Programming N3wb here loooking for advice & resources.

CountDeMonet · Sep 16, 2011

I know some CSS, some HTML and XML, but they all go in the basket of eggs (so to say) Not too different from each other.

I have been modifyinig my Wordpress sites with my pathetic skills for some time now, and I feel it just isn't enough at my fingertips.

I need some more resources to learn new programming languages.

I really want to just be able to design a site effortlessly. Then start writing my own scripts for my sites eventually. (for "custom" tracking and suck)

What programming/design language should I begin with and where can I find the best resources?

Much Thanks,
The Count

plumbum416 · Sep 16, 2011

I think if you are interessted in adding functionality to your websites you should start with PHP. That will give you some knowledge nd understanding of whar programming really is (as HTML, CSS and XHTML are not really programming but more designing a website I would say)
You can gather some knowledge with PHP, write custom loginscripts or things like that and if you have some knowledge and experience have a look into MySQL as this is the webstandart when it comes to databases.
Ressources are nearly uncountable if you look on the internet you can first find generell tutorials giving you basic knowledge of what I recommended you, and afterwards find special solutions for different problems or requirements you might have

CountDeMonet · Sep 16, 2011

Thanks.
What kind of options could those two languages open up for my site?

xenon2010 · Sep 16, 2011

use PHP to develop websites.
use HTML + CSS to design them.
use Javascript to make them user friendly.

for now just learn how to use PHP. its very easy language. start with developing simple website. learn how to use and handle $_GET, $_POST and $_SESSION variables. those will teach you a lot. that's how I started to learn PHP and you need some patience. its just a matter of time.

then learn Mysql and learn how you can connect mysql database with PHP to develop advanced websites. you already have some background of editing some scripts right? so I guess you will get in the flow fast..

now rep me up

DangerousDEN · Sep 16, 2011

Your goal is not "to learn programming languages", but to "build quality sites efficiently".

The best practice - is just DO IT, while doing you gonna learn a lot, reading - passive BSHT.

choose CMS(wordpress, joomla, drupal), use firebug plug in for firefox, youtube tutorials, some PHP basics. you gonna see that everytime you gonna need to do smng new and you gonna learn smng new

CountDeMonet · Sep 16, 2011

xenon2010 said:
use PHP to develop websites.
use HTML + CSS to design them.
use Javascript to make them user friendly.

for now just learn how to use PHP. its very easy language. start with developing simple website. learn how to use and handle $_GET, $_POST and $_SESSION variables. those will teach you a lot. that's how I started to learn PHP and you need some patience. its just a matter of time.

then learn Mysql and learn how you can connect mysql database with PHP to develop advanced websites. you already have some background of editing some scripts right? so I guess you will get in the flow fast..

now rep me up

I'm starting to learn Java script because when I go to W3 school to start on PHP it says I should have a basic knowledge of java script before i start learning PHP.

CountDeMonet · Sep 16, 2011

DangerousDEN said:
Your goal is not "to learn programming languages", but to "build quality sites efficiently".

The best practice - is just DO IT, while doing you gonna learn a lot, reading - passive BSHT.

choose CMS(wordpress, joomla, drupal), use firebug plug in for firefox, youtube tutorials, some PHP basics. you gonna see that everytime you gonna need to do smng new and you gonna learn smng new

No - my goal is to learn programming languages for other purposes than making a quality site. I can develop a quality site with wordpress alone.

I already have firebug and it's very helpful. I reverse engineer alot of stuff(at least the stuff written in the code i know)

licorne101 · Sep 16, 2011

plumbum416 said:
I think if you are interessted in adding functionality to your websites you should start with PHP. That will give you some knowledge nd understanding of whar programming really is (as HTML, CSS and XHTML are not really programming but more designing a website I would say)
You can gather some knowledge with PHP, write custom loginscripts or things like that and if you have some knowledge and experience have a look into MySQL as this is the webstandart when it comes to databases.
Ressources are nearly uncountable if you look on the internet you can first find generell tutorials giving you basic knowledge of what I recommended you, and afterwards find special solutions for different problems or requirements you might have

Start with java because it is stricter and forces you to do things properly. Once you have learn the basics, it is easy to pick up new languages. Also, start with creating simple crud systems. A simple cms.

xpwizard · Sep 16, 2011

If your looking at starting with Javascript, go to the site below... It's more of a hands on approach which I think you might find easier.

