hi
i want to setup a website that can support dynamic web content, i heard that php can be used to create such sites, but i have no experience of html and php, can anybondy tell me from where i should begin?
You should start with figuring just what it is you're trying to do. "Support dynamic web content" means nothing.
>>2
well thats correct, i dont really have a perfect idea how it should be, but i want it should be able to ask visitor some input and give him some result on the basis of its query, and also it should be able to support some basic forum.
>>5-6
Actually, you don't want to begin with CGI unless you have a good reason to. To learn web technologies, play around, and to get actual results and simple things done fast, PHP is the best choice.
Learn XHTML and focus only on it until you understand how to make forms. No need to learn about CSS yet. A good place to learn is http://www.htmldog.com/
Then do the same with PHP. Sorry, I don't have a good book or website recommendation. Just make sure you get something good, reading bad tutorials can cause irreparable brain damage.
I recommend you get a good text editor with syntax highlighting right from the start. It allows you to spot mistakes easily, and frees you from having to memorize tons of details. Something like E Text Editor or Textmate.
Once you have some experience, you should also get Firefox extensions for developer - like Firebug or the Web Developer Toolbar. Just playing around with them will teach you a lot.
You will also want to learn CSS and JS eventually. Just apply the same learning process: get the best site or book, the best tools, and just play around until you get it.
PHP can sometimes be something you graduate from, but even if you intend to do serious web apps, you should consider learning PHP as a stepping stone.
Yeah, no, don't listen to >>7. PHP generally gives you just enough rope to hang yourself with. It's superficially easy for beginners, but it's also full of really bad design choices that make beginners create really bad and dangerous mistakes.
>>8
You can make all the dangerous mistakes in any environment. It's easier to make them in PHP, but you have to learn about them whatever you choose. If you don't learn about good practices, using something like Rails won't do shit for you if you don't understand you are supposed to sanitize user input, for example.
Remember that >>1 doesn't know HTML yet: with something better, he would have to learn pretty much everything at the same time.
>>9
Even so, PHP is a fundamentally insecure language. He should learn Perl, which is both widely used and based on sound principles. Actually I don't really care, I'm just highly amused by these long posts all dedicated to a guy who will probably never finish his website anyway.
>>11
calm down there xXL
> It's easier to make them in PHP, but you have to learn about them whatever you choose.
I prefer to avoid these PHP flamewars, but I'd like to point out that languages and APIs are one sort of user-interface. They should be designed to make doing the right things easy, and the wrong things a lot more difficult. Neophytes and experts alike benefit.
Arguing for developer discipline is silly. It doesn't matter how good you are, you'll make mistakes. Taking steps to ensure those mistakes are less likely will save you and others a whole lot of grief.
>>13
For once a good piece of advice from Tripcode Guy. Anonymous agrees.
>>1
Hire me to do it?