Re: [PHP] I am completely lost and need an advice (beginner)
On Jul 18, 2013, at 12:28 PM, Daniel Brown danbr...@php.net wrote: On Thu, Jul 18, 2013 at 3:08 PM, php colos phpco...@gmail.com wrote: Hello world! I'm trying to learn PHP ( first programming language that I learn) and I feel kinda lost. I've read PHP programming 3rd edition( O'reilly), 'getting good with PHP' by Andrew Burgees and some tutorials on the internet but can't code something more complex than 'hello world'. I do understand functions/values/operators/control structures, etc but as I said, I feel that I can't use the language. Am I reading the wrong books for a beginner? Any advices? *Apologies if this email might seem confusing. :) Perhaps I'm biased, but I think other folks will agree --- the official documentation is your best source of learning second only to your own experiences with the language. Check through the user notes as well, as they often provide very valuable insight and other developers' personal experiences. -- I completely agree with Daniel that the online PHP documentation is the best way to understand the language. However, It seems our OP does not understand how to program. The php docs don't help with that. If you really don't understand what programming is useful for, perhaps this is the wrong thing to be learning. That said, what programming is for is to solve problems, provide tools, and provide means for people to communicate with each other and get work done via the computer and the internet. So, key, #1 thing: have a problem to solve. While saying you understand various aspects of the language, I would say you cannot understand them until you actually put them to use, break things, learn how to fix them, and finally, teach someone else how to use them. Almost every text, learning site, and documentation discusses how to write a program or application in the language or using the framework. Very, very few teach the essence of solving problems. Even the classics, such as Knuth's, Djyktra's, Wurth's, and so on, describe ways to solve particular problems. Patterns books describe how to structure solutions, but not actually how to solve problems in a general sense. -- PHP General Mailing List (http://www.php.net/) To unsubscribe, visit: http://www.php.net/unsub.php
[PHP] I am completely lost and need an advice (beginner)
Hello world! I'm trying to learn PHP ( first programming language that I learn) and I feel kinda lost. I've read PHP programming 3rd edition( O'reilly), 'getting good with PHP' by Andrew Burgees and some tutorials on the internet but can't code something more complex than 'hello world'. I do understand functions/values/operators/control structures, etc but as I said, I feel that I can't use the language. Am I reading the wrong books for a beginner? Any advices? *Apologies if this email might seem confusing. :) Richard -- PHP General Mailing List (http://www.php.net/) To unsubscribe, visit: http://www.php.net/unsub.php
Re: [PHP] I am completely lost and need an advice (beginner)
On Fri, Jul 19, 2013 at 1:08 AM, php colos phpco...@gmail.com wrote: Am I reading the wrong books for a beginner? Do you just read the book or also do what it says to do? If you just read but dont code along with it, you may not learn anything. After reading a lot of book you'll feel you have understand a lot of things. But thats true when you read. Not when you code. Just follow the instructions on the book. I hope you'll be able to write a lot of code. -- Shiplu.Mokadd.im ImgSign.com | A dynamic signature machine Innovation distinguishes between follower and leader
Re: [PHP] I am completely lost and need an advice (beginner)
On Thu, Jul 18, 2013 at 3:08 PM, php colos phpco...@gmail.com wrote: Hello world! I'm trying to learn PHP ( first programming language that I learn) and I feel kinda lost. I've read PHP programming 3rd edition( O'reilly), 'getting good with PHP' by Andrew Burgees and some tutorials on the internet but can't code something more complex than 'hello world'. I do understand functions/values/operators/control structures, etc but as I said, I feel that I can't use the language. Am I reading the wrong books for a beginner? Any advices? *Apologies if this email might seem confusing. :) Perhaps I'm biased, but I think other folks will agree --- the official documentation is your best source of learning second only to your own experiences with the language. Check through the user notes as well, as they often provide very valuable insight and other developers' personal experiences. -- /Daniel P. Brown Network Infrastructure Manager http://www.php.net/ -- PHP General Mailing List (http://www.php.net/) To unsubscribe, visit: http://www.php.net/unsub.php
Re: [PHP] I am completely lost and need an advice (beginner)
On 07/18/2013 09:08 PM, php colos wrote: Hello world! I'm trying to learn PHP ( first programming language that I learn) and I feel kinda lost. I've read PHP programming 3rd edition( O'reilly), 'getting good with PHP' by Andrew Burgees and some tutorials on the internet but can't code something more complex than 'hello world'. I do understand functions/values/operators/control structures, etc but as I said, I feel that I can't use the language. Am I reading the wrong books for a beginner? Any advices? *Apologies if this email might seem confusing. :) Richard As others have mentioned, reading only isn't a good thing. You'll need to code alongside reading. You also might need to have a goal/project to motivate you to code. Starting small is a good thing. Or you could help out some of the smaller php projects that have only a few coders. Fixing bugs in a project can be a great help, and you'll learn a lot. If you don't have any project in mind, you can go to codecademy.com or some of the other interactive learning sites to start coding. I just checked, they've implemented PHP now, I haven't tried this. But the javascript course is great. cheers Carsten -- PHP General Mailing List (http://www.php.net/) To unsubscribe, visit: http://www.php.net/unsub.php
Re: [PHP] I am completely lost and need an advice (beginner)
2013/7/18 Carsten Jensen to...@tomse.dk On 07/18/2013 09:08 PM, php colos wrote: Hello world! I'm trying to learn PHP ( first programming language that I learn) and I feel kinda lost. I've read PHP programming 3rd edition( O'reilly), 'getting good with PHP' by Andrew Burgees and some tutorials on the internet but can't code something more complex than 'hello world'. I do understand functions/values/operators/control structures, etc but as I said, I feel that I can't use the language. Am I reading the wrong books for a beginner? Any advices? *Apologies if this email might seem confusing. :) Richard As others have mentioned, reading only isn't a good thing. You'll need to code alongside reading. You also might need to have a goal/project to motivate you to code. Starting small is a good thing. Or you could help out some of the smaller php projects that have only a few coders. Fixing bugs in a project can be a great help, and you'll learn a lot. If you don't have any project in mind, you can go to codecademy.com or some of the other interactive learning sites to start coding. I just checked, they've implemented PHP now, I haven't tried this. But the javascript course is great. cheers Carsten Same here: Just reading doesn't help you very much. You should also consider reading books about programming in general, or even better get in contact with more (or less ;)) experienced programmers, because in my experience learning the syntax and writing code is just a very minor part. Its more important to know how to solve the problems (in a way, that works tomorrow too ;)) is more important. And as a side effect getting help can prevent frustration, if you are stuck in a problem ;) Regards, Sebastian -- PHP General Mailing List (http://www.php.net/) To unsubscribe, visit: http://www.php.net/unsub.php -- github.com/KingCrunch
