Hi,

I’ve been getting a lot of emails lately that are kinda like this:

Stef, I want to learn how to create apps for iPhones, iPads and Android devices … can you teach me!

Well the good news is that I am looking into this now. The bad news is that I don’t have anything ready … yet. That said, I do have some useful information and strategies for people who want to jump on this bandwagon quickly and easily.

Listen up …

iOS is for iPhones and iPads

That means you need to learn objective C … if you want to have total control over the iOS device. More on that later.

Google’s Android – on phones and tablets.

That means you need to learn a subset of Java (basically stripped down Java) if you want to have total control of the devices.

About objective C and Java

I don’t know much about objective C (but I’ve heard things …) but I do know a lot about Java. In both cases, many junior level PHP programmers might have a hard time with these languages because they require a deeper understanding of OOP.

The solution: HTML 5 and CSS3

The great thing about mobile applications, is that we expect that most of the time, they will be connected to the Internet – we assume that the apps will interact online at some point if not all the time.

This opens up the possibility of moving some of the heavy lifting over to the server where PHP can take care of biz for you. This MAY minimize the need to have to go down to the core of the device, forcing you to use Java or Objective C … depending on the device of course.

In the meantime, you can use HTML 5’s nifty new ability for local storage (of files,) to handle the times when a smart-phone is NOT online. How often does that happen …?

Stefan Mischook
killerphp.com

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:

Hi Bob,

First, let me thank you for your kind words about the site … I love hearing from people.

To answer your question; if you simply need to password protect a directory/folder in your site, you can simple use CPANEL to create something called an .htaccess file. This will will protect ALL your content in that directory. The thing is though is that you will have to manually add users to this file (it is a text file) and you have to have a Linux based server… most are these days.

That said, with a little PHP file manipulating knowledge, you could use PHP to dynamically add users to the .htaccess file. Another option is to use something called PHP sessions to password protect pages:

http://www.killerphp.com/tutorials/beginners-php/

… it is found under:

More Basic PHP Continued

* Making decisions with PHP: conditional statements (14:35)
* PHP Loops (12:10)
* PHP Functions – part 1 (8:31)
* PHP Functions – part 2 (8:57)
* PHP Functions – part 3 (8:12)
* Creating Customs PHP Functions Part 1 (6:47)
* Creating Customs PHP Functions Part 2 (8:45)
* Creating Customs PHP Functions Part 3 (6:09)
* PHP Sessions Part 1 (4:55)
* PHP Sessions Part 2 (8:24)
* PHP Sessions Part 3 (7:08)

You can see the first of the sessions videos here:

http://www.killerphp.com/videos/php-sessions-part1.php

There are other methods like using a CMS like Drupal or a blog like Wordpress … they have built in ability to protect pages.

I hope that helps,

Stefan
www.killerphp.com

Here’s some helpful info on a basic PHP system, from our Killersites Community Forum!

Basic PHP System: View, Edit, Add, Delete records with MySQLi

This is a revised version of my previous tutorial (http://www.killersit…eteadd-records/) which uses MySQLi rather than regular MySQL to connect to the database. MySQLi, often called MySQL Improved, has several advantages over regular MySQL, including support for prepared statements (which helps prevent SQL injection, a common security issue) and object-oriented code. I’ve also provided a modified view.php file that shows one way to do basic pagination.

I have also recorded a 8 part video tutorial (a bit over an an hour worth of video) showing how to build this system and explaining it as I go. It’s available in the KillerSites University (http://www.killersites.com/university – subscription required) under PHP > PHP CRUD Videos.

—

(Anyone with PHP knowledge is welcome to comment on the code. If there are issues I haven’t noticed, please let me know. Do realize that it is intended for beginners, so I didn’t want to do anything too advanced that might lead to confusion. Yes, I realize I could use OOP, or could separate some of these out into methods, etc. etc.)

OK… Here’s some code for you to play with. It’s a basic system that allows you to:
– view existing records
– edit existing records
– delete existing records
– add new records

Online demo:

http://www.falkencre…mysqli/view.php

Basically, just imagine that you are in charge of a sports team, and you want to keep a list of all your player’s contact information. The code I’ve created could be a starting point for that (it only includes fields for their first name/last name, but could obviously could be expanded to use more fields).

