Is this a PHP project?

[stevedun]

Hello community    I've been browsing your forums here, and this seems to be the best resource for PHP, etc help on the web.  Keep up the great work all!  On to my question:

 

I am not experienced with PHP, but I suspect that PHP is what I need to accomplish my goal.  I am designing a MediaWiki site, and I would like to include a dynamic box that will stay with the user as he/she browses the wiki. Inside the box, I would like to store links to the wiki articles that the user has added via a button on the article page.

 

 

If anyone has any input (is PHP the right direction?, some tech terms that will aid my search, perhaps a link?) PLEASE let me know.

 

Thanks so much 

[gevans]

Have you already made a php process for users to add these links? If so where are they stored?

 

If it is stored in a database it is a simple case of retrieving the users saved links and outputting them in the right place.

[stevedun]

I have made no such process.  I have little (no) experience with PHP and this will be my first real project.  What I get from your reply is that I should create a database on the server (MySQL?), and I need to create a method for adding a link to the current page to that database.  Then I should create the box and put in it code that will retrieve and database entries from that IP address.

 

Am I on the right track?    Any info is greatly appreciated!

[gevans]

That is exactly what you need to do.

 

Though I would recommend going through some simple tutorials first if you are very new to php.

 

w3schools is good and php.net is the php resource.

 

After a few simple php tutorials, and php/MySQL tutorials you shoudl be on your way.

[stevedun]

you are both a scholar and a gentleman.  Keep up the great work    I will reply here when I have made any progress / run into any issues.  THANK YOU!

[grissom]

Good luck.  This is quite an ambitious project if you are new to PHP.

As the previous guys have said, I would do it like this :

 

1. Set up a MySQL database on your server.

2. Add a table to that database containing fields like UserID, user name, contributed article name etc ... For this, I wouldn't try and think up the MySQL commands myself, I'd use a nifty little tool available from the mysql guys called mysql query browser.  It's freeware, just look it up on google

3. THINK carefully before you submit your design of mysql table, in particular what field you need / don't need and what data format they should be in  (number, text, how many characters, etc etc).

4. Every time somebody submits an article, a bit of PHP code adds an entry to the database saying what the article is and who posted it.  Look at the mysql_query command.

5. When someone logs in, another bit of PHP checks against the database and sees what articles they have submitted and presents the links back on the screen.  Maybe using a PHP echo command to "write" HTML dynamically based on the contents of the database.

 

That's an incredibly sketchy outline of how it might be done, and there are 100 ways to skin a cat, so don't be surprised if other forum members suggest different - and possibly improved - ways in which this could be done.

 

GOOD LUCK !!