Hi,

I recently got an email asking how to create password protected pages .. in an easy fast way for a beginner to PHP. From the email:

I was wondering if there is some premade script and setup for database I can utilize to get this up faster and still proceed to educate myself.

As any experience PHP nerd knows, there are several approaches one could take. But since this guy is new to PHP and programming, I decided on something simple:

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Hi,

Some of you may know that I am an old Java programmer … big into POJO’s and I loved servlet filters. Those days are long gone now (for a whole host of reasons) but I still clearly remember how hard it was for me to learn Java. It could have been much easier though!

Learning OOP Java easily through PHP

If you already know OOP from another language, then by all means, jump right into Java … you should have know problems. If on the other hand you are like I was, where you don’t understand OOP yet or you haven’t even programmed before, do yourself a big favor and learn the principles of OOP (object oriented programming) with a much easier to understand language like PHP.

… Yes, PHP doesn’t look a lot like Java but the OOP constructs and principles are the same. Except with PHP, it is much less complicated. I won’t get into the specifics why, but let’s just say Java makes you do a lot more work to get the same things done as compared to PHP.

When Learning to fight, better to start with an easier opponent.

Besides getting my nose broken 3 times, boxing taught me that when you are first learning to fight, it’s a good idea to not get into the ring with Mike Tyson. Otherwise you will probably get knocked out and you might even get your ears bitten off.

The same is true for learning object oriented programming; better to learn this style of programming with an easier to understand (and use) language like PHP, instead of Java – the Mike Tyson of languages.

Where to learn OOP programming?

So if you think what I say makes sense, then head over to my very popular, super easy to understand FREE lessons on PHP and OOP.

… I’m sure many Java wannabe’s will find the lessons useful.

See you on Live!

Stefan Mischook
www.killerphp.com

I got an interesting email question today:

As ever I am always planning ahead. Since I am now half way through your Complete Web Designer course I am looking to complete the Complete Web Programmer next.

But I have noticed the Complete PHP Programmer also. Looking at the modules these seem quite alike. Has one replaced the other? Which one is better suited to the beginner (me) and why?

Hi Mick,

The Complete PHP Programmer has the same content as the Complete Web Programmer minus the Javascript and JQuery material.

We added that course because some people only want to learn PHP. I recommend the Complete Web Programmer if you want to become a web programmer though, since Javascript is so central these days to dynamic websites.

Mick continues …

Im still thinking of purchasing your HTML5/CSS3 DVD first and getting the best grasp of HTML/CSS before branching out, but I like to plan ahead also. I aim to get through all of your courses that are relevant to myself at one point and as such trying to work out a rough order.

The order of learning things, is ultimately a personal thing. That said, I generally believe that learning the basics of the big four is first priority:

1. HTML
2. CSS
3. PHP
4. Javascript

… I would then move on to HTML 5 and CSS 3 simply because they are still niche technologies … growing, but still niche.

Stefan Mischook
killerphp.com

Any programmer with more than 3.2 days of experience knows that programming has a lot more to do with testing than coding.

Most errors in software are human related – typos, failed attempts at logical-construct construction etc …. This knowledge make two things clear:

1. Using proven frameworks or libraries (like Zend, CodeIgniter, PHPCake etc) will save you a lot of time and you will end up with more robust applications since the framework’s codebase will be cleaner than a from scratch solution you create.

2. Testing should be significant part of the regime – test and retest, I like to say. I would even suggest a testing protocol be put in place (unit testing on the object level can make sense) where with each update to the codebase, a series of related test of the application is initiated.

How Simple Errors Can Cause Big Problems

We’ve recently been updating the shopping cart system on killervideostore.com and I found errors creeping into the application that prevented some buyers from actually buying product … this is a problem for a store!

The funny thing is, that the problem was a simple UI bug (simple CSS fix for IE) that pushed buttons out of view and so the buying process was made impossible. A simple retest of the UI on all the major browser before publishing would have been a good idea IMHO.

… That’s the funny thing about bugs, they show up where YOU DON’T EXPECT THEM.

Stefan

Hi,

It has been a while since I’ve written an article on killerPHP … and so it’s time for another one of my inflammatory articles!

Before I begin, I should point out that I’ve written articles so vexing to other geeks out there, that it caused them to quit other sites and flame wars so brutal developed, that threads had to be closed and apologies issued.

Fortunately, this little article on Perl’s place in the modern Web will only mildly annoy a few old-school Perl nerds. Yes, click on the link just above to read it … I don’t want to post it twice.

Thanks,

Stefan Mischook.
killerphp.com

Once and a while, I get a question from a student about PHP and programming that I use in a blog post … here we go again:

… you mentioned that you used to use mostly Java but have switched to mostly PHP. Would you recommend learning PHP as a primary method of creating dynamic web pages or is its strength in data base manipulation. I was learning Perl form processing which led me to your site when I was having trouble with mySQL, and I noticed PHP is very similar (at least in the basics) as Perl. Do you have much experience in using Perl to help create web pages and would you recommend using it at all?

About PHP vs. PERL vs. Java:

PHP is the way to go. Perl is a good language but it was not designed initially for web development – that functionality was added later.

Whereas PHP (which borrows from Perl btw) was designed specifically for web development, and so Perl is just clunkier compared to PHP when it comes to creating dynamic web sites.

I’ve used Perl in the past, mostly creating simple string parsing scripts and other little things. But I would NOT call myself an Perl programmer – so take that into consideration.

That said, I’ve always liked a common strategy used in Perl, where they generate static pages from dynamic code. For example, in our web designers directory, I used a Perl based directory script that uses that strategy.

… What’s interesting is that it generates the directory pages as static HTML pages. The advantage of this is that the directory itself is more portable and much less resource intensive because for the most part, the directory is just of pages that people just read … no need for them to be dynamically generated every time a user request it.

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In my last post I wrote about how Ruby’s early problems around 2006-2007:

- incomplete libraries
- difficult web server integration

.. had played a role slowing its adoption. The main thrust of the piece was to point out that despite the explosion of interest, Ruby and Rails had failed to make much of a dent relative to PHP in terms of usage. In fact, PHP is still far and away a much more popular language.

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I recently had this question put to me by a web designer who was considering the idea of using PHP pages in her websites:

“Why build all your pages in PHP … Why not use standard .html pages?”

She then expanded the question to:

“What I mean is…… what’s the benefit to building ALL sites in PHP?”

Note to uber-nerds: remember that this question is being put to me by a web designer who has never written software. As such the answer is tailored those who are new to programming.

I might tackle this question from another perspective if the question was put to me by an experienced developer.

PS: If you find my answer offensive to your nerd-sensibilities, you might want to read this.

The Answer:

By making all your web pages PHP pages from the start, you are basically leaving open the possibility of using PHP in your web pages at any time.

… You don’t want to (at some later date) have to go back and change your .html pages to .php. For example:

Beginners should note, that you need to have .php extension on any web pages where you want to use PHP. Check out my basic PHP videos for details.

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PHP can do a lot more than just talk to MySQL. One very common use of PHP is to create ‘includes’ … this will allow you to insert snippets of code in your pages from separate files. This is kinda like using external CSS files. So you can use PHP includes to say create your page footers.

You can learn more about PHP includes in my free videos.

In the end, by making all your pages php pages from the start, you will just have a more flexible website to work with since you will be able to access PHP’s power.

Stefan Mischook

www.killersites.com