On 2/10/06, /dev/null <devnull@xxxxxxxxx> wrote: > > hello > > i have been trying to learn php. > > what is the best approach to learning php for someone who has no > programming experience? > > i am very familiar with html, xhtml, and css. i'm not an idiot when it > comes to using computers. > i have bought several books and have subscribed to a couple of the php > mailing lists, but i feel that i could be doing more to learn php. > > what approach (and steps) did you take in learning this really cool > scripting language? should i look into taking classes or stick with an > autodidact approach? > > any advice and/or opinions would be greatly appreciated. > > thanks. > > -- > PHP General Mailing List (http://www.php.net/) > To unsubscribe, visit: http://www.php.net/unsub.php > > I think I won't be the only one that says the best way to learn is by some experience. A simple but effective way is to choose something that interests you, create a small database and then a PHP interface to fill it up and display information out. If you can't think of an interest, ask your friends and family for something they want to keep records of. Load the free (as in beer) software you need on your computer (LAMP or WAMP?) and start making examples. If you can't seem to get motivated on your own, involving someone else who really wants to see results is probably the best motivation. Keep in mind the goal of learning PHP and not making the best display, user interface, database tables, security (at first), etc. Getting some results will probably help motivate you further. Don't wait to finish the books before you start. You won't remember it all anyway, so just skim the books and use as references. good luck, -- http://kimbriggs.com
