Archive for the 'Basics' Category

Patience is a virtue


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Trying to learn a new programming language like PHP can get a bit intimidating, especially if you have never had experience with other programming languages before. But the toughest part is really the starting point. Once you get past that, it is really just a matter of practicing. Being patient and learning the basics one at a time will help you get there. Here are some tips to help you learn simple PHP:

PHP is a language that uses scripting to supplement functions that HTML lacks. With PHP, you can collect and process data. Using this skill, you can create other functions to produce data that is more specialized.

  • Get the tools. You will need a text editor.
  • Get an FTP. FTP is used to exchange files from your computer to a remote server. We use to this to connect to a LAN or to an Internet site.
  • Practice creating files using PHP.

Use online resources and tutorials for added reference.

RSIs: Programmer’s Nightmare


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A programmer’s job requires him to keep his eyes focused on the glowing computer screen and keying in data by constantly pounding the keys of the keyboard. Programmers love what they do that it even makes them glued on their seats in front of their PCs which even they admit to be obsessive. But the consequence of their love affair with the computer is the painful overuse injuries that can keep them from doing their fist love—programming— and even simple tasks such as opening a mineral water bottle and turning the doorknob.
Repetitive Strain Injuries are acquired by the overuse of muscles and/or holding them in an unnatural position for a long time.
There are two common repetitive strain injury or RSIs are carpal tunnel syndrome and forearm tendonitis. If untreated, carpal tunnel syndrome can sometimes cause permanent nerve damage, and forearm tendonitis can harm muscles, tendons and ligaments that are essential for repetitive motion.
Standard keyboards require programmers to hold their hand in a fixed and unnatural position that can strain the forearms. Some computer tables may also be too high for them that when they key in data, their wrists are flexed which puts too much pressure on the median nerve. Constant pounding on the keys can cause tiny tears in the muscles and ligaments. In case no adjustments are made, this minor strain and discomfort can eventually lead into disabling injuries that can take months to heal. In some cases, even turning a doorknob produces extreme pain that is cause by hypersensinized nerves on the wrists.
Good news: RSIs are preventable and treatable. Regular breaks from typing, exercises concentrating on the hands, wrists and fingers, maintaining good posture in sitting and proper arm placement at the keyboard and a healthy workplace will go a long way towards preventing them.

What is PHP Programming?

PHP is an acronym for Hypertext Preprocessor, used to design for designing web pages that are dynamic.
It was originally created by Rasmus Lerdorf in 1995 but is now produced and maintained by The PHP Group. It is considered as a free software by the Free Software Foundation.
It is widely-used as scripting language for web development and can be embedded into HTML. It has PHP codes as an input, and the web page as an output and it runs on a web server.
PHP began on 1994 and originally stood for Personal Home Page. The tools that Lerdorf created was used to display his resume on his webpage and to keep track of the traffic that his webpage is getting.

Web Page Parsing

3.png When writing an internet address in the address bar of the browser and clicking enter to start going to that address, you send a request to the web server and it will follow the address of the URL and will pick up all the contents of the target location.
Always keep in mind that whatever you see in the browser an output of the HTML of the actual code of the web page that you have requested.
What is parsing? It is the process of converting of the code to the HTML that you desire by the engines of the web parser’s servers.
When requesting the URL, the web server will follow the location and request for the contents in that server.

PHP Basics

1.jpgPHP or Hypertext Preprocessor is an HTML embedded scripting language that is used to create web pages that are dynamic. The PHP script is embedded in an HTML document.

PHP offers advantages like cross-platform operability, it is compatible with a wide range of data bases, most current web servers support this, communicates with a large number of network protocols, not limited to output that are HTML, and it has a strong capability of processing texts.

You need to install the processor of PHP and have your server be associated with .php files. When PHP is already installed in your computer, what you need to do now is to place the php files in the web directories and they will be automatically parsed whenever someone visits that page.