Re: LAMP starting point [message #183271 is a reply to message #183269] |
Fri, 18 October 2013 18:00 |
Jerry Stuckle
Messages: 2598 Registered: September 2010
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Senior Member |
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On 10/18/2013 12:20 PM, Denis McMahon wrote:
> On Fri, 18 Oct 2013 07:00:00 -0700, Rudra Banerjee wrote:
>
>> I am an enthusiast with zero background knowledge in database and php.
>> I have got some space in a server to setup a database (its not a paid
>> project).
>
>> I will use LAMP to setup the database (i.e. database of book's
>> catalogue. like a library) that can be freely used and updated by
>> anonymous users.
>
>> Given this goal, kindly suggest me some starting point. google is full
>> of resources, but most often then not, confusing and self contradicting
>> for a beginner.
>
> Define your data structures. Define your user interfaces. PHP is the glue
> that sits between the two. Designing data structures is an art form unto
> itself, you could look on the Stanford class to go website and see when
> their next database course is running.
>
> Free online php tutorials tend to be crap unfortunately, the best
> reference for php is the on-line manual.
>
> Do you have any experience in php, sql or html?
>
> Without at least a working knowledge of all 3, you're going to have
> problems, especially as most of the php you'll be writing will be
> shifting data between html forms and an sql database, or between the sql
> database and html documents.
>
> Having said that, if you're competent in another programming language,
> and understand basic programming constructs like loops, decision making
> etc, php isn't that hard to pick up the basics of. Making a secure php /
> mysql (or mariadb) application is however a different kettle of fish.
>
> Questions:
>
> Will you be using mysql or mariadb? Why?
> Will you be using html 4.01, xhtml 1.1, or 'html 5'? Why?
>
> If you can't answer the why, you don't know enough to make the decision
> yet!
>
> Will you be using Javascript and / or CSS? If yes, do you have any prior
> experience of these? Because if you don't, forget about using them until
> you have the basic website working.
>
> Oh, and this newsgroup is only relevant for the php parts of the
> discussion. If your php is functioning correctly, but you have told it to
> produce the wrong html or the wrong sql, there's a limit to our ability
> to spot that here.
>
> One final thing, as a lot of this sort of application involves using php
> to generate sql or html strings, you really really really really really
> need to have a very good understanding of string handling across all 3
> languages, especially the use of various quote characters, and how to
> generate a quoted string in one language from within another language.
>
> Jerry, what did I miss?
>
I think you covered it quite well, Denis.
What he wants to do is not hard for an experienced programmer, but is a
huge leap for someone new to PHP/MySQL/HTML.
The string handling is especially important for database security reasons.
Jerry
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Jerry Stuckle
JDS Computer Training Corp.
jstucklex(at)attglobal(dot)net
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