PHP Programming Fundamentals – Beginner Course in Uganda

Course outline and learning expectations

This is a tutor-led course. The outline shows what your tutor will cover; teaching materials and examinations are provided directly to enrolled students.

What you will learn

• By the end of this beginner PHP programming course, the learner will be able to:
• Install PHP and run programs through the command line.
• Explain variables, constants, scalar types, arrays, operators, and type conversion.
• Use conditions, loops, and match expressions to control program behaviour.
• Process strings and multidimensional arrays confidently.
• Design reusable functions with parameters, return types, and clear responsibilities.
• Validate input and handle errors and exceptions safely.
• Read and write text, CSV, and JSON files.
• Break a practical problem into small programming steps.
• Debug common PHP syntax and runtime errors.
• Build a complete command-line PHP program using local East African business scenarios.

Modules

1. 1

   PHP setup and programming foundations

   What PHP is and how PHP programs execute.Installing PHP and checking the installed version.Creating and running .php files from the command line.PHP tags, statements, comments, formatting, and syntax.Command-line input and output.Variables, constants, naming, and readable code.First project: personal expense calculator.
2. 2

   Data types, expressions, and decisions

   Integers, floats, strings, booleans, null, and arrays.Type inspection, casting, and type juggling.Arithmetic, assignment, comparison, and logical operators.Strict versus loose comparison.if, elseif, else, switch, and match.Validating user-entered values.Practice project: mobile transaction fee simulator using fictional rates.
3. 3

   Loops, strings, and arrays

   for, while, do-while, and foreach.Controlling loops with break and continue.Indexed, associative, and multidimensional arrays.Searching, sorting, filtering, and transforming arrays.String interpolation, formatting, searching, and replacement.Practice project: student marks and grade analyser.
4. 4

   Functions and reusable logic

   Declaring and calling functions.Parameters, default values, named arguments, and return values.Parameter and return type declarations.Variable scope and pure versus state-changing functions.Variadic functions.Introduction to anonymous functions and arrow functions.Refactoring repeated code.Practice project: reusable currency and budget functions.
5. 5

   Working with files and structured data

   File and directory paths.Reading and writing text files.Processing CSV records.Encoding and decoding JSON.Checking files and handling missing data.Dates, time zones, and DateTimeImmutable.Practice project: agricultural produce records processor.
6. 6

   Errors, exceptions, and debugging

   Syntax, type, logic, and runtime errors.Reading PHP error messages and stack traces.Error reporting during development.Throwing and catching exceptions.try, catch, and finally.Defensive input validation.Debugging with deliberate test data.Practice project: resilient savings contribution calculator.
7. 7

   Problem-solving and clean PHP

   Translating requirements into algorithms.Pseudocode and step-by-step problem decomposition.Counting, grouping, searching, and aggregating data.Early returns and reducing nested conditions.Naming, formatting, comments, and small functions.Basic assertions and test cases.Git fundamentals for tracking PHP exercises.Capstone planning and data preparation.
8. 8

   Beginner capstone

   Imports fictional sales or expense records from CSV.Validates dates, amounts, and categories.Calculates totals and category summaries.Identifies invalid records.Produces a readable command-line report.Exports results to JSON.Includes documentation and sample data.