Code:

http://www.codecademy.com/

xenon2010 · Sep 17, 2011

CountDeMonet said:
I'm starting to learn Java script because when I go to W3 school to start on PHP it says I should have a basic knowledge of java script before i start learning PHP.

Nah you don't need that...
if you learn PHP, Javascript will be easier to learn.. and when you develop a webapplication with PHP you will automatically start looking for javascript codes to i.e. validate forms, some visual effects, etc... and when you do that you won't relies that you are actually learning 2 languages at same time..
believe me that's what happened to me back when I started learning PHP...

CountDeMonet · Sep 17, 2011

xenon2010 said:
Nah you don't need that...
if you learn PHP, Javascript will be easier to learn.. and when you develop a webapplication with PHP you will automatically start looking for javascript codes to i.e. validate forms, some visual effects, etc... and when you do that you won't relies that you are actually learning 2 languages at same time..
believe me that's what happened to me back when I started learning PHP...

Hmmm... Well I'm flying through these Java script lessons already. I'll take your word for it. I might just finish some more of this Java script lesson. It's kinda fun and I'm realizing it's usefulness and versatility.

Thanks again.
The Count.

xenon2010 · Sep 17, 2011

CountDeMonet said:
Hmmm... Well I'm flying through these Java script lessons already. I'll take your word for it. I might just finish some more of this Java script lesson. It's kinda fun and I'm realizing it's usefulness and versatility.

Thanks again.
The Count.

well you just learn the basic stuff in javascript. because once you know about jQuery library you will never use the old school javascript again...
right now you are like a baby you just started to crawl.. few more months and you will be walking... some more and you will be running.. so it means everything will come a step by step.. and yep programming is fun as long as you have the creativity.. otherwise you will hate it and will never understand how to develop rich apps...
anyway, good luck with your journey.. if you need any help in here just post you questions and we will try to help you out... if you don't get an answer in here.. just go to stackoverflow... they will give you best free support you will ever see..

licorne101 · Sep 18, 2011

Start with PHP first or JAVA (It has strict standards and syntax so you can code properly). Javascript is less strict and it is not a programming language but a scripting language for web browsers. If you know programming, you can easily pick up new languages.

That said, considering the amount of open sources and frameworks available nowadays, no one would build from scratch. Pick a good framework suitable for your project and make use of it.

scriptomania · Sep 19, 2011

Hey OP,

the following is all IMHO but do not start with PHP, it will teach you some very bad programming habits. Javascript, well is very useful of course but only because it is in wide use right now, not because of its functionality or syntax structure or anything else really.

I'd advise you to look into Python and some Python webdev frameworks like Django. It is a lot more powerful than PHP or Javascript, faster to use and faster to develop in. There might be an initial hurdle in understanding Python, but generally speaking Python is a very clean, easy to learn, well structured language. Django is a webdev framework that uses Python, allowing for rapid webapp development, clean, structured code, a lot of control and features plus a lot more.

Here are some resources for you:
-https://www.djangoproject.com/

That being said, it all depends on what you are planning to do here. If you'd like to work with wordpress (develop plugins and so on) then of course PHP is a must. If you are looking to generally expand and broaden your skillset, then I'd suggest you start out with Python.

Basically, research your options and see whats best for you.

Hope this helps,

Cheers

``Yousef · Sep 19, 2011

xenon2010 said:
well you just learn the basic stuff in javascript. because once you know about jQuery library you will never use the old school javascript again...
right now you are like a baby you just started to crawl.. few more months and you will be walking... some more and you will be running.. so it means everything will come a step by step.. and yep programming is fun as long as you have the creativity.. otherwise you will hate it and will never understand how to develop rich apps...
anyway, good luck with your journey.. if you need any help in here just post you questions and we will try to help you out... if you don't get an answer in here.. just go to stackoverflow... they will give you best free support you will ever see..

Yeah, you definitely want to look into using jQuery if you're going to be working with Javascript as it really boosts efficiency when writing code, as well as having an array of brilliant plug-ins. In my personal experience, I don't see why you would learn Javascript before PHP or vice versa as W3Schools suggests (for advice on why one shouldn't really use W3Schools, except for small references - W3Fools), while some of the basic syntax structure is similar I guess, it's not so similar that Javascript should be considered a base for PHP.

