Last updated January 4, 2013. Created by chrisshattuck on January 4, 2013.
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The goal of these videos is to prepare those who are newer to programming with the tools they need to eventually code in Drupal.
Introduction and getting a simple development environment set up
- Welcome to PHP Programming Basics - About the full video collection
- What programming is and tips for following along
- Overview of the AMP stack (Apache, MySQL, and PHP)
- How to install Acquia Dev Desktop on a Mac
- How to install Acquia Dev Desktop on Windows
- How to import a default Drupal site on Dev Desktop
Working with basic scripts and coding concepts
- Setting up our example folder and creating our first web page
- Creating our first PHP script and the structure of a simple PHP statement
- What an IDE is and the benefits of using one
- How to identify and fix common syntax errors
- How to work with simple arrays and use var_dump()
- How to work with multi-dimensional arrays
- How to use an "if" control structure
- How to use a "foreach" loop
- Why separating data from logic is important
- How and why to create a simple custom function
- How to wrap existing code in a function
- Accidentally assigning a variable instead of comparing it
- Troubleshooting a missing closing bracket
- How to use array operators
Working with forms, sessions and file structure
- How to process a simple form with PHP
- How to use a switch statement and the $_POST variable
- How to use file comparison tools to see differences between files
- How use to sessions and the $_SESSION variable to store user information
- How to log out a user and pass variables through the URL
- Entering a command in our text adventure game, and using the eval() function
- The pros and cons of using .inc files, and a review of our new file structure
Working with SQL and Create, Read, Update and Delete (CRUD) functionality
- What SQL is and how to write a simple SELECT query
- How to connect to a MySQL database with PHP
- How to run a MySQL database query in PHP
- What an SQL injection attack is and how to create one
- What CRUD is (Create, Read, Update, Delete) and how to backup a database in PHPMyAdmin
- Why to validate forms, and a demo of validating numbers, usernames and empty inputs
- How to validate alphanumeric inputs and unique usernames
- Ways that our CRUD script could be refactored and improved
- How to create a header template file
- When to use unique identifiers (IDs) and what a universally unique ID is (UUID)
- How a .htaccess file works and how to set one up
- How to use the heredoc syntax to avoid escaping multiple quotes
- Why it's better to use a function for settings instead of direct variables
- Using a URL function to route all requests to the right location regardless of subfolder
- Why generalizing CRUD functionality makes so much sense