A few weeks ago I started exploring the PHP language. PHP stands
for PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor, and
is usually used for server side programming. PHP is an open source language.
As I have started to familiarize myself with the language, I can't help but draw comparisons to Microsoft's Visual Basic language. Both languages specialize in server side web programming, and support many of the same functionalists. However, where PHP is open source, Visual Basic is Microsoft owned. Another key difference is the support of WYSIWYG design for Visual Basic, through Microsoft's Visual Studio software. This makes designing webpages in Visual Basic quick, and shortcuts a lot of the programming language and html integration.
Unfortunately, I have not found such a program to aid in PHP design. In fact, I have found that it is common for most PHP programs to be written only in Notepad++, and then saved with the .PHP extension. Ultimately this will mean that I will have to become more familiar with manually combining HTML and object oriented programming.
Here is a simple "Hello World" program in PHP.
<html>
<head>
<title>PHP Test</title>
</head>
<body>
<?php echo '<p>Hello World</p>'; ?>
</body>
</html>
Here is a working link of it in action http://stuweb.jcu.edu/jfox14/hello.php
You can make your very own php program by using notepad, and the .php extension when you go to save.
