writing php code-r u guys quick?

fxpepper

i've been writing a little bit of php -basic loops with arrays -for a few months now (altho not daily but every so often) and I noticed it takes me a while to figure these out still. Is that normal? i;m guessing it;s a little different for everyone but has anyone else had a similar experience and then it just clicked? or does it just get easier and easier...
I guess I am looking for a little assurance that this will get easier...

Tonsil

You'll get there, it just takes practice. As for how long it takes to come up to speed, it's different for different people - it depends on whether or not this is your first language, if you're isolated or have people you can ask stuff, and how much time and focus you can dedicate. I suggest that if you haven't already, start with a book. Online examples are great, but they can also be fragmented (scattered) and only take you so far. A book can be more comprehensive, with each example building off the last (if the book is well written).

Keep at it, and ask lots of questions. It will "click", and before you know it you'll be helping others!

NogDog

It gets easier the more you do, just like most skills. It also helps to use a decent code editor/IDE with things like auto-completion, smart indents, syntax checking, and so forth.

fxpepper

Tonsil;10979863 wrote:
You'll get there, it just takes practice. As for how long it takes to come up to speed, it's different for different people - it depends on whether or not this is your first language, if you're isolated or have people you can ask stuff, and how much time and focus you can dedicate. I suggest that if you haven't already, start with a book. Online examples are great, but they can also be fragmented (scattered) and only take you so far. A book can be more comprehensive, with each example building off the last (if the book is well written).

Keep at it, and ask lots of questions. It will "click", and before you know it you'll be helping others!

lol - that would be nice when the tables are turned : )

i just ordered some books too - so we'll see if that helps...

okay - thanks so much for the advice.

fxpepper

NogDog;10979864 wrote:
It gets easier the more you do, just like most skills. It also helps to use a decent code editor/IDE with things like auto-completion, smart indents, syntax checking, and so forth.

hi NogDog,
do you have code editor/IDE that you recommend? I tried installing eclipse but I couldn't get it working. I like this since i saw the it recognized wp commands...

thanks

rebecca

NogDog

My personal suggestions would be one of the following: Notepad++ if you want something light weight, or else either NetBeans or Komodo Edit for something more full-featured (yet still free). I'm using Komodo Edit, but I think NetBeans compares very favorably; for me it's mostly just an issue of what I know and am comfortable with now.

I tried some of the Eclipse-based IDE's in the past but they always seemed too sluggish to me. That might not be as much of an issue with the later versions (and more powerful PC's), but I'm happy with Komodo so I've not experimented lately.

Derokorian

Personally I use Komodo Edit as well, I like it very much. I also use bazaar for version control and WAMP for local testing environment. One thing I like very much about KE is the options to prefer tabs to spaces and control the size of the tabs within the editor (while still leaving them as tab characters to be recognized as such).

Notepad++ is nice but I feel its missing features that NetBeans and KE have, but then I also have limited experience with both NetBeans and Notepad++ as I tend to stick with what I know 😛

fxpepper

great - thanks guys for the feedback! I will check these out.