This is just a basic starting point for projects that require view/edit/delete functionality. I know it may seem a lot to understand at first, but read all the comments in the code — I try to explain what I am doing step by step. I’m also happy to help with any questions (please post questions in a new topic.)

How to create a system that allows a user to add/edit/remove data in a database seems to be a commonly asked topic, so I may adapt this into an actual tutorial at some point in the future.

DATABASE:
– You’ll need to create a database (I named mine ‘records’ but it can be changed) using PHPMyAdmin
– Save the included sql file on your desktop as a .txt file
– Once you’ve created the database, make sure the database is selected, then click the “import” tab
– Select the .txt file on your desktop, and import it into your database. PHPMyAdmin will create all of the necessary tables/import some test data for you to play with

Written by: Ben

For the test data and the rest of the post, click here!

Thanks,

Jody
Killersites.com

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

Hi,

So you want to write PHP code but you are not sure what program to use? Well, there are many options out there for PHP nerds (which is good) but again, which one to use?

Many times, this comes down to personal taste and I don’t know all the options out there … so I will limit it to three:

http://netbeans.org/features/php/

From the Netbeans site:

The NetBeans project offers a version of the IDE tailor-made for developing PHP web sites that comprise a variety of scripting and mark-up languages. The PHP editor is dynamically integrated with HTML, JavaScript and CSS editing features.

Focus on the code and speed up code scanning by excluding individual directories in the Project properties. The NetBeans IDE fully supports iterative development, so testing PHP projects follows the classic patterns familiar to web developers.

http://www.eclipse.org/downloads/

http://www.adobe.com/products/dreamweaver/

I encourage you to try all three options and see what you prefer. Netbeans and Eclipse are more for programmers and have very powerful tool sets in that regard (that means they have all the bells & whistles) but for web designers getting into PHP, Dreamweaver maybe the choice.

… OK, Dreamweaver is not the best at PHP and I would probably not recommend it for hardcore PHP application development. But if you are building small to medium sized PHP applications, then it can more that handle the job with its’ basic code hinting, macros etc.

Stefan

Hi,

Learning to program can be a frustrating process for a lot of people; especially for designer types wanting to learn a little PHP. The following tips should help a lot of you along the way to becoming a PHP nerd. My PHP learning tips:

1. Be patient:

Patience is a virtue, especially when learning to program. Don’t be discouraged if something doesn’t sink in right away. It will come with time.

2. Learn to write code on faith:

… That means writing PHP code that you may not fully understand. The process of actually writing out the code, seems to help the brain take it in.

3. Learning PHP programming is a lot like learning a sport; you can pick up stuff by sitting on the sidelines and watching, but you don’t really know what you’re doing until you actually get into the game. In PHP, that means actually writing code and not just sitting listening or reading about it.

4. Take a breather:

If something is not sinking in right away, move on to something else and come back to it later … actually, give it 24 hrs to sink in. I find that the brain will work on problems over night and almost magically, things that you could not understand the day before, will become obvious.

5. Try variations in your code:

Play with different ways of doing things, try to add variation to your code. If for instance you are learning something as simple as a conditional statement .. like the ‘if’ statement, try some examples with mathematical equations and then maybe try something using a function that returns a true/false value.

6. Break your code:

One of the best ways to learn any programming language is to purposefully break code. Why? Basically it comes down to seeing what type of error messages you get for certain types of mistakes in your code. In time, you will see that particular errors will give you consistent error messages. Once you know these, debugging code will be a lot easier.

I’ve found that breaking things on purpose and in a controlled manner, can really help down the road when you run into real errors, because you will recognize the error messages.

… 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.

Perl’s Problems

The problem I had with Perl, was its’ practically unreadable code. The language is so flexible in terms of the syntax and structure of the code (for lack of better words) … it becomes esoteric. Trying to decipher old Perl scripts is almost always a nightmare – even for the programmer who wrote it!

Java is great for the enterprise … that means, if you plan to be working for very large companies. But it takes a lot longer to create anything in Java vs PHP. The Java community likes to think their code will be more secure and stable, thus justifying the increased time in development. This perception is simply not true … in fact, my experience has actually shown it to be the opposite.

You can find the SQL videos you were looking for here:

http://www.killerphp.com/mysql/

Stefan