TekCasts - Technology Screencasts for Professionals

Published

Mar 17, 2025

Duration

2h:56m:41s

Keywords

php

About This Series:

Welcome to PHP for Beginners, a complete step-by-step guide to learning PHP from the ground up! Whether you’re a total beginner or looking to refine your backend development skills, this series covers everything you need to know to start building dynamic, data-driven websites with PHP.

What You’ll Learn:

✅ The fundamentals of PHP and how it powers the web
✅ Setting up your development environment (XAMPP, MAMP, Docker, and more)
✅ Writing your first PHP script and understanding PHP syntax
✅ Working with variables, data types, arrays, and strings
✅ Controlling program flow with conditionals and loops
✅ Creating and using functions efficiently
✅ Handling user input, forms, and validation for secure web applications
✅ Embedding PHP in HTML and structuring reusable code
✅ Debugging, error handling, and best practices
✅ A hands-on final project to put your PHP skills to the test!

By the end of this series, you’ll have a strong foundation in PHP development, enabling you to create dynamic websites, process user input, and build real-world applications. Get ready to code and bring your web development ideas to life! 💻🔥

Videos In This Series:

Episode: 1

Why PHP?

Kicking off our PHP for Beginners series, this video takes you on a deep dive into the world of PHP. From its origins to its modern-day relevance, we’ll explore how PHP has shaped the web—powering everything from WordPress to robust frameworks and libraries. But why do some developers swear by it while others steer clear? We’ll break down the pros, the cons, and why PHP continues to be a powerhouse in web development today. Whether you’re a complete beginner or just curious about PHP’s place in the tech world, this video is the perfect starting point!

Ever wondered what happens behind the scenes when you visit a website? In this video, we break down the fundamentals of how the web works, focusing on how PHP processes requests and responses on the server. You’ll learn about HTTP & HTTPS, how browsers communicate with web servers, and what happens when you enter a URL. We’ll also explore key HTTP concepts like request methods, headers, response codes, and more. Plus, we’ll walk through a live example using browser developer tools to see it all in action. By the end, you’ll have a clear understanding of how PHP fits into the bigger picture of web development! 🚀

Setup a Development Environment

Before you start coding in PHP, you need the right tools! In this video, we’ll guide you through setting up a local development environment step by step. You’ll learn how to install PHP, set up a local server using XAMPP, MAMP, or the built-in PHP server, and explore containerized options like Docker. We’ll also discuss different code editors, from lightweight options like Sublime Text to powerful IDEs like PHPStorm and Visual Studio Code. By the end of this video, you’ll have everything configured and ready to start coding in PHP like a pro! 🚀

PHP for Beginners | Hello World!

Every programming journey begins with a simple “Hello, World!”, and PHP is no different! In this video, we’ll walk you through writing your first PHP script, embedding PHP within HTML, and running it on a local server. You’ll see the difference between static .html files and dynamic .php files and understand how PHP generates content on the fly. Whether you’re brand new to coding or just getting started with PHP, this is the perfect first step into the world of backend development! 💻✨

Understanding data types is essential for writing efficient and error-free PHP code! In this video, we’ll break down PHP’s core data types, including strings, integers, floats, and booleans, and show you how they work in real-world applications. You’ll learn how to: ✅ Properly name and assign variables ✅ Work with strings, including concatenation and the differences between single and double quotes ✅ Perform simple math with integers and floats, while exploring PHP’s type juggling ✅ Understand booleans and how PHP dynamically handles truthy and falsy values By the end of this video, you’ll have a solid grasp of PHP’s data types and be ready to start building dynamic applications with confidence! 🚀

Arrays & Associative Arrays

In this video from the PHP for Beginners series, we dive into arrays—one of the most essential data structures in PHP! You’ll learn about string arrays, numeric arrays, and mixed arrays, along with practical ways to output them using implode() and json_encode(). We’ll also explore how to loop through arrays with foreach, making it easy to process data efficiently. Next, we move on to associative arrays and multidimensional arrays, perfect for storing structured data. You’ll see how to access and manipulate complex datasets in PHP with ease. By the end of this lesson, you’ll have a solid grasp of how arrays work and how to use them effectively in your projects! 🔹 Perfect for beginners! 🔹 Hands-on examples included. 🚀 Start coding with PHP arrays today!

