What is PHP? Why should you choose to learn PHP as a programming language?

Why should I learn PHP? What is PHP? What can PHP do? I believe this problem bothers many people. Before I started working, I had never heard of PHP. Since I started working, I have gradually come into contact with code. , slowly know what PHP is. PHP is a language for building websites. Many engineers use PHP language to write code, and its application range is very wide.

If I were a front-end engineer, I could use JavaScript to program. However, the capabilities of JavaScript are limited. JavaScript usually runs on the browser (client). It can create special effects on web pages: the background changes color when the mouse rolls over it, and the common pop-up menu when the mouse rolls over the web page.

But if you want JavaScript to implement displaying "the total number of people who visited the website", it can't do anything, because it can only get the client's information, and the "total number of people who visited the website" is stored on the server side. Therefore, another programming language that can run on the server side is needed, and PHP language is one of them because it can run on the Web server side.

Before learning PHP, let us get to know PHP and its functions.

1. Running on the server side: Once you learn PHP, you can command the server to do work for you, or even cause damage^_^ (Never do this for real), most of the data on the WEB website It is stored on the server side, and PHP is used to process the data stored on the server (it is powerful, right).

2. Cross-platform: The server can be a server on multiple platforms, such as Linux, Windows, and Unix. You can command them all (don’t be afraid that you can only command one kind of server).

3. Scripting language: It instructs the server to work by writing scripts, which are lines of computer instructions (which can also be understood as specific English words). Therefore, the process of writing PHP is actually It is the process of communicating with foreigners (the server becomes a foreigner), and the language of communication is PHP.

4. Free: Free to use (there really is a free lunch in the world).

Professional explanation:

PHP can do anything. PHP is mainly used for server-side scripting programs, so you can use PHP to complete any work that other CGI programs can complete, such as collecting form data, generating dynamic web pages, or sending/receiving Cookies. But PHP's capabilities are far beyond this.

PHP scripts are mainly used in the following three areas.

Server-side script. This is the most traditional and main target area of ​​PHP. To carry out this work you need to have the following three points: PHP parser (CGI or server module), WEB server and WEB browser. You need to install and configure PHP when running the WEB server. Then, you can use a WEB browser to access the output of the PHP program, that is, browse the PHP page on the server. Please consult the "Installation" chapter for more information.

Command line script. You can write a PHP script and don't need any server or browser to run it. This way you only need the PHP parser to perform. This usage is ideal for daily running scripts that rely on cron (Unix or Linux environment) or TaskScheduler (Windows environment). These scripts can also be used to process simple text.

Write a client-side GUI application. PHP may not be the best language for window-based applications, but if you are very proficient in PHP and want to use some advanced features of PHP in your client applications, you can take advantage of PHP-GTK to write these programs. With this approach, you can also write cross-platform applications. PHP-GTK is an extension of PHP that is not included in the commonly released PHP packages.

Why should you learn PHP?

Little competition in the industry

PHP is developing rapidly. There are basically no PHP courses in universities, and there are few capable training institutions, resulting in very few programmers who master PHP. From the perspective of job hunting, comparing PHP recruitment information with JAVA or ASP, the recruitment volume of PHP reaches 1/3 of JAVA and ASP, but the number of PHP applicants is only 1/40 of JAVA and ASP.

Great social demand

Most Internet-related companies such as Baidu, Sina, Sohu, Taobao, Dangdang, and Tencent QQ are using PHP, and there is a strong demand for PHP talents. However, the most troublesome problem for Internet companies is that they cannot recruit personnel with actual PHP learning experience, let alone personnel who have received professional training in PHP.

Great Development Prospects

In the pervasive Internet application environment, new concepts such as Web2.0, cloud computing, and the Internet of Things will continue to give birth to new industries and services. The technical system that supports these new industries and services is none other than PHP. With the rise of 3G and mobile Internet technology, more and more WEB applications have chosen PHP as the mainstream technical solution.

After graduation, Danai PHP students will become PHP "Internet Big Bull" software engineers through "internal recommendations from famous companies" and win high-paying positions as senior software engineers; after working for two years, they will usually become an annual salary of 10 Thousands of software engineers or project managers; usually become software architects or technical directors after five years of work.

The salary is very considerable

Everyone knows that the salary of programmers is very high, especially for PHP. The salary of PHP engineers in Beijing is as high as 14,990 yuan/month. This is why you should learn PHP!

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