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For All You Programming Experts

by reynoldscorb
13 replies
I've taught myself HTML and CSS over the last 3 months. I have been able to build many of my own websites, but I'm looking to make them more appealing and interactive for viewers.

I'd like to look into either Javascript or PHP.

Which do you recommend I try and learn next and what is the best way to do so?
#experts #programming
  • Profile picture of the author darthdeus
    If you want more attractive websites, than PHP won't help you much, since it's only on the server side. On the other hand, JavaScript allows you to create fancy and very fast user interface.

    I strongly recommend jQuery. It's a JavaScript library that extends it to the way that you can learn and program much faster than in pure JavaScript.

    PHP is only useful if you want to do something on the server side, like your own CMS or forum.
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  • Profile picture of the author reynoldscorb
    Great, thanks a lot!
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  • Profile picture of the author mywebwork
    The best way of creating a more interactive site is to do an AJAX type design, this produces a user interface that operates in a smooth fashion without screen refreshes.

    AJAX uses a combination of JavaScript on the front end and a server-side language like PHP. So really to create user-interactive designs you'll need to learn a little of both.

    JQuery is a good suggestion, however I think you'll find it more useful when you have the fundamentals of JavaScript under your belt.

    As usual the W3 Schools is an excellent place to brush up on both JavaScript and PHP.


    Best of luck with your studies.

    Bill
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  • Profile picture of the author Robert Plank
    PHP is way easier to learn than JavaScript, in my opinion... and I've been professionally programming with both for over 10 years.
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  • Profile picture of the author Manfred Ekblad
    Here is an updated list of Javascript libraries and development tools:

    JS Dev Tools -- A roundup of Javascript development tools and libraries

    The libraries listed there can definitely make your site "more appealing and interactive for visitors", once you learn how to use them. There is also a lot of demos and tutorials online, so you can get your code running without to much trouble.

    Later, when you want to save data on your server (user information, content, picture, video...) you'll need PHP or some other server-side language.
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  • Profile picture of the author dsbonn
    Hi there...

    Javascript and PHP are completely different and one replace the other.

    Javascript is a client side script, and it runs on the browser. Javascript can be used for input form validation or pop up alerts etc.

    PHP is a server side script. The script runs on the server hosting the site. With php (for example) you can make database queries and display non static content on the page.

    So...you need both js and php, depending on what you need to achieve.
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  • Profile picture of the author GerryMedia
    Hi Reynold,

    PHP and Javascript (and javascript libraries like JQuery and Mootools) can combine well to give your site visitors an interactive experience. Javascript plays well with dropdown menus, scrolling images (carousels) and effects like Lightbox.

    PHP on the otherhand, allows you to store and interact with variables passed in URLs and forms, and interact with a MySQL database to present dynamic content to site visitors.

    I suggest you consider learning basic PHP and then progressing to PHP framework like Codeigniter so you write less code and you take advantage of Object Oriented Programming.

    For Javascript, you can also start with basic and then progress to exploring libraries such as Jquery, Mootools, and the Yahoo UI library. These help you write less code.

    For editing PHP and JS, I suggest using NotePad++ or the free Netbeans IDE.

    Gerry
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    • Profile picture of the author jwiggs
      The choice between Javascript and PHP isn't really an either/or. I'd say that to really become a top-flight web developer you're going to need to learn both. That said, I second the sentiments of a few of the other posters that learning javascript is going to have a more immediate impact on the experience your users have when they interact with your site. There is a lot of nice stuff you can do with JS even without any real extra functionality on the server to support it. And yes, do look into jQuery; once you get a grip on its functionality, it really lets you do a lot of cool stuff without a lot of coding on your part.

      However, a lot of the best capabilities of javascript come when using AJAX, which generally presupposes that you're going to be doing work on the server to respond to the AJAX requests. Sooner or later you're going to need to learn PHP to fully support on the backend, all that cool stuff you're doing on the frontend with JS. I'd suggest you start with JS, get a decent start on it, then start picking up PHP as soon as you get to feeling comfortable with JS. You'll be glad you did both in the end.

      best,
      Jim
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  • Profile picture of the author digital29
    Javascript ( and JQuery ) help you make your site easier, more friendly-user, add some small animations, etc.
    PHP is the real stuff, and helps you build huge interactivity, databases ( with MySQL ), membership, etc

    Javascript - like HTML and CSS, is about how a site looks
    PHP - how a site works
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    • Profile picture of the author Juturna
      For interaction, I would say invest your time in PHP. Its EXTREMELY easy to learn... and you could probably get the main idea of it in a day or two...

      If your going for appeal, why not something like Flash? Would make things both interactive and appealing. Who doesn't like a nice flash site? (This would take a lot more time to learn though)
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  • Profile picture of the author webdollarz
    if you want to get started quickly, learn php.. and wherever you need to integrate javascript, you can search for the code on the net.
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  • Profile picture of the author kdavies
    Go for javascript and learn how to use a javascript library like YUI or JQuery. But make sure you know the raw basics. Also, be sure to download firebug for Firefox.
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  • Profile picture of the author <CrGeary.com/>
    Your getting mixed answers here, i guess the question is:

    Would you rather work with front-end development or back-end?, I myself would recommend PHP, because i believe it to be of more importance, after all, Javascript isn't enabled on all browsers, which means that some people will not benifit from it.

    Also, all javascript code is visible to the user, if they want to look for it, PHP is hidden, which solves another security issue.
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