<!-- $Id: 01-prereq.sgml,v 1.1.1.1 2000/04/17 16:39:58 kk Exp $ -->

<sect1>Target Group and Prerequisites
<p>

PHPLIB targets the PHP application developer. You need to have
good knowledge of the PHP language, at least basic SQL database
knowhow and at least basic knowledge on how to operate your
web server to be able to use the library.

The library will help you to write medium to large sized
data-driven web applications. "Medium to large sized
applications" are applications that consist of multiple database
queries, have to generate tables from database data, need a user
interface that generates SQL queries or need a comfortable and
user-friendly way to protect pages or functionality on pages.
"Data-driven" applications are applications that make use of a
supported SQL-database to create HTML content and that use HTML
forms to drive database transactions.

To make use of the library you obviously need access to a web
server with a working installation of a current PHP interpreter
(we recommend 3.0.12 or newer for this release of the library)
and access to a supported SQL database (currently, PHPLIB
supports MySQL, PostgreSQL, mSQL, Oracle 7 and Oracle 8, Sybase,
Microsoft SQL Server and ODBC databases). You need to be able to
create and drop database tables in that database and your web
server must be able to execute <tt/SELECT/, <tt/INSERT/,
<tt/UPDATE/ and <tt/DELETE/ statements on these tables.

Throughout this manual, we assume that you are using the MySQL
database server. PHPLIB will run with any supported SQL server,
but we are using MySQL in the development of PHPLIB.

PHPLIB can be used in conjunction with the CGI version of PHP and
with <tt/mod_php/, integrated into Apache. Usage of the CGI
version has an impact on overall speed, because you cannot take
advantage of persistent database connection. We recommend
the Apache module over the CGI version, although we personally
use the CGI version for various reasons (easier to update and
can be run with Apache <tt/suexec/).

PHP 4 is still in beta. We do not support deployment of this
library with beta software.
