Looking for PHP tasks

[NoUser2U]

Dear all,since 2 months i'm willing to learn php, but unfortunately i can't get myself to think of something to gain experience with programming in PHP.So i'm asking you guys, is there anything i can help you with which consists of PHP programming and/or html/css? Some info about me:my PHP level:- i'm a beginner regarding PHP (i bought a book though and have a basic understanding of PHP...just some basic knowledge which i'd like to expand)my time available to code: i have about 10-15 hours a week to work with php- contact will go over the internet (mail)- I DO NOT WANT ANY REFUND- i do everything you say ()You can think of it as a project, where you tell me what kind of script you need (although not too complex because of my skill-level) and me working on it for you.Anybody got some tasks for me to work on in php????

[boen_robot]

You make it sound as if someone would pay you to teach you, and then tell them "no payment needed from you, thank you".With a newbie skillset, no one would seriously make you do something for them... at least no one here... if you don't have any particular things you've wanted to code yourself, you could always ask friends and family what would they want. I'm sure stuff like "a blog", "a picture gallery" and "an accounting program" (or the common "all-in-one" phrase "a simple web site that...", which is never simple of course) will crop out from most people. Why? those are the things people generally want to use computers for - sharing information, both textural (blog) and visual (gallery), as well as performing tedious calculations (accounting being the most common kind of calculations). The other things people usually do with computers is to consume information (e.g. play music and movies), but that's not something web apps are usually used for.

[jeffman]

Agreed. I doubt anyone on the board really wants to pass off some tasks to someone who admits to being new. I would personally expect to have to redo everything you sent me.Your idea is a good one, but applying it the way boen suggests makes a lot of sense. Make a free site for someone who doesn't really need anything important right now.In the meantime, brush up on some very common tasks. I would suggest this. Imagine a site that will have 5-8 unique pages, but they all need to look the same. Only the content will be different. Header, footer, navigation all look alike.The challenge is this. Write the common elements separately, and only once, stored in unique files as partial HTML documents. Write your actual pages using the include directive to insert the parts where they need to go.The reverse plan is also possible, but a little trickier. Write a shell document that contains all the common elements, and depending on data in a query string, include a file for the content section.

[NoUser2U]

well thank you both a lot for your comments . I guess i have to think of my own 'projects' then hehe.The thing is, i don't know where to start.I'll take both your advices and try to work up from there.

[thescientist]

if you can invest in a book on PHP, they usually end the book with mock projects, i.e. an message board, login system, e-commerce stuff, etc. Might be worth investing in a book and see how you follow along.

[justsomeguy]

Make a photo gallery. Figure out what features you want it to have, and design it so that it stores album, image, and user information in a database and has a way to do things like generate thumbnails or resize uploaded images. Have it store the uploaded images on the hard drive and save the filenames in the database. For extra credit, store the images in a location where they can't be directly downloaded, and use a PHP script to control access to them. You'll learn a lot of what you'll need to use for any other project. If you're still bored, do a version that stores all image data in the database as well and compare the performance of the two.

[Dilated]

The best way I've managed to learn any programming language is to have a goal in mind. When I first learned PHP years ago, my goal was to make a fully functional user login and weblog system. That's how I taught myself PHP. I eventually accomplished my goal, I even coded my very own forum system.Try to find an idea of what you want to do with PHP. If you set a goal, it will give you a lot of motivation to learn the language.

[Fmdpa]

Have you gained any knowledge regarding databases? Once you are familiar with databases, the possibilities for what you can do explode into an infinite number of options. And database interaction is quite simple! I picked up my first book on the topic of PHP about 5 months ago. Now, as long as I have access to the PHP manual for occasional referencing, I feel very comfortable in most aspects of PHP. I'm creating a site that features a photo gallery, weblog, user login, CMS, etc. I can do many things, but it takes me a while to do them. Only time and practice will help me become more proficient. As dilated mentioned, having a goal will give you significant motivation to learn the language. My goal, when I started, seemed rather ambitious. But I stuck to it, and little by little I am coming within view of completion. As you progress, you doubtlessly will revise your work, and fabricate new ideas which will keep you busy. There will be many exciting moments as you discover certain facts!

[Synook]

If you are looking for some fundental taks to just help you understand programming and the PHP language, Project Euler has a great set of programatically solvable mathematical problems.

