bob89 Posted September 13, 2008 Share Posted September 13, 2008 I'm new to PHP and just need some suggestions on where to start. I'm experienced in HTML and wish to go farther with this. I installed PHP/Apache/MySql and went through some stuff at php.net and watched about/introduction youtube videos, so I am all set-up. Just two things... 1. I know very little CSS. Should I learn that before I go into PHP? 2. I've heard a lot of people say the best way to learn PHP is to buy a book on PHP/MySql. I would appreciate anyone's recommendations (books or websites). Thanks Quote Link to comment https://forums.phpfreaks.com/topic/124025-new-to-php/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prismatic Posted September 13, 2008 Share Posted September 13, 2008 CSS isn't required for PHP since CSS is mainly for the design element of a site. A lot will tell you a book is the best way, for me the best way was to download some scripts and jump in, look at what they do, scour the php.net manual figuring out what function does what, but thats just me, if you're a book learner then yes get a book, but if you lean via hands on, I recommend picking some scripts apart. Quote Link to comment https://forums.phpfreaks.com/topic/124025-new-to-php/#findComment-640309 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lodius2000 Posted September 13, 2008 Share Posted September 13, 2008 Learning php 5 by David Sklar helped me greatly and yes I found css as a good precurser to php, because if you are a one man show, you can make an amazingly detailed, complex, and dynamic website with php, but if you cant style it with css, it will still look like crap Quote Link to comment https://forums.phpfreaks.com/topic/124025-new-to-php/#findComment-640311 Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob89 Posted September 13, 2008 Author Share Posted September 13, 2008 Thanks for the help so far. Do I need a PHP & MySql book or is just PHP sufficient? Quote Link to comment https://forums.phpfreaks.com/topic/124025-new-to-php/#findComment-640318 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stryves Posted September 13, 2008 Share Posted September 13, 2008 Half the fun is using PHP with a database. Learning SQL and PHP at the same time works really well, they compliment each other. Quote Link to comment https://forums.phpfreaks.com/topic/124025-new-to-php/#findComment-640324 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lodius2000 Posted September 13, 2008 Share Posted September 13, 2008 learning php 5 has enough sql to get by, Ie the 4 big commands, select, insert, update, delete. So far I havent needed any others except a few small cases, which this forum guided me through nicely Quote Link to comment https://forums.phpfreaks.com/topic/124025-new-to-php/#findComment-640327 Share on other sites More sharing options...
ardyandkari Posted September 13, 2008 Share Posted September 13, 2008 for me, all the "$foo=bar" crap in php books was just confusing. i bought a php book (sam's teach yourself php, mysql, and apache) to have a selection of commands and sample scripts on hand for when i built my own program. then i started trying to make stuff and failing...then i came here and asked some stupid questions and got VERY intelligent answers. the people here on the forum are always willing to help if they know the answer. if they dont, try to figure it out on your own, and re post when you do and it fails...trial and error worked best for me. regarding css...it is simple. do you have an editor? i use dreamweaver. it is a bit steep when it comes to the price, but it has very good css auto complete and whatnot. also, there are plenty of tutorials on the web that make it easy to learn basic css. i still havent figured out how to do layouts w/ css, but i dont have much time anymore what with work and kids and all... css isnt required, but it will help you make a "final product". Quote Link to comment https://forums.phpfreaks.com/topic/124025-new-to-php/#findComment-640537 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel0 Posted September 13, 2008 Share Posted September 13, 2008 You should buy books that deal with theory rather than syntax. You can get the latter from the PHP manual and is, in fact, pretty simple. As an analogy, I can write a lot of sentences, but that doesn't mean I'm a good writer. Quote Link to comment https://forums.phpfreaks.com/topic/124025-new-to-php/#findComment-640563 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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