February 10, 201016 yr Hi all, I've many years coding experience in C/C++/Java etc. and I've written contact forms and other 'easy' stuff already in php & asp. But now I want to take a week or so to really learn php in depth. One problem is that I feel that I'm lacking some basic knowledge about programming for the internet in general. I'm looking for some pointers in setup and basic workflow really. I googled last night til my head hurt so I thought I'd be better asking specific questions to you guys! So is it common practice to run Apache locally? Do you keep a separate project directory and replicate your files into Apaches 'localhost' directory for testing? Whats your basic setup really? It's not a 'which setup/app/whatever is best' question, I just need the basic building blocks of a web coders rig. As for an IDE, I've been using an ancient version of Dreamweaver for general website building and just uploading to my server for testing which is fine for a contact form but it's obviously time to get a decent IDE. I've checked out Aptana which seems ok (if a little resource hungry) but its not really newbie friendly. Would I be better with something more php specific and easier to use 'out of the box' than Aptana until I'm more up to speed? I know this is basic stuff but I'm frustrated! Once I'm up and running I know I'll be building wep apps within days!
February 10, 201016 yr To get started with web programming with php and mysql you do wanna set up a local host for php which this is very common i might suggest xammp since i use it myself its all self install and installs php and mysql both.
February 10, 201016 yr I have downloaded PHP to my computer and installed it on my server. Easy set-up and Great for testing. Then use http://localhost
February 10, 201016 yr I've been studying PHP and MySQL for the past week, using a free host. However, today I set up a WAMP server. It's easy to do (just install and run), and saves A LOT of time in the long run, as you can work offline on your files from http://localhost. I've googled a lot and found quite a lot of information on web development and what duties you will have. Just google 'What is a web developer' or 'How to be a web developer', or just 'web development' and you'll get a lot of people in the same position of you. However, one site I do recommend if you have not visited it already is w3schools.
February 10, 201016 yr Author Many thanks for the replies. I think I will try out both xammp and wamp and see which works out best for me. I knew about all the terms (LAMP/WAMP, php v4/v5 etc...) and I think I was just in info overload, there are so many different packages and versions of everything and opinions etc. It sounded like a lot of research and setup requiring a lot of background knowledge when I just wanted to get my hands dirty so to speak with some code. I didnt realise there were single install packages that were both free and worked well!! I dont want another 'which IDE is best' but what are you guys using out of interest?
February 10, 201016 yr http://www.wampserver.com/ It's working great so far. Allows access to Phpmyadmin, which is all you really need to practice php (and a text editor - I use notepad++). I also recommend this book. I downloaded the e-book and it's helped my understand a lot (coupled with w3schools): http://www.amazon.com/PHP-MySQL-Dynamic-Web-Sites/dp/032152599X
February 10, 201016 yr Author Thanks for links Rja. I pretty much have the syntax down already, its pretty much C on a webpage but a book might not be such a bad idea.
February 10, 201016 yr My setup: WAMP TortoiseSVN Store all my work in Wamp's www folder - just separate documents/non-site files into a sub directory of the site folder. i.e: PROJECT: - WEBSITE FILES - PSD's, TEST SCRIPTS, BRIEFS For Zend/CMS installations, set up Apache Virtual Hosts to emulate target URL. JFTR, Wamp blows Xampp out of the water IMO. As for IDE's: Started on Notepad++ - very nice editor moved on to PSPad - great because you can set up arbitrary collections of files in a project Bought WeBuilder 2009 - brilliant editor, personal fave until I had to work on Zend applications Currently using Netbeans...bit slow, but displays Zend phtml's properly.
