Getting Started

[avalonindigo]

Thank you to everyone that decides to read this. I know I probably seem like a complete freak, but please bare with me

 

I have wanted to learn PHP for years. I have got to a stage in creating websites that I really need to learn something that will stretch me. I can use CSS, HTML and other snippets to create websites to a satifactory standard, but feel I am lacking in the more complex stuff.

 

The gist of it is, I want to eventually create a website like these:

 

www.wajas.com

www.houndism.com

 

(and may I just add I DONT want to rip off these ideas and copy them. I just want to be able to do similar things)

 

I know, as much as the next person that alot of time and experience goes into these sites and I also know I will not be able to learn this overnight.

 

So, the general questions:

 

1. Which is the best online learning tutorial for PHP?...I have already started to learn the basics but have started to get a bit lost I already have a domain name and host.

 

2. Which is the best User Account script? I want to create user login and accounts where they have 'pages' where as to store 'other pages' and also to edit their 'pages' with HTML (sorry if very vague...these 2 sites have examples of what I mean)

 

3. Is any of this obtainable? (please be honest with me) Again, I do not expect this to happen overnight. I am allowing as long as it takes to get a site up and will work on it until it is right.

 

4. Should I employ someone to help with this? I really do want to learn to do it myself but think maybe I could employ someone to help me get started.

 

Thank you again for being patient with me

 

[craygo]

What you want to do is complete attainable with php. I would be glad to help you at some point but I am in the middle of helping another forum member with his site. I would google "php login script" which will show you some stuff and also look at the tutorials here at phpfreaks. There a alot of them here

 

http://www.phpfreaks.com/tutorials.php

 

Good luck

 

Ray

[avalonindigo]

Thanx so much for actually reading it!  ??? I thought maybe I was being a a bit of an airhead thinking I could do this.

 

I am not stupid and everything I have learnt regarding website building I have learnt from doing, not just sitting there looking at codes thinking 'I cant do that!' I know I can learn this if only I could get my head around what i actually want to do. You know what, PHP doesn't seem like a a big headach...its the MySQL that makes me shudder.

 

I am going to read the tutorials, but maybe I would be better booking myself into a course at a college or something

[craygo]

Up to you but I am completly self taught as probable alot of other people here are. Personally I think php is one of the easier languages to learn and use. I tried using java(jsp) and found that I was typing code forever to do the same thing php does in half the code.

And I wouldn't be too afraid of the mysql part.

 

What I did was download code and read through it and learn what each part does. I am more of a hands on kind of guy, so I like to look at the code and see it work rather than just read it in a book. Most of the good scripts and script writers will put notes in the code to break up the sections and tell you what each one does. PHP has a great following and alot of communities and everyone helps out everyone.

 

Ray