Complete Beginner. I'm lost!

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Siephe
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Posts: 3
Joined: Sat Feb 04, 2012 12:42 am

Complete Beginner. I'm lost!

Post by Siephe »

So I'm really itching to start to learn PHP, but at the moment, I haven't even started and already there are things I'm not clear about. I'm running on an OS X Snow Leopard, and I've read that it comes with PHP already installed. I know I can write PHP in programs like Dreamweaver and TextMate, but as far as I know, I've always had to upload my files onto a web server for them to actually run. I've been reading up on how to install PHP on my computer, but there are a lot of things I feel like I'm not clear about and that I don't understand.

1. How do I install, or upgrade my version of PHP on a Mac. What do I need to be able to run and test it locally?
2. If I do run and test locally, will it affect my system if I make mistakes or whatnot?
3. How does it all work?

I've only got experience in coding in HTML and CSS. And the only PHP I do know is php include, so when it comes to anything else, I'm totally lost. It's not so much the scripting that troubles me, it's understanding how it works. I don't want to end up doing something completely stupid that messes up my computer.

Thanks in advance for answering my questions! :D
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Christopher
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Joined: Wed Aug 25, 2004 7:54 pm
Location: New York, NY, US

Re: Complete Beginner. I'm lost!

Post by Christopher »

Siephe wrote:1. How do I install, or upgrade my version of PHP on a Mac. What do I need to be able to run and test it locally?
Probably search the web for installation and upgrade information.
Siephe wrote:2. If I do run and test locally, will it affect my system if I make mistakes or whatnot?
You can access the webserver on your own computer with the URL http://localhost
Siephe wrote:3. How does it all work?
Now that is a BIG question!
(#10850)
Siephe
Forum Newbie
Posts: 3
Joined: Sat Feb 04, 2012 12:42 am

Re: Complete Beginner. I'm lost!

Post by Siephe »

Christopher wrote:
Siephe wrote:1. How do I install, or upgrade my version of PHP on a Mac. What do I need to be able to run and test it locally?
Probably search the web for installation and upgrade information.

And that's where I hit my roadblock. It mentions things like Apache, and Mac Ports and X11 and Mamp and XCode and Textmate and... And wow, I'm lost. Different sites say different things and... :banghead:
Andycoca
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Posts: 1
Joined: Sat Feb 04, 2012 5:41 am

Re: Complete Beginner. I'm lost!

Post by Andycoca »

please people is't compulsory to know javascript before PHP? i just finish learning HTML and CSS.
djkazoo2002
Forum Newbie
Posts: 15
Joined: Mon Jan 30, 2012 10:49 am

Re: Complete Beginner. I'm lost!

Post by djkazoo2002 »

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JCUWco3s98

I am really new!!!!! and use mac, please watch this youtube.
esoftsolz
Forum Newbie
Posts: 3
Joined: Sat Feb 25, 2012 8:34 pm

Re: Complete Beginner. I'm lost!

Post by esoftsolz »

Andycoca wrote:please people is't compulsory to know javascript before PHP? i just finish learning HTML and CSS.
No. It's not compulosry. Javascript is a browser-side scripting language and PHP is a server-side scripting language. You can learn PHP without learning Javascript.

with regards
esoftsolz
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