Okay, I was goin to start learning php...hopefully this free service will support php so I can test my code and such b/c I have it on my pc to test...but it seems to have problems running. Maybe I didn't enable some of the right things. Seems a bity hard to setup if you don't know what you're doing. Anyways I was wondering if they're any certain things that can improve my php skills. I'm familiar with setup of the language b/c I am very familiar with c++ syntax. So the syntax isn't a problem. The variables are a little different...dynamic or w/e. Also there are a lot of functions that I'm left in the dark about.

So my question is...what did you php users out there start with. Ideas for any SIMPLE website creation utilizing php into it would be greatly appreciated.

yes minnieadkins, you've come to the right place. here, PHP is supported, along with mySQL and some other stuff. click here to find out;

http://www.astahost.com/phpinfo.php

learning php?
i've talked about this before, but i forget where i posted it.
anyway, before learning php, you need to understand the following;

1. html
2. differences between server scripting and client scripting

after that, go to php.net, goto documentation download.

the other way is to learn from the samples. goto hotscripts.com and click PHP section. there, you can have tons of php samples.

Downloading php can be really confusing. Why cant they just make it one single download. And you hae to download some server as well :S

What said Kernigan? - Learning programming most Effectively through making programs.
What said Torvalds? - Show me your source code!
What idea of it? Practice! Practice! and Practice. You must read PHP manual, and make some small but good site wich uses php scripts. For example : forum or library.

Look at PHP and mySQL as learning a new language. In the beginning it's hard after awhile it becomes second nature.

My native language is Norwegian and I use English as my everyday language (Spoken and written). Was it easy, not always. Is it rewarding, at times. Is it necesarry, yes it is.

So to learn the new language there are several approaches, such as going to school. Pick up a manual or tutorial. Read a couple of good instructional books and last but not least you have to practice until it becomes "second nature"

I picked up "PHP and MySQL Web Development" third edition and I'm reading and experimenting with the different solutions and test the code examples.

I'm not installing the disk (with all the program code) until I have finished the book. That way I stay the course and by typing the code insted of copying it I hope the retention will be better.

Nils

Thanks for all the advice guys. I did indeed look on php.et and download the manual. It helped some, but this semester (in college) I decided to take a web programming class that was offered, and it sounds like the instructor is going to touch on php and mysql. At least I got to a hello world page.

Hey lastlegion, Why can't they just make it one single download?

You really think no one would have done this? There are a lot of All-in-one packages that has Apache, MySQL and PHP, of course we're talking Windows users here, Linux users already benefit or know how to benefit from this.

http://sourceforge.net/projects/phphome/ PHPHome2 is an All-in-one package, I know there are others out there all capable of the same thing, but I only used this program to learn how they use to install all the software onto Windows. I then went off and wrote a tutorial on creating your own local webserver with all those packages and more. Can not locate that tutorial anymore, but I might redo it again, but a more stable version, basically I covered PHP5, which I don't think we're ready for yet, till more PHP applications switch over to it.


Cheers,


MC

Ehm... why not first learn some php by using a webhost?

For Myself, I've got Apache installed on my computer with PHP, so i can test my code here before i upload it to astahost. .

There's no place like 127.0.0.1