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by webmonkeybuilder

Closed to new repliesThis discussion is closed. It stays readable, but it takes no new replies.

I have been working with PHP for a couple of years, mostly modifying an existing template for websites (using XHTML and CSS) created by a programmer, to develop customized websites for different clients. I can convert any Photoshop mock-up into a usable interface using this template, but there is much of the programming nuts and bolts I just do not get. I would like to gain a deeper understanding of PHP, and decided to create this PHP Forum in hopes that both myself and interested Forum participants can suggest good online resources, such as tutorials, as well as books and to learn PHP Programming from. This is also a good spot for beginners to intermediate level PHP users to post questions and recieve help from peers and more advanced users.

Let's make it a worthwhile endeavor!

13 replies

by rexworld

If I recall correctly, a "kohai" is a student/learner and when it comes to PHP I am a fellow student. I've been mostly coding in JSP (for Download.com) but now that I'm working on Builder I'd like to learn more about PHP.

So I'll help start this forum by asking the questin that's in my post title--where do people host their PHP sites? My personal site is currently hosted by a company called hostlane.com, which provides PHP and MySQL and a nice web GUI to manage both.

Are there other hosting companies/options for people who need to build a PHP site?

by webmonkeybuilder

Howdy rexb!

Sorry for neglecting to answer your question sooner. I personally use Yahoo! Business Webhosting for my own website. They support PHP and MySQL and have a nice web GUI with lots of links to online help.

Another web host that also provides PHP and MySQL services is Clockhost [http://www.clockhost.com/].
I am working on a website hosted by them and they also provide a web GUI interface.

Hope this is helpful!

Cheers,
Arleen

by michael

www.phpwebhosting.com 9.95 a month for 225 megs of space and they will give you more space free of charge, just ask. They are the nicest host I have ever used. unmetered traffic and they support php, perl, ruby, python, mysql, mod_rewrite, ssi. yummy!

michael

by ja_edwards

Such PHP-related boards already exist and have lots of good content, such as http://www.phpbuilder.com/board/
Looks like you have a choice.
Either try to compete with them for the same content (realize that it isn't going to amount to much coming out of the starting blocks well into the race), or narrow your focus a bit to a specialty board (say PHP and object-oriented).
I wish you well, webmonkey, so don't just do another late-entry also-ran board.

by Mark W. Kaelin

Thank you for your post ja_edwards. But I would not say that webmonkey is trying to re-invent the wheel ? it's more like finding an additional application for the wheel.

I have never accepted the argument (which we have heard before) that our forums have less value because the topics they cover already exist on some other site. Builder members have their own voice and we want to provide a place for them to express it.

With the discussion center forums, Builder members can add their unique voice to the topic at hand and perhaps enhance the substance of the discussion through their collective experience as professional software engineers and developers. Our forums don't detract from the conversation but add to it.

by webmonkeybuilder

Howdy ja_edwards,

I appreciate you pointing out that a PHP board exists elsewhere. I never had any intention of competing with the boards you mention. Frankly, I had not stumbled onto it on my Internet travels & it looks like a pretty spiffy resource. I'll definitely be checking it out when I have some time on my hand to do so & I'll recommend it to others.

However, the point of creating THIS forum HERE at the Builder Discussion Center was that I reviewed all the likely categories of Discussion where I *thought* I would find a PHP Forum (Web Technologies, Development Process, Object-Oriented Design, Database & Web Services), and found no such forum. Instead, I found a few lone individuals crying out for PHP help.

So rather than just follow suit, I decided to create ONE discussion center where these lost souls could congregate, and we could all help each other with our PHP problems. A happy, shinier discussion forum, if you will.

If folks are interested in specific topics, or have general questions, I strongly encourage them to post them here. Let's be little Builders!

Cheers

by webmonkeybuilder

As I've mentioned before, I have been working with PHP for a couple of years, mostly modifying an existing template for websites (using XHTML and CSS) created by a programmer, to develop customized websites for different clients.

Now, I'm tired of just dipping my toes in the water. I'd like to jump in, splash around, maybe even swim!

So to get the ball rolling I'll share my favorite PHP & MySQL books in hopes that you'll shre yours.

Programming PHP
by Rasmus Lerdorf, Kevin Tatroe
O'Reilly & Associates; 1st edition (March 2002)

Build Your Own Database Driven Website Using PHP & MySQL, Second Edition
by Kevin Yank
SitePoint Pty Ltd; 2nd edition (March 3, 2003)

Web Database Applications with PHP & MySQL
by Hugh E. Williams, David Lane
O'Reilly & Associates; 1st edition (March 2002)

What resources have other PHP-Builders found helpful?

Cheers

by stilarooki

I like to see when somebody else gets started in this business. I have been dabbling in PHP on and off for about a year and still have many questions that need to be answered.

I did check out Kevin Yank?s book (waited for the second edition) and found it helpful to get started, but didn?t fully understand his teaching approach.

I recently picked up a copy of PHP and MySQL Web Development, Wellington ? Thomson (also second edition, wanting to get latest technology). This book has been much more helpful because they write in a style that I can associate with.

I have read through chapter 15 and am about to get elbow deep into the CMS aspect of the book.

I downloaded the sample chapter from Dreamweaver MX: Advanced PHP Web Development by Glasshaus Author Team (ISBN 1590591968) Springer_Verlag New York, liked this enough that I ordered a copy and am awaiting delivery.

by ultra_blue

Hello:

It may go without saying, but both PHP and MySQL have excellent docs. When ever I do MP [MySQL PHP] work, I have the PHP chm and the MySQL html help files open all the time. I know it's not the most exciting reading, but regularly referencing these files will expand your horizons dramatically. These are the nuts and bolts that you're looking for, and you'll learn a lot from the code examples in the PHP docs, too.

And they're free!

by zoef

Whenever I'm coding Php I've got the chm version of the docs open.

Also, the included user's notes are also an incredible source of tips, tricks and information.

Rik

by webmonkeybuilder

Hi Everyone,

I've been reviewing CMSs for personal and business use [http://cmsinfo.org/]. I was wondering if any folk that drop by this forum have used any of these and have reasons for or against the use of any of these. I would appreciate any info you can provide.

Regards

by webmonkeybuilder

Mambo is one that I am using on my personal website right now and I am really liking it. For its basic features, it does not require the use of an .htaccess file. This is particularly important for me because I am using another PHP/MySQL Genealogy package within one directory in my site, and changes made in .htaccess files were wreaking havoc with this one directory's functioning.

However, if you need one all powerful CMS to do just about everything, Drupal is the way to go. I will be employing this on a new organizational website, and I am excited to get it going. One note to users: You should modify the database.sql file so that you add a prefix such as "drupal_" before all the table names, just to keep things tidy.

MovableType is nifty and widely used, but you need Perl scripting to use it and I don't have that support on my server.

I hope this is helpful, and look forward to hearing from other users on their experiences with PHP/MySQL based Content Management Systems.

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