Logic, Conditionals & Branching

In this video from the PHP for Beginners series, we explore logic, conditionals, and branching—key concepts that control the flow of your PHP programs. You’ll learn how to use if, else, and switch statements to make decisions in your code, allowing your programs to respond dynamically to different conditions. By the end of this lesson, you’ll have a strong understanding of conditional statements and how to apply them effectively in real-world scenarios. 🔹 Beginner-friendly explanations 🔹 Hands-on coding examples 🚀 Master PHP conditionals and take control of your code today!

Loops are a fundamental part of programming, allowing you to execute code multiple times efficiently. In this video, part of the “PHP for Beginners” series, we break down the four main types of loops in PHP: ✅ foreach – Perfect for looping through arrays effortlessly. ✅ for – Ideal when you know exactly how many times you need to iterate. ✅ while – Runs as long as a condition is true, great for dynamic scenarios. ✅ do…while – Similar to while, but always runs at least once. By the end of this tutorial, you’ll understand when and how to use each loop, with clear explanations and examples. Whether you’re new to PHP or need a refresher, this video will help you master loops in no time!

Functions are the building blocks of reusable and efficient code in PHP! In this video we break down everything you need to know to get started with functions, including: ✅ Function keyword & syntax – How to define and call functions in PHP. ✅ Naming functions – Best practices for readability and maintainability. ✅ Parameters & return values – Passing data and getting results. ✅ Type hinting – Writing safer, more predictable functions. To make learning fun and practical, we’ll incrementally build a simple calculator that supports addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division! By the end of this tutorial, you’ll have a solid understanding of PHP functions and how to use them effectively in your projects.

Errors happen, but how you handle them makes all the difference! In this video we dive into PHP exceptions and how they improve error handling. We start by manually guarding against invalid data using if statements, then take it to the next level by introducing exceptions, covering: ✅ Throwing exceptions – How to signal when something goes wrong. ✅ Catching exceptions – Gracefully handling errors without breaking your code. ✅ Why exceptions are better than manual checks in many cases. By the end of this tutorial, you’ll understand how to handle errors cleanly and professionally in PHP.

Writing clean, maintainable code is a key skill for any developer! In this video we take our calculator project to the next level by refactoring it for better structure and reusability. Here’s what you’ll learn: ✅ Refactoring code – Moving related logic into separate files. ✅ require & include – How to properly import and reuse PHP files. ✅ Why structured code matters – Better organization, easier maintenance, and reusability. By the end of this tutorial, you’ll have a more structured, modular, and reusable PHP application—just like professional developers do!

It’s time to take our PHP calculator from hardcoded values to real user input! In this video we introduce an HTML frontend to drive our calculator, making it interactive. Here’s what we cover: ✅ Creating an HTML form – Allow users to input expressions dynamically. ✅ PHP Superglobals – Understanding $_POST and how to handle form data. ✅ Mixing PHP & HTML – Embedding PHP inside markup to render values and conditionally show elements. By the end of this tutorial, you’ll know how to build dynamic web pages that process user input using PHP—an essential skill for web development!

🎉 You did it! 🎉 You’ve completed the “PHP for Beginners” series, and you now have a solid foundation in PHP! In this short recap, we’ll: ✅ Review what we’ve learned—from loops and functions to forms and reusable code. ✅ Celebrate your progress and encourage you to keep coding! ✅ Hint at exciting next steps, like database queries and object-oriented programming. This is just the beginning of your PHP journey! Keep practicing, keep building, and get ready for more advanced topics. 🚀

php

1m:5s

Mar 19, 2025

About Your Instructor:

Bob Cravens

Your Instructor

Owner

TekFoundry

Wisconsin

United States

Short Bio:

Bob Cravens is a seasoned technology leader, software architect, and educator with a passion for empowering others through practical, real-world knowledge. As the founder of TekFoundry, Bob has dedicated his career to designing and delivering innovative software solutions that combine cutting-edge technology with elegant simplicity.

At TekCasts, Bob leverages over two decades of experience in software engineering, application architecture, and team leadership to create engaging, high-impact courses for developers and technology professionals. His instructional style is rooted in practical application, offering insights drawn from his extensive background in industries like medical devices and global technology consulting.

Bob’s expertise spans a variety of technologies and methodologies, including PHP/Laravel, FastAPI, and DevOps, as well as architecture best practices and team dynamics. Whether teaching foundational concepts or advanced strategies, he’s passionate about helping others turn complex challenges into streamlined solutions.

When not crafting elegant code or inspiring the next generation of tech innovators, Bob enjoys exploring the intersection of technology, business strategy, and creative problem-solving.