Learning PHP

Posted: Sun Feb 05, 2006 7:03 pm

Hi im trying to learn PHP. I have the basic understanding and have been fooling around with it dureing the last week. My question is what would be a good first project to do that i can use later on?
I can easly rip apart and edit a nuke theme. I have made a few for friends, useing DeepBlue theme as a start i can turn it around 90% but its mainly HTML which i know well..... I enjoy helping people with nuke problems and i think that if im gona try to learn it, i best come to the best place (ravens site) and learn it right from the pro's
Also i have been useing php designer 2006.

FishinKev

Site Admin/Owner Joined: Aug 27, 2002 Posts: 17088

Get the book PHP and MySQL Web Development, Second Edition, by Welling and Thompson. I do not recommend the Third Edition as it is 80-90 percent rehash of the Second Edition, imo.

Then, start looking at other scripts - start small - and start hacking them. Happy PHP'ing!

Posted: Wed Feb 08, 2006 8:39 pm

Well im going..... i thought small at first. A one page gallery. And well....
I went smaller!
I could not get the book cause i live in the cold Canadian north. I did order it though.
Im working with File And Directory Manipulation.
Here is my first real solid knowledge of understanding i had yesterday

Code:

<?php


// set the file to read


$filename = "blahhblahh.txt";


// open file can use fopen($filename, "r/OR/w/OR/a")  


$fileusd = fopen($filename, "r") or die("Could not open file!");


// read the file contents


$data = fread($fileusd, filesize($filename)) or die("Could not read file!");


// close file


fclose($fileusd);


// print file contents


echo $data . "|you own|";


?>

I know that this is all simple to everyone i think its kinda fun. I made several variants to this. Also in a way a simple .txt shout box. Type message, submit then view the appended txt file.

Of course i had to make a file uploader also.

As for my thoughts on PHP. well it took me well over 24 hours or reading and pulling out 1/4 of my hair. But i can finally see a light comming. I do think that things are starting to come together now.

Site Admin Joined: Jun 04, 2004 Posts: 6433

Consider Raven's suggestion to learn by looking at other scripts. It can really help!

Posted: Wed Feb 08, 2006 9:10 pm

Ohhh trust me I am. But i think the hardest part is understanding it. I can take some code and change it around add some little stuff. But i started to think. Every script uses files. So i figured i best learn how to call up files edit the files etc.

But then again i'm a retired from the army. And ive been hit in the head a few times. So everything takes me longer Wink

Posted: Wed Feb 08, 2006 9:15 pm

Well, thanks for your service! I turned down an appointment to West Point and nearly broke my mother's heart...

Posted: Wed Feb 08, 2006 10:07 pm

The tutorials at devshed and several other sites are most excellent. You can learn so much from them.

KGuske, I think you saved the country a lot of problems by not attending WP killing me

Posted: Wed Feb 08, 2006 10:10 pm

It took a minute for that to sink in, then I pulled my finger off the trigger and started laughing hysterically!

Posted: Wed Feb 08, 2006 10:20 pm

Well i must admit the army was fun for err 6 months, Then the other 10 were well...........
Then ouch i got hurt. But maybe getting hurt was ok cause now i am semi retired and 31. But i still got the ouchies.
_______________________________________
But yes Devshed has been a great help. A few well done tutorials there.

Now my mission. I am going to make a simple script to display a random image in a file then resize to a thumb, add next and previous and slap it into a block for nuke. But with doing this do i need to make it a mod, then make the block calling the mod? Or can i do right from the block.
My guess is i can just make the block.

Posted: Wed Feb 08, 2006 11:00 pm

You might want to make a mod to display the full size image, but that isn't necessary to make the block. Yes, you can just make the block.

I realize that you are trying to learn, but, you may wish to consider using an existing Nuke photo gallery like Gallery or Coppermine for CMS. Both should have this capability (and a lot more).

Posted: Tue Feb 14, 2006 4:06 pm

Well here is a little update.
Things are going well! 8 days later and i am working on my Gallery which uses a DB.
Right now it can Create,edit, and delete albums. Upload images to the albums. This is all the backend admin functions.
For the back end i still need to have the ability to create users. And store some site into there for the config.
Then the front end. Which i think will be somewhat easier.
I think it will still be a few more weeks (months) before i get it 100% working. But i will make sure to pop-in here.

See ya soon

Posted: Tue Feb 14, 2006 9:11 pm