PHP,
which stands for "PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor" is a
widely-used Open Source general-purpose scripting language that
is especially suited for Web development and can be embedded into
HTML.
Its syntax
draws upon C, Java, and Perl, and is easy to learn. The main goal
of the language is to allow web developers to write dynamically
generated webpages quickly, but you can do much more with PHP.
PHP is a server-side
scripting language, which means that the script is put into the
HTML files that make up a site, but the server processes the script
BEFORE it is sent to the client browser. PHP code is not visible
if you view the source of a page because the server processes
the code and returns only the output. This is easier to code and
debug than writing CGI scripts in Perl or C since the HTML form
and related code are all in one page and PHP puts any errors on
the browser.
Another advantage
that PHP offers is the ability to directly connect to relational
databases using full featured internal functions. It supports
a whole fleet of databases including Oracle, DB2, mSQL and MySQL.
PHP runs on most major operating systems, including Unix, Linux,
Windows, and Mac OS X, and can interact with many major web servers.
All of the AUSWEB servers have PHP installed.
As PHP is
an Open Source scripting language, there are thousands of scripts
and programs available for download on the internet. There are
also many websites offering tutorials and assistance as well as
scripts, so there is no end to the support available should you
decide to delve into the world of PHP scripting.
Websites written
in HTML are static (the information stays the same until you edit
the HTML code), whereas sites written in PHP are dynamic (the
content the visitor sees changes depending on their choices or
input). PHP can be used for constructing anything, from a simple
email contact form, to a complex ecommerce solution and many things
in between.
PHP is the
scripting language used in many of the free Open Source applications
available for installation into your AUSWEB hosting account with
Fantastico
Deluxe which is an automated script installer. A few clicks
of your mouse and you can automatically install any of the applications
available.
Web Hosting 
