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Beginners project

Posted: Tue May 07, 2002 1:19 pm
by ripX
Hi, I'm extreamly new to PHP, I've been working on html for 5 years and think it's time to progress. I have an idea for a site and would like to learn PHP and MySQL in the process of making the site. I'd like to ask a few questions.

Firstly - I'd like to make a password protective login screen which will call information from a MySQL database when the user logs in.

Secondly - I'd like to make a search facility which will bring a result based on the users preference of, rating, distance, price.

Last of all - I would like to use the mail server to let users send email to each other.

There are many things that I will need to use PHP for on this project and if there is anyone experianced in PHP or someone who would like to work along side me on a PHP project to learn together then email me psychotiq@btinternet.com and i'll tell you more about it.

Any little help or a couple of sample scripts would be great so I hope to hear from you guys soon. Thanks for any help in advance too! :D

Posted: Tue May 07, 2002 4:13 pm
by jason
Actually, I would highly suggest the book Beginners PHP 4 from Wrox as a good starting point.

In fact, here is my list for people wanting to learn PHP

Books to Learn PHP with

huh?

Posted: Tue May 07, 2002 4:48 pm
by ripX
This is just a way for you to make money from me buying a book from your Amazon site. Surely this site is here to enable developers to chat to each other and learn PHP so I don't want to purchace a book from someone who has given me no help what-so-ever.

Posted: Tue May 07, 2002 5:04 pm
by Jim
Fine, if you want to be assinine about it, how about looking around the internet for yourself a bit.

In fact, this very network is composed of several PHP sites (one of them run by the guy you just tried to insult.. good job there).

If you really wanted to learn, you'd look around a bit before asking people for help and telling them they want nothing more from you than money.

Here are some great sites to check out:

http://www.newbienetwork.net (Run by Jason, the moneygrubbing whore you seem to think of him as :P)
http://www.evilwalrus.com
http://www.phpdeveloper.org

Enjoy. I imagine Jason will end up giving you help after all. He's helped me a good bit.

Posted: Tue May 07, 2002 5:11 pm
by ripX
I wasn't trying to be offensive, I just couldn't understand why he was telling me to buy a book when this site is made to help people learn and develop PHP. I am looking around on the net and thats why I joined this site! Joining this site is obviously part of my search!

Posted: Tue May 07, 2002 5:32 pm
by Denisem
ripX wrote:I wasn't trying to be offensive, I just couldn't understand why he was telling me to buy a book when this site is made to help people learn and develop PHP. I am looking around on the net and thats why I joined this site! Joining this site is obviously part of my search!
Ugh - isn't jason a chick?

This dude is from the UK - hence the attitude!

Posted: Tue May 07, 2002 5:39 pm
by ripX
Man, I don't have an attitude, geez - how about this? Does anyone know where I can find information about cookies in PHP so that my users may pick a "scheme" that will automatically be visable when they visit the site? Using a little dropdown menu would be best?

Posted: Tue May 07, 2002 5:44 pm
by Denisem
ripX wrote:Man, I don't have an attitude, geez - how about this? Does anyone know where I can find information about cookies in PHP so that my users may pick a "scheme" that will automatically be visable when they visit the site? Using a little dropdown menu would be best?
Try this place

http://www.DMCinsights.com/phpadv

Posted: Tue May 07, 2002 5:44 pm
by Denisem
ripX wrote:Man, I don't have an attitude, geez - how about this? Does anyone know where I can find information about cookies in PHP so that my users may pick a "scheme" that will automatically be visable when they visit the site? Using a little dropdown menu would be best?
http://hotwired.lycos.com/webmonkey/00/ ... rogramming

Here is a better tutorial.

Posted: Tue May 07, 2002 5:58 pm
by ripX
Wicked, thankyou!!!

Posted: Tue May 07, 2002 6:03 pm
by mydimension
i still think you ought to buy a book or two [from jason's list or not] because they will provided as basis for PHP/MySQL scripting that most tutorial sites don't get into. get the basics down, then dive on in as much as you want.

Posted: Wed May 08, 2002 3:58 am
by mikeq
I agree you should buy a book, it will give you the basics of what you are trying to do.

This site is here to help if you get stuck on particular coding issues, not to design a site from scratch. That is how your first post came across even if that wasn't your intention.

Jason was only giving you a list of decent PHP books to get you started, you don't have to buy from Amazon you can actually get off your a**e go to your local bookshop and buy whatever you need.

Anyway good luck with your project.

Oh and by the way not everyone in the UK has an attitude :D

Mike

Re: huh?

Posted: Wed May 08, 2002 6:29 am
by jason
ripX wrote:This is just a way for you to make money from me buying a book from your Amazon site. Surely this site is here to enable developers to chat to each other and learn PHP so I don't want to purchace a book from someone who has given me no help what-so-ever.
1. I dont' make any money off these book sales. I simply put it up there to help people.
2. You came here asking for advice, and I give it to you. I honestly think that the books I pointed you to are good books to learn PHP from. Use that, along with the plethora of PHP websites out there (the PHPDN one's and a few others), and you should be fine.
3. I mentioned Beginners PHP 4 by WROX only because I know that the 3 things you mentioned you wanted to do are actually in the book. When I read those three things, I thought to myself, "Oh wow, he wants something that is provided exactly in that book! I bet he doesn't know that."
4. Suggesting I have given you no help whatsoever is a bit ironic since I am the one who setup these forums. While I don't expect you to bow down to me, I do expect at least some trust in that I do know what I am doing. When I make a suggestion, it is sincerely because I think it is the best method.
5. Patience. I gave you the short answer because of lack of time (I have a tendancy to check the forums whenever I can, even if for only a few minutes. I may not always give the longest answer because I am pressed for time. So rather than give you no answer at all, I gave you something to work with.
6. Attitude. Relax man...no one here is going to bite your head off, and it if ever seems we do, we are not. I won't let it happen here. You are right, this is a place for developers to learn from. I probably should have given you more places to go. However, I trusted that the other users of this site would jump in and offer suggestions as well. We are a good group of folk, with the honest interest in helping others. Not everyone sends you an Amazon link to buy from. Amazon is merely a good place to read review of books and what not, so you can see if you really want a book before you go down to your local book store to buy it, like I always do.

So just to clarify, no hard feelings.

p.s. Just a note to everyone, I love my avatars. :D

Posted: Wed May 08, 2002 7:01 pm
by Denisem
Oh and by the way not everyone in the UK has an attitude :D

Mike[/quote]

Yeah I know most people from the uk are cool. I was just giving the guy a hard time :D I am from Oxford....lol

Posted: Wed May 08, 2002 8:27 pm
by Jim
Nah, RipX was doing what many in his place would have done in his situation. He's just being cautious. Still, around here anyway, you don't have to assume anyone is out to get you ;)

And not all UKers have attitudes. I'm sure they'd say the same about Americans. I'm one, and I sure as hell think we have some of the worst on earth ;)

And Jason...

I love your avatars too, man. *:drool:*