Php & MySql.. Where to get started ?

[u8sand]

Hello, I have my own website where I make programs and put them up on my web page, it has info on the programs ext.. I also allow other people to put up they just have to e-mail me with a specified template. But I want to make this easier for myself and everyone using my web page. I want to be able to click a button right on the downloads place that allows me to "post" a download. I also wanted to add a discussion forum and connect the news section of the forum with the news on the main page as well as connect the downloads on the main page to the downloads on the forum.

I am using the www.zymic.com web host which supports php and MySQL so I have been searching through google looking for a tutorial on them together. I have not found ANYTHING on how to make a forum of my own, only small tutorials to do one thing.

The main thing i don't understand is how to connect php with MySQL and how to make a forum with php...

Thanks allot in advance.

[ShawnCplus]

If you want to write your forum from scratch instead of using one of the umpteen mature open-source forums then what's the point of looking elsewhere on how to do it. If you know the basics of PHP and MySQL then design it yourself. And by design I don't mean how it will look, I mean how it will work. What will the table structure look like, how will the forums work (will they be in hierarchical trees or flat?) Take a look at how other forums work and try to go from there.

Like I said, if you are hell-bent on writing your own then it sort of defeats the purpose if you get spoon-fed the stuff.

(And if you don't know the basics of MySQL and PHP then w3schools.com will help you out with that)

[u8sand]

Thanks.
I looked at w3schools but when i did things with php, when i ran it on my webpage it didn't do anything. php is very close to javascript accept for that fact that you need $ signs on variables. I know semi the basics, but don't understand how your suppost to create the database or use mySQL, nore do i know how to link it with html. For example I don't even know how to make a button actually do something.
I can't find a free open source one either. I would rather make my own but i may be able to figure a little out if i find one.
Still don't know where i should go. I will check w3schools again out. Anyone else?

[ShawnCplus]

Thanks.
I looked at w3schools but when i did things with php, when i ran it on my webpage it didn't do anything. php is very close to javascript accept for that fact that you need $ signs on variables. I know semi the basics, but don't understand how your suppost to create the database or use mySQL, nore do i know how to link it with html. For example I don't even know how to make a button actually do something.
I can't find a free open source one either. I would rather make my own but i may be able to figure a little out if i find one.
Still don't know where i should go. I will check w3schools again out. Anyone else?

Actually PHP is absolutely nothing like Javascript. And if you didn't get PHP running then that would be your first step, long before you go diving head first into creating your own forum and even before connecting to MySQL.

[owlseye]

Here's a really excellent tutorial by Graeme Merrall. It's years old, but I used it myself when starting out, and it clearly takes you through the basics.

http://www.irphe.am/docs/PHP_MySQL/PHP_MySQL_Tutorial.html

Good luck.

u8sand: don't try to sprint at light speed run before you can crawl. Having a target is great, but be realistic. You ain't gonna write a robust forum app anytime soon. You'll probably need at least a year of php/MySQL experience under your belt before you'll be in a position to give it serious thought. You'd be able to write a simple app in a few weeks perhaps, but it wouldn't be robust, secure or flexible.

Try downloading XAMPP in order to get your system using php and mysql together. Following installation, e.g. to c:\xampp. Find the 'htdocs' subfolder and create a new folder underneath it, e.g. 'mynewsite'. Create a simple index.php page and then try to access it via: http:// localhost/mynewsite/index.php

Your mysql setup should be like the following:

host: localhost
username: root
password: (nothing at all)

Download SQLyog for an easy ride with MySQL unless you're a real masochist and actually like using phpMyAdmin.