[NoUser2U]

Thank you all for your inspirational posts!I have to say my problem isn't actually thinking of projects for myself, but WHERE to start actually.The thing is, let's say i'd like to create a photogallery with a register/login functionality so users can upload their pics. The problem is, whatever i try to begin with (for example: building the login system first, creating the website lay-out etc.), it's still a tad too high for me to accomplish, with other words: There so much things to take in mind for simply creating a login-system > PHP (obviously), MySQL, HTML and CSS. That's 4 objects to be able to apply for a "simple" login-system. Where to start??Creating the login-form i can do, but integrating it with a database???And on the other hand, if i concentrate on ONE little thing (for example, creating functions and using them)...than that'll be too simple.

Have you gained any knowledge regarding databases? Once you are familiar with databases, the possibilities for what you can do explode into an infinite number of options. And database interaction is quite simple! I picked up my first book on the topic of PHP about 5 months ago. Now, as long as I have access to the PHP manual for occasional referencing, I feel very comfortable in most aspects of PHP. I'm creating a site that features a photo gallery, weblog, user login, CMS, etc. I can do many things, but it takes me a while to do them. Only time and practice will help me become more proficient. As dilated mentioned, having a goal will give you significant motivation to learn the language. My goal, when I started, seemed rather ambitious. But I stuck to it, and little by little I am coming within view of completion. As you progress, you doubtlessly will revise your work, and fabricate new ideas which will keep you busy. There will be many exciting moments as you discover certain facts!

first of all, thnx for ur post Fmdpa .About databases, do you think i should delve into that subject while i'm learning PHP? Or should i wait to get some solid PHP experience and THEN start to learn MySQL?Is there any book you can recommend me about MySQL and/or PHP (although i dó have a book about PHP, namely: Jason Gilmore (2010). "Beginning PHP and MySQL: From Novice to Professional, 4th edition")Thank you in advance!

[boen_robot]

Focus on the simple things, and built up from there. You said it yourself:

...than that'll be too simple.

Then do it. And if it's not done yet, see if the simple things you made have made the complex things simpler. Do the simplest ones then, etc. etc.Break down the thing into pieces, and build them one by one, gradually reusing the smaller pieces into the big ones. For example, in a login system, what do you need? A form for the user to enter username name and password. A list of usernames and password to verify against. A way to take the input and verify it against the list. A way to add to the list.... going deeper now... what do you need to add to the list? A separate form for the user to enter data to add to the list. A way to take that data and add it to the list.

[End User]

I'd suggest doing some of the classic beginner projects, like a guestbook or contact form, then move on to more complex projects like an image gallery or simple message board. For me the best way to learn was to grab a script and start modifying it. I found it helped a lot to start with something that already works and make changes.

[NoUser2U]

Focus on the simple things, and built up from there. You said it yourself:Then do it. And if it's not done yet, see if the simple things you made have made the complex things simpler. Do the simplest ones then, etc. etc.Break down the thing into pieces, and build them one by one, gradually reusing the smaller pieces into the big ones. For example, in a login system, what do you need? A form for the user to enter username name and password. A list of usernames and password to verify against. A way to take the input and verify it against the list. A way to add to the list.... going deeper now... what do you need to add to the list? A separate form for the user to enter data to add to the list. A way to take that data and add it to the list.

Thnx for the tip!...i'll try to incorporate it in my 'practice' sessions from now on, building things up little by little.

I'd suggest doing some of the classic beginner projects, like a guestbook or contact form, then move on to more complex projects like an image gallery or simple message board. For me the best way to learn was to grab a script and start modifying it. I found it helped a lot to start with something that already works and make changes.

I hadn't thought about that one...thnx for this awesome tip! Do you happen to know where i can get such scripts free for download? (Which are beginner-friendly too).Thanks all for your input!

[Fmdpa]

About databases, do you think i should delve into that subject while i'm learning PHP? Or should i wait to get some solid PHP experience and THEN start to learn MySQL?

All PHP books I've read include MySQL in the middle of the book. I definitely wouldn't recommend learning it unless you've got the basics of PHP down (if/elseif/else logic flows, for/while/do...while/foreach loops, arrays, functions, etc.). I would recommend you read first the book that you have, then see if you still feel you need another book. I highly recommend O'Reilly books.