How long does it take to get good at PHP

[Redlightpacket]

I have been programming off and on with PHP in the past two months, I am really new to it. How long does it take to get good to make Web 2.0 websites. Would this take several months or more like a year.

I really want to make a Web 2.0 website really bad. Where should I start at to help me get started programming web 2.0 sites when I do get good at programming in PHP.

[ucffool]

web 2.0 as you put it is more commonly known for its AJAX moreso than anything else. To answer your question, if you are coding for a purpose, causing you to do some critical thinking and problem solving, you can get comfortable within 6 months and I would say intermediate level within a year with PHP. It really depends on the amount of time dedicated to it.

[Barand]

I'm still learning after 5-6 years

[zszucs]

I'm still learning after 5-6 years

Totally agree with the spirit of that.  It's not just php you are learning.  Using the example of a web 2.0 project, you could potentially need learn html, css, javascript/ajax, db development, server config/administration, graphic design, flash and probably some other things I forgot along with php.

[maexus]

PHP Syntax isn't hard at all, it's logical thinking and problem solving that takes time for most people. I picked up the syntax in less than a month with zero programming experience. got really good after about 6 months.

 

From what I've seen in the forums and other people I talk to is... they think of php's built in functionality as square pegs for square holes. In reality, these are puzzle pieces that need to be fit together to fit different shaped holes. This is where logical thinking and problem solving come in. I think where a lot of the difficulty comes in at is a lot of beginners stick with reading tutorials and don't really get their hands dirty. One thing that makes a project drag the most of me is not knowing exactly what I want it to do. My advice is choose a project to tackle, like a blog and try to push as far as you can while learning the syntax.

 

Sort of a long winded answer to a seemingly simple question.

[darkhappy]

i have only been doing php for about 6 weeks and i have made a lot of progress with a timesheet application i am building and have even helped a few people with questions on the forums. i just work on it in my free time for a few hours here and there and try to think the problem through with what i know - and if what i know does not solve the problem i google until i learn another function or statement that does. i think if you are just open to it and try to think through your application on your own its easier to pick up. don't make it out to be some big scary process that you have to learn. in that case your preconceived notions will hinder the learning process.

 

- dhappy

[wmguk]

Ive been working on it for 5 years, but took about 3.5 years out for other interests, now getting back in to it, but realising that the big jobs im working on arent as simple as i thought they were, a lot changes in 4 yrs lol, however im getting there, but i am still asking a lot of help from guys on here, and tbh if this forum wasnt here i'd be totally screwed...

 

thing is if you know what you want to do, but dont know what to call it you cant really google it, and I bought 2 PHP / MySQL books at about £40GBP each, and again, they are ok if you know what its called....

[darkhappy]

 

thing is if you know what you want to do, but dont know what to call it you cant really google it, and I bought 2 PHP / MySQL books at about £40GBP each, and again, they are ok if you know what its called....

 

 

this is true - in that case i would google for what i am trying to accomplish (like "php login" or "automating scripts php"), and try to either find code snippets i can learn from by example or specific terms i can google and learn more about.

[wmguk]

 

thing is if you know what you want to do, but dont know what to call it you cant really google it, and I bought 2 PHP / MySQL books at about £40GBP each, and again, they are ok if you know what its called....

 

 

this is true - in that case i would google for what i am trying to accomplish (like "php login" or "automating scripts php"), and try to either find code snippets i can learn from by example or specific terms i can google and learn more about.

 

deffo, i agree with that, 99% of the time you can find something

[redarrow]

I study php every day it a hard subject,

Php on it own there so much to learn.

 

Even well exspirence programmers run to php.net

there so meny functions to learn properly over 5000+ of them,

i dont think there a lot of people who can remember 5000 functions..

 

I use books i buy meny books i also refer the book code to php.net as the syntex

in the books are sometimes wrong or changed........

 

I also buy training cd's and test my self with self made projects it a nightmere....

 

what i think you need to no

 

list...........

 

html

xhtml

css1 css2 css3

php

mysql

 

javascript is ok and ajax but i dont study them........

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[GingerRobot]

Being able to memorise functions and their arguments in no-way indicates an understanding of the language. Sure, it helps you write your code a touch quicker, but there's nothing wrong with using websites and books for reference.

[Stooney]

Being able to memorise functions and their arguments in no-way indicates an understanding of the language. Sure, it helps you write your code a touch quicker, but there's nothing wrong with using websites and books for reference.

 

Memorization does help quite a bet when picking the best tool for the job.  A lot times I find myself picking a 'good' tool for the job just to find out later it wasn't the best tool for the job.  But technically Google could tell you all the same.

[Daniel0]

I study php every day it a hard subject,

Php on it own there so much to learn.

