What are the best tutorials and software
 

...one needs to learn PHP coding?

I can't seem to find script that does exactly what I want it to do...so I intend to teach myself coding in php.

Do any of you programmers have suggestions for the best tutorials and software available to learn php coding...the basics as well as advanced coding?

I am a pretty quick study so what is a general time frame for over coming the learning curve to become an efficient coder?

You are better off posting the project on eLance or Rent A Coder.

Well...I have hassled with programmers before (sometimes just to get screwed) and I am tired of going through that process.

I want to give a shot at learning php coding myself so that I can have the script do exactly what I want it to do or at the least being able to modify script to do exactly what I want it to do.

Need input.

Bump for the night crew.

http://www.w3schools.com/php/php_intro.asp would probably work well for you.

Their stuff is usually quick and to the point.

Check out Kevin's book
http://www.sitepoint.com/books/phpmy...rect=phpmysql1

I think I started out with an earlier version of that book as well when I was first getting started with PHP. Definitely recommend.

2-3 years...

See you in 2-3 years when your current idea/script that is currently outdated becomes completely outdated :thumbsup

Do you really think you're going to learn PHP over night and then solve immediate coding issues? clown...

I used to program in BASIC and became pretty much an expert in it. When I first saw the source code of a program written in BASIC it made zero sense to me. After a few months I could read it like a book and code it as easily.

I have down loaded some video and written tutorials for PHP and gave it a quick look and PHP makes sense to me already and it looks as if it will be easy to learn. I have also purchased Zend Studio and gave it a quick once over and it looks like it will be helpful in debugging etc.

I am going to jump right in and begin by modifying some PHP code for learning purposes. I fully expect to be reasonably proficient in three or four months.

I'll weigh in...

First, pick up this book: http://www.amazon.com/dp/143022925X It comes highly recommended from a lot of PHP devs that know what they're doing ;)

Second, become intimately familiar with http://www.php.net even the most seasoned of developers use it quite often. There's simply too many functions and mixed parameter orderings to remember it all :P

Third, implement, implement, implement. Never try and build your final product the first time around. Make a few different projects for yourself and build each one. Then go back and build each one again leveraging the knowledge you gained from the first round; you'll see how much has changed.

Fourth, find a good developer or two and ask them to review your code as a favor. Depending on the results of your review you may be able to jump right in or you may want to try building out one more mini project with your newfound knowledge and have that one reviewed as well.

Now you're ready to plan and architect your first project for production.

It's a process but that's the fastest way I know to become a proficient coder for just about any language ;)

ALSO:

There are many text editors out there and everyone feels theirs is the best :P

I personally use UltraEdit: http://www.ultraedit.com and my reasons for thinking it's the best out there extend beyond it's usability and into the fact they update all the fucking time. It's fantastic and VERY feature rich.

On OS X I use TextMate: http://macromates.com/ unfortunately the developer dropped the project quite a while ago but the community support is awesome and it's pretty feature complete, especially as far as os x apps go... It's preferred by a lot of developers but, as always, it's a personal preference thing.

You'll also want to setup a local dev environment. If you want to run the LAMP stack and have an extra box to install Linux on you could buy the book I wrote: http://www.amazon.com/Setting-Up-LAM...dp/0782143377/ Hahah but it's a little dated now. If you wanted to buy an extra box look at picking up an Asus eeebox. The base model with an extra gig of ram comes in at like $230, has super low power consumption, and runs like a top. I personally use three running Debian Linux and they're fantastic.

If you're just looking to mess around in Windows then I would HIGHLY recommend WAMP Server: http://www.wampserver.com/en/ It's a very handy little one stop shop app that installs all the services you need in a little bundle, updates easily, and has a little GUI to it.

That's all you need in the line of software and hardware. Hope that helps :D

Thanks for the input.

Well...while I have not begun writing a new script...I have learned enough to modify some script...that I have...to perform pretty much as I want it to. I own a few more scripts that need to be modified...so if I can accomplish the modifications I will not need to code any script. I am pleased with my progress.

Learning any language is easy as long as you know the basics i.e variables creating functions & classes and statements, rest of it is just finding the right functions of the said language that you need. http://www.php.net/manual/en/funcref.php For example if you want to do something with arrayslook up http://www.php.net/manual/en/book.array.php the function names are self explanatory, so as long as you know the basics, it's easy.

best info
http://www.php.net/manual/en/funcref.php

It's very forgiving and easy to hack at and take care of small things. It's also easy for someone who lacks experience to take on a project that's too complex and end up wasting countless hours writing a horrific clusterfuck.