PHP programming is a very popular language for scripts on web sites, blogging software, and other functions online. It’s an open language with quite a few possibilities over other languages that are a bit more limited. If you want to learn PHP, you need to get started right.
The first thing that you are going to need is some basic HTML knowledge. You don’t need an advanced skill in this, but should be able to identify basic tags and understand the various elements in the code. The reason is that many times there is a blend of HTML and PHP when working with web sites or other popular scripts that are already out there.
Get yourself a good text editor that you can use. It’s very important to have one with line numbers on it. This is because when you get an error generally you are told what line number it’s on. This makes finding the mistakes very easy. Additionally, it’s nice to have PHP color syntax in your text editor so that you can tell the different parts of the code from each other based on color alone.
Also make sure that you have some basic FTP skills. This lets you upload your scripts and deal with folders online. Knowing permissions is also important. If you want to learn PHP, it’s easiest to just follow an online tutorial. There are hundreds of ones that offer easy to follow tutorials with exercises that you can follow. Do as many of these as you can until you get the basics.
After you have the basics, get a PHP manual online or in book form to follow. This will prepare you for more advanced exercises. Start making your own scripts. This is the best way to learn since you will have to think on your own versus copying exercises that are already made for you to practice. By following these simple tips you will learn PHP in no time.