 

Even well exspirence programmers run to php.net

there so meny functions to learn properly over 5000+ of them,

i dont think there a lot of people who can remember 5000 functions..

 

I use books i buy meny books i also refer the book code to php.net as the syntex

in the books are sometimes wrong or changed........

 

I also buy training cd's and test my self with self made projects it a nightmere....

 

I think you're trying too hard to become good. Memorizing a lot of library functions (most of which you're never going to use) will just be a waste of time. Sure, you should have a basic knowledge of the most common ones, like the ones dealing with arrays, strings, database connectivity (use PDO for that by the way) and such. Learning what hw_GetChildCollObj() does is a waste of time unless you're sure you need to use Hyperwave (whatever that is). Make sure you read the Language Reference (many topics in the help forum would never have been created if the poster had read this particular chapter), Security and Features chapters of the manual. Reading that you'll learn about the syntax and roughly what PHP is capable of doing. Everything else can be postponed until you need it. Find yourself needing to examine the contents of a rar file? Fine, then read about the rar functions in the function reference of the manual. You need to get an idea of how to do things. You need to say "I am going to do x and for that doing y would probably be the best approach. In order to do y I'll need to use z, a and b." Then you go check the manual where z, a, b are covered.

 

You also need to know a bit about security, but it's not really that hard. Just filter data coming from another place when it's going into your system (e.g. into a database) and when it's leaving your system (e.g. when you print it to the screen). Doing that will eliminate the vast amount of threats you might encounter.

[Bladescope]

I started well over 3-4 years ago, and i'm still learning.

[unsider]

I'm still learning.

 

Doesn't get any more simple than this.

[kenrbnsn]

I'm still learning after 5-6 years

I'm still learning after 9-10 years. I look at the code I wrote in 1999 and cringe. No security, depended on register_globals being on, practically no error checking. The sites worked, but the code was very difficult to maintain.

 

Ken

[unsider]

I'm still learning after 5-6 years

I'm still learning after 9-10 years. I look at the code I wrote in 1999 and cringe. No security, depended on register_globals being on, practically no error checking. The sites worked, but the code was very difficult to maintain.

 

Ken

 

 

Haha, that happens to me everytime I start a new project, but I guess that means I'm correcting my poor coding practices.

[xylex]

90 days, or at least that what Zend was advertising when they had their "Beginner to Zend Certified in 90 days" course.  For some reason, that was a very short lived course offering. 

 

I've been professionally developing in PHP since the days of PHP/FI 10 or so years ago, and there's still tons of areas of PHP that I wouldn't consider myself anywhere near an expert on.  But one thing that I've learned, you're going to be a far more valuable team member by focusing on key specific aspects of the language and becoming an expert on those, instead of just being a mediocre programmer across everything.  So my advice that you didn't ask for is to figure out what you're areas you like and have a knack for, and focus building on that.

[tomfmason]

This is really dependant on how fast you learn. PHP was my first language so it took me longer to learn. One of the biggest milestones is getting to the point where you understand what is really happening behind the code.

 

So my advice that you didn't ask for is to figure out what you're areas you like and have a knack for, and focus building on that.

 

I half agree and half disagree with that. Focusing on a specific area would have some merit but, imho, it is important to be well rounded. You need to be very careful with what you decide to focus on as things in this industry can quickly become outdated. I personally like to keep up on what will/could/should be the next big thing. I can write efficient code in 6 languages but would only consider my self really good in 1(ruby). I find that I learn new languages/concepts/development methodologies faster now that I have a broader skill-set. IMO, this really helps when you are confronted with new and difficult situations.

 

[bilis_money]

3 years = junior

5 years = senior

10 years = master

>10 = elite special force LOL

 

[Northern Flame]

be patient,

i have been programming in PHP for more or less a year now

and I am just now getting at a level that is "good" in my

opinion. Like others mentioned before, there are a bunch of

other stuff needed as well such as javascript ajax flash etc.

Pace yourself and once you think you get good at one thing,

move on to the next while still practicing and improving your

other skills. And in time, you will get to a level that you will

feel is "good". And remember, no matter how good you get,

there is ALWAYS room for improvement.

 

You might also want to check out the PHP Help section of

the forums, that has helped me a lot, not only by posting my

problems, but with working with others on their problems.

By working on other peoples problems, you learn how different

things apply to real-life PHP coding and it also gets you

thinking differently, as mentioned before, PHP has A LOT

to do with logic and problem solving.

[blueman378]

As alot of people have said with PHP decide on a project and just start doing it, quite frankly i had had enough of the tutorials after i read the first echoing hello world one

so i just dived into projects,

 

but one thing im saying is that this doesnt just apply to php,

haha i started learning html because i decided it would be funny to change the words on google to my mates names ect

 

but then its also <b>personal preferance</b>