Tips for a Auto Classifieds website

pgabriel

Hello guys,

Nice forum. I`m kind a newbie around here and i need some help. I have to develop a Auto Classifieds website. From where should i start? Can you show me some tips, methods anything?

Thanks

Piranha

Do you know how to program in PHP? Do you know database programming?

If the answer is yes to both the questions then you should start to design the database, interface and everything in between on paper to get an idea how to do everything. After that you can start with small parts of the design and test often, debug all the time.

If you answer no to any of the questionsabove then do a few tutorials to learn the basics. After that you should start with something smaller to learn everything, what about a register for your books with title, author, publisher and maybe a category? You will learn how to design everything by doing this, and it will be worth the time.

pgabriel

I have some basic programming knowledge in PHP and MySQL but my problem is that i can't start to develop a script from the start to the ending. Everything i did (in more than 3 years), it was only modifing the scripts. Now i wish to learn everything, but i don't know from where to start, if you know what i mean. I have thousands of coding things in my head but i can't put them on a php file.

I will really appreciate if you could give me some start techniques. Thanks

Piranha

I don't know any technique to learn it. The way I have used (and still am using) is learning by doing, and look at lots of threads that others post. As said above, try something pretty easy first and work your way to learn. And design first. I am sure there are tutorials for that as well. search for UML.

etully

I suspect that to do any project (whether it's building a car or writing a classified ad web site), you probably have to follow some basic steps.

Describe the whole project in terms of components. That is, write down what the final product will look like and list every single section. If this were a car, the description might look like this: body, frame, engine, transmission, electrical system, brakes, wheels, interior cabin. Try to see the web site from the point of view of all the different people who will interact with it: (a) car buyers, (b) car sellers, (c) owners of the web site, (d) programmers of the web site. Describe what features each type of person will use.
Show this to people who are paying for the site. Make sure they like what they see. Tell them that if they want changes later, it's going to cost extra.
Set milestones. Name them. Phase 1 is reached when the engine works. Phase 2 is when the engine connects to the transmission and spins the wheels. Phase 3 is when the engine, transmission, and wheels are all connected to the frame of the car. etc.
Describe the data. Draft out what database tables will probably look like.
Try to figure out what the core of the project is. If this were a car, I'd start with the engine. You can test the engine without all the fancy add ons. Nothing runs without the engine. As you build the web site's engine, other features and requirements will occur to you. Be sure to add them to step 1 above.
Start writing the other components of the site. Make a tool so that people can add / edit / delete / view the data that is managed by the engine. This way, your client can see progress which makes them feel good. It also helps dredge out any other features that the client wants. Charge them for the extra features.
Test often.