PHP

What is PHP?

PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor) is an open source scripting language that can be used for website development and easily embedded into HTML.

 PHP

A dynamic open-source language, PHP is a programming language that is used mostly for scripting. Scripting is useful for Web development, and can be incorporated into any kind of HTML code. This makes it easy to work with when it comes to mobile app development, especially if the developer is already focused on writing HTML and using a compatible front end framework.

PHP is on the scripting side, rather than the client-side, like JavaScript would be. This means that PHP code is made on the server, rather than in another application. This allows all Web files to be processed with the PHP language instead of just straight HTML, which can be more of a lengthy and encumbering process.

Why PHP?

PHP programming, and more specifically PHP scripting, is generally used for three main areas of focus:

  • Server-side scripting, which is the oldest and most popular use for this programming language. This uses a PHP parser, a Web server, and a Web browser in order to run on a single machine.
  • Writing desktop applications, which can be installed on a user’s local hard drive and shared across the Web. This area of focus also comes with the option to use PHP-GTK, which is an advanced addon for PHP that gives more features and capabilities.
  • Command line scripting, which is something that can be run without the aid of a browser or server. These commands are often done on Linux systems or as part of the Task Scheduler on Windows operating systems.

All the Details

There are several advantages to this programming language that can make it easy for beginners and can also make it a streamlined choice for your next mobile application development.

PHP is compatible across all major operating systems, including Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. It provides support for most Web servers, which removes any limitations you may have between choosing a Web server and an operating system.

PHP has output capabilities as well. The app developer can choose to output images or videos that were created spontaneously. It also supports different databases, allowing the developer to simply apply a specific extensions to the code to make it work on that database. For example, mysql is a specific database extension that is used quite frequently.

All PHP code and scripts can be incorporated into pre-existing or new HTML code, making it easy to integrate any type of mobile app for a variety of platforms and servers.

Things to Consider

When considering this programming language, it is important to consider the following features and limitations:

  • PHP is meant for scripting, but can be used for other purposes – just keep in mind what the language’s strong suits are, and if they apply to your application software.
  • PHP works on the server-side, staying away from user-end levels of code. This can help the developer make changes from behind the scenes.

It is easy to learn the PHP programming language as well; it does not take long for a developer to incorporate this language into any HTML format for a more dynamic mobile application.