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Intermediate PHP Programming: Building Dynamic Web Applications

Move beyond the basics and master PHP for real-world web development. This course covers object-oriented programming, database integration with PDO, security best practices, error handling, and building a complete MVC-style application. You'll work with sessions, APIs, and modern PHP features to create robust, maintain

540 min9 modulesBeginner friendly
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Free to take. This course does not use any Learning Credits.

What you’ll be able to do

Build secure, database-driven PHP applications using OOP, PDO, MVC patterns, and error handling, and confidently debug and deploy your own projects.

Course outline

A clear route from first principles to practical confidence

  1. 01

    Object-Oriented PHP Foundations

    • Classes and Objects in PHP
    • Properties, Methods, and $this
    • Constructors and Destructors
    • Visibility: Public, Protected, Private
    • Static Properties and Methods
  2. 02

    Advanced OOP: Inheritance and Interfaces

    • Class Inheritance with extends
    • Overriding Methods and parent::
    • Abstract Classes and Methods
    • Interfaces and Polymorphism
    • Traits for Horizontal Reuse
  3. 03

    Error Handling and Debugging

    • PHP Error Types and Reporting
    • Try, Catch, and Finally Blocks
    • Custom Exception Classes
    • Error Logging and Debugging Techniques
    • Using Xdebug for Step-by-Step Debugging
  4. 04

    Database Integration with PDO

    • Introduction to PDO and Connection Setup
    • Prepared Statements and Parameter Binding
    • Fetching Data: fetch, fetchAll, and fetchColumn
    • Inserting, Updating, and Deleting Records
    • Transactions and Error Handling in PDO
  5. 05

    Working with Forms and User Input

    • GET vs POST Methods
    • Form Validation and Sanitisation
    • Preventing SQL Injection with PDO
    • Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) Prevention
    • CSRF Tokens and Form Security
  6. 06

    Sessions, Cookies, and Authentication

    • Session Management in PHP
    • Working with Cookies
    • Building a User Login System
    • Password Hashing with password_hash
    • Session Security and Regeneration
  7. 07

    File Handling and Uploads

    • Reading and Writing Files with fopen/fwrite
    • File Uploads: $_FILES and move_uploaded_file
    • Validating File Types and Sizes
    • Working with CSV and JSON Files
    • Directory Operations and File Permissions
  8. 08

    MVC Architecture and Routing

    • Understanding MVC: Model, View, Controller
    • Creating a Front Controller and Router
    • Building a Simple MVC Framework
    • Using Namespaces and Autoloading
    • Templating with PHP Includes
  9. 09

    Working with APIs and Modern PHP

    • Introduction to REST APIs and JSON
    • Making HTTP Requests with cURL
    • Parsing and Using API Responses
    • Using Composer for Dependency Management
    • Modern PHP Features: Type Declarations and Null Coalescing