Training other programmers in PHP

All advice welcome!

[neophyte]

Hello All -

I'm going to be hiring three experienced ColdFusion coders to help me with my projects. Each of these three have from two to three years experience each coding web apps with CF but, of course, the projects I have are purely PHP.

Can anyone offer any recommendation on the best and least painful way for these three to make the transition so they're comfortable with PHP?

I myself learned from a bunch of tutorials on the web as well as from the wonderful people here, but I'm no teacher and I'm looking to get them up to a comfortable level of proficiency within a months time or so. I'd like to start them of slow with just the basics but don't know if there's a site out there with real "foundation" tutorials to begin with.

I'm willing to buy a book(s), as well, if anyone can recommend one or more titles that would suit the need I'm describing... essentially foundational thru intermediate information and exercises/examples for those who are already experienced coders.

Neophyte

[Habtom]

if there's a site out there with real "foundation" tutorials to begin with.

W3Schools [w3schools.com] - I like the way they let you learn the basics and php.net [php.net] - will be thier ultimate resource.

Habtom

[vincevincevince]

Here's an idea...if at all possible and practical, throw them in at the deep end. Tell them that in order to be hired, they must build XYZ entirely in PHP to prove their worth. If it works within a week then they get $#*$! signing bonus and a work contract, if not then they get their bus fare home.

[Habtom]

If it works within a week then they get $#*$! signing bonus and a work contract, if not then they get their bus fare home.

A week? I advice them to take their buses now, the sooner they go the sooner they can join their family. :)

[henry0]

I am curious, what is your logic or hidden agenda :)

Why hiring three CF prgmr to work on 100% PHP
VS hiring PHP prgmr?

[neophyte]

Hello Henry0 -

No hidden agenda at all. I'm an American living and working in a provincial area of the Philippines. Anyone who has lived - and tried to work - here knows the unique challenges (and they are many and varied!) involved when hiring help for any task.

The CF programmers I'm speaking about are (1) talented (2) have a professional attitude (3) live in my area (4) have a desire to transition from CF to PHP.

Rather than outsourcing my work to other proven PHP programmers in Manila or elsewhere, I'm trying to build a team locally to handle a growing amount of work.

Neophyte

[henry0]

Thanks got it!
I understand your concern; you are on the right track
Good luck
Setting attainable and verifiable goals should be required.

Has anyone witnessed for example ASP coder learning PHP
And how time wise looked the progress?

[hughie]

i would have thought that being decent CF coders, they would probably be able to make the transition quite easily so long as you point them towards the correct reference material where appropriate.

I always think that building a simple guestbook application is an excellent way to pick up the core basics of php.

- It's Working with a db
- form interaction
- input validation
- usual combinations of ifs, elses and loops
- string manipulation, etc.

You could set them on that task for say week 1 then get them down to business on your apps after that, that way hopefully they'll make their mistakes first and it won't come back to bite you 6 weeks down the line.