Programming in HTML and PHP: Coding for Scientists and Engineers (Undergraduate Topics in Computer Science)

This concise and accessible textbook will enable readers to quickly develop the working skills necessary to solve computational problems in a server-based environment, using HTML and PHP. The importance of learning by example (as opposed to simply learning by copying) is emphasized through extensive use of hands-on exercises and examples, with a specific focus on useful science and engineering applications. The clearly-written text is designed to be simple to follow for the novice student, without requiring any background in programming or mathematics beyond algebra.

Topics and features: describes the creation of HTML pages and the characteristics of HTML documents, showing how to use HTML tables, forms, lists, and frames to organize documents for use with PHP applications; explains how to set up a PHP environment, using a local or remote server; introduces the capabilities and syntax of the PHP language, including coverage of array syntax and use; examines user-defined functions in programming, summarizing PHP functions for reading and writing files, viewing the content of variables, and manipulating strings; reviews the PHP GD graphics library, presenting applications for creating pie charts, bar graphs, and line graphs suitable for displaying scientific data; includes appendices listing HTML and ASCII special characters, and highlighting the essential basic strategies for solving computational problems.