do searchengines rate content in (mySQL-) databases???

[garbo]

If I create a page, with all the content like texts and image-sources stored in a MySQL DB and retrieve this content with php to build-up the html, will search engines be able to read my content and rate it properly?

Since browsers don't interpretate php but just the outcome, I guess search-enginges will do the same. But am I right?

thanx in advance!

[Krilnon]

You're correct. That's how pages like this page (generated by PHP and MySQL) show up later on search engines.

[garbo]

thanx Krilnon!

Now I have a second question:
Why would you use XML-files to store data in (like texts and image-links) when this can also be done in a MySQL? Or as some tutorials on this website supose, take the content out of the MySQL, format it as XML, and translate that again into a html-file.
I don't see how the XML-step inbetween can be useful.

[bwh2]

XML can be used for a variety of things. typically with flash for instance, XML is very easy to load. XML can also be used as an RSS feed. however, mysql is very easy to deal with and maintain, especially for larger data sets.

whether to use mySQL, XML, or some combination is situational.

[redrum87]

I have a question to add... For search engines to spider php/mysql pages, do the pages have to be linked? For example, I was able to get to this page because I clicked on a link on the server-side forum page (which is also linked to another php/mysql page...which is also linked... etc, until you get back to the root). In other words, I didn't get to this page because I knew the thread id of t=224603. Are search engines the same way, that is, can they only browse a php/mysql page if theres a link to it and not browse the database itself? I ask this because, you could have a record in a database and not have a link to it (maybe its only accessible by search or something, i dunno)

[Krilnon]

The pages have to be linked, which is why search engines find pages with 'crawlers' or 'spiders', they chose those names to describe how the pages were found (The 'web' is connected by 'links'). Also, search engines don't have access to your database(s). When making a database connection in PHP, you need to include a password in your connection function, it would be a very bad idea to allow anything through without a password.

[redrum87]

Hm, i didn't think about it that way. thanks for clearing that up.

[garbo]

Yes Krilnon and bwh2, thanks for answering these questions. They may seem trivial, but at least I wasn't sure of this.
Redrum, thanks for that extra question!