How Do I Create a PHP Page from Scratch?

Simon Nicholls · 10-18-2008, 09:01 AM

Hi All,

Some of you may have seen my thread over in the main forum;
Your Advice Needed - My New Golf Website

I'm going to create a PHP page with some reviews of golf products, I'm a little stuck as I don't really know where to start . . .

I need a good PHP editor where I can view the design and edit the code at the same time. Obviously I only want to create a single page that won't start to muck up the overall design of the site.

Can anyone suggest a (hopefully free)! program that'll let me perform such tasks? I've found a site which I would like to base my page design on - Golf Swing Lessons Reviewed

Simon.

energyguy · 10-18-2008, 10:02 AM

Designing a php page is not that difficult. If it is just a basic page, it is very similar to an html page.

I know you mentioned that you were looking for a free program, but that will give you limitations.

I love to use adobe dream weaver..was hard at first but now I use it just as efficiently as I do with MS Office apps.

You may also want to consider outsourcing. It would be 3 times as fast which means you get to work on your business much quicker.

'astly, since you have a design in mind, you could maybe consider buying a template and modifying it to the way you want it. For example, there are thousands of joomla templates available for free. Once installed on you server it is a piece of cake. I believe they are all in php format as well.

Simon Nicholls · 10-18-2008, 10:12 AM

Hey,

I know basic PHP but just not enough, as my wordpress has frames already I just need to add a new "template" as such - I may give that a go . . .

Simon.

hiphil · 10-20-2008, 03:55 AM

Go check out this site: w3schools.com/php/default.asp

This is a great place to learn about php scripting, and it's free!

kidino · 10-21-2008, 09:58 AM

If you want to create a review site, I recommend using WordPress and install the WPReviewSite plugin. The plugin is $97 though...

http://www.wpreviewsite.com/

Unless you have something else in mind, I think this will shortcut the process. Or you can take a look at this. It lists out all the many PHP scripts for rating and reviews

PHP Review and Rating Script and Programs :: Hot Scripts

JustVisiting · 10-21-2008, 10:13 AM

I think you need to check out the Wordpress.org forum.

I use Wordpress for creating websites. It's possible to create template pages which are:

=> straight sales pages (without sidebars)
=> sidebars left or right, or both
=> have different widgets
=> different headers
=> different footers

...all on the same Wordpress driven website.

But there is a learning curve.

May be I should put together a template pack that includes all these different configurations and offer it as WSO

kidino · 10-21-2008, 10:42 AM

Alright... seems like we are starting to talk about WordPress instead of PHP. But considering the real objective that Simon wants to build a review site, he may want to consider doing it with WordPress... or maybe other solutions listed in HotScripts.com

JustVisiting · 10-21-2008, 11:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kidino

Alright... seems like we are starting to talk about WordPress instead of PHP. But considering the real objective that Simon wants to build a review site, he may want to consider doing it with WordPress... or maybe other solutions listed in HotScripts.com

Simon's already used Wordpress to build his site. I think he wants to add review pages to his Wordpress site

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ezy Dollar

Obviously I only want to create a single page that won't start to muck up the overall design of the site.

Perhaps Simon could clarify his posting since we have different interpretations ?

Dan Grossman · 10-22-2008, 12:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kidino

If you want to create a review site, I recommend using WordPress and install the WPReviewSite plugin. The plugin is $97 though...

http://www.wpreviewsite.com/

$77 if you purchase through the WSO.

To the OP, if you have the money, I recommend Microsoft Expression Web 2 for an editor. It can do split screen between code and design views which updates as you type.

kidino · 10-22-2008, 02:21 AM

Ah... Dan Grossman. I forgot who's the owner of that WPReviewSite. Love your stuffs from Awio

BIG Mike · 10-22-2008, 03:42 AM

Simon,

Here is what I do - I design the web page first with all of the elements going into it. You can use a regular HTML editor of your choice for this. With it tested and rendering the way you want, now start working in the HTML Code section of the editor.

