Ok so ive been reading threw the forum, been reading lots of web-sites related too, an even books from library on php/mysql but their all about the same thing and not really answering my basic newbish questions. So lets get on with it. Im sure you guys will laugh or what not, but please keep the flaming to yourselfs cause honestly this isnt one of those things where criticism is constructive. I've read in the past and have been told by others that php/mysql will make my life alot easier when it comes to making an maintaing websites. With that in mind i desided to check it out for myself an see what the hell php/mysql was an what it was all about. We'll I know one is databases an one is to show the data, but i make my sites on dreamweaver using the WYSIWYG with the layouts on photoshop so my questions are these. How do I use php/Mysql with the methods of making webpages that I listed above? All that those forums and websites tell me are: this program was made to do blah blah blah, ect ect. Or put this script $@#$@%@#%^#^%$#&%#^ with @#%@sdfsdgdsgs@#$@#4, an things of that nature. I know enough html to get what i want done, i just use WYSIWYG because i find that easier for me. Which leads me to my next question. How do i place the database info to the location i want within the webpage? Also, how do i add the effects I want? example: size, font, ect ect? Either im not searching for these answers hard enough, or most of these people got such a good understanding on these concepts that mentioning them has become obsolete. Im choosing the second Anyways for most of you sorry for wasting your time and boring you with my uber noobness, an the rest, thanks in advance for the input. -Evil Penguin
I am not sure the DB is going to help you based on your post above. If you are a "dedicated" WYSIWYG person php won't help you either. You can use a WYSIWYG editor to create the html portion of of php pages. BUT, the process of cutting and pasting it create the php pages may be more work than you are prepared to do. Said another way you have asked about fruit salad and then mentioned apples and oranges. They are not the same. Ask more questions and some one will answer them.
the best way i can say to learn things is do what i did.. I used to do everything in HTML and i can't say anything i ever did was real good but i wanted to learn php also and the easiest way to learn was actually by checking out free scripts that are on the net.. I started using scripts to create my sites and reading and learning their code, playing with their code and making changes myself (trial and error).. Little by little i started to realize the difference of what you can do in php vs html etc... It's tough and i wont' lie you will spend alot of hours staring at things asking yourself what the hell am i doing, but it'll click for you. Just spend some time with it, disect other people's codes and trial and error is the best way to learn something in my opinion. Good Luck, -Bill
If you're going to be using scripts on the web to learn be sure to start with VERY small ones. I would suggest doing a few searches on google for 'php tutorial' or something of the sort. Here's the first results I came up with: http://www.php.net/tut.php Probably the best way to start as looking at scripts that do something useful are probably far too complex for you to take anything away from it. Again my opinion would be to learn a little bit about PHP especially if you have never programmed before and then get into MySQL because MySQL will do nothing for you without some basic PHP skills.
Time to get your hands dirty. Seems like WYSIWYG has taken you as far as it can, now you need to get into coding script. Dreamweaver has a very nice code that you can use to code PHP, but there are other editors as well. You can use the WYSIWYG part to place where the script will go, but the actual script you'll have to code or copy in the code view. It may seem a bit hard at first, but once after your first couple of simple scripts you'll start to see how it all fits together. I also recommend the www.w3schools.com tutorials.
Yea thats what I was asking, sorry if I worded it wrong. If i have the layout an buttons an links an all that good stuff set up as a template in dreamweaver. Can i just add the php code along with the html code? Or is php an html completely different from each other and I would have to start from scratch to make a site with php? I take it there is a php code to modify font, style, size an all that junks so I dont need to do all that in html or WYSIWYG. Correct me if im mistaken though Cheers -Evil Penguin
You can add the php code along with the html, but in order for the php code to work you can do either one of the following -change the webpage's extension that the php code is on E.g. .html to .php -or add this line to your .htaccess file: AddType application/x-httpd-php .html
I'm in the same exact boat as you Evil Penguin. I honeslty have no idea what php is. I use dreamweaver(still learning). And to make our lives even worse, we have this alien thing called CSS which i have no idea how it could help me. But one day, i will reach the top, like bill gates, and figure all this stuff out.
I am starting to understand the basic concept of php, just dont get why you would need to make the whole site using php. Why not just make the site have php only in the pages you need to get or send data from MySQL? My site im working on now will have over 10k pages, an I was told using php will make this alot easier, but couldnt I just make a template in Dreamweaver and use that? Then if I have to make a change to the layout, I'd just make the change on the template, hence changing all pages. Any input would be nice. Thanks in advance.