Book/Course Recommendations?

lalato

I would like to learn PHP. There seem to be quite a few books out on the topic. Can anyone recommend a good one.

Also... can you recommend any good online/offline courses?

Thanks,
--sam

hadoob024

I picked up a book titled "PHP and MySQL Web Development" by Luke Welling and Laura Thomson. I found this to be one of the better books because they use real examples that seem to be more practical than some of the other books that I've seen. They cover most of the typical stuff that you would be doing with PHP so it's easy to adapt their code for your use. Good luck...

thorpe

there is a good free book available online. practical php. i believe its written by one of the regulars here on this board.

lalato

Thank you both for the tips on the book. Do any of you recommend any online courses at all? Or should the books noted be enough to give me a handle on working with PHP. I'm fairly new at this. I only have limited experience with HTML and SQL... and the smallest smidgen of VB.

--sam

hadoob024

Basically, if you have ANY programming experience, then picking up PHP is no problem. I've worked with all kinds of different languages, including VBScript with ASP, and PHP BLOWS it away! I've heard ASP.net is pretty good, but haven't worked with it. I did ASP and now I couldn't see myself using anything other than PHP.

I haven't tried any online courses, but I'd recommend going to a bookstore and sitting down with the book that I recommended and see if it can help you out. What kind of project are you working on?

lalato

Well... the extent of my programming knowledge is a little bit of VB Script in Access/Excel and some SQL. I would definitely categorize myself as a newbie on this front.

As for the project... While planning my wedding and honeymoon, I've run across several honeymoon registry websites. None of them appeal to me and I honestly think that I could do a better job. For now, I'm using one for my honeymoon, but the design isn't to my liking... and it's pretty much one size fits all.

I basically want to build a better site, not only for myself, but for anyone else that might be interested in it. I've been wanting to learn PHP for a while, but I didn't have a definite project to motivate me until now.

--sam

drew010

I wouldnt really recommend learning php from any online courses. Most that I have seen are extrememly expensive, and you can really learn all the stuff they teach you on your own. A lot of learning programming is trial and error and just writing simple code to begin with and expanding your knowledge by going for a slightly bigger project each time.
A good book and this message board is all you really need in my opinion.

hadoob024

yeah. that's some good advice. that's what i've been doing. i started with the book, and then looked to everyone on this site to help fill in the gaps in terms of security and noobie mistakes and such. the people on this forum REALLY know what they're talking about and are an indispensable aid.

the book that i suggested is really good (from the different books that i've looked at). it starts off assuming you don't have that much prior programming experience, teaches you the basics and what you really need to look out for, and then really gets into what i think you're looking for.

lalato

Thanks for the advice. I'll get the recommend books and read the recommended site.

--sam