{"id":66,"date":"2011-09-20T17:03:00","date_gmt":"2011-09-20T17:03:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zofxare.com\/zofxare\/blog\/2011\/09\/20\/how-to-get-started-learning-php-guide\/"},"modified":"2011-09-20T17:03:00","modified_gmt":"2011-09-20T17:03:00","slug":"how-to-get-started-learning-php-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zofxare.com\/zofxare\/blog\/2011\/09\/20\/how-to-get-started-learning-php-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Get Started Learning PHP Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"

I’m always trying to learn new things. I get bored easily. One item on my list of things to learn that I can cross off is PHP.
\nPHP makes developing a website so easy. Much easier than using a combination of Javascript\/Java\/HTMl\/Hibernate that I used on one project. I always thought PHP was a scripting language like Javascript, but it’s not. It’s a real programming language like C\/C++ or Java. Only it’s meant for the web. It’s also installed on the server, so you don’t have to worry if the user has it enabled, like with Javascript.<\/p>\n

Here’s what I did to go about getting my programming environment set up and the resources I used to learn PHP.<\/p>\n

The PHP development environment I used is:<\/p>\n

WAMP server<\/a> – This installs PHP\/MySQL\/Apache all in one bundle. Much easier than installing and configuring each individual piece. It also installs phpMyAdmin, which is useful to view\/edit\/query a database. There’s also an XAMPP server<\/a> that I wish I had known about before installing WAMP. XAMPP is geared more towards developing and also includes a few extra pieces, such as PERL. <\/p>\n

PHP Eclipse – Helios<\/a> – This is the tool I used for developing with PHP. The debugger is a little tricky. You can also use Netbeans<\/a>, which I kind of prefer, but Eclipse has a nice searching option. Debugging in Netbeans is much easier though.<\/p>\n

To learn PHP programming, I used these resources:<\/p>\n

ed2go.com<\/a> – This site offers online courses that run 6 weeks and have 12 lessons each. 2 lessons are released each week with a final exam released at the end. There is a discussion board where you can communicate with the professor and other class members. Each lesson has an assignment and quiz. Each course costs around $89. If you can afford it, it’s a good way to get started. They offer 2 PHP courses<\/a>: Introduction to PHP and MySQL and Intermediate PHP and MySQL. The introduction course walks you through developing a recipe website. The intermediate course walks you through developing an online store. Taking these courses was easier, quicker and less expensive than going to an actual class at a college.<\/p>\n

PHP and MySQL Web Development<\/a>\"\"by Luke Welling, Laura Thomson – A must have. Good reference, very thick, great book. This is the book to get if you can only get one PHP book.<\/p>\n

Programming PHP – O’Reilly<\/a>\"\"by Rasmus Lerdorf, Kevin Tatroe and Peter MacIntyre – This is a good book to actually sit down and read through to get started learning PHP. Good reference, much shorter than the Welling\/Thomson book.<\/p>\n

PHP Solutions – Dynamic Web Design Made Easy<\/a>\"\"by David Powers – Good reference for “how to do something” in PHP.<\/p>\n

\nA few useful links:<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.php.net<\/a> – PHP functions, manual
\nhttp:\/\/www.phpbuilder.com<\/a> – tutorials, examples
\nhttp:\/\/www.phpfreaks.com\/<\/a> – tutorials, examples
\nhttp:\/\/www.w3schools.com\/php\/<\/a> – beginner tutorial
\nhttp:\/\/www.jasny.net\/articles\/simple-single-sign-on-for-php\/<\/a> – example to use as a baseline in creating a single sign on server, global login\/registration site.<\/p>\n

A few miscellaneous links:<\/p>\n

www.mysql.com\/<\/a> – Official MySQL site
\nMySQL Community Server\/<\/a> – a tool to make database backups\/import a database, edit\/view a database
\nDbVisualizer<\/a> – A free database tool<\/p>\n

\nMore PHP Resources<\/a>\"\"<\/p>\n

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