Can PHP do this?

spanky340

I would like to set an online job cost estimator where users can select the services they require and it return an estimated job cost.

Something similar to this site here

Any help or suggestions would be appreciated.

Cheers.

shorty114

Math...

<?php

if (isset($option1)) {

$total = $total + 100;

} else {

if...

and so on

drawmack

A little note for everyone and something I drill into the heads of my regular clients.

PHP IS A FULL FLEDGED PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE

If your question starts with the word can the answer is yes. The question you're intending to ask probably starts with the word how.

laserlight

If your question starts with the word can the answer is yes.

Can I use PHP to write a script/program that determines if an arbitrary program will halt?

fean0r

pwned 🙂

Roger_Ramjet

Originally posted by laserlight
Can I use PHP to write a script/program that determines if an arbitrary program will halt?

If you can sovle the abstract methematical problems behind such a script then php can do it. If you can't solve those abtract problems implicit in the task then NO programming language can do it.

And yes! I did get the irony.😃

drawmack

Originally posted by laserlight
Can I use PHP to write a script/program that determines if an arbitrary program will halt?

As roger said, yes it can be done. There are c++ programs that do this, therefor some research and funky arithmatic manipulation of data and you'll have your program, however I won't say how good it will work since I've been able to stump everyone I've played with in less the an hour.

laserlight

yes it can be done

hmm... since writing a script that determines if an arbitrary program would halt is equivalent to solving Turing's halting problem....

There are c++ programs that do this

For scripts/programs that implement specific classes of algorithms perhaps, but not for arbitrary algorithms.

drawmack

Originally posted by laserlight
hmm... since writing a script that determines if an arbitrary program would halt is equivalent to solving Turing's halting problem....

For scripts/programs that implement specific classes of algorithms perhaps, but not for arbitrary algorithms.

They were based on Chaitin's halting probability.

Davy

The what what doing the who on the alger...algoriythmsm?

The possibility with arbitrary thingee me bobs??

The what theory? Relativity? SPAMMMMM with a hint of confuzzled whooodemee whaaaaaat?!!

AYY!!?

spanky340

Originally posted by drawmack
A little note for everyone and something I drill into the heads of my regular clients.

PHP IS A FULL FLEDGED PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE

If your question starts with the word can the answer is yes. The question you're intending to ask probably starts with the word how.

OK, do you think (unbiasedly) php would be the best solution to this sort of problem? If so, is it a common solution? If not, what is the best solution?

Ta.

Davy

You want to know about mathematics in PHP??

Can you breathe? Course you can breathe...but can you Riverdance? Probably not but my point is what you want to do is a bit like breathing to PHP.

So simple.

Learn a little PHP. It seems (according to my memory) that all you would need is maybe a simple form to a page that has a few variables and a few math algorithms.

spanky340

Originally posted by Davy
You want to know about mathematics in PHP??

Can you breathe? Course you can breathe...but can you Riverdance? Probably not but my point is what you want to do is a bit like breathing to PHP.

So simple.

Learn a little PHP. It seems (according to my memory) that all you would need is maybe a simple form to a page that has a few variables and a few math algorithms.

Excellent, thanks Davy. Before I learnt another language I wanted to be sure I was learning the right one. Your reply and drawmack's reply above are quite clear that PHP will be the one.

Thanks again.

Davy

What other language/s do you know?

spanky340

Originally posted by Davy
What other language/s do you know?

Oh, not many. I fumbled my way through a B.Information Technology degree by learning what I had to. C, Java, stuff like that.

Make no mistake - I'm a pretty poor programmer. But I know enough to get by.

Cheers.

Davy

Great! You have obviously gotten past that first step in learning programming.

It is always the hardest in my opinion. People just have difficulty getting to grips with how the hell the languages work - grammar and the syntax-ology!

If you know basic Java and C (more then me!!) then pickin up PHP enough to do what you describe above will take no more then a week TOPS.

The majority of us can type the proram up for you in 10 minutes but we would rather see you learn and do yourself 🙂

Much more rewarding!