Essential PHP Programs for Beginners: Step-by-Step Examples
PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor) is a widely used open-source server-side scripting language that powers millions of websites around the world. Known for its simplicity and flexibility, PHP programs is especially beginner-friendly and forms the backbone of many web applications, including WordPress, Facebook (initially), and Wikipedia.
For beginners, learning PHP through programming examples is one of the best ways to grasp the language. In this blog, we’ll explore essential PHP programs with step-by-step explanations to help you build a strong foundation.
Every programming journey starts with printing "Hello, World!".<?php echo "Hello, World!"; ?>
<?php ... ?> marks the start and end of PHP code.
echo is used to print output to the screen.
2. Simple Addition Program
A basic example to understand variables and arithmetic operations.<?php $a = 10; $b = 20; $sum = $a + $b; echo "The sum of $a and $b is: $sum"; ?>
Output:The sum of 10 and 20 is: 30
Key Concept: Variables in PHP start with $, and operators like +, -, *, / are used for arithmetic operations.
This program checks whether a number is odd or even.<?php $num = 15; if ($num % 2 == 0) { echo "$num is Even"; } else { echo "$num is Odd"; } ?>
Modulus operator % is used to find remainders.
Conditional statements (if-else) help control program flow.
A factorial program is a common beginner’s question.<?php $num = 5; $fact = 1; for ($i = 1; $i <= $num; $i++) { $fact *= $i; } echo "Factorial of $num is: $fact"; ?>
Output:Factorial of 5 is: 120
Reversing strings is often used in coding interviews.<?php $str = "PHP"; $revStr = strrev($str); echo "Reverse of $str is: $revStr"; ?>
Key Concept: PHP provides built-in functions like strrev() to simplify tasks.
A palindrome is a word that reads the same backward and forward.<?php $str = "madam"; if ($str == strrev($str)) { echo "$str is a Palindrome"; } else { echo "$str is not a Palindrome"; } ?>
Output:madam is a Palindrome
Generate a sequence of numbers where each number is the sum of the two preceding ones.<?php $n = 10; $a = 0; $b = 1; echo "Fibonacci Series: "; for ($i = 0; $i < $n; $i++) { echo $a . " "; $temp = $a + $b; $a = $b; $b = $temp; } ?>
Output:Fibonacci Series: 0 1 1 2 3 5 8 13 21 34
Check if a number is prime (only divisible by 1 and itself).<?php $num = 17; $isPrime = true; if ($num <= 1) { $isPrime = false; } else { for ($i = 2; $i <= sqrt($num); $i++) { if ($num % $i == 0) { $isPrime = false; break; } } } if ($isPrime) { echo "$num is a Prime Number"; } else { echo "$num is not a Prime Number"; } ?>
A small program to perform basic arithmetic operations.<?php $a = 20; $b = 10; $operation = "divide"; // change to add, subtract, multiply switch ($operation) { case "add": echo $a + $b; break; case "subtract": echo $a - $b; break; case "multiply": echo $a * $b; break; case "divide": echo $a / $b; break; default: echo "Invalid Operation"; } ?>
Concept: The switch statement allows multiple condition checks in a cleaner way than multiple if-else statements.
10. Form Handling (GET Method)
Handling user input is a key part of PHP.
HTML Form:<form method="get"> Enter Name: <input type="text" name="username"> <input type="submit"> </form>
PHP Script:<?php if (isset($_GET["username"])) { $name = $_GET["username"]; echo "Hello, $name!"; } ?>
PHP is a beginner-friendly language with simple syntax and powerful features. The examples above cover the most essential PHP programs that every beginner should practice: from printing output and arithmetic operations to strings, loops, and form handling. By writing these programs yourself and experimenting with variations, you’ll build a solid foundation in PHP programming.
Once comfortable, you can explore advanced topics like file handling, sessions, object-oriented programming (OOP), and database integration with MySQL.
