Comprehensive PHP Course Curriculum by Developer Chrismory

[chrismory]

Module 1: Introduction to PHP & Web Development​

1.1 What is PHP and Why Learn It?
1.2 PHP History and Evolution (PHP 5, 7, 8+)
1.3 Setting Up Development Environment

• XAMPP/WAMP/MAMP vs Docker
• Local vs Remote Development
  1.4 Your First PHP Script
  1.5 How PHP Works with HTML/CSS/JavaScript
  1.6 Understanding Client-Server Architecture

Module 2: PHP Fundamentals​

2.1 PHP Syntax and Tags (<?php ?>, short tags)
2.2 Variables and Data Types

• Scalar Types (string, int, float, bool)
• Compound Types (array, object)
• Special Types (null, resource)
  2.3 Constants (define() and const)
  2.4 Operators
• Arithmetic, Comparison, Logical
• Increment/Decrement
• String Operators
• Null Coalescing
  2.5 Type Juggling and Type Casting
  2.6 Error Reporting and Debugging Basics

Module 3: Control Structures​

3.1 Conditional Statements

• if, else, elseif/else if
• switch statements
• Ternary Operator
• Null Coalescing Operator (PHP 7+)
  3.2 Loops
• for, while, do-while
• foreach (arrays)
• Loop Control (break, continue)
  3.3 Alternative Syntax for Control Structures
  3.4 Declare Statements

Module 4: Functions​

4.1 Defining and Calling Functions
4.2 Function Parameters

• Default Values
• Type Declarations
• Variadic Functions
  4.3 Return Values and Return Type Declarations
  4.4 Variable Scope (global, local, static)
  4.5 Anonymous Functions and Closures
  4.6 Arrow Functions (PHP 7.4+)
  4.7 Callbacks and callable Type
  4.8 Built-in Useful Functions

Module 5: Arrays​

5.1 Creating Arrays (array(), [])
5.2 Indexed vs Associative Arrays
5.3 Multidimensional Arrays
5.4 Array Functions

• Sorting (sort, asort, ksort, usort)
• Searching (in_array, array_search)
• Manipulation (array_merge, array_slice, array_splice)
• Iteration (array_map, array_filter, array_reduce)
  5.5 Array Destructuring (PHP 7.1+)
  5.6 The Spread Operator (PHP 7.4+)

Module 6: Strings and Regular Expressions​

6.1 String Creation and Manipulation
6.2 String Functions

• Searching (strpos, strstr)
• Modification (substr, str_replace)
• Formatting (printf, sprintf)
• Case Functions (strtolower, ucwords)
  6.3 Heredoc and Nowdoc Syntax
  6.4 Introduction to Regular Expressions
• preg_match, preg_replace
• Pattern Modifiers
  6.5 String to Array Conversion and Vice Versa

Module 7: Object-Oriented Programming (OOP)​

7.1 Classes and Objects
7.2 Properties and Methods
7.3 Constructors and Destructors
7.4 Visibility (public, protected, private)
7.5 Static Properties and Methods
7.6 Inheritance and Overriding
7.7 Abstract Classes and Methods
7.8 Interfaces
7.9 Traits (Horizontal Reuse)
7.10 Magic Methods (__construct, __get, __set, etc.)
7.11 Object Iteration and SPL
7.12 Type Hinting for Objects
7.13 Constructor Property Promotion (PHP 8+)
7.14 Enumerations (PHP 8.1+)

Module 8: Error and Exception Handling​

8.1 Error Types (Notices, Warnings, Fatal Errors)
8.2 Custom Error Handlers (set_error_handler)
8.3 Exceptions vs Errors
8.4 Try-Catch Blocks
8.5 Creating Custom Exception Classes
8.6 Multiple Catch Blocks (PHP 7.1+)
8.7 Finally Block
8.8 Throw Expressions (PHP 8+)

Module 9: Working with Forms​

9.1 GET vs POST Methods
9.2 Accessing Form Data ($_GET, $_POST, $_REQUEST)
9.3 Form Validation

• Client-side vs Server-side
• Sanitization and Filtering
• Regular Expressions for Validation
  9.4 File Uploads ($_FILES)
• Handling File Uploads
• Security Considerations
• File Type Validation
  9.5 Building a Complete Contact Form

