PHP download

[crashNUMBERS]

I found a place to download it but I don't know what program I need. I really wanna get to see how PHP is done but I dunno what to do. A pop up keeps on popping up and saying to select a program from the list. Wtf?? Please help...

[rubah]

You only need to *have* php if you're going to be installing it on a server, I think.

[bipper]

Yes, you need a web serving program first.

look here, http://www.ricocheting.com/server/index.htmlThis guy has a ton of good tutorials on installing Apache, PHP, perl CGI, MySql and such on a windows box.
A GREAT reference.

If you install linux, most distros come with all these goodies ;)

Bipper

[crashNUMBERS]

Thanks!! Im trying it right now!! Thanks to both of you, I mean!! I should be some omni knowledge member. trying to learn not all but close...


<B>EDIT: I installed the apache server, so now what do I do??

[bipper]

Alright.. whelp. You have apache installed and working? Then install PHP as a module.

Also, you needn't learn everything, just learn what you like. To even try and encapsulate everyones knowlage (even on this foru,) would be near impossible.
Bipper

[crashNUMBERS]

I know Omni means "All" but what I mean is that I learn what I am told or taught. Kind of like that character Yun from Live A Live but smarter...

[Sepho]

Installing all that stuff individually and getting it to work together really isn't worth the effort. Check out <a href="http://www.hotscripts.com/PHP/Software_and_Servers/Installation_Kits/index.html">one of these</a>. I've just been using packages like that for a couple years now, and am pretty happy with <a href="http://www.hotscripts.com/Detailed/34417.html">this one</a>, though whatever works for you - they're all better solutions than the effort you'd otherwise exert.

[crashNUMBERS]

Please explain what I must do for your way. Because you are god when it comes to this stuff...

[Sepho]

Because you are god when it comes to this stuff...

I'm really not, and you're really just making me feel weird.

The package I've been using, which can be downloaded at <a href="http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=71323">this link</a> comes in an executable (.exe), so just download the 35 MB (it comes with Apache server, PHP, mySQL, and a bunch of other crap you'll undoubtedly not use all together in one bundle), and double click the new file once that's done (might take a few minutes) and watch it go.

At various points during the installation, you'll be asked to specify a few options. At first, you'll have to select a language, and I can only guess that English is your first language, so there you have it. You'll next have to choose what kind of stuff you want to install. That's all up to you. I just go ahead and leave the default options checked. At the next screen, you have to choose a folder in which to install all these applications. Pick whatever directory you want, and remember it.

Following this, you'll be faced with a lot of options that you probably won't know anything about, but they have default values which you'll be fine in not changing, so just click next and you'll be alright, I promise.

Next you'll have a choice of Apache modules to enable, but you probably won't get any of this either. You're alright in not changing anything, so click Next if you want. The only change I make at this part of the installation is to check the box for mod_gzip. Moving on.

You'll now have to choose some mySQL options. Honestly, you can pick whatever you want here, because the technical differences between the types are probably something you won't realize for some time.

Yet a couple more options are there for you on the next screen. In the first box, my recommendation would be the second option that installs Apache as a service, but has to be started manually. Apache can be kind of taxing on your resources, and if you don't plan on writing a lot of code often, having it start every time you logon might not be good. Below this option you should see a small input box with some numbers in it. Don't touch that. Down at the bottom is another box with a few options. If you decided to have Apache start manually, you might want to pick the second choice so that Apache only starts when you use the Windows profile you're using now, so that other people using the computer don't have to deal with it. Click next.

This is the name of the menu item that occupies a spot on your Start Menu. You can name it whatever you want, or install it in a folder that already exists by picking one from the list.

Then click Install.

When installation is done, open a new tab in your browser and surf to http://localhost/. Now what do you see?

[crashNUMBERS]

It doesn't show the MB size :eep: Is 36,000,000 35 MB??

[Sepho]

Something like that.

[crashNUMBERS]

MY DREAMS!! WHERE!? I don't have a PHP folder crap. It's not even in my programs!! :(

[Sepho]

Crash, buddy, I haven't an idea what you're talking about.

[bipper]

I reccomend installing the software seperatly, and manually, as it gives you more of an understanding of how they work. Especially if one follows the awsome instructions on the site I reccomend.

Dr. Unne would even be proud, as it also shows how to install pearl! :)

Bipper

[Samuraid]

s/pearl/perl/i

:)

[Endless]

I like <a href="http://www.easyphp.org/?lang=en">EasyPHP</a> when I want to run a quick and dirty site on a windows machine.

[crashNUMBERS]

I installed PHP but how do I use it?? Do I <I>have</I> to install it just to use it?? Or why can't I just use Notepad...

