How To

“A character entity reference is an SGML construct that references a character of the document character set.”

This is just a fancy way of saying that an HTML entitiy is a reproduced set of characters that originally signified a single HTML representation. 

You may already be familiar with some HTML entities and not even know it! If you’ve ever coded HTML before, chances are that you’ve used some of the following HTML entities: Read the rest of this entry »

$_GET is a variable used to gather values from a form.

You may also wish to read the lesson on the $_POST variable

The $_GET variable is sent from the form, with a maximum allowable size of 100 characters.  

Let’s create a simple form, which will send the information using the PHP $_GET variable: Read the rest of this entry »

A function is simply a bit of code that we keep on-hand ready to use when needed.

Each function has its own unique name, and will always begin with the word “function”. Makes sense, huh? Read the rest of this entry »

If you ever need to gather information inputted from the end user, a form must be created. We can do this by using the PHP $_GET and $_POST variables.

We use the $_GET variable to gather the information, then the $_POST variable to process that same data. Read the rest of this entry »

Whereas a while loop will end should it stumble upon an invalid condition, the foreach loop will process each item in the array using the same operations until it has cycled through each item in the array.

Read the rest of this entry »

The for loop is used when you need to execute the same code a predetermined number of times.

For more PHP loop examples, see:

PHP Foreach Loop
PHP Do While Loop
PHP While Loop

For Loop Syntax

for ( expression 1, expression 2, expression 3){
do this;
}

  The for loop will first execute “expression 1″. Once it has done that “expression 2″ will be evaluated, and if it is TRUE, then “do this” is executed. The real loop begins now as “expression 3″ is then executed, “expression 2″ is evaluated, “do this” is executed… Read the rest of this entry »

A filter, rightly named, does exactly that- it filters data, usually received from the end user.

For example, if you have a form that requires a user to input their email address, a filter can accept an email address while not accepting anything that does not look like an email address. Read the rest of this entry »

Using the fopen() function, we are able to open a file, assigning ourselves certain permissions to that file. However, we use the fwrite() function to properly write data to any given file.

As with any other file manipulation function, we must first open the file before we can write to it. (For more information, see fopen) Read the rest of this entry »

So many people want to learn how to allow users to upload files to their server- well now’s your chance!

First off, let me say that before you blindly allow everyone to upload any type of file to your server, think twice. Potentially damaging files can be uploaded reeking havoc on your server! Read the rest of this entry »