kdubbie

Hello, everyone. I've been learning php for a little while now. I keep getting side tracked with work and such but I finally feel like I am ready to start planning my first real application. But before I simply start, I was hoping that you all fine people can aid me in the planning process. The project I am starting with is a Simple 6 page website. On one of the pages I want a form that allows users to input their contact information and submit it to a database. One of the other pages will be an admin login page. Upon logging in, I want to be taken to a page that has a button which says "View User Information" and once clicked it will display all the records from the database into a table on the page. (and that's it, no other objects will appear on the page except the View User button, the logout button and table of results) Now I understand that this might be really easy for most of you, and probably don't need to formally plan it out. But say for example, a friend asked you to create this application and he also requested you document the process from start to finish. Again, I only ask because I am having a hard time finding a tutorial that explains the whole start to finish process of creating an application (correction, sorry there are plenty of tutorials that tell you how to create an application, but most of them are newb type tutorials, that never truly reflect the necessary steps one should take before launching a REAL working application)...I feel like I would be able to figure it by piecing tutorials together, but I am afraid of missing out on something important. This is the process I would do now. 1. Create website 2. Create form 3. Create database in PHPmyadmin 4. Create script that takes form data, validates it and inserts into database 5. Create login page 6. Create redirect page for logging in, that also has a log out feature. 7. Create script that logs the user in, validates and takes them to the redirect page. 8. Create script that when the user clicks the button, all records in the database are displayed in a table. If you were creating this application, what would your process look like? Or, a more general question, how do you all plan out the applications you build before you start. Do your create a bulleted Outline? Pseudocode? Thanks, any insight would be GREATLY appreciated! Oh yeah..... Security seems to be another topic most tutorials don't tell you anything about. Sure they show you how to insert a new record into a database or display the contents of a database, but usually say nothing about precautions and best practices one should take before launching an application to the public. So in my example above, what security measures should I take before launching this application? Thanks again.

Hello everyone, I'm excited to join the forum, and to start really diving into learning more about php and overall web development....My post is a little long, so I apologize for that... Currently I am a production designer for print, and also do some lite static web design.....I started with web design by creating HTML emails for my job and a few static websites for friends...But my desire has evolved to the point where I can't stop reading about PHP/MySQL/JavaScript ( JS libraries), etc.. I've found a couple of good books, many online tutorials, good blogs to read, that I am sure will help solidify the basics...I've started doing them and I'm loving it.... So my question today isn't about where to get started, what tutorials I should start or what newbie projects I should be doing (all though I am always open to suggestions). I've found a number of them already and started the process...But it's more about the overall scope of the PHP language and how it's used today...(I know, don't hate me) Let me explain why I am asking the question...At the same time as doing all the newbie tutorials/readings, I am learning that the scale of PHP and what it's being used for in today's market is MASSIVE, well beyond my understanding at this point...From my standpoint right now, what I am anticipating using PHP/MySQL for are things like Shopping Carts, Log In systems, Form data, Address books, simple CMS...etc..... But after that, my scope of understanding PHP/web development and architecure is limited.....A little while back I started reading about the principle of Modularity for large web applications, using UML diagrams to map out a web service/application and model databases, but obviously all of that was way above my head....And, I'm not saying that I am want start doing all sorts of advanced things...I do know my place as a "noob" and that I need to learn from the ground up (and I plan to)...But for me, it sparked a greater curiosity... So finally the question.... Can anyone recommend good articles online, a good book to buy or any other resource in which one or many people simply talk about the scope of the PHP language and how it's used today and the positions people hold who work on the technology? (It seems that every resource I find speaks only a few pages of what the language is in general, and why it's used but then instantly throws you into a "what is a variable" tutorial and finally ends with how to build a shopping cart or login system...etc...) I guess what I am most curious about is, what is beyond the beginner tutorials and practice projects, what is beyond knowing how to build a shopping cart or log in system, or put a search bar on my site...What's after being a Web applications developer? Is it a Web architect? I just want to thank anyone in advance for reading this LONG post...And apologize if it comes across as obnoxious....I know my questions are very open ended, and make it seem that I want to do things way too advanced for my skill level at this point....But I just want to understand the larger picture.. Take care,

Hello, Just want to say great forum. Currently a graphic designer here that is on a quest to become a web developer. I am looking forward to learning and I am sure I'll have lots of questions. In fact, I have a few already.. thanks a lot, kdubbie