PHP5 programming improved greatly on what PHP 4 lacked

PHP 5 was released in July 2004, and offers better MySQL support than its predecessors. It includes imbedded support for SQLite, which is a database management system, and integrated SOAP support, which is a protocol for the exchange of XML based messages over networks, most often using HTTP.

With the new PHP5 version comes rewritten MySQL extensions, which are now referred to as MySQLi. It offers Secure Socket Layer connections, multi-query functions, bound input and output and prepared statements. It also takes advantage of new support PHP 5 offers that is object oriented to provide OO interface to MySQL. And to top it all off, MySQL now enables transactions, sub-selects and replication.

PHP 5 also improves on the major issues that were in PHP 4's XML extensions. The new XML extensions that are in PHP 5 efficiently process data, comply with W3 specifications, work together unified and supply you with the proper XML tool for whatever job you are doing. PHP 5's DOM extension may surprise you if you are a DOM fan; it is beyond what you would have been used to in the PHP 4 version.

Even though MySQL is better than ever in PHP 5, it is just too much database for some smaller jobs. This is why PHP 5 bundles SQLite and provides web developers a database that will work on all PHP 5 installations. SQLite supports subqueries, triggers, transactions and other advanced features, so even though it is called "Lite" it is anything but.

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