Maybe this is a web hosting service that you’ve paid for maybe it’s a free service provided by your Internet Service Provider (ISP) or maybe it’s a web server set up by the IT department of the company that you work for. If you’re used to building web sites with HTML, CSS, and perhaps even a smattering of JavaScript, you’re probably used to uploading to another location the files that make up your site. Can you guess what they are? I’ll give you a hint: their names feature prominently on the cover of this book! They are, of course, PHP and MySQL. In this chapter, I’ll show you how to download and set up the two software packages you’ll need. But remember, you were warned!īefore you build your first dynamic website, you must gather together the tools you’ll need for the job. After all, that’s where the rest of this book is.
Together, we’ll explore the world of database driven web sites and discover the dizzying array of dynamic tools, concepts, and possibilities that they open up. In this book, I’ll guide you as you take your first steps beyond the static world of building web pages with pure HTML. If you’re keen to learn more about PHP, you may find this recent article on CakePHP of great interest. This article was written in 2009 and remains one of our most popular posts.
