I'm getting a bit interested in this; here's how I
suggest we proceed.
First, we have to agree on the scope of the project.
I suggest a small number of FAQs directed at specific
subjects (rather than one 5000-line monster); my
suggested breakdown follows below.
Second, I suggest storing these permanently in
an easily-referrable format so it's easy to quote the
official faq. Would php.net be willing to host them?
Hard to find a more suitable spot...
Third, I suggest the "introduction to php.net"
should be posted to the php.general newsgroup
weekly, and the other faqs could maybe be
posted one per week in rota just to keep
everyone's memory fresh.
Fourth, we should have a set of guidelines for the
content (a faq faq?), ie
- each faq should start with links to the whole
list of permanently-stored faqs
- each faq should be no more than two layers deep
or 500 lines long; more than that, we should
consider splitting off a top-level subject into its
own faq.
- faqs should be text-only, or HTML equivalent
(modest background, URLs turned into links,
no graphical content) with rows no more than
72 characters long (easy to quote in a newsgroup).
- each bottom-level section should consist of a short
explanation, two to ten lines, followed by one
to three URLs for further reference.
- all URLs should be to stable, recognized sites;
OpenSource-affiliated sites should be listed first
Suggested content / breakdown:
==========================
+ introduction to php.net
charter - the purpose of this newsgroup
posting guidelines and etiquette
be specific
be terse
descriptive subject
include exact error messages
include code no more than N lines, else give URL
be polite
be thankful - no-one HAS to help you
don't cross-post
don't multi-post
don't spam
how to subscribe / unsubscribe to the newsgroup
how to subscribe / unsubscribe to mailing lists
reference to archives
reference to php.net manual
+ quick overview of the language
what is PHP, short history
most recent version
where to download
refer to installation instructions
terminology/jargon?
refer to php.net manual
refer to tutorials
http://www.zend.com/zend/art/intro.php
http://hotwired.lycos.com/webmonkey/programming/php/
what else I should learn
HTML, JavaScript, CSS, SQL -> links
+ installation, recompilation, configuration
+ "name this function"
quick searchable function list with keywords, short
descriptions, maybe very short examples, and links
to appropriate php.net manual page
+ advanced language questions
what is a good development environment
page redirection
browser refresh / timeout
I keep getting "headers already sent"
how to print a number with leading zeros
how to interact with JavaScript
the difference between include() and require()
playing with arrays
playing with tables
+ forms, sessions, user authentication, cookies
how to authenticate users
playing with forms
how to pass values from one script to another
how to initiate a session
how to terminate a session
counting current users
+ php+database
refer to mysql.com
how to query a database
how to get a limited number of rows
+ email
how to validate an email address
http://www.zend.com/zend/spotlight/ev12apr.php
sending email
refer to RFCs
plain text
HTML
multipart MIME
processing email ie w/ procmail
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