An Introduction to PHP for Scientists and Engineers : Beyond JavaScript

The best way to become acquainted with a subject is to write a book about it. ―Benjamin Disraeli i. Background The purpose of this book is provide an introduction to using a server-side programming language to solve some kinds of computing problems that cannot be solved with a client-side language such as JavaScript. The language is PHP (originally created in 1994 by Danish/Icelandic programmer Rasmus Lerdorf as “Personal Home Page Tools” for dealing with his own web site). The PHP language does not have a formal specification, as C does, for example. It is developed and maintained by a User Group of volunteers and is, essentially, defined by the most recently available free download. Although this might seem to be a shaky foundation on which to make a commitment to learning a programming language, PHP has a very large world-wide base of users and applications, which ensures its role into the foreseeable future. This book should not be considered as a PHP reference source and it does not deal exhaustively even with those elements of the PHP language used in the book. (This should be considered a blessing by the casual programmer. ) If you need more information, there is a huge amount of information online about PHP. Hopefully, this book will help you filter this information to focus on solving typical science and engineering problems. An excellent online source for information about PHP is http://www. php. net/manual/en/index. php, maintained by the PHP 1 Documentation Group.

PHP, originally created in 1994 as a ‘Personal Home Page’ tool, is a server-side programming language that can be used to solve numerous computing problems that a client-side language like JavaScript cannot.

This highly useful text/reference presents key information needed to write your own online science and engineering applications, including reading, creating and manipulating data files stored as text on a server, thereby overcoming the limitations of a client-side language. This book focuses on those elements of the language - such as file input/output, arrays, built-in math functions, and user-created functions - that are essential for solving a wide range of scientific/engineering computing problems. It assumes a working knowledge of HTML, programming concepts, and JavaScript, C or a similar language.

Features:

• Offers a working knowledge of PHP, essential for server-side programming

• Includes detailed code examples to guide the reader

• Contains several complete applications that show how to take advantage of server-side programming capabilities

• Extremely accessible, and ideal for self-study

• Provides an author-supported supplementary website containing code examples (www.pages.drexel.edu/~brooksdr/DRB_web_page/BookCode/PHPBookCode.htm)

• Directly addresses the needs of engineers, scientists and working professionals by explaining precisely those components of PHP required

This concise applications-oriented text is an exceptional shortcut to learning the essentials of PHP and is ideal for self-study or course use.

Dr. Brooks has authored several successful Springer titles, including: Problem Solving with Fortran 90 for Scientists and Engineers; C Programming: The Essentials for Engineers and Scientists; and An Introduction to HTML and JavaScript for Scientists and Engineers.