Coding

[Tim]

I think learning to code would be a big help for me in the future so I've decided to learn; now I already have a very basic grasp of html and as my main use will be coding for websites I imagine fully learning HTML and then CSS would be most beneficial?

Is PHP or Java useful to learn a long with these? Also can anyone recommend some good resources to learn from.

[Samo]

Do an online course in VB and SQL that will get you going

[Dave]

You'll need a solid grasp of HTML, CSS and JS to be able to actually build something that's useable from a design/usability standpoint. The actual functional end, is entirely up to you. I know bits of PHP, and thats useful enough for what I do, i understand the structure of it to be able to investigate and use new functions with relative ease.

Looking back on it, and looking at my current position, I probably would have been better off going into ASP instead of PHP as it's arguably a bit more powerful. If you are learning one from scratch, go watch a few basic 101 videos of both, and see whcih one you understand more of, they can both achieve the same things, but are obviously very different languages.

Samo, VB isnt going to be much use with building sites, especially when givent he alternatives of ASP.net or PHP. SQL is a given also, you'll need to now most of the basics and intermediates of SQL (Probably MySQL) if you are building sites with db backends.

[Samo]

SQL is what im currently learning. My company is contracted to a large debt management company so SQL is for the back end data bases for IVAs and DM plans. So when I make little errors its pretty large repercussions. Haha. I did some basic VB in college. If you wanted to build custom add ons to a site, could you not use VB for this? or is that making more work for yourself?

[Tim]

I don't really plan to build sites up from scratch but being able to look at a code and strip it down and change bits.

Any recommended books or course to learn html and CSS?

Also Dave is ASP or PHP used more?

[Dave]

SQL is what im currently learning. My company is contracted to a large debt management company so SQL is for the back end data bases for IVAs and DM plans. So when I make little errors its pretty large repercussions. Haha. I did some basic VB in college. If you wanted to build custom add ons to a site, could you not use VB for this? or is that making more work for yourself?

Depends what you mean by custom add ons. VB in its simplest form is a programming language, not a coding language, its used to make programs, not web apps or functions or scripts. You dont really "program" web apps, you code them.

I don't really plan to build sites up from scratch but being able to look at a code and strip it down and change bits.

This is pretty much what I started by doing, I wanted to make sites for myself, friends/family/businesses. Learnt the basics, then set about pilfering components from other sites, figuring out how they worked and fitting them in with what I was doing. You learn a lot about the languages used and the tags/functions/schemas etc by doing this. These days I'm pretty ok with just writing the code for whichever bit I need, but this was learnt only from doing what you've described above. And what you've described is still very very useful, to be able to pick apart someone elses reation and change it or modify it in a way to make it your own and to work for your own means is great.

Any recommended books or course to learn html and CSS?

Not so much courses, as I've never been on any, or books tbh, as I havent used any of those. But I've heard good things about this book - Learning PHP, MySQL, JavaScript, and CSS: A Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Dynamic Websites: Amazon.co.uk: Robin Nixon: Books. Also the "for dummies" editions of books do a php/javascript/XML one I think which could be useful. Not that you'rea dummy, but its often very useful to just go back to basics and read things in very simple ways. I often find myself forgetting syntax or expected values of certain CSS definitions though, and instead of trial and error a few times, which would work, I use W3Schools to look the function up and read up on it real quick. thats for CSS. If I'm playing with PHP then the PHP.net site is fantastic for explaining the fucntions quickly and effectively.

Also Dave is ASP or PHP used more?

Honestly, they're probably evenly split, but I'd say they are split in two finite areas. I find ASP and ASP.net are used for more enterprise web apps and hardcore data crunching etc. Whilst PHP is perfectly able to do most things ASP can do, it tends to get used on a much lower level, smaller web scripts, things that add small functions to websites etc.. As I said earlier, if I could see me being where I am now 10-15 years ago, then I would have started palying with ASP.net instead of PHP. But I do like PHP, it's simple, and the syntax is very "expected" in most scenarios if you know what i mean.

At the end of the day, they are both server side scripting languages, so they will ultimately both do what you need.

[AJ]

I would recommend getting a copy of SAMS books.
You can learn the basics or both ASP, ASP.Net, and PHP in a matter of 3 weeks.

Its something like "Sams teach yourself PHP in 21 days"

[AJ]

I'll just leave this here


As you can see, ASP is more Object Orientated - something that I loathe anyway.

Here is a comparison of ASP.net and the equivalent in PHP:
ASP.Net

 <body>
   <asp:Label runat="server" ID="HelloLabel"></asp:Label>
 </body>

protected void Page_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
  string hello = "i need more practice";
  HelloLabel.Text = "hello";
}

PHP

<?
$myString = "Hello";
echo "<body>" . $myString . "</body>";
?>

Or another PHP example@

<?php
	$myString = "Hello";
?>
<?=$myString?>

Here is a link to the book I mentioned:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sams-Teach-Y.../dp/0672326191

[Tim]

Thanks AJ, I missed your post earlier for some reason.

For what I need JavaScript is where I need to start, can anyone recommend a good resources to learn?

Following from this both books already mentioned on this thread will be getting bought as they will be helpful as well.

[AJ]

Again, SAMS do a book for Javascript, and I think there is one Called 'KISS Javascript' (Keep It Simple Series)
W3Schools is a good starting point, and I frequently visit it at times when I forget things

[Tim]

I'll take a look.

[Brink]

I self learnt asp and php. To be honest my lack of graphic adaption let me down. Unless your going to be part of a team where you are doing functionality and someone else does design then learn photoshop techniques and other artistic aspects.

Online forms, no issues, databases no issues getting it looking good. Not my thang....