[Samuraid]

PHP isn't like HTML. You cannot just view what it looks like in a browser unless you have the PHP software installed and configured first.

Once it's installed and configured, then you can view the output of PHP pages in your browser.

[crashNUMBERS]

Then what's all of this apache server crap for??

[Samuraid]

The apache server crap actually allows you to serve web pages on your local computer. :)

[rubah]

I find it easier to pay other people for this sort of thing.

[crashNUMBERS]

The apache server crap actually allows you to serve web pages on your local computer. :)
Before I make another thread, In HTML. How do you seperate the menu and the main body?? Like here. Here's what Im <I>trying</I> to work on. You know how EoFF's front site has all of those links in the menu?? How do I seperate those from the body so it won't go under it. And for the record go FMP fans...

[bipper]

Crash, Learn CSS. This is what you are looking for. IT is called site Layout.

Lets make a quick crappy layout




&lt;html&gt;
&lt;head&gt;
&lt;title&gt; Crash.RandomProphesy's HomePage &lt;/title&gt;
&lt;link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="defaults.css" /&gt;
&lt;/head&gt;

&lt;body&gt;
&lt;div id="links"&gt;
&lt;li class="link"&gt; &lt;a href="#"&gt; Home &lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li class="link"&gt; &lt;a href="http://www.eyesonff.com"&gt;Eoff! &lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li class="link"&gt; &lt;a href="href://www.google.com"&gt;GOOGLE &lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;

&lt;div id="content"&gt;
Welcome to my Page. I, Crash.Whatever made this all from scratch, like a real pro. Some day I will be as good as Dr Unne. What!? you never heard of Dr Unne... well whatever.

Keep typing some other crap, until you have filled the page with all the information that you feel is so very important that everyone should need to know. Bipper is damn cool.

&lt;/div&gt;

&lt;/body&gt;
&lt;/html&gt;

Save this as index.html.

This is your BASIC web page. Don't worry much about the class and id properties in some tags, this has to do with how CSS knows what to do to what. Right now, the page will look like hell. Just two block level elements laying on the page. Well, this is where CSS comes in!

This line:
&lt;link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="defaults.css" /&gt;

points to another file that will be read. So make a new file, and name it default.css. Make damn sure you save it alongside index.html.


/* CSS Document */

/* ------------------------------- formatting ----------------------------- */

/*Globals*/
body
{

font: 30px verdana;
font-color: #66CCFF;
background-color: #060e9d;
}

/*IDs*/
#content
{
positron: absolute;
top: 50 px;
left: 100px;

border-size:4px;
border-style:double;
background-color:#003366;
}

#links
{
positron: absolute;
top: 50 px;
left: 0px;

border-size:4px;
border-style:double;
background-color:#003366;
}

.link
{
font: 14px verdana;
font-color: ##FFFF33;
}




This is CSS my friend. Basically anything inbetween /* and */ is commented out. In otherwords, the browser will ignore it. This helps us make notes, and comments to people whom look at the code.

Ok, now an ID (think of an ID like an object name) is denominated by the #. We made a div and set it's ID = Content right? Well now that will tell the Browser to look for a description of ID in the CSS file. It finds #ID {... this will set all ther properties inbetween the opening { and the closing } to the div. I set some basic ones in there.

We also made another div with an ID of links. We set different properties here. Basically the properties that I set to these two divs ( basically boxes) are to draw the box at an absolute position. The position draws from one point (the top left) and basically makes a box. That box will snug to the information in the div like a table would. You can set height: 100px; to make the box 100 pixels high, if you want it to be bigger.

Now you had seen a class in there two. The class is named links. Basically a class works like and ID, but can be used on multiple tags. Where as an Id can only be used on one. So we can say that the class link will look like the way the properties in the CSS page want to make it look.

that should get you somewhat started ;) I wrote this in a hurry, but it should work. Let me know how it goes, after you have played with it a bit.

For a great list of all the properties that CSS entails, check out: http://www.w3schools.com/css/css_reference.asp?output=print

If anyone wants to add, or correct anything i screwed up, go right ahead ;)

As far as php goes. PHP is basically written by you, much like a web pages is. But the PHP you write, will basically make a webpage that the server can see.

So it works like this... User types in www.google.com/index.php... PHP grabs what information it can, like say it looks into a MySql Database to get a picture, and then makes a webpage that will display this picuture. All the person whom typed in google.com/index.php sees is the web page with the picture that the PHP coding made on the fly. This is what dynamic means.

Since your a video gamer, I can say its like basically playing a video game. The php is equal to the game. It takes the players actions (pressing the jump button) and makes somthing happen (the character jumps). HTML would be more like an FMV without PHP. All you could do is watch the same thing over and over again. That is a crude, but effective example.. I hope ;)

Bipper