Help With PHP

I ask of you, if you have any knowledge of PHP, how to do the following:

• read/write to a database
• password protect a portion of the site
• load files to the server by selecting the file on the web page and uploading via FTP

If you would like, please leave your ingenious thoughts on any of the areas I need assistance in. Feel free to post a link that you have found helpful on these topics.

Thanks in advance.