where do I go from here...

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187skillz
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where do I go from here...

Post by 187skillz »

OK, last year I made a promise to learn php but didn't even though I bought a lot of books on it..

Sam teach PHP,Mysql and Apache in 24 hours
PHP Bible
PHP and MySQL for dummies
Mysql/PHP database applications
PHP in easy steps..

Thats 5 book, this year, new attitude and after installing the AMP environment, I'm fired up, ready to go...honestly can I really learn PHP in 24 hours? I have never done programming before but I've installed one or 2 php scripts b4...

Anyway where do I go from here, I would really like to understand PHP/MYsql...

Thanks
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phice
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Post by phice »

First of all, don't just copy the files from the book's cd. No matter how long the code may be, it's best to type the code by hand to start to understand how the PHP process works.

Also, no you can't learn PHP in 24 hours, no matter what book says so.
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magicrobotmonkey
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Post by magicrobotmonkey »

second of all. get yourself a project - just wandering through books is ok, but if you are trying to do something you'll learn through necesity. Thats how I always learn new languages - I just say - "I want to do this in this language" then google it and start! Of course, if you've never porgrammed at all before, those books might come in handy!
187skillz
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Post by 187skillz »

Thank you...the project I would definitely like is to be able to add content to my site without using FTP....that would be my first project once I know what I'm doing.
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tim
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Post by tim »

I dont think anyone could learn ALL of php in any decent time.

I've been messing with it for 3+ years and i'm just beginning to learn sessions.

Way too many commands/functions to learn. You'll always come across a command line that u didnt know about that makes the method u use to do things much simpler.
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Post by Roja »

tim wrote:I dont think anyone could learn ALL of php in any decent time.

I've been messing with it for 3+ years and i'm just beginning to learn sessions.

Way too many commands/functions to learn. You'll always come across a command line that u didnt know about that makes the method u use to do things much simpler.
Or worse, the projects and deploy base you work with could be such that you *never* touch certain functions/routines.. for example, I have *never* dealt with CLI php.. I just dont ever have a place to do so. :)
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Post by Pozor »

Hello,

it is a really good way to learn PHP with a project. my first project was
a session management with cookies or url append. Ok i knew C/C++ before, that helps a lot! but i learned so many things because i sloved all problems by myself, ok of course with help from others when i had a problem, but i dont typed it from books.
For you it is good to start with typing skripts, to get used to php..

greez pozor
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Post by Deemo »

there are tutorials all over the internet, and http://www.php.net is a great resource on research for every function you can think of
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Slippy
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Post by Slippy »

If you are new to programming, then you will have difficulty understanding the online documentation etc... I would recommend that you read the "24 hours" book and follow the examples in the book (front to back).

The 24 hour/day books are designed to break the task of learning something into 24 manageable steps. If you don't get it all at first, keep pressing on... eventually it will make sense.

Projects are also a great way to expedite the learning process; I would recommend keeping the idea of your project in your head and then working on it when you think you have enough knowledge to tackle the task at hand.

Good luck -- and remember that there's lots of helpful advice around here...
187skillz
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Post by 187skillz »

Slippy wrote:If you are new to programming, then you will have difficulty understanding the online documentation etc...
I've looked at the online documentation a few times and you're right, it's not easy for the newbies to understand what they mean...I'll stick to this tho..and I'll definitely hang around here.

Thanks.
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Pyrite
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Post by Pyrite »

Those 24 hour books work for people who come from a C++ background though. Just not for newb programmers.
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Post by malcolmboston »

i learnt fast by going here
malcolmboston
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Post by malcolmboston »

Pyrite wrote:Those 24 hour books work for people who come from a C++ background though. Just not for newb programmers.
i came from a background with a sound knowledge of pretty much every web technology (with the exception of JSP)

PHP is alot easier to learn than say ASP and CFM, but still its not a beginner language, i would say try and write your own scripts / apps from the off, start off small and start building up, soon you'll get to grips with the syntax and feel comfortable working with PHP
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Post by Roja »

malcolmboston wrote:i would say try and write your own scripts / apps from the off, start off small and start building up, soon you'll get to grips with the syntax and feel comfortable working with PHP
For me, I have to follow the exact opposite approach. If I build my own apps, I wont learn from others, I wont see the right way to do things, and I'll learn bad habits.

Its like practicing karate based on what you see in movies. You might - MIGHT - get fast at punching, but you are almost definitely learning the wrong way to do things.

Instead, I find a fairly decent sized (30k lines or so) project, with multiple contributing members, and I try to take on some small bug or improvement. Generally they are very happy to get help, I get to see functional code, and make small improvements. Before long, I know how most of the code works, why I should/shouldnt do certain things, and I'm off and running.

Thats why I learned Pascal (wanted to opensource a BBS program), and why I learned PHP (improving an online, web-based game).

I'm very tempted to head to C next, to help with building a 100% compatible, open-source pine clone. I still have a ton of things I want to do with PHP though, and C worries me a bit. :)

So, different approaches for different people. Building small apps hurts me more than it helps me when I am getting started.
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Post by Vicious »

also make sure you know html.
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