Trying to wrap my head around PHP
A few months ago, I was persuaded to host my blog on its own domain. Dreamhost is popular blog host and was recommended to me by a few people. I signed up, got the domain, and installed WordPress . I was up and running in less than a half an hour. Quite impressive. Once the blog was installed, I wanted to customize the look and add some plugins. I had to open up the pages and insert the code into the templates. This was my first exposure to PHP, and I was a little taken back.
As I have mentioned before, I do web development as my day job. I code in ColdFusion as the web application server, MS SQL as the database with IIS as the web server. When I code, all of my pages have the .cfm extension and that allows me to use the ColdFusion tags <cfoutput>, <cfquery>, <cfset>, etc.
I am having problems visualizing the PHP syntax and methodology. I can look at a page and tell you how it can be done in ColdFusion. It’s just the learning curve that I need to get over. The capability and power of PHP is evident. There is no disputing that. Now, I need to utilize it for my own needs.
Am I dumping ColdFusion? Not at all. I am just expanding my knowledge to be a well-rounded developer and to use these skills in creating and maintaining my sites. Always be learning.
Here are some of the sites I have been visiting for tutorials, scripts and advice:
- - php.net - The home of PHP
- - tizag.com - PHP Tutorial - Learn PHP
- - www.zend.com - PHP 101: PHP For the Absolute Beginner
- - thesitewizard.com - PHP Tutorials: PHP Programming, PHP Installation and Configuration
- - phpbuilder.com - PHP Builder
- - sourceforge.net - treasure trove of scripts
Most of the tweaking I do with my WordPress themes is done by trial and error. A lot of work, but…it works for me.
Hi Colleen,
I’ve been editing the code on one computer and refreshing the browser in another. I wish WordPress had a roll back feature in case you make an edit and forget what you altered. I have been getting around this by pasting the original into Notepad.
I usually just change the files offline instead of using the interface in wp. This lets me easily makes copies of a file frequently while working in a local directory.
I think coding in general is a little bit of both, trial and error and a good understanding of php and other scripts.
I’ve seen a few tools that will let you edit online files.
DON’T
Always work offline and test online. That way you have all the code on your PC and you only have to back up the database. The scripts and the db will then get backed up from your PC or Server so you have it all covered.
No need for two computers. Ctrl+F5 will give you a total refresh - but it is good to have both firefox and IE open at the same time.
Hi Colleen,
I’ve been editing the code on one computer and refreshing the browser in another.