Here, you'll look for each location that will be populated through PHP and write the code for it within that section. Upload it and test it if you don't have PHP installed locally (probably not).

Bear in mind that all the code executes on the server and then delivers pure HTML of the page to the visitor's browser, where it get's the final rendering.

ryanstreet · 10-22-2008, 04:10 AM

Crash Course:

Download Netbeans IDE, the php version. (free and open source).
http://www.netbeans.org/downloads/index.html

Install and open Netbeans.

Go to PHP Tutorial

Run through the entire course. (trust me, its worth it).

Start making your page.

Put code in the format like below:

Your code looks like this:
-------------------
<?PHP

your code goes here...

?>

All other HTML can go here
--------------------

Upload file to your server, then point your browser to it.

Presto!

I hope this helps

Ryan Street

zoobie · 10-22-2008, 04:57 AM

you don't need a plugin, basically you just need to know how to create simple landing page style wordpress and that's it. basically you just use the default wordpress page and edit that page to chop off all the unnecessary heading, side bar and that';s it. for editor you can use notepad, I don't recommend dreamweaver as this is NOT for programming and they consume too much memory. If you really want an editor, I recommend, jedit, an open source programming editor which do more good than dreamweaver and the best part free!

but ezy dollar you need to understand some php codes before you can edit
the typical style code will be having <?php ?> in your html files.

Simon Nicholls · 10-22-2008, 04:05 PM

Hi All,

Sorry about not replying sooner!
If possible I'd like to continue to use Wordpress, I'll take a look at that Plugin!

I already have Microsoft Expression, although can't afford the 2nd version just yet .(I'm still waiting to make my first $!) ;-)

I'd like to have a page, then lots of pages coming off with new products etc - but also self updating . . . . . hmmm!
Simon.

kristine08m · 10-22-2008, 10:52 PM

The first step to get us on our way to programming in PHP would be to set up an ideal development environment. You need a web server software like Apache (which would be what we are going to use) which is only one of many out there. Most of these web servers are open-source meaning that they are free. Now, being free doesn't mean that they are not up to standards for there are standards that are set by independent groups that are comprised of the many developers who together formulate or give a loosely defined set of standards for others to follow. Apache has versions for Linux but there are also for the Windows, Unix and Mac OS. The Intaller can be downloaded along with the detailed manual from PHP.net

Janet Sawyer · 10-23-2008, 06:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vikas1234

to create a php file compy paste existing file from internet and see how it works

Do tell

How does that work then?

What program do you suggest pasting it into?

How do you save it, view source? does that work for php files?

What do you need to view the pasted php file and to see how it works?
If it's reading a mysql database file or has java script embedded how do you tell what files scripts sources are being used?

Just wondering, thanks for your response.

Janet

Jonno · 10-30-2008, 08:21 PM

Its a good idea to set up your own server so you can test without being online etc , get yourself a copy of wamp (wamp.com) its free and a very easy install, it installs apache, php and mysql on your pc / mac / linux

As for the suggestion of copying a php file, this would have to be on an example page that has a marked up example to copy, downloading a sites .php page or doing a view source will only show the code generated by the php, not the actual php code (which is more than likely in a different file).

There are heaps of free tutes on the web and as mentioned before w3schools.com/php/default.asp is a great free resource.

hope that helps!

Dan Grossman · 10-30-2008, 11:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ezy Dollar

I already have Microsoft Expression, although can't afford the 2nd version just yet .(I'm still waiting to make my first $!) ;-)

Ah, that's a shame, because Expression Web 2 added syntax highlighting, code completion and built-in server support for the PHP language. I didn't like coding PHP in the first version (I tried it when it was free as a beta version).

wayfarer · 11-01-2008, 11:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dan Grossman

Ah, that's a shame, because Expression Web 2 added syntax highlighting, code completion and built-in server support for the PHP language.

