Web Programming Step by Step

Lecture 7
More PHP; File I/O; Query Parameters

Reading: 5.4, 6.1.1, 6.4.1–6.4.2

Except where otherwise noted, the contents of this presentation are Copyright 2010 Marty Stepp and Jessica Miller.

NULL

$name = "Victoria";
$name = NULL;
if (isset($name)) {
	print "This line isn't going to be reached.\n";
}

• a variable is NULL if
  • it has not been set to any value (undefined variables)
  • it has been assigned the constant NULL
  • it has been deleted using the unset function
• can test if a variable is NULL using the isset function
• NULL prints as an empty string (no output)

Arrays (5.4.3)

$name = array();                         # create
$name = array(value0, value1, ..., valueN);

$name[index]                              # get element value
$name[index] = value;                      # set element value
$name[] = value;                          # append

$a = array();     # empty array (length 0)
$a[0] = 23;       # stores 23 at index 0 (length 1)
$a2 = array("some", "strings", "in", "an", "array");
$a2[] = "Ooh!";   # add string to end (at index 5)

• to append, use bracket notation without specifying an index
• element type is not specified; can mix types

Array functions

Array function example

$tas = array("MD", "BH", "KK", "HM", "JP");
for ($i = 0; $i < count($tas); $i++) {
	$tas[$i] = strtolower($tas[$i]);
}                                 # ("md", "bh", "kk", "hm", "jp")
$morgan = array_shift($tas);      # ("bh", "kk", "hm", "jp")
array_pop($tas);                  # ("bh", "kk", "hm")
array_push($tas, "ms");           # ("bh", "kk", "hm", "ms")
array_reverse($tas);              # ("ms", "hm", "kk", "bh")
sort($tas);                       # ("bh", "hm", "kk", "ms")
$best = array_slice($tas, 1, 2);  # ("hm", "kk")

• the array in PHP replaces many other collections in Java
  • list, stack, queue, set, map, ...

The foreach loop (5.4.4)

foreach ($array as $variableName) {
	...
}

$stooges = array("Larry", "Moe", "Curly", "Shemp");
for ($i = 0; $i < count($stooges); $i++) {
	print "Moe slaps {$stooges[$i]}\n";
}
foreach ($stooges as $stooge) {
	print "Moe slaps $stooge\n";  # even himself!
}

• a convenient way to loop over each element of an array without indexes

Splitting/joining strings

$array = explode(delimiter, string);
$string = implode(delimiter, array);

$s  = "CSE 190 M";
$a  = explode(" ", $s);     # ("CSE", "190", "M")
$s2 = implode("...", $a);   # "CSE...190...M"

• explode and implode convert between strings and arrays
• for more complex string splitting, you can use regular expressions (later)

Unpacking an array: list

list($var1, ..., $varN) = array;

$personal = array("Marty Stepp", "(206) 685-2181", "570-86-7326");
list($name, $phone, $ssn) = $personal;
...

• the odd list function "unpacks" an array into a set of variables you declare
• use list when you know the exact length of the array and want to assign a useful name to each value

Example with explode

Martin D Stepp
Jessica K Miller
Victoria R Kirst

foreach (file("names.txt") as $name) {
	list($first, $middle, $last) = explode(" ", $name);
	?>
	<p> author: <?= $last ?>, <?= $first ?> </p>
	<?php
}

• could use $tokens[0], $tokens[1], ... — so why use list?

Functions (5.4.1)

function name(parameterName, ..., parameterName) {
	statements;
}

function bmi($weight, $height) {
	$result = 703 * $weight / $height / $height;
	return $result;
}

• parameter types and return types are not written
• a function with no return statements is implicitly "void"
• can be declared in any PHP block, at start/end/middle of code

Calling functions

name(expression, ..., expression);

$w = 163;  # pounds
$h = 70;   # inches
$my_bmi = bmi($w, $h);

• if the wrong number of parameters are passed, it's an error

Variable scope: global and local vars

$school = "UW";                   # global
...

function downgrade() {
	global $school;
	$suffix = "(Wisconsin)";        # local

	$school = "$school $suffix";
	print "$school\n";
}

• variables declared in a function are local to that function; others are global
• if a function wants to use a global variable, it must have a global statement
  • but don't abuse this; mostly you should use parameters

Default parameter values

function name(parameterName = value, ..., parameterName = value) {
	statements;
}

function print_separated($str, $separator = ", ") {
	if (strlen($str) > 0) {
		print $str[0];
		for ($i = 1; $i < strlen($str); $i++) {
			print $separator . $str[$i];
		}
	}
}

print_separated("hello");        # h, e, l, l, o
print_separated("hello", "-");   # h-e-l-l-o

• if no value is passed, the default will be used (defaults must come last)

PHP file I/O functions (5.4.5)

Reading/writing files

Hello
how r u?

