How to get started with PHP as a complete newbie

How do you get started with PHP as a complete newbie?

A common question that I get asked is

How do I get started with PHP?

The following is a simple recipe to get you started with PHP.

You’ll need the following basic ingredients for success:

• A reasonably modern computer running Windows
• A text editor, notepad for example
• A web browser, like Chrome or Firefox

Then follow these instructions to cook up your first “hello world” PHP page:

1. Setup a local webserver on your computer, by installing WAMPSERVER – download from here
2. Once installed, right click on the WAMPSERVER icon in your Sys Tray and click on “www directory”.
3. Create a new folder called “Project1”
4. Enter the folder
5. Create a new file, called index.php
6. Edit the file with your text editor, notepad will do
7. Enter the following code into the file, or copy and paste from here:
8. <?php echo "Hello World!";
9. Save the file
10. Open your web browser and navigate to this URL: http://localhost/Project1
11. You should see a page with the text “Hello World!” displayed in it
12. Congratulations you’ve successfully made your first PHP page!