Use PHP to accomplish real-world, professional tasks. Incorporating five hands-on projects, PHP Professional Projects is your key to unlocking the power of PHP. Each project focuses on a specific PHP concept and is based on a real-world situation. You will be able to use the skills that you develop throughout the book to modify the projects as needed to fit your professional needs.

Create a User Registration Form: Using various form elements, create a user registration form for an online shopping site. You will use PHP script to track form value and check for errors. Your PHP script will give you experience using variables, operator, and control structures.

Store and Retrieve Data From Files: Using the registration form that you have just created, you will learn how to store data in a file and to retrieve the data using various file functions. You will learn the basics of file handling such as reading and writing to a file as well as pack and unpack function.

Work with MYSQL Using PHP: Begin by creating a database table and inserting data with a form and PHP script. Query your database table based on specific criteria and allow results to be displayed. Further your understanding of handling data storage and using PHP with a SQL database.

Create a Catalog and Shopping Cart: Cover all of the steps necessary to create a product catalog and shopping cart with PHP beginning with user registration. Learn how to add and remove products and customers and to send a feedback message using the mail function.

Master User Authentication and Tracking: Learn how to configure HTTP authentication on Apache and to create users. Begin with the basics of password-based authentication and password storage. Then create a PHP script that will validate users, and learn how to use cookies and sessions to track users.