Module 10: Working with Databases​

10.1 Introduction to Databases
10.2 MySQL/MariaDB Fundamentals
10.3 PHP MySQLi Extension
- Procedural vs Object-Oriented MySQLi
- Prepared Statements
- Transactions
10.4 PHP PDO (PHP Data Objects)
- Connection and Configuration
- Prepared Statements
- Fetch Styles and Methods
10.5 CRUD Operations (Create, Read, Update, Delete)
10.6 SQL Injection Prevention
10.7 Database Design Basics
10.8 Connection Pooling and Optimization

Module 11: Sessions and Cookies​

11.1 Understanding HTTP Statelessness
11.2 Working with Cookies
- Setting, Reading, Deleting
- Security Considerations
11.3 PHP Sessions
- Starting and Destroying Sessions
- Session Variables
- Session Configuration
11.4 Session Security
- Session Hijacking Prevention
- Session Fixation
- Regenerating Session IDs
11.5 Custom Session Handlers

Module 12: File System Operations​

12.1 Reading and Writing Files
12.2 File Permissions and Security
12.3 Directory Operations
12.4 File Upload Handling (Revisited)
12.5 File Information Functions
12.6 CSV and JSON File Handling
12.7 Streams and Contexts

Module 13: PHP Security​

13.1 Common Vulnerabilities
- XSS (Cross-Site Scripting)
- CSRF (Cross-Site Request Forgery)
- SQL Injection (Revisited)
- Session Hijacking
13.2 Input Validation and Sanitization
- filter_var() and filter_input()
- htmlspecialchars() and htmlentities()
13.3 Password Hashing (password_hash, password_verify)
13.4 Secure File Uploads
13.5 HTTPS and SSL/TLS
13.6 Security Headers

Module 14: Advanced PHP Features​

14.1 Namespaces and Autoloading (PSR-4)
14.2 Composer and Dependency Management
14.3 Working with Dates and Times
- DateTime and DateTimeZone
- DateInterval and DatePeriod
- Formatting and Calculations
14.4 PHP Configuration (php.ini)
14.5 Performance Optimization
- OpCache
- Profiling with Xdebug
- Caching Strategies
14.6 Command Line PHP (CLI)
14.7 Internationalization (i18n) and Localization

Module 15: Web Services and APIs​

15.1 Consuming APIs with cURL
15.2 REST API Concepts
15.3 Creating RESTful APIs
- REST Principles
- HTTP Methods and Status Codes
- API Authentication (JWT, OAuth)
15.4 Working with JSON (json_encode, json_decode)
15.5 SOAP Web Services
15.6 Webhooks

Module 16: Modern PHP Development​

16.1 PHP Standards Recommendations (PSRs)
16.2 MVC Architecture
16.3 Introduction to Frameworks
- Laravel vs Symfony vs CodeIgniter
16.4 Template Engines (Twig, Blade)
16.5 PHP Testing
- Unit Testing with PHPUnit
- Test-Driven Development (TDD)
16.6 Version Control with Git
16.7 Deployment Strategies
16.8 Containerization with Docker

Module 17: Real-World Projects​

17.1 User Authentication System
17.2 Blog/CMS Application
17.3 E-commerce Shopping Cart
17.4 RESTful API with Authentication
17.5 Task Management Application
17.6 Chat Application (WebSockets)

Module 18: PHP 8+ Features​

18.1 Attributes (Annotations)
18.2 Named Arguments
18.3 Match Expression
18.4 Constructor Property Promotion
18.5 Union Types
18.6 Nullsafe Operator
18.7 Stringable Interface
18.8 New Functions and Improvements
18.9 Just-In-Time Compilation (JIT)

Module 19: Best Practices and Patterns​

19.1 Coding Standards (PSR-1, PSR-12)
19.2 Design Patterns in PHP
- Singleton, Factory, Strategy
- Repository, Dependency Injection
19.3 SOLID Principles
19.4 DRY, KISS, YAGNI
19.5 Code Documentation (PHPDoc)
19.6 Continuous Integration

Module 20: Career and Beyond​

20.1 PHP Job Market Overview
20.2 Building a Portfolio
20.3 Open Source Contribution
20.4 Keeping Up with PHP Evolution
20.5 Related Technologies to Learn
- JavaScript Frameworks
- DevOps for PHP
- Microservices Architecture