A REAL NEWBIE

[k0432925]

I need some help knowing how and where to start with PHP and MYSQL and whether it is the most feasible for what I want to do.

I have a reasonably good knowledge of HTML and CSS (self-taught) so I can organise the actual basis of the website but I now want to know how to 'submit' information from a form which can be uploaded (PHP) to an internet based database (MySQL) held on the server (Thats how I interpret it). The data then needs to be held and to then be reconfigured (moved into a table of some discription) to be shown on the website itself (PHP).

So basically, uploading forms, holding the data and the viewing of the data in a new format, it would also require amendments by the user.

Can anyone give me a basic explanation if I have not interpreted it correctly?
Are there any books/websites that you would recommend?
Do I have the correct understanding of what PHP is capable of?
I have written the form using HTML/CSS, can I then add the relevant PHP code to submit it to the database? Is MySQL the same as Access SQL, in the way it works?

Thank you for your help any information would be much appreciated.

[wildteen88]

Yes PHP and MySQL can do this. It is relitvely easy to do. However I would recommend you to go through the PHP tutorials over at [a href=\"http://www.w3schools.com/php/php_intro.asp\" target=\"_blank\"]w3schools.com[/a] before attempting to do what you are doing.

MySQL, MSSQL, PostegreSQL, Access SQL use SQL but in different ways. They are just different versions of SQL. SQL works with many different databases. I would also recommend you to learn SQL over at [a href=\"http://www.w3schools.com/sql/sql_intro.asp\" target=\"_blank\"]w3schools.com[/a] too.

Now in order for you to learn PHP and MySQL to the best of your ability I would recommend you to download software package called [a href=\"http://www.en.wampserver.com/\" target=\"_blank\"]WAMP[/a]. WAMP inclclude Apache (web server), PHP and MySQL taht can be installed on to your PC. You can then run/test your PHP scripts from the comfort of your own PC offline rather than having to upload your PHP scripts to your webhost everytime to see any changes or to test them.

Now I would recommend you to run through tutorial numbers 3 through to 9 over at [a href=\"http://www.php-mysql-tutorial.com/\" target=\"_blank\"]php-mysql-tutorial.com[/a] so you get used to interacting with MySQL with PHP. Also try out tutorial number 12 too as this will help you with transfering data entered in a form to be submited to a MySQL database and extract the contents form the database too. Which forms the basis of what you are trying to do now.

There are number of books out there on PHP and MySQL that you get. You might want to prehaps go to your local book store/libar and have a look at a few of the PHP and MySQL books to see which ones might help you.

[k0432925]

Thank you for your help, I will look at it over the next couple of weeks and I'll let you know how I get on.

And I'll post any queries should I have them.