Preview
Video Player
00:00
00:00
Intro to Workspaces and PHP Code
3:53Workspaces make it even easier then normal to get up and running here at Treehouse. We have supplied you with a web based server and the starting code you'll be working with. We'll use workspaces to write our first program and view it in a browser.
Most of the time you hear of PHP as
a language for creating web pages.
0:00
But PHP isn't limited to the web,
0:04
PHP is also very useful as
a general scripting language.
0:06
You can write and run scripts directly
on your computer without a web browser
0:10
using what's called the command
line interface or CLI.
0:15
We'll start our projects using the CLI in
the workspaces console before adding them
0:19
to a web page in the last section.
0:24
To follow along in your own workspace,
click the launch workspace button.
0:27
If you're looking for
0:31
a little more explanation on workspaces,
check the teacher's notes.
0:32
Let's get started.
0:35
When learning a new programming language,
0:38
it's a tradition to start with
a simple hello world program.
0:40
So let's start off by creating
a new file named Hello.
0:44
We'll give this the extension .php.
0:50
You place php code inside
what's called a code block.
0:53
Much like HTML tags,
the opening tag is <?php,
0:58
and the closing tag is ?>.
1:05
We then place our code
within this code block.
1:09
To display something to the screen
we use the echo command,
1:12
followed by whatever we want to display.
1:16
In this case we'll type, Hello World.
1:19
We'll surround this text with quotes and
end the line or
1:21
statement with a semicolon.
1:25
A statement in programming can be defined
as an instruction to perform a specified
1:28
action, such as setting data, retrieving
data, performing a calculation and so on.
1:33
Statements in php almost always
need to end with a semicolon.
1:38
Now let's run our script in the console.
1:44
If your console is not visible go to View,
Show Console,
1:46
then type php followed by a space, and
then the name of the php file hello.php.
1:52
This tells the console we
want to use the php command
1:58
line interface to process the file,
hello.php.
2:03
This is often called running a script or
executing the script.
2:07
Don't worry,
scripts aren't hurt when you execute them.
2:12
In the console we see the output,
Hello World, but
2:15
not the php tags or the echo command.
2:19
This is because the php command
line interface, or cli for short,
2:22
processes the php code and
returns only the output.
2:26
What we're talking about php code,
let me point out that with few exceptions,
2:33
php does not care about extra whitespace
such as spaces, tabs, or blank lines.
2:37
You can have things all smooshed up
together, or spread out, however you want.
2:43
But remember, with great power comes
great responsibility. By following
2:47
best practices and
spacing your code clearly,
2:52
you can make your code easier to read for
others and for your future self.
2:55
Congratulations!
3:01
You've written your first php script.
3:02
To get the most out of this course,
let me provide a few tips.
3:05
If you hit a part of the video where
you're struggling to follow along,
3:08
you can always slow down or
speed up the videos.
3:12
Also, feel free to watch
the videos more than once.
3:15
Furthermore, I've included additional
information in the teacher's notes.
3:19
So don't forget to check
those out as well.
3:23
If you don't write your code exactly
right, php will give an error.
3:26
If you want to learn more
about error handling,
3:30
check out the workshop
in the teacher's note.
3:33
And finally, not only is the php
community as a whole fabulous,
3:35
you also have an awesome community
of fellow students here at Treehouse
3:40
who can help you with
questions that you might have.
3:45
Sometimes it just takes
another perspective
3:48
to help you really
understand a new concept.
3:50