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PHP

Posted by Lee Anderson
Lee Anderson
7,463 Points

Is The PHP Section detailed enough?

Hey Guys I have a question for those of you who are new to PHP, those that have NEVER written PHP before. How often have you had to go back and watch a video again and still you have no clue what to do? I have had to use W3SCHOOLS.COM so often. I feel like there is a pre-course that I'm missing, specially when we are asked to create something that has not been covered in the PHP chapter before such as "Introducing Functions - code challenge" where you are asked to add in a function we have never used before. Is it just me that is struggling with this?

5 Answers

Kevin Korte
Kevin Korte
28,149 Points

I think what is here now for PHP is a very basic intro to the language. Which is good in many ways. PHP took a bit to wrap my head around, since you have to think differently. I didn't get everything the first time I watched the videos. But every time I re-watched the videos I gained more and more. I've probably watched them 3-4 times now. After doing the PHP lessons here, I went on to the wordpress lessons and went through the same process, and have gotten to the point I can kick out some what I think are fairly complex wordpress themes pretty quickly now.

If you're like me, you'll have a lot of "Ahh ha" moments when things just click.

Another decent resource for PHP is at codeacademy.com. It is completely free, which is cool.

I would stay away from W3Schools completely. There are some well respected web developers who have taken a stand against W3schools, and for what seems like good reason. I've started to notice more and more poor practices or outdated information on the site myself. As a noob you might be learning things the wrong way and not even know it.

Check out http://www.w3fools.com/

A website I love that replaced W3Schools for me a long time ago as my go to resource is css-tricks.com (much more than just CSS).

Patrick Cooney
Patrick Cooney
12,216 Points

If you're looking for straight reference (no learning) in terms of "what are all the global attributes you can add to an html tag again? I can't remember." Or something similar to that, developer.mozilla.org is the place to go. great reference site.

Kevin Korte
Kevin Korte
28,149 Points

Awesome, didn't know that. A lot of times that is all I really need.

Aaron Walton
Aaron Walton
3,557 Points
Aaron Walton
Aaron Walton
3,557 Points

The videos could never cover every detail and difficulty you might encounter. It's perfectly natural to use other references like w3schools.com while learning. Coding isn't easy and practice makes perfect! It will get easier with time. I'm working on other PHP projects while I take the Treehouse courses, which I feel is a great way to get extra practice and experience.

Jah Chaisang
Jah Chaisang
7,157 Points
Jah Chaisang
Jah Chaisang
7,157 Points

Lee,

I agree with Kevin that you should go through a round of codecademy php free course. There's also another free written tutorial here. I'm familiar with PHP and programming in general, but once I pick up new language, Ruby, I still experience the "hey, not too fast!" feeling. After repeating the same things a couple times or learn them from a few sources, it will become super clear to you.

Lee Anderson
Lee Anderson
7,463 Points
Lee Anderson
Lee Anderson
7,463 Points

Thanks for your input guys, I will look at the links you sent.

Paul Yorde
Paul Yorde
10,497 Points
Paul Yorde
Paul Yorde
10,497 Points

My opinion is that it is perfectly detailed. I also go through each pains-taking lesson several times before it clicks.

My wife is nearly finished with her Master's in teaching degree. One of the things she discovered and shared with me is why math is incredibly difficult for many people. The trick is to examine the problem until what is being asked, clicks. Only then can the problem begin to be worked out. Yes, there is a wealth of knowledge out there, but it is in being meticulous in understanding every detail of the lessons here which will yield the best results.