Hi, I understand the concepts behind PHP, but I don't have a programming background. web stuff is more of a hobby for me. trying to find a way to learn PHP/become fluent in it, what do you recommend for courses? I've tried some of the dvd's etc. but want to learn it in depth to build my own sites.
There are plenty of tutorials on the Internet and free ebooks and the most valued resource: php.net. I suggest you learning it working on personal hobby site maybe and work on it continuously adding new features. When you're stuck here at DP most likely you'll get solutions too Good luck!
The phparch.com's php essentials is a great course if you're willing to spend money to learn it. http://hades.phparch.com/socrates/course/index.php/essentials
You can go to www.hotscripts.com and download free scripts. Then just look at the scripts, how they work and how are they coded. That's good way to learn
personally, i would suggest thinking up a small to medium sized project at first. sounds daunting at first but you will learn a lot during it. maybe a guestbook or a photo gallery or something. read a couple tutorials and make www.php.net/manual your first love. talk dirty to it, make love to it. in the end, she'll be your little love toy and you'll both have a good understanding of what you want
go to Google that's of course most important thing... and ask question to forums when you don't understand to someone who's more experienced remember, not all questions are reliable, but worth to try, I'm sure that not all newbie understand what you're talking about at the first place
Am i the only one who thinks a book is the best way to start learning a programming language ? If i were you i'd buy me a "PHP in 24 hours" kind off book. I started learning php with such book, and it really is great to get the hang of the basic abilitties of the language. Then if you want to go more advanced, just go advanced: try some stuff out, you don't need tutorials to explore your limits. When you can create a basic webpage with a database, and some form processing, start doing larger projects. Just go for it: choose something you don't quite understand, and learn about it (that's how i do it)
i think books are really good as Unreal said, but for some ppl like myself books can be too boring, i prefer Video tutorials Like LEankey or Lynda.com they are expensive yes, but they are realyl worh it, if u just cant get the book into your brain ;-)
Lindz if you understand the concepts then I suggest you download the php manual reference and use the functions to make your website. If you do not feel comfortable using a reference at this point then the first thing you need to do is learn some basics such as output, file operations, sql integration. This will show you that programming in php is nothing but using appropriate functions at appropriate times. I would not recommend buying any books. Instead you have two great tutorials at w3schools.com tizag.com Go through these tutorials from beginning to end and then set yourself a goal and try to complete the goal. For example, tell yourself you want to build a content management system or forum like digital point and then try to code it. This will give you a fair idea of your limitations and then you can work to remove those limitations. Once you feel you can code anything then you should move on to using objects. Using objects will provide you with reusable code and churning out websites will take a matter of minutes. You could even start working as a freelance php programmer. If you need any help or have any questions just send me an email here at digital forum. Good luck!
The best way to learn is to think of a website you want to build, then look up tutorials for everything you want to add to the site. That way you have a goal and more motivation than trying to learn random tutorials.
I would strongly disagree with narrator. You cannot look up what you do not know exists. Unless you first acquaint yourself with the capabilities of a language using "random tutorials" you will be left in the dark when trying to code a website. I speak from experience and do not pose ideas. I myself learned php this way and can now develop professional websites.
I agree with this method, thats how I kinda learned... But you do need some basis to start, so thats where I'd take in as many ebooks and tutorials as I could find on php if I were you. PHP.net is an valuable source.
I found the examples from the comments on the php.net manual to be very useful and a great way to learn.
I don't know if you're starting from the very beginning or if you've already made some scripts work how you want. For me, I can do some (very) basic stuff, but have yet to write an entire script on my own. I too do it as a hobby for the most part. One of the first sites I found was: http://www.freewebmasterhelp.com/tutorials/php/1 It is VERY basic, but it opened my eyes from completely shut, to cracked open. I do use hotscripts.com and similar sites too, but sometimes it's a little too easy to just figure out what you need to change to make it work without really understanding why it works. my two cents...
Thank you all for the great tips! I basically have no programming background. I am learning as I go, right now I just want to make a basic dynamic site where my header, nav, background and footer are all the same on every page (so they are just one file vs. having to update every individual page)- would that be a combinatin of CSS & PHP? as you can see i am pretty much a novice LOL Just signed up for 2 courses on w3schools.com and bought a couple books.. a bit intimidating.. but I am excited to learn! Thank you all for the tips!!! Cheers, Lindsey Total newbie...