Example

The following example creates a connection to a DSN called northwind, with no username and no password.
It then creates an SQL and executes it:

$conn=odbc_connect('northwind','','');
$sql="SELECT * FROM customers";
$rs=odbc_exec($conn,$sql);

Retrieving Records
The odbc_fetch_row() function is used to return records from the result-set. This function returns true if it is
able to return rows, otherwise false.

The function takes two parameters: the ODBC result identifier and an optional row number:

odbc_fetch_row($rs)

Retrieving Fields from a Record


The odbc_result() function is used to read fields from a record. This function takes two parameters: the
ODBC result identifier and a field number or name.

The code line below returns the value of the first field from the record:

$compname=odbc_result($rs,1);

The code line below returns the value of a field called "CompanyName":

$compname=odbc_result($rs,"CompanyName");
Closing an ODBC Connection
The odbc_close() function is used to close an ODBC connection.

odbc_close($conn);

An ODBC Example
The following example shows how to first create a database connection, then a result-set, and then display
the data in an HTML table.

<html>
<body>

<?php
$conn=odbc_connect('northwind','','');
if (!$conn)
  {exit("Connection Failed: " . $conn);}
$sql="SELECT * FROM customers";
$rs=odbc_exec($conn,$sql);
if (!$rs)
  {exit("Error in SQL");}
echo "<table><tr>";
echo "<th>Companyname</th>";
echo "<th>Contactname</th></tr>";
while (odbc_fetch_row($rs))
  {
  $compname=odbc_result($rs,"CompanyName");
  $conname=odbc_result($rs,"ContactName");
  echo "<tr><td>$compname</td>";
  echo "<td>$conname</td></tr>";
  }
odbc_close($conn);
echo "</table>";
?>

</body>
</html>

« Previous Next Chapter »

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