Getting started - How / what to install?

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MikeRobertsMail
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Posts: 3
Joined: Sat Jun 06, 2009 3:20 am

Getting started - How / what to install?

Post by MikeRobertsMail »

Hi,

I’m totally new to PHP, but have programmed a lot in VB / Excel previously.

I want to have some recommendations on the best way to proceed.

• I have a domain and some web hosting with one.com
• I have gone through most of this http://devzone.zend.com/article/627 and I have added some PHP files and MySql examples to my one.com space and most of them worked fine
• I now want to start using an IDE and Eclipse seemed to be well recommended. I have downloaded this and started to use it

Info:

• I am working on a windows XP machine with IIS enabled. I don’t really want to get involved with building a Linux Server, but I would like to be able to build and test websites locally.

Problems / Questions:

• If I want to be able to do full local testing what do I need to do:
o Install PHP to work with IIS?
o Install MySql?
o Eclipse has a run button – will this simply run the files locally then utilising the above?
o Eclipse has some debugging functionality, but it seems you need to download something from Zend or XDebug. I think you have to pay for Zend; is XDebug free and easy to use/install and just as good?

• Can I link Eclipse to my one.com account so that everything I do is run on that server?
o Is thing recommended?
o Can I install PHP locally and use the MySql from the one.com server and still test locally?

• Should I be looking at a completely different approach?

Thanks in advance
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John Cartwright
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Re: Getting started - How / what to install?

Post by John Cartwright »

o Eclipse has some debugging functionality, but it seems you need to download something from Zend or XDebug. I think you have to pay for Zend; is XDebug free and easy to use/install and just as good?

I use Xdebug.

• If I want to be able to do full local testing what do I need to do:

If you are not interested in building the server yourself, then I would recommend you use a compiled package/installer, such as xampp. It will install PHP5+Mysql5 among along things you will generally need.

• Can I link Eclipse to my one.com account so that everything I do is run on that server?
o Is thing recommended?


Generally, you will want to work on everything locally. When finished, at that point you will upload your files to your production server. It is NEVER a good idea to work directly on a production server.

o Can I install PHP locally and use the MySql from the one.com server and still test locally?

Yes it is possible. You will however (most likely) need to add whitelist your ip with your server mysql (most control panels such as cpanel will allow this). Again, it is recommend you work off a local server (development server) though.

• Should I be looking at a completely different approach?

Nope, your asking great questions and seem to have a good grasp so far.
Doug G
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Joined: Sun Sep 09, 2007 6:27 pm

Re: Getting started - How / what to install?

Post by Doug G »

You can install php in IIS, there are tutorials at the php site showing different ways to install (cgi, isapi) and there is a windows installer. Mysql is easy.

I recommend the PDT eclipse all-in-one download from the Zend site, which includes the zend debugger. You can immediately start debugging within pdt eclipse using the internal web server. If you want to debug php in your web server, you need to get the stand-alone zend debugger which is a free download for linux, I assume there is a windows version, then edit php.ini to enable the debugger. Then there is a file 'dummy.php' that you need to put in the root of your web to enable the debugger.

You probably want to get server debugging working, the php configuration in the internal server is pretty limited. The pdt eclipse documentation is fairly thorough and pretty much led me through setting up server debugging with pdt eclipse.
MikeRobertsMail
Forum Newbie
Posts: 3
Joined: Sat Jun 06, 2009 3:20 am

Re: Getting started - How / what to install?

Post by MikeRobertsMail »

So I think I might try something like this:

http://www.wampserver.com/en/

Anybody got any comments?

Thanks
Mike
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