I'm fine

array(
	"Hello\n",     # 0
	"how r u?\n",  # 1
	"\n",          # 2
	"I'm fine\n"   # 3
)

"Hello\n
how r u?\n      # a single
\n              # string
I'm fine\n"

• file function returns lines of a file as an array (\n at end of each)
• file_get_contents returns entire contents of a file as a single string
  • file_put_contents writes a string into a file

Reading/writing an entire file

# reverse a file
$text = file_get_contents("poem.txt");
$text = strrev($text);
file_put_contents("poem.txt", $text);

• file_get_contents returns entire contents of a file as a string
  • if the file doesn't exist, you will get a warning and an empty return string
• file_put_contents writes a string into a file, replacing its old contents
  • if the file doesn't exist, it will be created

Appending to a file

# add a line to a file
$new_text = "P.S. ILY, GTG TTYL!~";
file_put_contents("poem.txt", $new_text, FILE_APPEND);

Roses are red,
Violets are blue.
All my base,
Are belong to you.

Roses are red,
Violets are blue.
All my base,
Are belong to you.
P.S. ILY, GTG TTYL!~

• file_put_contents can be called with an optional third parameter to append (add to the end) rather than overwrite

The file function

# display lines of file as a bulleted list
$lines = file("todolist.txt");
foreach ($lines as $line) {        # for ($i = 0; $i < count($lines); $i++)
	print "<li>$line</li>\n";
}

• file returns the lines of a file as an array of strings
• each ends with \n ; to strip it, use an optional second parameter:

  $lines = file("todolist.txt", FILE_IGNORE_NEW_LINES);
  

• common idiom: foreach or for loop over lines of file
• when you know a file's exact length/format, use file and list to unpack it:

  list($name, $phone, $ssn) = file("personal.txt", FILE_IGNORE_NEW_LINES);
  

Reading directories

• glob can accept a general path with the * wildcard character

glob example

# reverse all poems in the poetry directory
$poems = glob("poetry/poem*.dat");
foreach ($poems as $poemfile) {
	$text = file_get_contents($poemfile);
	file_put_contents($poemfile, strrev($text));
	print "<p>I just reversed " . basename($poemfile) . "</p>\n";
}

• glob can match a "wildcard" path with the * character
  • glob("foo/bar/*.doc") returns all .doc files in the foo/bar subdirectory
  • glob("food*") returns all files whose names begin with "food"
• the basename function strips any leading directory from a file path
  • basename("foo/bar/baz.txt") returns "baz.txt"

scandir example

<ul>
	<?php
	$folder = "taxes/old";
	foreach (scandir($folder) as $filename) {
		print "<li>$filename</li>\n"
	}
	?>
</ul>

• scandir sucks; current directory (".") and parent ("..") are included in the array
• don't need basename with scandir; returns file names only without directory

Query strings and parameters (6.1.1)

URL?name=value&name=value...

http://www.google.com/search?q=Obama

http://example.com/student_login.php?username=stepp&id=1234567

• query string: a set of parameters passed from a browser to a web server
  • often passed by placing name/value pairs at the end of a URL
  • above, parameter username has value stepp, and sid has value 1234567
• PHP code on the server can examine and utilize the value of parameters
• a way for PHP code to produce different output based on values passed by the user

Query parameters: $_REQUEST (6.4.2)

$user_name = $_REQUEST["username"];
$id_number = (int) $_REQUEST["id"];
$eats_meat = FALSE;
if (isset($_REQUEST["meat"])) {
	$eats_meat = TRUE;
}

• $_REQUEST["parameter name"] returns a parameter's value as a string
• test whether a given parameter was passed with isset