new to php and need a straight answer to really basic ?s

[caaach]

I can't seem to find what I am looking for. Maybe I am just not asking the right question. When you register at a website, it will often take you to a page that is like YOUR homepage for that site. In other words you login and it will take you to that page. Depending of the site, you will be able to modify that little corner of yours.
Here is what I want to know.

What is that area called? I have always called it a user profile page but that isn't working in trying to learn how to dynamically create one.

Also what is used to create it? I am using PHP and MySql for a members database. I know very little about either but I have worked extemsivly with vb and SQL server.
Is php like vb in that it will dynamically create forms or does it all have to be hard coded. I cant imagne that would be the case or people just would not use it.Maybe I just need a good strong beginners tutorial on PHP if you know where one is.(not the "this is a mouse, this is a keyboard" kind I know how to program a database. Just not with PHP.

and one more thing does MySQL seem extreamly limited or is it just my lack of knowledge that makes it seem so.

Sorry for all the beginner questions but I have to start somewhere. And I am not willing to pay someone when I can code the darn thing myself

Caaach

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[jpadie]

mysql is far from basic. imo it's a top table rdbms.

php usually is used for serving html. there are classes that will create html forms for you but most people design forms to look how they want and use php to display that design with whatever form data they want.

a member profile page is just an html template whose data is retrieved based on a database query and then the resultant html served to the browser.

mysql is most often the rdbms of choice for php and other web coders but you can equally use just about any other db from within php.

I am not willing to pay someone when I can code the darn thing myself

given your questions I would not be confident that this would be the case anytime soon. If your project is time sensitive then consider a coding bidding site such as vWorker or officecavalry etc

 

[vacunita]

can't seem to find what I am looking for. Maybe I am just not asking the right question. When you register at a website, it will often take you to a page that is like YOUR homepage for that site. In other words you login and it will take you to that page. Depending of the site, you will be able to modify that little corner of yours.
Here is what I want to know.

What is that area called? I have always called it a user profile page but that isn't working in trying to learn how to dynamically create one.

By your description, I guess you could call it a Member Profile page within the specific website. There is however no universal method to build one. Which is probably why you can;t find any guides.

It basically comes down to what exactly you want your users to personalize, and how you want to display it.

Each Profile page has different requirements, and as such is built differently by the owners.



Its not different than any other Database driver page except it is personalized to the specific user that logs in.

Basically what you build is a template for the the look, and then have your DB and server side language populate it as you require.

Also what is used to create it? I am using PHP and MySql for a members database. I know very little about either but I have worked extemsivly with vb and SQL server.
Is php like vb in that it will dynamically create forms or does it all have to be hard coded. I cant imagne that would be the case or people just would not use it.Maybe I just need a good strong beginners tutorial on PHP if you know where one is.(not the "this is a mouse, this is a keyboard" kind I know how to program a database. Just not with PHP.

PHP doesn't automatically generate forms for a database. There are pre-built scripts out there that do that. Google CMS or PHP Forms etc... for many examples.

Most web forms are built form scratch, but its hardly difficult. PHP merely provides the interface between the form and the database.

The forms are built using HTML. The connection to the database and data processing is done through PHP, and MYSQL is the storage engine for the data.

and one more thing does MySQL seem extreamly limited or is it just my lack of knowledge that makes it seem so.

Probably just your lack of knowledge. MySQL is one of the top leading database engines in the market. Places such as NASA, Sears, Walmart use it in their systems.

Perhaps the better question is: Why do you think its limited?



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Phil AKA Vacunita
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Ignorance is not necessarily Bliss, case in point:
Unknown has caused an Unknown Error on Unknown and must be shutdown to prevent damage to Unknown.

Behind the Web, Tips and Tricks for Web Development.

http://behindtheweb.blogspot.com/

 

[ingresman]

I guess M$ dev's think MySql is limited because it doesn't have a humongous syntax set way beyond the normal CRUD kind of stuff SQL is usually aimed at. Have a look at

http://blogs.msdn.com/b/sqlazure/archive/2011/04/05/10149777.aspx

where MySQL was rejected by old time users of it because it wouldn't do what they wanted. Horses for course I suppose but I don't think DB engines are intended for general development in this way.
For personalisation have a Google for technologies like M$ Web Parts (heavy stuff and limited to .NET) and the JQuery UI widgets to get some idea of what you can do.
As far as programming it all well I'd get my head around the basics first.

