PHP - Where did you learn?

[fbrtopic]

Hey guys, I'm looking into getting into PHP a lot more, and I've got some major projects that I'm looking into starting... however a pretty good knowledge of php/mysql is neccessary for them.

So I'm curious, where did you learn PHP from? I've got a couple of ebooks on it, however I'm curious to know of a book that is actually INTERESTING to read. example after example that's not really being explained isn't my favorite way to learn, haha.

[Ninja Frank]

I recommend this book, its an easy read and when youre done you'll know enough about PHP & MySQL to integrate it into your pages, do database pulls, etc.

PHP Essentials, 2nd Edition by Julie Meloni

search amazon.

[eecontent]

Other than that .. the php manual that you can get from php's website (I can't post there url ) is a great learning reasource .. theoreticly it should teach you everything you need .. especially if youhave some programming background .. but not necessarly

[amateurcanada]

i go by trial and example and just messing around.. there are so many examples around of the basics

[Remastered]

The best would be:

PHP in a Nutshell
Published: October 2005
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/phpnut/index.html

[fbrtopic]

I'm a fan of O'Reilly books, and own a couple of them. However their "in a nutshell" series I've found tend to be more of a reference rather than a "how to" kinda thing. I'll check out the other books first.

[wonderer999]

www.phpbuilder.com or www.zend.com (can't go wrong here)

[mfps]

i learned flash, mysql and php at the same time with

Foundation PHP for Flash

lots of good basic php and database stuff.

other than that, i still spend alot of time at:

PHP.net Function Reference
mySQL.org Documentation
Goooooooooooogle

hope this helps.

[irbobo]

Once you have the basic grasp of things, go sit in #PHP in undernet on IRC. Their you can ask questions.. but don't ask anything you can easily look up on google in 3 seconds.

[duckduckgoose]

Someone already mentioned the PHP website, but the best part of that is you can take any PHP command, and go in a browser :

php.net/your_command

and it will give you the page for that command. This is so helpful when you're trying to learn what commands do, and how to use them. Even after years of using PHP, this resource is still handy every day looking up commands and options.

Lots of good books already mentioned; if you were going to buy any (or use the eBooks), I would suggest starting with something based around PHP 5. The biggest reasons are, you start with the advantage of not writing sloppy code from the start. Several ways people used to write PHP scripts (eg in 2002 or 2003) have been deprecated for security and completeness reasons, yet still are supported by PHP (eg use of superglobals arrays, etc) for legacy reasons. Even if you're not doing object oriented stuff, PHP5 is a fine place to start.

One book I highly recommend is called "Beginning PHP And PostgreSQL 8: From Novice To Professional". This may not be helpful to you if you don't have access to a PostGreSQL database server (eg on cheap virtualhosting somewhere), but this is a solid book, starts you at PHP5, and gets you into some good habits from the beginning.

[fbrtopic]

Thanks a lot guys. I'm not sure if my host has PostgreSQL, seeing as how I know that they are using mySQL for all my databases up till now. I would prefer to use mySQL because that's pretty much a standard these days in databases, and also the mose common. I will look into it though. There are a number of books mentioned here and I'll look into each accordingly to see what they have to offer and also their reviews and so forth.

[Mike Seth]

Learning PHP is very easy even for a newcomer, but there are pitfalls both for newcomers and seasoned traditional programmers who never wrote Web applications before. I think that the best way for all PHP newbies to go is not only a good book but also lots and lots of reading other people's code, and indeed a lot of trial and error with one's own code. There are many misconceptions about programming that need to be cleared through this trial and error. It is way easier to overcome them if you read other people's sources and talk to other folks.

[fbrtopic]

While I can't write my own code, I've found that I can edit the code pretty well. After some trial and error in that respect, I've pretty heavily edited the PHP in a lot of the themes for wordpress sites I've made. I'd be hard pressed to write my own code though.

I'll be reading the PHP ebooks for now and I'll take your advice and play around with other people's code. Thanks a ton.

[duckduckgoose]

If you're just starting out creating PHP web applications (or web apps in any other languages), you really should also take a look at the OWASP guidelines for creating secure web apps. They provide some critical tips about securing your web applications against attackers and mischief.

Search google for "owasp php", and the third item in the list is a good article summarizing the OWASP guidelines and PHP.

[joycams]

try some tutorials from lynda

[GregA]

I love the O'reilly books as well but I dont suggest any sort of brief/quick answers get yourself a basic book to start with then the rest of your learning is done through doing. You can find free examples and articles on how to do just about anything on the web now.

[Subway]

3 steps

1) Go to the bookstore
2) Steal a php book
3) Read it and try it

[Fetish Gimp]

Three words: Vulcan mind meld.

[FreeAgent]

php.net is all I ever needed.

[redcan]

Awesome try also IRC'ing lot of good stuffs there: #php, ##php channels
A good cup of coffee and a lot of free time also ;)

[JasonB]

good tutorials here
http://www.w3schools.com/php/default.asp

also
http://www.php.net as a reference

[Thunders]

University and some e-books