Before we begin, you will need to install a server on your own machine in order to test your PHP scripts locally. (If you have space on a Web server which supports PHP, you can also test your PHP there, but this is kind of a pain because it means you'll need to FTP your files or telnet in every time you want to change something. If you're not sure whether your site host supports PHP, just ask 'em.) To do so, simply follow Julie's article about installing a Web server with PHP. After you've done that, come back and we'll dive in by step-by-stepping through the basics.

PHP is a program that gets installed on top of your Web server software. It works with versions of Apache, Microsoft IIs, Netscape Enterprise Server, and other server software packages.

You use PHP by inserting PHP code inside the HTML that makes up your website. When a client (anybody on the Web) visits a Web page that contains this code, your server executes it. That's why you need to install your own server in order to test PHP locally — the server is the brain here, not your browser. Users don't need any special plug-ins or anything to see your PHP in action — it gets to the end user as regular old-fashioned HTML. The experts tell me that PHP is nice because it does not put a big strain on your server's CPU. (I like it because it makes me feel smart.)

PHP is a scripting language, like HTML. That means that code does not need to be compiled before it gets used — it gets processed on the fly as necessary.

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