CMS takes the work out of building interactive websites.

Create a website at 000WebHost using PostNuke or other popular software.


Installs instantly using the FANTASTICO script installer!!

Your site will have automatic features like member sign up and site search.

Features like message boards and chat are easily added.

PHP MySQL
Interactive Website Design

Introduction

PHP and MySQL when used together become powerful tools that are used to create dynamic and interactive websites. Both are opensource tools and can be easily acquired for free.

The information you'll find on this website is for novices. We don't claim to be experts on the subject and our intention is to help the less technical minded website developer to become familiar with PHP and MySQL.

If your purpose in learning PHP/MySQL is to develop an interactive website, there is now a much easier way to accomplish the task. In the past, I didn't recommend Content Management Systems for this purpose. Most are Opensource and the documentation for them was terrible. That has changed.

I now recommend Joomla! and only Joomla! to experienced website authors for creating interactive websites. See Our Joomla Website. See also Our FAQ page & Screenshots

If you already have a web hosting account, see if your account includes the Fantastico or Elefante Script Installer. If you have one of these you already have Joomla! Only takes a few seconds to install it. When you do, you instantly get built in member registration, polling, blogging, web links page, site search and mass mailing. Adding a message board and live chat only takes a few minutes.

Contents

Advanced

If you wish to proceed - Before You Start

If you download our scripts and have a recent version of PHP you may get the following error message when creating a database.

Notice: mysql_create_db(): This function is deprecated, please use mysql_query() to issue a SQL CREATE DATABASE statement instead. in c:\inetpub\wwwroot\bdays\birthdays_create_database.php on line 8
Both versions of code are provided on the Creating a Database page. If you get the error and have a newer version of PHP be sure to get the new code.

The more technical minded folks should visit a website like DevShed and study the Articles on building Apache from scratch. Visit websites like pmachine.com for php-mysql website development resources.

For the Novice

PHP and MySQL are fast becoming the tools of choice for developing interactive websites.

We recommend that beginners first learn the art of website construction using HTML. Once grounded in HTML, step 2 would be to learn to develop forms using Perl or PHP.

A third step would be to set up PHP and MySQL and the Apache server on your PC. You would then experiment with the scripts provided on this site.

Instructions for performing the installations are provided in the PHP and MySQL guides on our website.

A Possible Shortcut

If you are in a hurry and want to jump right into dynamic website creation, there is a lot of software being developed for this purpose.

Many of these scripts and programs have been organized into a single resource called Fantastico. The Fantastico package is now provided by many web hosts.

PHP and MySQL?

Structured Query Language or SQL has been around for a long time. The language provides a standard syntax for accessing relational databases.

Until recently the process of manipulating databases on the internet was difficult and time consuming. The addition of PHP (HyperText Preprocessor) a simple but powerful scripting language and MySQL a portable SQL server, have made the task of building and accessing relational databases a much simpler task.

Database?

Databases are collections of data stored in table form. They can be built using software programs like Oracle and Visual Basic.

The same databases can now be built and maintained using the combination of PHP , SQL and the MySQL server.

The Lessons

The lessons provided in this tutorial will be short and simple. You'll learn to create and manipulate a simple database of names and birthdates.

1. Connecting to the MySQL Server
2. Creating the Database
3. Creating a Table
4. Adding a Record
5. Displaying Records
6. Updating a Record
7. Deleting a Record
8. Altering Tables

Download the Scripts

The Birthdays Database management files can be downloaded in a zip file. The package contains an integrated db management system, with a simple login file and interface. To run the scripts on your PC you must have a localhost server installed along with PHP and the MySQL server.
Download birthdays_db.zip

MySQL Tutorial

To extend your knowledge of MySQL study the Docs and Tutorials at the official MySQL website. MYSQL.com