 

[spamjim]

Caach, you might be looking at the lowest development level for this when you do not need to. Most php/mysql development might be done in a plain text editor, not a Visual Studio type of IDE with WYSIWYG form builders.

If you are not looking to get your hands dirty reinventing the wheel, you might be suited for a content management system. A CMS like Drupal will allow you to create regions/blocks that might be configured for each user.

There is also a Webform module for Drupal that can help you more visually build forms directly in the browser. (

http://drupal.org/project/webform

)

 

[kjv1611]

I'll put a vote in on using a CMS, particularly Drupal. I've been using Drupal now for 3 or 4+ years, maybe 5 years... It has had its quirks and all, but overall, it's a great tool, far better than trying to hand code everything yourself or using an HTML editor and just plugging in scripts where you want/need them (at least I think so).

If you do go with Drupal, try to go with Drupal 7 (currently) if possible, since it's the latest, and has LOTS of improvements built in out of the box. Drupal 6 is more mature, and as such, has more modules (plug-ins) and such available for it, but I think that it won't be very long before Drupal 7 pretty much rules that "market" altogether. It's just got so many great features built in from a maintenance standpoint that I think it's definitely the way to go.

Here's a site you can use to compare different CMSes:

http://www.cmsmatrix.org

There are others as well.

As far as other CMS options, there are Joomla, Wordpress, and phpBB... and MANY others.

I'm just personally aquainted with Drupal, and based on what I could find over at least 6 months of reading, searching, asking questions, I think it's the best overall package.

Just remember, if you try to script everything yourself, you're bound to run into many more headaches than using a CMS, ESPECIALLY if you're not already pretty much an expert at the underlying scripting language.

 

[caaach]

Wow thank you all for your replys. I really appreicate it. As for why I think mysql is limited, i think it comes from the limit of the language it's self. But I have been doing some reading and it is more flexable than a standard query language. although it does not have the same commands i am used to, the fact that it can be made to query commmands like EXCEPT is kinda cool. As for my question, I have tried a couple of CSMs thinking that it would be a good shortcut to "getting my hands dirty" but the overall look of the avarage CSM is not as configureable as I would like, as far as I can tell. I think what I am going to have to do is go all the way back to the basics and learn the language as a whole. As this is not a time sensitive issue I can get away with it. I already know how to build forms and have those forms update the database, i just need to learn how to use that information to generate html pages and well... a ton of other security issues to go along with it. I sure appericate the input though. I think what i need to do is head over to PHP and the mysql websites and just learn how to apply what they offer to what I need to happen. Thanks again.

Caaach

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0001011011100010000001110010011001
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0110100001101001011100110010110000
1000000111100101101111011101010010
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[kjv1611]

Drupal is VERY customizeable. It's actually one of the reasons some people prefer it over others.... and why some people DON'T like it as well as others... some of the others, or so I've read, are easier to use than Drupal for this very reason.

But to each his own. I hope it goes well.

 

[jpadie]

ultimately all frameworks are simply a set of abstractions of the core language. I can't think of any framework (be it drupal, joomla or wordpress) that does not let you simply use native php functions whenever you want.

 

[spamjim]

jpadie, the reason I use Drupal is because it does in fact let me use native PHP functions whenever I want.

It offers a PHP filter option so that an authorized user can inject PHP in a node (article). This makes it incredibly easy to create custom functions without having to "reinvent the wheel" when it comes to user authentication/management. I can harness Drupal's variables or create/use my own.

http://drupal.org/documentation/modules/php

 

[spamjim]

...you can also create a module for Drupal to make your code more useful/reusable among multiple nodes. Drupal modules are, of course, written in PHP and can use whatever PHP functions you want.

 

[jpadie]

spamjim

isn't that what I said?

 

[spamjim]

doh! I suppose it is.

spamjim != awake yet.