Question:

(a) What PHP code snippet is used to establish a database connection to a MySQL server using the MySQL improved API?

(b) What are the advantages of using stored procedures, triggers and indexes?

(c) Briefly outline the importance of the following functions in manipulating MySQL data

(i) mysqli_fetch_array
(ii) mysqli_num_rows
(iii) mysqli_affected_rows

(d) Write code snippets to demonstrate how PHP allows you to:

(i) Create, retrieve & delete a Session value
(ii) Perform a redirection to another page
(iii) Make data safe to use in a query by escaping what could be problematic characters

(e) Write a simple PHP program that dynamically populates a dropdown list on page load with values retrieved from Database db_restaurant from table tbl_dish containing two fields namely dish_ID and dish_Name. Clearly state any assumptions you make.