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For sometime, I’ve wanted to write a URL Shortener. I need a little help getting started and I think ChatGPT can provide the direction I need.

Because I also want to keep a Coding Journal, I should probably take a stab at solving my problem first before I ask ChatGPT or Bard to lay out a roadmap for me. I believe stating, in plain language, what I will want a script to do will help me understand the discrete steps that need to be taken.

I will then compare what I think needs to be done with what ChatGPT suggests and lookup what I don’t understand in Flavio Copes PHP Handbook – Learn PHP for Beginners on FreeCodeCamp.com.

I want to create a URL Shortener.

So, in plain words, what should my URL Shortener do?

1. The script should take a URL and create a shortened version of it,
2. storing both the original URL and the shortened version.
3. When the short URL is used, somehow, magically, some kind of lookup must be done
4. to figure out what the short url stands for.
5. I would also like the script to count the number of times a url shortener has been used.
6. I think I’ll need a text file to read and write to.

I queried ChatGPT for a starting point. At this point, I will learn what ChatGPT’s code instructions mean by reading Flavio

What follows below is ChatGPT‘s response to my query: what are the steps to create a url shortener in php?

ChatGPT-Generated URL Shortener Roadmap

Here are the general steps to create a URL shortener in PHP:

1. Create a MySQL database to store the original and shortened URLs.
2. Create a PHP script to generate a shortened URL based on the original URL.
3. Write a PHP script to insert the original and shortened URLs into the MySQL database.
4. Create a PHP script to redirect the shortened URL to the original URL.
5. Create a web form where users can enter the original URL and get the shortened URL.

Here’s an example of how you can implement each step:

Step 1: Create a MySQL database to store the original and shortened URLs.

You can use phpMyAdmin or any other database management tool to create a database. Here’s an example SQL query to create a table to store the original and shortened URLs:

CREATE TABLE urls (
    id INT(11) NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT PRIMARY KEY,
    original_url VARCHAR(255) NOT NULL,
    short_url VARCHAR(20) NOT NULL
);

Step 2: Create a PHP script to generate a shortened URL based on the original URL.

Here’s an example PHP function to generate a shortened URL:

function generateShortURL($originalURL) {
    $chars = "abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ0123456789";
    $shortURL = "";
    for ($i = 0; $i < 7; $i++) {
        $randNum = rand(0, strlen($chars)-1);
        $shortURL .= $chars[$randNum];
    }
    return $shortURL;
}

This function generates a random string of 7 characters that can be used as a shortened URL.

Step 3: Write a PHP script to insert the original and shortened URLs into the MySQL database.

Here’s an example PHP function to insert the original and shortened URLs into the MySQL database:

function insertURL($originalURL, $shortURL) {
    $conn = mysqli_connect("localhost", "username", "password", "dbname");
    $sql = "INSERT INTO urls (original_url, short_url) VALUES ('$originalURL', '$shortURL')";
    mysqli_query($conn, $sql);
    mysqli_close($conn);
}

This function uses the mysqli extension to connect to the MySQL database and insert the original and shortened URLs into the urls table.

Step 4: Create a PHP script to redirect the shortened URL to the original URL.

Here’s an example PHP script to redirect the shortened URL to the original URL:

$shortURL = $_GET['url'];
$conn = mysqli_connect("localhost", "username", "password", "dbname");
$sql = "SELECT original_url FROM urls WHERE short_url='$shortURL'";
$result = mysqli_query($conn, $sql);
$row = mysqli_fetch_assoc($result);
mysqli_close($conn);
header("Location: ".$row['original_url']);
exit();

This script retrieves the original URL associated with the shortened URL from the urls table and uses the header() function to redirect the user to the original URL.

Step 5: Create a web form where users can enter the original URL and get the shortened URL.

Here’s an example HTML form to allow users to enter a URL and get a shortened URL:

<form action="shorten.php" method="post">
    <label for="url">Enter a URL:</label>
    <input type="text" name="url" id="url">
    <input type="submit" value="Shorten URL">
</form>

This form submits the original URL to a PHP script called shorten.php that generates a shortened URL and inserts the original and shortened URLs into the MySQL database. The script then displays the shortened URL to the user.