Hello Chad, I started PHP from a book. I believe a book is a good way to start as it organized and well written to make sure you're progressing chapter by chapter. After that, I read articles and tutorials as I needed to expand my skills.
just my 2cents, Elias "Chad Winger" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message [EMAIL PROTECTED]">news:[EMAIL PROTECTED]... > I need to learn PHP and databases. If I had those skills, I would be so much > more succesful with my web designs. What I usually do, is make the html > templates, and then hire someone, usually expensively, to do the PHP and > MySQL bankend. > > Unfortunately, my programming skill is ZERO. Ok, maybe not zero, I do have a > little bit of PERL experience, but it mainly comes in the form of > downloading prewritten scripts, and lots of trial and error in editing them > using common sense and drawing on my experience of BASIC which I learned > when I was 6 years old! > > I have browsed hours on the net looking for help in this sort of thing. I > have downloaded programs, I have read hours of documents and "manuals", and > still, I am no further along than where I started. Programming and databases > are more of a mystery to me than women are. I'm absolutely CLUELESS. > > So basically, I need to learn this stuff as soon as humanly possible, but I > have NO IDEA where to start. Let me tell you first what I have done thusfar. > > First thing I did was download something called mySQL Max version 3.23.49 > directly from the website of mysql. I was under the impression that this > program would be something along the lines of MS Access in the standpoint of > user interface, and it would allow you to create tables etc. (I do know how > to create some rudimentary tables in MS Access). So after I installed this > program, I clicked on the icon to start it, and to my surprise, the only > thing that happened was the an MS-Dos box popped up for about 2/10ths of a > second and then disappeared. So to me it was a waste of 2 hours of > downloading. > > After a bit more of prodding I saw that there was some configuring to do. > For the life of me, I have no idea where to look, and even if I did, I > wouldnt have any idea what I need to configure anyways. Basically I want to > have this installed so that during my learning process of PHP, I can test > and run things on my local machine, and not have to connect to the internet, > upload files etc. > > > Secondly, I downloaded something similar, called Easy PHP. The website said > it would install this and that and then something else that would allow you > to run PHP scripts on your local machine as well as being an editor to help > you write scripts. So I downloaded this as well. So 27 MB and 3 hours later > I have yet another useless program with no interfaces nothing. Just > something that runs in the background. > > So now I talked with my roommate and explained these issues to him. He > pointed me to a software called CodeCharge. So I downloaded that and spent > hours looking through the "templates" and what not, and although I can see > this is a step in the right direction, it still leaves me with more > questions than answers. It wants me to specify DNS or ODBC or ASPI etc etc > and I have no clue what that is, what it means or what is does. > > Furthermore I see no way to use existing html files that I have created as > templates. Just existing ugly templates that come with the software. I'm > sure there is a way to do that, but I haven't figured it out. > > So what are my questions? Basically want to do is create sets of HTML > templates for various sections of sites. Then using the templates, code the > PHP to pull the correct information from a database, manipulate it, and then > return it together with templates. For example. On this a site that I am now > working on, there is a section that will contain headlines to various news > stories. In the HTML it looks something like this: > > > <A HREF="1.htm">HEADLINE</A><BR> > DATE > > All this would simply create is something that looks like this Below: > > Headline > September 12, 2002 > > Obviously clicking the headline would take you to another page that would > give you the entire story. To me, drawing on common sense, what you are > really saying is this: > > > <A HREF="1.htm">{LOOK IN THE DATABASE FOR A HEADLINE AND PRINT IT > HERE}</A><BR> > {LOOK IN THE DATABASE FOR THE DATE OF THE ABOVE HEADLINE AND PRINT IT HERE} > > Makes sense no? So really for this template, it would use 2 sections from > the database: "Headline" and "Date" and the PHP tells the server where to > put what depending on which templates is being used > > I don't want to drag this on, but in other words for these sites that I am > creating there are basically 1 thing that I need to accomplish. > > #1 is that I need a "control panel" that is somewhere that I can go to any > computer and log in to. When I do that I can log-in and that will bring me > to and ADD/EDIT/DELETE form for any section of the site, and if I go to add, > then I will type the various bits of info into it, click submit and > automatically that info is added to the database. The edit and delete > features are self explanatory, but the end result is simply saying that OK, > now I've entered the info into the database, Now, Mr. Server and Mr. PHP > when the time comes for this info to be used, you have the info. > > To me this isn't brain science in concept, but I have no friggin idea where > to start. So? Where do I start? > > Ok, so hopefully you've read with me so far. And I do appreciate it as > always. So now, let me pose my actual questions. > > Creating a mysql database: > #1 What do I have to install on my machine to be able to eventually run the > scripts on my local machine? Where can I find it? > #2 How do I set it up? > #3 Is there a software that has a user interface such as MS Access that > creates the actual database? If so, where can I find it? If not, how do you > actually create the database? > > PHP scripting > I have downloaded various "manuals". The one I've seen most mentioned is the > one at PHP.net, so that is the one I have. I can understand certian parts of > it. But it's all in PHP speak. What I need to learn first, is knowing when > to use what. Look at this code below: > > class news > { > var $entries; > function news($disp) > { > global $news, $news; > $tp = fopen($news['template'], 'r'); > $loop_code = fread($tp, 4096); > fclose($tp); > $count = 0; > $this->entries = ''; > foreach ($news as $entry) { > $data = explode('||', $entry); > $data[1] = date($news['tformat'], $data[1] + $news['toffset'] * 3600); > $this->entries .= $loop_code; > $this->entries = str_replace('{timestamp}', $data[1], $this->entries); > $this->entries = str_replace('{author}', $data[2], $this->entries); > $this->entries = str_replace('{authoremail}', $data[3], $this->entries); > $this->entries = str_replace('{subject}', $data[4], $this->entries); > $this->entries = str_replace('{body}', $data[5], $this->entries); > $count++; > if ($disp != 'all') { > if ($count == $disp) { > break; > } > } > } > } > } > > > To me it's just a jumble of characters. Why are things indented? Why are > some things inside quotes and others not. What is a global variable? What > does parse mean? etc etc. Some many questions... > > I do know what a variable is, and I know that the above coding is just > basically manipulating them. I have managed to "write" one simple script, > borrowing some code from a prewritten script that will take the contents of > a 5 field html form and print them in a text file like so: > > |match date|match time|Home team|Away team|match result > > So I managed to figure out what fopen(), fread(), fwrite() and fclose() are. > So now that I have this text file on the server, I want to be able to > manipulate the info between the | character. If I can figure out how to do > that, I can learn the syntaxes and coding functions fairly quickly. > > I know using an editor is "cheating" in a sense, but I also know that I can > learn the same way I learned BASIC when I was 6. By deconstructing the code. > I really need to learn this stuff. I have no idea where to start and it's > really making me lose time and money. I don't want anyone to hold my hand > and do it for me, I need to know where to start. I have no idea what to do, > but downloading MB after MB of software that doesn't teach me anything isn't > going to help me get to where I need to be. Honestly I think I can learn > this fairly quickly with just a little bit of guidance. It's tough when you > go to a PHP channel on IRC and all they tell you is "read the F*****G > manual!". I just don't want to be fiddling with SSI and text replacers for > the rest of my life, if you know what I mean. > > Anyone who has any thoughts, please reply via email or this forum. I > sincerely appreciate it. > > > Cheers, > Chad in Florence, Italy [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > -- PHP General Mailing List (http://www.php.net/) To unsubscribe, visit: http://www.php.net/unsub.php
