Introduction to PHP and MySQL Programming

Lesson 1 • Configuring Your Code Editor

Sets up VS Code with PHP-specific extensions, linting, and syntax highlighting. Ensures productive coding habits from the first line of PHP written.

Lesson 2 • Installing a Local Development Stack

Guides installation of Apache, PHP, and MySQL via XAMPP or WAMP on Windows and macOS. Produces a fully operational local server for immediate coding practice.

Lesson 3 • Project Folder Structure and File Conventions

Defines standard directory layouts for PHP projects and naming conventions for files. Prepares students to organize multi-file applications cleanly throughout the course.

Lesson 1 • Control Flow: Conditionals and Loops

Teaches if/elseif/else, switch, and all loop constructs including foreach. Gives students the tools to build branching and iterative logic in dynamic pages.

Lesson 2 • PHP Syntax and Script Structure

Introduces PHP open and close tags, embedding PHP in HTML, and the echo statement. Establishes the syntactic rules that govern every PHP file in the course.

Lesson 3 • Variables, Data Types, and Type Juggling

Covers variable declaration, scalar and compound types, and PHP's dynamic typing behavior. Prevents common type-related bugs encountered in later database and form work.

Lesson 4 • Functions and Variable Scope

Defines user-defined functions, parameters, return values, and scope rules. Promotes reusable, modular code that scales across multi-page PHP applications.

Lesson 1 • Indexed and Associative Arrays

Explains array creation, access, modification, and iteration for both indexed and associative types. Arrays are the primary data structure for passing database results through PHP.

Lesson 2 • Multidimensional Arrays and Array Functions

Covers nested arrays and key functions: sort, usort, array_map, array_filter, and array_search. Prepares students to handle tabular database result sets returned as arrays.

Lesson 3 • String Manipulation Techniques

Covers strlen, substr, str_replace, strtolower, trim, and sprintf for text processing. Directly supports form input sanitization and dynamic content generation covered later.

Lesson 1 • HTML Forms and HTTP Methods

Reviews form elements, GET vs. POST methods, and how browsers encode form data. Establishes the mechanics that PHP superglobals rely on to receive submitted values.

Lesson 2 • Sessions and Cookies

Introduces session_start, $_SESSION, setcookie, and $_COOKIE for stateful user interactions. Enables persistent login state and user preferences across multiple page requests.

Lesson 3 • PHP Superglobals

Explains $_GET, $_POST, $_REQUEST, $_SERVER, $_FILES, and $_ENV with practical examples. These superglobals are the entry point for all external data in PHP applications.

Lesson 4 • Input Validation and Sanitization

Applies filter_var, htmlspecialchars, and custom regex rules to validate and sanitize inputs. Prevents malformed data from reaching the database or being rendered unsafely.

Lesson 1 • Relational Database Concepts

Explains tables, rows, columns, primary keys, foreign keys, and relationships. Provides the conceptual model students need to design schemas that avoid redundancy.

Lesson 2 • Creating and Managing Databases with DDL

Covers CREATE DATABASE, CREATE TABLE, ALTER TABLE, and DROP with appropriate data types. Students build and modify the schemas used in all subsequent PHP-MySQL exercises.

Lesson 3 • Inserting, Updating, and Deleting Data

Teaches INSERT, UPDATE, and DELETE with WHERE clauses and safe execution practices. Establishes the DML skills required for all CRUD operations built in PHP later.

Lesson 4 • Querying Data with SELECT

Covers SELECT, WHERE, ORDER BY, LIMIT, GROUP BY, HAVING, and aggregate functions. Gives students the query vocabulary to retrieve exactly the data PHP pages need.

Lesson 1 • Prepared Statements and Parameterized Queries

Implements prepared statements with bound parameters in both MySQLi and PDO. Eliminates SQL injection by separating query structure from user-supplied data values.

Lesson 2 • Establishing and Managing Connections

Covers connection parameters, error handling on connect, and closing connections properly. A reliable connection layer is the prerequisite for every database-driven PHP feature.

Lesson 3 • Executing Queries and Fetching Results

Teaches query execution, result set fetching modes, and iterating over rows. Students retrieve database records and render them as dynamic HTML tables and lists.

Lesson 4 • Choosing MySQLi vs. PDO

Compares procedural MySQLi, object-oriented MySQLi, and PDO in terms of portability and features. Helps students select the right API for project requirements and team conventions.

Lesson 1 • User Authentication in CRUD Apps

Implements registration, login, and session-based access control for the CRUD application. Restricts data management pages to authenticated users using session checks.

Lesson 2 • Implementing Create and Update Operations

Builds add and edit forms with server-side validation that insert or update database rows. Reuses form handling and prepared statement skills in a complete user workflow.

Lesson 3 • Application Architecture and File Organization

Defines a clean separation of database logic, business logic, and presentation layers. Establishes the structural patterns that make CRUD apps maintainable and extensible.

Lesson 4 • Implementing the Read Operation

Builds a paginated listing page that fetches and displays records from a MySQL table. Applies SELECT queries, result iteration, and HTML table rendering from prior chapters.

Lesson 1 • Automated Testing and Debugging Strategies

Introduces PHPUnit basics, var_dump debugging, and Xdebug for step-through inspection. Builds habits that catch regressions before they reach users in production.

Lesson 2 • Web Application Security Essentials

Addresses SQL injection, XSS, CSRF, and session hijacking with concrete mitigation techniques. Applies security controls across the full CRUD application built in the previous chapter.

Lesson 3 • PHP Configuration for Production

Covers php.ini settings for error reporting, file upload limits, and memory allocation. Ensures the application behaves safely and efficiently outside the development environment.

Lesson 4 • MySQL Query Optimization and Indexing

Introduces EXPLAIN, index types, and query rewriting to reduce execution time. Directly improves the performance of the data-heavy listing and search pages built earlier.