Newbie-Senior Project

wkid87

I'm doing a senior project using several PHP application and I need some advice to make sure I'm heading in the right direction. I have done some PHP in the pass but not to this great of detail. The application will consist of a student login (using LDAP) and once they login they have an option to check attendance, sign up for a bus list, or sign up for a room list. The checking attendance app, I believe I will need to upload the students first up on a database and link the database to the application so that when a student login they only see their attendance and not any one else. For the bus list app, I will like them to sign up for a bus until the max number of people can sign up for the bus. For the room app, I will like for them to sign up for room up to 4 people. I will like for everyone to see who are in what room before they sign up for the room. At the end, I want someone that don't have a clue about programming to be able to admin the list and print it off.

My questions can this project be done? If so, how long will this take. Are there any good tutorials on the internet that will help me get started? If I program it, I will like it possible that someone that don't have any programming knowledge to admin it, is that possible?

NogDog

wkid87;10925830 wrote:
My questions can this project be done?

Yes.

If so, how long will this take.

That's pretty difficult to answer with any accuracy, other than to say it won't be done overnight. It all depends on your skills, aptitude, planning/organization skills, how much you make use of existing software, and the specific functional requirements you'll come up with.

Are there any good tutorials on the internet that will help me get started?

Probably. Unfortunately, there are probably at least as many bad tutorials out there, too. :rolleyes:

If I program it, I will like it possible that someone that don't have any programming knowledge to admin it, is that possible?

Yes. if you put enough work into the admin interface.

wkid87

NogDog;10925838 wrote:
how much you make use of existing software,

What do you mean about existing software? Such as?

I'm hoping to have this done by October. Also do you (or anyone) recommend any good books?

NogDog

wkid87;10925849 wrote:
NogDog;10925838 wrote:
What do you mean about existing software? Such as?

You might find a 3rd-party product (open-source/freeware or proprietary) that already does most of the things you need and which you just then need to customize for your special requirements*. Or you might find smaller scripts that you can plug into your own framework to handle certain parts of it. As to specific recommendations, I have none; I'm just pointing out that there is no need for you to reinvent the wheel for every part of your application if there is already code out there that you can use.

I'm hoping to have this done by October. Also do you (or anyone) recommend any good books?

I don't have any "begginer" PHP book recommendations, as I've never read any that I cared for (and by the time I'd looked at a couple, I was no longer in the market for an introductory book). You can search these forums for book recommendation threads, and of course searching Amazon.com and checking ratings and user reviews can point you toward some likely choices.

For example, take a look around at http://php.opensourcecms.com/.

ollie123

I'd recommend one book in particular: Head First PHP.
It helped me learn the basic syntax of PHP from scratch.
Anyway head over to here and see what you think.