February 10, 201016 yr Thanks for links Rja. I pretty much have the syntax down already, its pretty much C on a webpage but a book might not be such a bad idea. No problem. Whatever you are doing to learn PHP, you'll need the WAMP server. I was working online with a free host and it was taking ages, I just ignored all the people talking about these WAMP servers. I set one up today and it's much quicker, allowing me to edit php files and the mysql databases without having to go through the strain of uploading new files and waiting for the slow web host to load. :/ Oh, and as for the book, you could always just skim through the basics to get the hang of things. I already knew the basic PHP, but it takes you through chapter by chapter.. basic php, to more dynamic php, then introduces mysql, then sql, then some more advanced mysql + sql.. then working with php and mysql together. It then goes through some more php and mysql, before finishing on a few examples (user registration, e-commerce and a basic forum system). Really helped me, I'm just moving onto how to use PHP with MySQL.
February 10, 201016 yr Its always good to start off by getting a book on PHP. Then building on what you learned with free tutorials available online.
February 10, 201016 yr As you're from a C++ background you're probabaly well into SVN / GIT, get to grips with version control software. It's vital to make project deployment (backups, etc) easier.
February 10, 201016 yr Author Its always good to start off by getting a book on PHP. Then building on what you learned with free tutorials available online. It's all the free tutorials that are making me not want to bother shelling out for a book
February 10, 201016 yr It's all the free tutorials that are making me not want to bother shelling out for a book But starting with a book gives you detailed information on what you can do within PHP, show you how to work with PHP and MySQL together and get you started on the two languages. With that knowledge, you can then go onto the tutorials and further your understanding of them. Hint: torrent.
February 10, 201016 yr Author My setup: WAMP TortoiseSVN Store all my work in Wamp's www folder - just separate documents/non-site files into a sub directory of the site folder. i.e: PROJECT: - WEBSITE FILES - PSD's, TEST SCRIPTS, BRIEFS For Zend/CMS installations, set up Apache Virtual Hosts to emulate target URL. JFTR, Wamp blows Xampp out of the water IMO. As for IDE's: Started on Notepad++ - very nice editor moved on to PSPad - great because you can set up arbitrary collections of files in a project Bought WeBuilder 2009 - brilliant editor, personal fave until I had to work on Zend applications Currently using Netbeans...bit slow, but displays Zend phtml's properly. Thanks for the reply. I've got the trial of WeBuilder, yeah it seems good. Nice and lightweight which is important for me. I generally go for free/open source but 30 notes or so for WeBuilder wouldnt hurt the beer fund too much I guess. I've installed xampp and am playing around with it. So far so good and I am going to use it for my current project. Its a bit annoying having to work out of c:/xammp/htdocs but I can live with that. I'll try WAMP after that.
February 10, 201016 yr Author Hint: torrent. Ahhhh one of those e-books.... Not a fan of torrents myself.
February 10, 201016 yr It's all the free tutorials that are making me not want to bother shelling out for a book The problem with online tutorials is that there isnt any coherency and there isnt a clear way forward to let you build on your skills. Seeing as an intermediate PHP developer can get away with charging £20 p/h, £30 to £40 on a decent book isn't really a big deal. Oh, yeah and torrents can be a useful source for e-books if you are strapped for cash, however i'm not one to encourage piracy. Or ebay for 2nd hand books, if you want to stay legal .
February 11, 201016 yr Author Just an update... I tried xampp then wamp; they both seem much the same really, for my level at least. I think I'll stick with wamp as the interface is a little nicer IMO. I'm running WeBuilder (trial) and really liking it, I will probably buy it once the trial runs out. Lightweight, easy to setup and generally pleasant to use. And cheap Hopefully the debugging capabiilities are up to par though. Any thoughts on this? I run Firefox (and IE for testing) on a second monitor. WeBuilders code/preview split is probably handy for starting a page from scratch (and if you only have one display) but FF with Firebug seems the better option. Many thanks for the advice folks, hopefully I wont be posting too many dumb questions in the Server-Side forum!
February 11, 201016 yr Generally never bothered with a native IDE debugger, although I believe WeBuilder and NetBeans (in particular) has good integration with XDebug...speaking of which, is a must for debugging PHP.
February 11, 201016 yr Author Generally never bothered with a native IDE debugger, although I believe WeBuilder and NetBeans (in particular) has good integration with XDebug...speaking of which, is a must for debugging PHP. *googles XDebug*
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