In this section, we will guide you through the process of setting up your development environment for PHP. This includes installing a web server, PHP, and a database server. By the end of this section, you will have a fully functional environment to run and test your PHP scripts.

There are several ways to set up a PHP development environment. Here are the most common options:

1. Local Server Stack: This involves installing a local server stack like XAMPP, WAMP, or MAMP, which includes Apache (web server), MySQL (database server), and PHP.
2. Virtual Machines: Using tools like Vagrant to create a virtual machine with a pre-configured environment.
3. Docker: Using Docker to create containerized environments.
4. Cloud-Based IDEs: Using cloud-based development environments like AWS Cloud9 or Gitpod.

For beginners, we recommend using a local server stack like XAMPP or WAMP because it is the easiest to set up and use.

XAMPP is a free and open-source cross-platform web server solution stack package developed by Apache Friends, consisting mainly of the Apache HTTP Server, MariaDB database, and interpreters for scripts written in the PHP and Perl programming languages.

1. Download XAMPP:

   • Go to the XAMPP download page.
   • Choose the version compatible with your operating system (Windows, Linux, or macOS).

2. Run the Installer:

   • Open the downloaded file to start the installation process.
   • Follow the on-screen instructions to install XAMPP. You can choose the default settings.

3. Start the XAMPP Control Panel:

   • After installation, open the XAMPP Control Panel.
   • Start the Apache and MySQL modules by clicking the "Start" buttons next to them.

4. Verify the Installation:

   • Open your web browser and go to http://localhost/. You should see the XAMPP welcome page.

A good code editor is essential for writing and managing your PHP code. Here are some popular options:

• Visual Studio Code: A free, open-source code editor with a wide range of extensions.
• Sublime Text: A lightweight, fast, and customizable code editor.
• PHPStorm: A commercial IDE specifically designed for PHP development.

For this course, we recommend using Visual Studio Code due to its extensive features and community support.

1. Download Visual Studio Code:

   • Go to the Visual Studio Code download page.
   • Choose the version compatible with your operating system.

2. Run the Installer:

   • Open the downloaded file to start the installation process.
   • Follow the on-screen instructions to install Visual Studio Code.

3. Install PHP Extensions:

   • Open Visual Studio Code.
   • Go to the Extensions view by clicking the Extensions icon in the Activity Bar on the side of the window.
   • Search for "PHP" and install the PHP Intelephense extension for PHP language support.

After installing XAMPP and a code editor, you need to configure PHP to ensure it works correctly with your development environment.

1. Locate the php.ini File:

   • The php.ini file is the configuration file for PHP.
   • In XAMPP, you can find it in the xampp/php directory.

2. Edit the php.ini File:

   • Open the php.ini file in your code editor.
   • Make the following changes to ensure optimal development settings:
     • Enable error reporting by setting display_errors = On.
     • Set the error_reporting level to E_ALL to report all types of errors.

3. Restart Apache:

   • After making changes to the php.ini file, restart the Apache server from the XAMPP Control Panel to apply the changes.

To ensure everything is set up correctly, let's create a simple PHP script and run it.

1. Create a PHP File:

   • Open your code editor and create a new file named test.php.

   • Add the following code to the file:

     <?php
     echo "Hello, World!";
     ?>
     

2. Save the File:

   • Save the file in the htdocs directory of your XAMPP installation (e.g., C:\xampp\htdocs\).

3. Run the Script:

   • Open your web browser and go to http://localhost/test.php.
   • You should see the message "Hello, World!" displayed on the page.

Congratulations! You have successfully set up your PHP development environment. You are now ready to start writing and running PHP scripts. In the next section, we will create our first PHP script and explore the basic syntax and variables in PHP.