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Learning PHP! ... help a newbie

Posted: Sat Nov 22, 2003 2:48 pm
by thomasd1
hi there,
i started leaning php a week ago, now i'm stuck
i know the basics like, Syntaxing, Operators, Conditionals, Looping, e few Functions, dealing with Forms, & Cookies. I learned it off http://www.w3schools.com/php

now i think my next task is to handle a database..., but how...

what exactely is, and what is it used for: MySQL (i know sql means structured query language and i'm guessing MySQL is some kind of database just like MS Access)
and is it good "MySQL"...??

Can anybody give me a good expaination please :roll:
Also a link to a good tutorial site... and where did you people learn php?

Thanx
(ps: i'm new to this forum, so don't kill me if saying something stupid ...)

Posted: Sat Nov 22, 2003 4:55 pm
by m3mn0n
You're right. It's a form of RDBMS. Meaning [R]elational [D]ataase [M]anagement [S]ystem.

It's by far the most popular one to use with PHP. I believe all the new PHP versions come with packaged support for MySQL, so it's a simply matter of knowing how to use it and you can get started with learning it.

PHP also supports a number of other database systems, such as Oracle, PostgreSQL, and MSSQL. I suggest learning MySQL first, since there is so much material on it and there will be much more community support for problems that occur while you learn.

The best place to start your learning of MySQL is the ]MySQL function list, found here. And then the MySQL official documentation; you can find that at http://www.mysql.com. The next step would be to find some tutorials. Do a quick Google search for [google]php mysql tutorial[/google] and I'm sure you will get some good links.

If you have questions this forum has a Database help section where you can post issues you are having.

Enjoy your PHP learning, and welcome to the community.

Posted: Sat Nov 22, 2003 4:55 pm
by DuFF
Personally, MySQL is my favorite database. But I may be biased, mainly because of the fact its the only database I've ever used :P

Heres a pretty good beginner tutorial:
http://www.weberdev.com/ViewArticle.php3?ArticleID=22

Posted: Sat Nov 22, 2003 8:57 pm
by infolock
As Duff has said, Mysql is my favorite as well, although I've used ODBC in the past with Delphi, along with Access. MySQL, though, is by far one of the easiest to work with while developing php apps. I'd say it has a lot to do with the extensive references that php provodes to you.

The best way to learn these things would be to learn the basics, like echo statements and assigning variables. Then, the sky is the limit as long as you have a pretty good understanding of HTML. I would suggest viewing the tutorials and websites that have been suggested above, along with maybe even buying a good book on it if you are serious about learning it. I'd suggest the book PHP and MySQL Web Development : Second Edition by Luke Welling and Laura Thomson. It was my first book, and I learned a lot of great coding practices with it.

Other than that, it's all about how much you WANT to learn the language. If you want to learn it, then the sky is the limit. But if you are just doing it to be doing it, you might struggle a little :P Good luck though, it's gonna be one hell of a ride.

Re: Learning PHP! ... help a newbie

Posted: Sat Nov 22, 2003 10:49 pm
by McGruff
thomasd1 wrote:...what exactely is, and what is it used for: MySQL (i know sql means structured query language and i'm guessing MySQL is some kind of database just like MS Access)
and is it good "MySQL"...??
Mysql is indeed a database. It's fast but (currently) has less features than some other databases - but you won't be bothered by that if you're learning.

A manual can be found at mysql.com.

Databases don't always use the same set of SQL queries (mysql has a handy LIMIT clause for example) but they do all need to be properly designed: database design is the foundation of a dynamic website. A good tutorial can be found at http://www.oreilly.de/catalog/javadtabp ... r/ch02.pdf

PS: I like that Einstein quote Infolock :)

Posted: Sat Nov 22, 2003 11:27 pm
by infolock
thanks :P crazy thing is, it's so very true heh

Posted: Sun Nov 23, 2003 3:12 am
by thomasd1
ok, i read a tutorial, and i see that mysql is command-line driven...
isn't there any way to make a mysql database, with some kind of gui-client just like access... :oops: :cry:

Posted: Sun Nov 23, 2003 4:34 am
by bionicdonkey
have a look at the mysql web page. i think there a few gui clients

Posted: Sun Nov 23, 2003 5:05 am
by m3mn0n

Posted: Sun Nov 23, 2003 6:43 am
by thomasd1
is a mysql databasefile the same as an access file?
do i just have to upload an dbase.mdb-file?? (but then .mysql extention..?)

Posted: Sun Nov 23, 2003 3:16 pm
by bionicdonkey
i don't think it the same. why do you need to upload it??

Posted: Sun Nov 23, 2003 6:47 pm
by infolock
thomasd1 wrote:is a mysql databasefile the same as an access file?
do i just have to upload an dbase.mdb-file?? (but then .mysql extention..?)
no, an access database file is not the same as a mysql database file, but you can query them almost exactly the same heh..

however, some good methods of converting an access database to mysql is provided here :

viewtopic.php?t=14862

hope that helps.