Creating a "Hello, World!" script in PHP is simple and a great way to get started with PHP programming. Here’s how you can do it:

Basic "Hello, World!" Script

1. Create a PHP File:

   • Open your text editor or IDE.
   • Create a new file and save it with a .php extension, e.g., hello.php.

2. Write the PHP Code:

   • Add the following code to your hello.php file:

php
<?php
        echo "Hello, World!";
    ?>
    

3. Run the PHP Script:
   • You need a web server with PHP installed to run your PHP script. You can use Apache with PHP (such as XAMPP, WAMP, MAMP, or a LAMP stack) or a built-in server for testing.
   • Place your hello.php file in the web server's root directory (e.g., htdocs for XAMPP).
   • Open a web browser and navigate to http://localhost/hello.php.

You should see the output:

Hello, World!
    

Using PHP Built-in Server

PHP comes with a built-in web server that you can use for development purposes. Here's how to run your script using the built-in server:

1. Navigate to the Directory:

   • Open a terminal or command prompt.
   • Navigate to the directory where your hello.php file is located.

2. Start the Built-in Server:

   • Run the following command:

sh
php -S localhost:8000
    

3. Access the Script in a Browser:
   • Open a web browser and navigate to http://localhost:8000/hello.php.

You should see the same "Hello, World!" message displayed in your browser.

Full Example

Here is the complete process in one place:

1. Create a file named hello.php.
2. Write the following code in hello.php:

php
<?php
        echo "Hello, World!";
    ?>
    

3. Run the PHP built-in server:

sh
php -S localhost:8000
    

4. Open a web browser and go to http://localhost:8000/hello.php.

This will display:

Hello, World!
    

This simple example demonstrates how to create and run a basic PHP script. From here, you can explore more complex PHP functionality and start building dynamic web applications.