Syntax highlighting is very important, as common mistakes, such as forgetting to close a quote, or improperly named arguments, will be quickly caught by syntax highlighting. However, if anyone is looking for a free editor that has full features, with shortcuts and full highlighting, I definitely recommend Aptana. It has support for many languages, including PHP, ASP, JavaScript, HTML, CSS, and many more. Best of all, it is free.

-Nick- · 11-15-2008, 10:26 PM

I am not able to post links but you can check my sig and first link in it. There is a blog post about setting webserver on your PC.

Once that is set you can just open notepad write <?php ?> and it is PHP.

ChristianM · 11-16-2008, 12:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wayfarer

Syntax highlighting is very important, as common mistakes, such as forgetting to close a quote, or improperly named arguments, will be quickly caught by syntax highlighting. However, if anyone is looking for a free editor that has full features, with shortcuts and full highlighting, I definitely recommend Aptana. It has support for many languages, including PHP, ASP, JavaScript, HTML, CSS, and many more. Best of all, it is free.

I second the vote for Aptana - it's also pretty good for organising projects.

Aptana Studio -- The Web 2.0 IDE for Ajax, PHP, Ruby on Rails, Jaxer and more

Plinko · 11-16-2008, 09:57 PM

I haven't followed this thread that close but I must give recognition to Dan's WP plugin. Dan always give great advice in the forum and I recognize him as an accomplished and talented fellow programmer. You'll get a great review site for an awesome deal and save yourself a ton of time through his WSO.

10-18-2008, 09:01 AM	#1
Simon Nicholls HyperActive Warrior War Room Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: London, United Kingdom Posts: 194 Thanks: 2 Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts Contact Info	How Do I Create a PHP Page from Scratch? Hi All, Some of you may have seen my thread over in the main forum; Your Advice Needed - My New Golf Website I'm going to create a PHP page with some reviews of golf products, I'm a little stuck as I don't really know where to start . . . I need a good PHP editor where I can view the design and edit the code at the same time. Obviously I only want to create a single page that won't start to muck up the overall design of the site. Can anyone suggest a (hopefully free)! program that'll let me perform such tasks? I've found a site which I would like to base my page design on - Golf Swing Lessons Reviewed Simon.
	Your Online Golfing Resource My Current Website Auctions I'm new to the IM world, so please . . . go easy on me!

10-18-2008, 10:02 AM	#2
energyguy Active Warrior Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: U.S. Posts: 42 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post Social Networking	Re: How Do I Create a PHP Page from Scratch? Designing a php page is not that difficult. If it is just a basic page, it is very similar to an html page. I know you mentioned that you were looking for a free program, but that will give you limitations. I love to use adobe dream weaver..was hard at first but now I use it just as efficiently as I do with MS Office apps. You may also want to consider outsourcing. It would be 3 times as fast which means you get to work on your business much quicker. 'astly, since you have a design in mind, you could maybe consider buying a template and modifying it to the way you want it. For example, there are thousands of joomla templates available for free. Once installed on you server it is a piece of cake. I believe they are all in php format as well.
	On Vacation

10-18-2008, 10:12 AM	#3
Simon Nicholls HyperActive Warrior War Room Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: London, United Kingdom Posts: 194 Thanks: 2 Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts Contact Info	Re: How Do I Create a PHP Page from Scratch? Hey, I know basic PHP but just not enough, as my wordpress has frames already I just need to add a new "template" as such - I may give that a go . . . Simon.
	Your Online Golfing Resource My Current Website Auctions I'm new to the IM world, so please . . . go easy on me!

