right now im learning....everything HAHA...

 

i want to be a designer, so obviously XHTML/CSS/Javascript img software etc...

 

but i understand that as a freelance designer, your gonna need something like PHP arent ya?

but how much? just the basics? or is it a case of the more you know the better, but a small amount will do?

 

but isnt there programs that do the php for you? like Joomla and the like, so you can just focus on the design?

 

if this post sounds a bit dumb, i really know very little about this area, but from the little i understand ill have to get into some of it right?

right now im learning....everything HAHA...

 

Learning PHP correctly is not a walk in the park, if you are balancing this with learning other stuff then it's not gonna be easy. There's a lot to get your head around, as its all logic based, you have to make sure your code is bulletproof.

 

Its the same with most things, there's a right way and a wrong way to do things. In PHP if your code breaks then it breaks in a huge way exposing all sorts of security risks and potential problems. What makes PHP and other server side code different to HTML & CSS is that the code is not as forgiving, in CSS you don't necessarily need to get the code 100% for it to display correctly, of course its good practice to do so.

 

I am not discouraging you from learning PHP whatsoever, in fact the opposite. I would just prefer you understand whats involved first, so that you can decide whether you have the time to commit to learning it properly (its time consuming and not as straightforward as HTML, a good developer for me has at least 5 years working experience behind them).

 

I am not a PHP developer at all, I have dabbled but I don't like the syntax. I do however write Coldfusion and MXML (mainly HTML & CSS though).

 

but i understand that as a freelance designer, your gonna need something like PHP arent ya?

but how much? just the basics?

 

Basics is good to have (especially if you are going to be using Joomla, Wordpress ect). It just gives you a better understanding of what the code is doing and leaves less room for error.

 

but isn't there programs that do the php for you? like Joomla and the like, so you can just focus on the design?

 

PHP is written in an editor, much like HTML and CSS. Joomla and other CMS platforms built in PHP often don't require you to have a knowledge of PHP to use them, however if you wish to develop more bespoke functionality, then you will need experience in the code.

 

If this is something you are going to require then having a go at creating your own Wordpress or Joomla theme would be a good place to start, there are 1000's of tutorials and tonnes of books to get you on your way.

 

Best of luck!

If you have the time and the space and the desire, and you can be sure it won't adversely affect your development and skills with front end code, then go ahead.

 

PHP/backend coding is not really a requirement of a web designer and learning the ropes with HTML, CSS and Javascript and being expert at those (and the design side too) would probably stand you in better light than being average at everything. In my opinion!

If your just looking to get into WordPress, you don't need to know PHP too well, you can get by with the WordPress reference plus the basics. However if you want to start developing server side apps, I would recommend learning it properly as you need to write well structured code.

 

If you enjoy front-end coding, stick to that and develop and market yourself as a good front end designer.