Hey everybody, I was just wondering of the PHP basics. I fluently know html currently, but am having trouble understand PHP. I'd like to use PHP for the scripts such as stats, login, etc etc. Any tips would be much appreciated

-Kyle

Have you any previous programming knowledge? Becuase if so, I think that the best way for you to learn PHP would be by looking at other people's codes (like, try studying an installation of phpBB). PHP is really an easy language, syntax-wise, but if you want to go thuroughly, try the tutorial over at the PHP manual. Anyways, the PHP manual is really the best resource for the language. As for running PHP on your system, I've heard good things about XAMPP. Good luck on your endeavors!

Thanks for the help, seec!
I have programming knowledge in small, which I used to code plugins for a C++ script. I have studied other peoples' php scripts before, and it really helps. I have started to learn the basics and stuff, but I was wondering how on PHP you can make pages like www.blahblahblah.com/index.php?page=staff and stuff like that. Thanksfor helping seec
-Kyle

I think I know what you are looking for. Here are a couple of tutorials that I wrote that give a basic rundown of how PHP can be used to control your website and make maintaining it easier.
The first one deals with the basics of includes in PHP which allow you to build your website in modules which can be edited easily without changing every page of the site:
http://www.astahost.com/cms101-content-man...sign-t7778.html

The second deals with more advanced ideas including how you use URL's like you are interested in:
http://www.astahost.com/cms102-content-man...ign-t11367.html

The URL that you are talking about is an extended URL that passes variables from the browser to the server using the GET method of form submissions.
Basically, this is the way a URL looks after a form using the GET method is submitted. In order to use these variables in your script, you must request the data stored in the $_GET Super Global variable which is actually an array of data.

Most of the PHP tutorials I have written are focused toward new PHP users and I that they may be pretty helpful to you.

These may be helpful:
PHP Tutorial's By vujsa

Let us know if you need any help.

vujsa

To understand the most basics you also could visit w3schools website, I think it introduces people to the basics of php in a quite simple way, here is the url: http://www.w3schools.com/php/default.asp

Later you can find yourself a PDF book about PHP, once you read it and do some practical things with it, you will know more and more, always remember to use the PHP Manual when developing something.

Moreover, I think you could install yourself a WAMP or LAMP Server on your system, to test your php code on localhost, if you don't know how to do it there are loads of tutorials online how to do it and even software which does everything for you, but I never used it though.

Hi

I have just started learning PHP programming too. I think that it will be easy to pick it up if you have prior knowledge of the other programming languages (not HTML). I know that you do not have any past experiences with the other languages. However, I believe that if you really wish to learn, you still can pick it up speedily. The website that I would recommend you is http://sg.php.net. This website provides all that you need regarding PHP programming. I got to learn alot from this website as it gives real examples of codes and gives a detailed explanation of how the codes will work.

I hope that you would give this website a try. I also hope that you can be able to be a PHP savvy soon.