10-20-2008, 03:55 AM	#4
hiphil HyperActive Warrior Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: , , United Kingdom. Posts: 150 Thanks: 13 Thanked 5 Times in 5 Posts	Re: How Do I Create a PHP Page from Scratch? Go check out this site: w3schools.com/php/default.asp This is a great place to learn about php scripting, and it's free!
	Discover How To Make $100 a Day From YouTube - No Camera Needed

10-21-2008, 09:58 AM	#5
kidino Web Marketing Techie War Room Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: , , . Posts: 401 Thanks: 22 Thanked 27 Times in 17 Posts Social Networking	Re: How Do I Create a PHP Page from Scratch? If you want to create a review site, I recommend using WordPress and install the WPReviewSite plugin. The plugin is $97 though... http://www.wpreviewsite.com/ Unless you have something else in mind, I think this will shortcut the process. Or you can take a look at this. It lists out all the many PHP scripts for rating and reviews PHP Review and Rating Script and Programs :: Hot Scripts
	Sell ebook with Paypal - UPLOADnSELL.com - the fastest & easiest way to sell ebook, downloads or files. No fees, no registrations, no installations - just upload and sell, seriously!

10-21-2008, 10:13 AM	#6
JustVisiting aka: Paul Delves War Room Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Malta Posts: 528 Thanks: 186 Thanked 102 Times in 55 Posts	Re: How Do I Create a PHP Page from Scratch? I think you need to check out the Wordpress.org forum. I use Wordpress for creating websites. It's possible to create template pages which are: => straight sales pages (without sidebars) => sidebars left or right, or both => have different widgets => different headers => different footers ...all on the same Wordpress driven website. But there is a learning curve. May be I should put together a template pack that includes all these different configurations and offer it as WSO

10-21-2008, 10:42 AM	#7
kidino Web Marketing Techie War Room Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: , , . Posts: 401 Thanks: 22 Thanked 27 Times in 17 Posts Social Networking	Re: How Do I Create a PHP Page from Scratch? Alright... seems like we are starting to talk about WordPress instead of PHP. But considering the real objective that Simon wants to build a review site, he may want to consider doing it with WordPress... or maybe other solutions listed in HotScripts.com
	Sell ebook with Paypal - UPLOADnSELL.com - the fastest & easiest way to sell ebook, downloads or files. No fees, no registrations, no installations - just upload and sell, seriously!

10-22-2008, 02:21 AM	#10
kidino Web Marketing Techie War Room Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: , , . Posts: 401 Thanks: 22 Thanked 27 Times in 17 Posts Social Networking	Re: How Do I Create a PHP Page from Scratch? Ah... Dan Grossman. I forgot who's the owner of that WPReviewSite. Love your stuffs from Awio
	Sell ebook with Paypal - UPLOADnSELL.com - the fastest & easiest way to sell ebook, downloads or files. No fees, no registrations, no installations - just upload and sell, seriously!

10-22-2008, 03:42 AM	#11
BIG Mike Drunken Greek War Room Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 9,630 Blog Entries: 1 Thanks: 1,847 Thanked 3,671 Times in 1,070 Posts	Re: How Do I Create a PHP Page from Scratch? Simon, Here is what I do - I design the web page first with all of the elements going into it. You can use a regular HTML editor of your choice for this. With it tested and rendering the way you want, now start working in the HTML Code section of the editor. Here, you'll look for each location that will be populated through PHP and write the code for it within that section. Upload it and test it if you don't have PHP installed locally (probably not). Bear in mind that all the code executes on the server and then delivers pure HTML of the page to the visitor's browser, where it get's the final rendering.

10-22-2008, 04:10 AM	#12
ryanstreet CoolRyan.com is Now Live! War Room Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Dayton, OH, USA Posts: 308 Thanks: 35 Thanked 191 Times in 22 Posts Social Networking Contact Info	Re: How Do I Create a PHP Page from Scratch? Crash Course: Download Netbeans IDE, the php version. (free and open source). http://www.netbeans.org/downloads/index.html Install and open Netbeans. Go to PHP Tutorial Run through the entire course. (trust me, its worth it). Start making your page. Put code in the format like below: Your code looks like this: ------------------- <?PHP your code goes here... ?> All other HTML can go here -------------------- Upload file to your server, then point your browser to it. Presto! I hope this helps Ryan Street
	Cool Ryan: Web Development Services

