PHP Learning

[lostprophetpunk]

Hello all,

 

I have been learning PHP for about a year now, and I still could learn a lot more. The problem is, the way that I went about learning PHP, was to actually start building stuff and only learning parts that I needed to use within the PHP code I was working on. I am saying this as I have probably missed out on the most basic of things in PHP.

 

So I would like to know, what functions would you class as being basic PHP, and also advanced functions?

 

I am asking this, as I haven't coded for a few months (due to computer problems), and I would like to get the whole of the basics of PHP before I learn the rest of the advanced stuff.

 

I would also like your opinions on different learning styles and experiences you have had, and how they are effecient.

 

Thank You.

[JonnoTheDev]

So I would like to know, what functions would you class as being basic PHP, and also advanced functions?

No such thing. There are functions that you will use a lot more than others such as functions that work with strings or arrays but esentially a function is a function. Use the php manual to learn how to use built in functions http://www.php.net

 

The best place to learn is from a book. This is the most obvious place. Online tutorials are good but every developer has their own style so trawling through them may become confusing when 2 different tutorials that do the same thing are written different. Once you know the core basics from a book like, variables, constants, functions, arrays, cookies, sessions, etc then examples you see online will make much more sense.

[KevinM1]

Something else to consider is that while learning the ins and outs of a language is useful, having the mindset of essentially memorizing a language's built-in capabilities is the wrong way to go.  Memorizing functions won't turn you into a better programmer.

 

Like neil said, learning from a book is a good way to start.  They tend to merge language-specific details with generalized programming techniques.  I like the various Visual Quickstart Guides as they're friendly to beginners without being completely patronizing.

[mikesta707]

Also taking classes that teach you how to solve problems with programming is a great way to learn. While it may not be in the same language as you want to learn, knowing how to solve a problem in one programming language can usually be transfered over to another fairly easily, and learning the theory behind what you are doing never hurts either. if you can't do this, then obviously books are the way to go