Learning PHP

Anon

I am a intro programmer currently able with C++ and HTML. I was wondering where a good place to start learning PHP would be, any quick start books would be helpful. Also, which version is best to learn? Is it a difficult language compared to C? C++?

brandonschnell

php is simple compared to C/C++. its easy to create scripts with none of the hassles of C/C++. learn php version 4.0.x

crowezr

I good book that I found when I was first learning PHP was Core PHP Programming by Atkinson. I used it in the beginning and it is still very helpful as a reference tool now that I'm doing more advanced programming. Make sure you get the at least the second edition, which covers PHP 4+. Hope this helps.

polson

If you know C ... you'll find the manual especially useful.

http://www.php.net/manual/

PHP will seem fairly nice and intuitive. Maybe you'll find the "PHP Pocket Reference" useful too :

http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/phppr/

Anon

I'd buy "PHP Fast and Easy" by Julie Meloni. This book is great for a newbie, and it'll get you started. It's designed around examples, so you learn code as you write some useful programs.

"Professional PHP Programming" from Wrox is a good book as well. It introduces variety aspects of PHP. Plus it gives 4 case studies at the end. It teaches you how to build working shopping cart, mailing agent, database browser, and forum.

Other than that Manual is a great resource. Go to www.linuxguruz.org, www.devshed.com, www.phpbuilder.com, www.thickbook.com, www.zend.com(my favorite). These sites have a lot of resources like code samples, articles, and tutorials.

Hope that helps,