10-22-2008, 04:57 AM	#13
zoobie Advanced Warrior War Room Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: hong kong Posts: 933 Blog Entries: 2 Thanks: 3 Thanked 39 Times in 34 Posts	Re: How Do I Create a PHP Page from Scratch? you don't need a plugin, basically you just need to know how to create simple landing page style wordpress and that's it. basically you just use the default wordpress page and edit that page to chop off all the unnecessary heading, side bar and that';s it. for editor you can use notepad, I don't recommend dreamweaver as this is NOT for programming and they consume too much memory. If you really want an editor, I recommend, jedit, an open source programming editor which do more good than dreamweaver and the best part free! but ezy dollar you need to understand some php codes before you can edit the typical style code will be having <?php ?> in your html files.
	Adsense Templates \|\| Free Keyword Tools \|\| SEO Hong Kong \|\| Relieve Stress \|\| Buy Solar Charger

10-22-2008, 04:05 PM	#14
Simon Nicholls HyperActive Warrior War Room Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: London, United Kingdom Posts: 194 Thanks: 2 Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts Contact Info	Re: How Do I Create a PHP Page from Scratch? Hi All, Sorry about not replying sooner! If possible I'd like to continue to use Wordpress, I'll take a look at that Plugin! I already have Microsoft Expression, although can't afford the 2nd version just yet .(I'm still waiting to make my first $!) ;-) I'd like to have a page, then lots of pages coming off with new products etc - but also self updating . . . . . hmmm! Simon.
	Your Online Golfing Resource My Current Website Auctions I'm new to the IM world, so please . . . go easy on me!

10-22-2008, 10:52 PM	#15
kristine08m Warrior Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 2 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: How Do I Create a PHP Page from Scratch? The first step to get us on our way to programming in PHP would be to set up an ideal development environment. You need a web server software like Apache (which would be what we are going to use) which is only one of many out there. Most of these web servers are open-source meaning that they are free. Now, being free doesn't mean that they are not up to standards for there are standards that are set by independent groups that are comprised of the many developers who together formulate or give a loosely defined set of standards for others to follow. Apache has versions for Linux but there are also for the Windows, Unix and Mac OS. The Intaller can be downloaded along with the detailed manual from PHP.net
	SIGNATURE EDITED

10-30-2008, 08:21 PM	#17
Jonno Active Warrior War Room Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Adelaide , Australia. Posts: 42 Thanks: 15 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts Contact Info	Re: How Do I Create a PHP Page from Scratch? Its a good idea to set up your own server so you can test without being online etc , get yourself a copy of wamp (wamp.com) its free and a very easy install, it installs apache, php and mysql on your pc / mac / linux As for the suggestion of copying a php file, this would have to be on an example page that has a marked up example to copy, downloading a sites .php page or doing a view source will only show the code generated by the php, not the actual php code (which is more than likely in a different file). There are heaps of free tutes on the web and as mentioned before w3schools.com/php/default.asp is a great free resource. hope that helps!

11-15-2008, 10:26 PM	#20
-Nick- Warrior Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: India Posts: 17 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post Social Networking	Re: How Do I Create a PHP Page from Scratch? I am not able to post links but you can check my sig and first link in it. There is a blog post about setting webserver on your PC. Once that is set you can just open notepad write <?php ?> and it is PHP.
	Webmaster Blog \| Buy Sell Domains \| Software Downloads \| Web Directory

11-16-2008, 09:57 PM	#22
Plinko Technology Adviser Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Canada Posts: 74 Thanks: 5 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts	Re: How Do I Create a PHP Page from Scratch? I haven't followed this thread that close but I must give recognition to Dan's WP plugin. Dan always give great advice in the forum and I recognize him as an accomplished and talented fellow programmer. You'll get a great review site for an awesome deal and save yourself a ton of time through his WSO.
	There's a difference between effective and efficient programming. Anyone can be effective. I strive to be efficient.