I need some help here

[businessman]

I am a beginner here.
What I want to do is to make an online auction site.
I read here and there that I need php and mysql and so on and on.
but I have no idea where to start.
Should I learn Php and things first? or any recommendation people?
Thank you very much.

[Doc C]

Suggest you check out this thread (http://forum.powweb.com/showthread.php?t=75042&highlight=auction). Another customer was considering doing the same thing and people were answering his questions.

You might find some answers to yours there.

[businessman]

so having read the thread, another question came up,

I saw phpprobid program's looks, and i didn't like it.

so I am trying to learn Php and Mysql, would it be a good idea to learn the script and make my own bid program?

or simply it's too difficult for a new comer like me?

[tpoynton]

any programming experience? i'd suggest you modify existing code instead of starting from scratch. I took a quick look at the phpprobid website, and indeed it does look pretty busy. You'll learn a bit about php in the process of modifying, and while you are in there looking at the code see if you can pick up what's going on.

There are tons of php/mysql tutorials out there...I like webmonkey (it's where I began learning javascript). once you get going, you can come ask questions here. I probably wont answer them, but I like reading and learning from the other folks here!

[Fernard]

Might I suggest looking into CakePHP if you are starting out learning PHP? That's what I did - it's somewhat like Ruby On Rails for PHP. A 'framework' if you will - it takes care of the busywork and has bits and pieces you can plug into it so you don't have to reinvent the wheel. (For instance, secure account creation and login, blog posting, star ratings, credit card handling, etc.)

It is still very much a programming-based package, so you have full creative license (as opposed to getting some prebuilt CMS or other kind of web package which is often difficult-if-not-impossible to try and heavily customize yourself, or find yourself limited to the plugins that are available for the particular package).

This is exactly what I used when I decided I wanted to dive into PHP head-first. Using CakePHP as a framework, I went from not knowing one line of PHP code to a full-fledged image-gallery typed website with account creation, image upload/processing, comment structure, tagging, star ratings and all the things you'd expect from a website in about 2 month's time. It really lets you focus on developing your custom content/logic rather than the minute details that are required for any website. (Another bonus is that there is an active community if you need support.)

The good thing about PHP is that there IS a ton of stuff already out there for free - so anything you've seen on other websites probably exists out there - you just have to find it and integrate it with your site.

[Doc C]

CakePHP can be found here (http://cakephp.org/). Fernand, I've been looking into PHP and will check it out.

From what you say, it might be just what I need.

Thanks and points.

[businessman]

Can anyone tell me how I should test if php is working properly on my system?

[dmacminn]

<?php
phpinfo();
?>

place the above in a file called, for example, phpinfo.php. Then call it ... http://yourusername.powweb.com/phpinfo.php (assuming you put the file in
/htdocs ...
If it displays the PHP information about your account, then CGI is enabled and operating on your account

[mrmagill]

I am a beginner here. What I want to do is to make an online auction site. I read here and there that I need php and mysql and so on and on.
but I have no idea where to start. Should I learn Php and things first? or any recommendation people? Thank you very much.

If you don't mind, here's my two bits about scripting and such, but be sure to read the other referenced thread, too:

Knowing PHP/MySQL is handy, but... I'm not that great at going out to learn tons of stuff before I get working on DOING something. I just don't have the time available. My website uses several PHP things, some driven by SQL databases, and the way I learned about them was by USING scripts that others had written.

It was curiosity and need when something went wrong that taught me how to use phpMyAdmin, the online tool for directly manipulating data in the SQL databases. Users here helped me past the really difficult parts, but mainly I created a duplicate of the database I was working on and just started working with it until I figured out what the buttons did, so to speak.

Go forth and Google, my friend, but look for the FREE stuff first unless you have an unlimted wallet. You'll quickly find you can spend a TON of money on this stuff without trying too hard.

I have learned a great deal by examining the normally well-commented scripts that I used to see how they work and have learned to modify them as a result. Sort of an 'osmosis' effect. Try searcing for something like this in Google:

php scripts +freeware -shareware -trial +auction

which will bring up 10 pages of auction scripts, many for free. Also be sure to check out major script sources such as hotscripts.com among many others.

For what it's worth - send me a PM or email if you'd like more on my experiences.

Mark
www.wordforlife.com