How to Start Learning PHP

Need Help!

[YuviG]

Hi Guys

I want to start learning php. Please help me find the right way to start with.

first of all i want to know .. what all softwares i need to install on my notebook (with WindowsXP SP2) and from where i can download to those.

And a good beginner guide.

Thanks all!

[mixart]

Easiest way to get your PC setup for a development environment is to install XAMPP which will set everyting up for you in one near package...
[apachefriends.org...]

Lynda has some good beginner tutorials
[movielibrary.lynda.com...]

Actually even YouTube has stuff
[youtube.com...]

[dreamcatcher]

Check out this thread in our library:

Learning PHP - Books, Tutorials and Online Resources
[webmasterworld.com...]

dc

[YuviG]

Thanks mixart & dreamcatcher ,,, i m downloading XAMPP lets see/

[brotherhood of LAN]

When you have working PHP you can test with, try going through a couple of examples, figuring out how/why code is used to achieve a result.

Then think about how it can be applied to a more practical situation, i.e. a site you may be interested in making.

[YuviG]

Hi I m done with xammp installation ... Now can u plz tell me where i hv to save my files using dreamweaver and other settings that i need?

Thanks

[Demaestro]

YuviG have you ever done programming in any language?

[StoutFiles]

I would suggest getting away from dreamweaver if at all possible.

[YuviG]

yeh i hv done with asp, asp.net but basics .. like for .net we need to make virtual dir or save file in inetpub folder .. wat is for PHP where should i save files?

for example:
i created a file exmaple.php and saved in my local drive e: so how could i run it?

[YuviG]

ok if i m not using dreamweaver ... can u explain with steps for one example file?

thanks

[Anyango]

that example.php has to be in your web server's dir. Although i havent used XAMPP but go to the folder where you installed it and look for directory like "htdocs" within the XAMPP apache folder (\xampp\apache). example.php needs to go there for you to be able to run it like

[localhost...]

[edit]
infact its this dir
\xampp\htdocs

your example.php needs to go to that dir.

Reference: http://www.apachefriends.org/en/xampp-windows.html#528 [apachefriends.org]

[edited by: Anyango at 7:27 pm (utc) on Nov. 10, 2008]

[mixart]

Dreamweaver is an OK place to start if that's what you're comforable with. There is plenty of built-in PHP functionality that is good for a learning, but not great as it will write code for you in a way many developers will cringe at and once you start to want to do custom things you'll find the DW code may break. I started PHP dev in dreamweaving using their built in database connection tool, creating recordsets, etc. but in time you learn more and more to not rely on those tools and hand-code using best practice code and OOP. Just google "dreamweaver php tutorials xampp" and you'll see how to get goin in DW.

[StoutFiles]

I still say get away from dreamweaver as soon as you can. Best to learn how to get away from it now rather than later when it'll be more difficult.

[YuviG]

Thanks you all guys.

so if i should not use DW so wat other option should be is it NOtepad ;) ?

[YuviG]

:((

i have created a file check.php with following code

<? phpinfo(); ?>
<? print("Hello");?>

and saved it in C:\xampp\htdocs ...
i tried to run as [localhost...] >>> Showed Nothing Just Blank Page.
Then [localhost...] >>> Got "Object not found!" 404 Error.

Wat to do ?

[Anyango]

run it as

[localhost...]

Short Open tags might be disabled in your PHP's current configuration. try this code in your check.php

<?php
phpinfo();
?>

If the page is still blank, view source and see what all is in there, does the PHP code show there too ?

[YuviG]

thanks its done!