PHP Developers Also Use MYSQL to Build Database-centric Applications

Before indulging in knowing what PHP developer does, let us know what PHP is all about. PHP is an open source language that is often used by PHP developers to create dynamic and stunning web pages. PHP builds core LAMP bundle and this LAMP architecture is the one which is extensively used in the PHP web application development. PHP development then involves PHP software development and PHP web development and it can be carried out through the platforms such as MAC OS X, Windows and Linux. MySQL can be used along with PHP to build applications that are driven by database.

There are many offshore PHP development services companies that are focused on dishing out their best to the clients with flexible options which can bring them higher returns on investment. These services typically include:

• Application Support
• Technical Enhancements
• New Add-ons to System
• System Up-gradation
• Code Review
• Application Optimization
• Bug Fixing
• Design Changes
• Functional Enhancements

Following are certain things that any PHP developer can take into consideration while creating PHP applications:

Use PHP Core Functions and Classes: When as a developer, you are set to create something which is very well known, you can take advantage of an existing PHP function. Check the PHP manual function before creating your own functions. There is no need to create a function to remove the white space at the beginning and at the end of a string when you can just use the trim() function. There is no need to build an XML parser for RSS feeds when as PHP’s XML Parser functions (such as xml_parse_into_struct)? can be enough.

Create a Configuration File: Create one master file that contains database connection settings and then include it in your PHP scripts? If you need to change details later on, you can do it in one file instead of several files. This is also very useful for a PHP developer when he needs to use other constants and functions throughout multiple scripts.

Using a config file is a popular web application pattern that makes your code more modular and easier to maintain.

Sanitize Data That Will Go into Your Database: If you want to avoid problems at a later phase, you need to sort out what are the popular ways in which your application can be compromised. This way, you can get good understanding of what SQL injections are. Then, you can read about examples of SQL injection attacks and check SQL injection cheat sheet. Expert PHP developers often resort to a PHP function that can save the application from a big problem: mysql_real_escape_string. mysql_real_escape_string will take a regular string (learn about data types through this PHP variables guide) and sanitize it for you. If you use the function together with htmlspecialchars, which converts reserved HTML characters (like <script> becomes &lt;script&gt;), not only will your database be protected, but you will also safeguard your app against cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks when rendering user-submitted HTML (such as those posted in comments or forum threads).