What exactly is PHP

Anon

This is probably a stupid question but I am an ASP developer and I have heard a lot about PHP but what exactly is it and what dose it work with

Can I use it in my asp pages or along side them

Like say can I have a PHP include file in an ASP web page

And lastly can I install it on an IIS Server running windows 2000 or NT 4.0

Thanks for not making to much fun of me I am just addicted to knowledge and would like to know everything I can about everything

Thanks for your time

hiasl

Hi Rich!

PHP is a server-side scripting language, pretty much the same as ASP is. In both cases the PHP resp. ASP Code gets parsed before the page is sent to the user.

Can I use it in my asp pages or along side them?

Yes, you could, however it would make no sense using two different languages within the same page. However the both system can coexist, so the same server can be capable of executing ASP and PHP.

Like say can I have a PHP include file in an ASP web page.

You propably could, but forget this! Either use ASP or PHP.

And lastly can I install it on an IIS Server running windows 2000 or NT 4.0

Yes you can. PHP can run as a CGI Version or as a module. Both (with a lot of extensions and documentation) are available from http://www.php4win.de

I hope that helps :-)
Matthias

Anon

Let me tell you what. I have developed in ASP in the past. A friend began convincing me of php's potential, I critised by saying the what could I not do with PERL or VB Script.

HOW WRONG I WAS.

PHP is flat out amazing, fast and comes standard with a ton of incredible FUNCTIONS! To top it off, it is portable (for the most part) between operating systems.

If you want to do yourself a favor, purchase the SAMS PHP in 24 Hours, and start learning. I have both the PHP 4 Bible, and Begining PHP books. The SAMS book is great for beginners and I use it for reference all the time!

Honestly, I could right all day about how happy and excited I am about PHP, but I am going to save the key strokes for programming! 🙂

Anon

Basicly What I have is a finished website thats all in ASP that I have countless hours in

I found a UPS shiping calculator and I want to add it in to my check out page

and I just realy most of all need to know if ASP and PHP get along

you know like play well with others
lol

edwardsbc

Just to add to some of the other good answers you have received here, PHP is a server side scripting language much like ASP.

I like PHP because it is fast and "code" centric. Programmers from other programming languages (like C, Perl, Delphi, VB, etc.) find it very comfortable. This is in contrast to a "html" centric tool like Cold Fusion, where all commands are in tags.

Secondly, some reviewers and "experts" claim that PHP's lack of a single database abstraction layer is a weakness. Maybe in some circumstances, but normally, I'd rather have the use of database functions optimized for my target database. PHP has this in spades. (BTW, PHP does have an abstraction layer, PEAR, included in the 4.0 distributions. It is just in beta and not "finished" yet.)