Who knows PHP? (im not asking for php help here, dont worry : )

[Andrew]

Hey everyone,

Just wondering who all here knows php and possibly what other languages you know. I have been doing some php tutorials and i am thinking about buying a php book. Any recommendations?

If your a php programmer, how did you start? What were your goals in the beginning? And how long did it take you before you could produce some useful scripts? Do you have any tips for a newbie just starting out?

I understand programming logic and I know I could be successful at learning this.

Thanks,
Andrew

 

[Jake Bunce]

There have been a couple other threads like this.

I had trouble learning to program with books. I recommend taking programming classes at a local college as that is what worked for me. Once you are comfortable with programming concepts then you should take time to study other people's code. For example, you can download some addons that people have released on this forum and study them.

 

[Blandt]

There have been a couple other threads like this.

I recommend taking programming classes at a local college as that is what worked for me. .

I took Java at the local university ... needless to say ... I feel nauseated even when a Java application loads didn't work for me

the disadvantage of just picking things out of a book is the fact that you are working alone ... Learning in a group is better .

Hey everyone,

. Any recommendations?

I understand programming logic and I know I could be successful at learning this.

Thanks,
Andrew

Andrew PC me your email, I'll send you some material to start with

 

[RastaLulz]

I'd personally recommend trying PHPAcademy if you're a newbie and want to learn the basics of PHP. Once you get the basics down, it's pretty gets pretty simple from there on, and a quick refrence from PHP.net will do the trick.

 

[Dean]

I thought this looked nice.
http://www.lynda.com/

 

[GofD]

I thought this looked nice.
http://www.lynda.com/

We subscribe to Lynda.com and have taken advantage of many of the tutorials for a number of things. Great, short clips that are generally easy to follow and figure out how to do basics.

 

[Andrew]

There have been a couple other threads like this.

I had trouble learning to program with books. I recommend taking programming classes at a local college as that is what worked for me. Once you are comfortable with programming concepts then you should take time to study other people's code. For example, you can download some addons that people have released on this forum and study them.

Oh I would love to go to school to learn php and even C++. Whats stopping me? Money lol
I can already wright basic php, but its all useless stuff (as far as im concerned). Being able to make my own modifications for software or even my own software is going to save me THOUSANDS of dollars in programming bills. So its time to learn.

BTW, I did download and open up someones modification, the "Staff Page Mod." I can not follow his code as I don't know those code 'tags'

I took Java at the local university ... needless to say ... I feel nauseated even when a Java application loads didn't work for me

the disadvantage of just picking things out of a book is the fact that you are working alone ... Learning in a group is better .

Andrew PC me your email, I'll send you some material to start with

Thanks Blandt, I have a few resources at hand, but I would like to see what you have. I will send you my email after I am done with this message.
I agree that learning in a group is way funner and probably the best way to learn programming logic and code, however I dont have those kinds of funds. What I do have though, is the internet and books. I love books

I'd personally recommend trying PHPAcademy if you're a newbie and want to learn the basics of PHP. Once you get the basics down, it's pretty gets pretty simple from there on, and a quick refrence from PHP.net will do the trick.

PHPAcademy is awesome! I tried to go to their website but its down. However the youtube videos are great and he has like 200 of them. Good find my friend!

I thought this looked nice.
http://www.lynda.com/

I actually just found a link on pirate website that has an entire "video book lesson" (lol) for download. I download music illegally so I guess Ill click on this link. If I like it I will buy a subscription from lynda. I Promise

We subscribe to Lynda.com and have taken advantage of many of the tutorials for a number of things. Great, short clips that are generally easy to follow and figure out how to do basics.

Just found them tonight. It looks like they have a great web site. They have video tutorials for almost everything!

 

[Jethro]

Pick a software project and get going on it, best way to learn any language. Join a PHP orientated forum and simply ask if you don't know how to do something, normally someone will helpfully post up code snippets to get you going.

My own project looks to be about two generations behind current standards, blaming Mike and Kier for lifting the bar, and am hitting the learning curve on jquery, got me an eBook "JQuery From Novice to Ninja" that looks to be the business.

Only problem I have with intro programming texts is they can teach you bad habits that will take years to get out of your programming style.

 

[Kier]

$('#jQuery').is('.fantastic').

 

[Jethro]

$('#jQuery').is('.fantastic').

The geek is strong with this one

 

[Anthony Parsons]

I am learning... I can read it ok, I can write small bits, but nothing fantastic as yet. More learning for my own reasons to be able to adjust things the way I want them.

 

[Jethro]

I am learning... I can read it ok, I can write small bits, but nothing fantastic as yet. More learning for my own reasons to be able to adjust things the way I want them.

Best way of starting Dude

 

[Blandt]

I just hire people

 

[Andrew]

I just hire people

= He has money $$

not all of us have it XD

 

[Blandt]

= He has money $$

not all of us have it XD

The upkeep is too steep for example : .NET 4 is just out = more classes + seminars + + +

 

[Andrew]

ok I have just finished my first book. I dont have all the php tags memorized (all the ones in the book) but I am confident I can make a few small modifications. However im not 100% sure how to integrate my code with xf. Also is there a list of functions somewhere??

Sorry I am 99.9999999% php noob. Can anyone suggest a php programming discussion forum?

 

[jonsidneyb]

I am PHP stupid.

I would not know PHP if it bit me and tore my arm off.

 

[ragtek]

I´m working with:

.net => since 10 years
php =>since 7 years
javascript =>since 2-3 years

 

[Jason]

Oh I would love to go to school to learn php and even C++. Whats stopping me? Money lol
I can already wright basic php, but its all useless stuff (as far as im concerned). Being able to make my own modifications for software or even my own software is going to save me THOUSANDS of dollars in programming bills. So its time to learn.

There's nothing wrong with that. Programming skill is not a tanning bed. Being exposed to it, such as through a CompSci program, doesn't mean you'll necessarily soak it in. You can gain a lot of knowledge simply by reading, and asking questions when you run into something you just don't quite get.

PHP was the first language I learned, simply because I wanted to modify some scripts I was using at the time. I started out by reading various tutorials, working through the examples, and by checking out how various open source projects were solving various problems. As I got more comfortable with the code I was producing, I started contributing back to some of these projects and in turn gained a lot of valuable feedback in the process.

As it became pretty clear this is a field I wanted to get into, I started reading books on software architecture, mathematical concepts, etc. Since then I've gone on to learn C, C++, Python, Lua, Ruby, Perl, Tcl, Java, C#, Objective-C, JavaScript, Haskell, Erlang, etc. and manage to get a great software engineering job. The point being, you can do anything you put your mind to, as cliche as that may sound, it's true.

As for books, you can't really go wrong with anything Brian Kernighan wrote, or had a hand in writing. I'd also recommend Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs (SICP). If you take the time, you can get a lot of that book. There's also a fairly good list of free programming books, broken down by language, at http://stackoverflow.com/questions/194812/list-of-freely-available-programming-books

 

[Andrew]

Thanks Jason,

I have already finished my first book. Does XF have a list of available functions so I dont waste my time writing code that already exists?? I don't know anything about jquery and ajax either

I understand there is a long road ahead of me but I am committed because I want to make my own scripts.

Andrew