PHP and MySQL: PHP and Guestbook
PHP
There is a gap between databases and what we know about front-end: there is no way for our HTML pages to directly connect to the database. This requires a server-side language, and PHP is one of the most popular choices --- mainly because PHP is more or less an upgraded version of HTML in practicality.
The Exercise Materials archive contains three files: detail.php, home.php and upload.php. They will come in handy.
Setup
In order to proceed with the exercise, you must be fluent in the following:
- Using Cyberduck-Sublime Text integration (Week 3)
- Bootstrap implementation (Week 5)
Create your new folder in the ocad.ckprototype.com server, and generate the following files:
index.php(homepage)detail.php(single article view)post.php(article creation form)upload.php(script for posting to database)footer.php(footer section shared by index, detail, and post)header.php(header section shared by index, detail, and post)
Open up index.php, and simply set up your page based on starter template offered by Bootstrap (http://getbootstrap.com/docs/4.6/getting-started/introduction/#starter-template):
Now, go ahead and copy the contents from home.php found in the Exercise Materials archive:
The result is an unsightly one, as the necessary styling is missing, along with extra components that we do not need:
Refer to the Bootstrap documentation (https://getbootstrap.com/docs/4.4/components/alerts/) and clean up the code. We will use the <form> element in another file: post.php.
Now we can be happy with the result, complete with text flowing in from the database:
Note on Syntax
- Notice that PHP, although very different in syntax, can coexist with HTML code --- as long as it is wrapped in its unique tag:
<?and?>. - As you can see, PHP uses a query-based command to communicate with SQL database. That explains "Query Language" in the name SQL.
Screencast Recording
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/r0itf9ic5hdwnxoz4a9nq/Page-2.mov?rlkey=59g6cm27k85h00fdpt69irn44&dl=0