(I'm proficient in PHP, and have a bit of experience with Javascript - I use Javascript on a more as and when needed basis).

Also, you should post any coding questions (e.g. errors, questions about particular snippets etc) on StackOverflow. For programming, there's no better community - you'll generally get an answer to any Javascript, HTML, CSS or PHP question in like less than 10 minutes.

Goodluck!

xenon2010 · Sep 20, 2011

``Yousef said:
Yeah, you definitely want to look into using jQuery if you're going to be working with Javascript as it really boosts efficiency when writing code, as well as having an array of brilliant plug-ins. In my personal experience, I don't see why you would learn Javascript before PHP or vice versa as W3Schools suggests (for advice on why one shouldn't really use W3Schools, except for small references - W3Fools), while some of the basic syntax structure is similar I guess, it's not so similar that Javascript should be considered a base for PHP.

(I'm proficient in PHP, and have a bit of experience with Javascript - I use Javascript on a more as and when needed basis).

Also, you should post any coding questions (e.g. errors, questions about particular snippets etc) on StackOverflow. For programming, there's no better community - you'll generally get an answer to any Javascript, HTML, CSS or PHP question in like less than 10 minutes.

Goodluck!

I agree with that... but IMHO he should use PHP first because it will be more important than Javascript.. javascript is like a secondary language you learn it just to enhance user expirence. you cannot rely on javascript to develop websites... since javascript is a client scripting language and everything should be done from the server. besides he will never learn how to deal with databases if he uses javascript. so IMO he should learn PHP first. the rest of the "secondary" stuff will be learned later..

akiaki · Sep 20, 2011

CountDeMonet said:
Thanks.
What kind of options could those two languages open up for my site?

Most of the advice here is reasonably solid. But to answer this question, WP is a PHP application, so if you learn PHP, you'll be able to add modules, tweak features and do whatever you need with your current system.

If your goal was to be able to hack on your WP site, then JavaScript is also indispensable. However, JavaScript is a terrible language to learn first. It will teach you bad habits and confuse you when you try to learn other languages next.

PHP is only marginally better - it is a hacker's language in some ways - it also allows (some would say encourages) bad habits, etc. That's why, if you really want to become a programmer for the sake of programming anything you want in the future, people here are right - you should probably start with Java (nothing to do with JavaScript!).

IMO, you should pick up a real live book, cuz it will do a better job at walking you through some basic concepts that you really should understand as you get into the world of programming -- it's perhaps faster to go through some quick online tutorials, but if you wanna come out the other end with a solid foundation, you need to understand the concepts under the hood and not just the language keywords.

Stick with it and have fun!

shadowedsniper · Sep 20, 2011

IMO, PHP is the only language you'll ever need to know on the internet (other than HTML, obviously). All other things you'd ever want to create with javascript/jQuery are widely available as open source downloads.

I don't know why anyone would ever recommend Java as a first language... You guys are crazy. It has very few legitimate uses on the internet.

For designing WP sites, learn everything you can about CSS.

For modifying WP sites, learn everything you can about PHP.

But when I think of these languages, I don't think of programming languages...
To me, programming languages relate to *application* development, not web development.

akiaki · Sep 21, 2011

shadowedsniper said:
IMO, PHP is the only language you'll ever need to know on the internet (other than HTML, obviously). All other things you'd ever want to create with javascript/jQuery are widely available as open source downloads.

I don't know why anyone would ever recommend Java as a first language... You guys are crazy. It has very few legitimate uses on the internet.

Because the OP said "No - my goal is to learn programming languages for other purposes than making a quality site. I can develop a quality site with wordpress alone." That's pretty vague and I guess you could be right, but I guess the rest of us interpreted that as a more broad goal. In any case, if the OP has that kind of inclination, it can't hurt to learn something else - it will only provide a much better foundation than PHP will. If all you ever learn is PHP, you'll not be much more than a hack IMHO. But in many cases, that's all you need.

shadowedsniper said:
But when I think of these languages, I don't think of programming languages...
To me, programming languages relate to *application* development, not web development.

No argument there...

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