PHP Web Development with AI
Code Genius Penang offers practical adult coding classes designed for fresh graduates, working professionals, career changers, entrepreneurs, and anyone interested in learning modern web development.
Our PHP programme goes beyond basic programming. Students are introduced to practical, industry-relevant PHP development practices, including PHP fundamentals, MySQL databases, form processing, CRUD applications, authentication, security fundamentals, JSON, APIs, and real-world project development.
From PHP Fundamentals to Real Web Applications
Students begin by learning programming fundamentals before progressing into forms, functions, MySQL databases, CRUD applications, authentication and API development.
Every stage includes hands-on coding activities and projects. AI tools are integrated throughout the programme to help students understand code, debug problems, improve their solutions and develop modern software development skills.
Understand the programming idea and how it works.
Students practise writing and modifying PHP themselves.
AI helps explain errors, provide hints and review code.
Students apply the concept through practical projects.
PHP Programming Fundamentals
Getting Started with PHP
- Introduction to PHP and server-side programming
- How PHP works with a web server
- Installing and configuring XAMPP
- Installing Visual Studio Code
- Creating PHP files
- PHP opening and closing tags
- Displaying content with
echo - Introduction to variables
Students use AI to explain PHP syntax and understand basic error messages.
Variables, Data Types & Operators
- PHP comments and code documentation
- Creating and naming variables
- Strings and integers
- Floating-point numbers
- Boolean values
- PHP constants
- Arithmetic operators
- String concatenation
AI generates personalised exercises involving variables, calculations and PHP data types.
Introduction to PHP Arrays
- Understanding arrays
- Creating indexed arrays
- Reading array values
- Updating array values
- Adding new elements
- Removing array elements
- Merging arrays
- Useful PHP array functions
Students ask AI to visualise array indexes and generate array manipulation challenges.
Associative & Multidimensional Arrays
- Associative arrays
- Working with keys and values
- Creating multidimensional arrays
- Nested data structures
- Reading nested values
- Updating multidimensional data
- Managing complex student information
AI helps students break down and understand complex multidimensional data structures.
Programming Logic & Control Structures
Conditional Statements
- Understanding decision-making in programs
- Using
if - Using
else - Using
elseif - Comparison operators
- Logical operators
- Conditions using arrays
- Nested conditional statements
Students ask AI for debugging hints rather than complete solutions when conditions fail.
Switch Statements & Decision Making
- Understanding multiple-choice conditions
- Using
switch - Working with
case - Using
break - Using
default - Combining multiple cases
- Introduction to PHP
match
Compare alternative solutions using if,
switch and match.
For Loops
- Understanding repetitive programming
- Creating
forloops - Initialisation and loop conditions
- Incrementing and decrementing counters
- Using loops with arrays
- Nested loops
- Generating dynamic HTML content
AI demonstrates loop execution one iteration at a time to strengthen logical understanding.
While & Do-While Loops
- Creating
whileloops - Creating
do...whileloops - Understanding loop conditions
- Using counters
- Using
break - Using
continue - Understanding and preventing infinite loops
Students use AI to identify the cause of infinite loops and explain possible corrections.
Foreach Loops & Data Processing
- Understanding
foreach - Looping indexed arrays
- Looping associative arrays
- Accessing array keys and values
- Looping through multidimensional arrays
- Generating HTML tables dynamically
Students analyse every iteration of a foreach
loop with AI assistance.
Forms, Validation & Reusable PHP
HTML Forms with PHP
- Creating HTML forms
- Form input fields
- Understanding HTTP requests
- GET requests
- POST requests
- Working with
$_GET - Working with
$_POST - Processing form submissions
AI explains how data travels from an HTML form to a PHP application.
Form Validation & Secure Input
- Understanding validation
- Required form fields
- Using
isset() - Using
empty() - Validating emails and values
- Sanitising input
- Using
htmlspecialchars() - Displaying useful validation errors
Students ask AI to review insecure form-processing code and identify weaknesses.
PHP Functions & Reusable Code
- Creating custom PHP functions
- Calling functions
- Function parameters
- Passing variables into functions
- Returning values
- Understanding variable scope
- Default parameter values
- Introduction to type declarations
Students ask AI to identify duplicated code and suggest opportunities for reusable functions.
PHP, MySQL & Database Applications
Introduction to MySQL
- Understanding relational databases
- Using phpMyAdmin
- Creating databases
- Creating database tables
- Understanding rows and columns
- MySQL data types
- Primary keys
- Inserting records
- Introduction to SQL
Students use AI to evaluate database structures and recommend appropriate MySQL data types.
Connecting PHP to MySQL with PDO
- Understanding PHP Data Objects
- Creating database connections
- Managing database configuration
- Using prepared statements
- Executing SQL
INSERT - Binding values securely
- Handling database errors
AI assists students in understanding PDO errors without automatically replacing their entire solution.
Retrieving & Displaying Database Records
- Using SQL
SELECT - Filtering using
WHERE - Sorting using
ORDER BY - Fetching records using PDO
- Processing multiple database records
- Displaying information in HTML tables
Students ask AI to explain SQL queries and predict the database result before running them.
CRUD Operations
- Understanding CRUD architecture
- Creating database records
- Reading database records
- Updating existing records
- Deleting records
- Creating edit forms
- Safe deletion practices
Students use AI as a debugging and code-review assistant throughout CRUD development.
Complete Database Project
- Application planning
- Database planning
- Creating reusable files
- Create record page
- Student listing page
- Edit functionality
- Delete functionality
- Basic application organisation
AI assists with planning and troubleshooting while students remain responsible for reviewing and testing every feature.
Authentication, JSON & APIs
Sessions & Cookies
- Understanding application sessions
- Using
session_start() - Creating session variables
- Reading and updating sessions
- Destroying sessions
- Understanding browser cookies
- Creating cookies
- Protecting private pages
AI helps students understand how user state is preserved between different PHP pages.
User Authentication & Password Security
- Building user registration
- Building a login system
- Secure password storage
- Using
password_hash() - Using
password_verify() - Authentication sessions
- Restricting protected pages
- Secure logout
Students perform an AI-assisted review to identify potential weaknesses in authentication code.
JSON & Introduction to API Development
- Understanding JSON
- JSON objects and arrays
- Using
json_encode() - Using
json_decode() - Creating JSON responses
- Introduction to REST APIs
- Understanding API endpoints
- Connecting frontend and backend systems
Students use AI to inspect JSON responses, understand API structures and troubleshoot malformed data.
What Students Will Be Able to Do
Upon completing the programme, students should have the technical foundation required to develop dynamic PHP applications and use Artificial Intelligence productively and responsibly throughout the software development process.
“AI can assist students in writing code, but every student must understand, test and be able to explain the code they use.”
