??Download PHP??

Hi guys,

I'm starting to learn php so please help me out here.

I clicked on the link of a php file and it came up with the downloading dialog box. Is this because the web server doesn't support php?? Any suggestions of ways to solve this problem?

Thanks

LeX

There are various ways to install WAMP (an acronym for Windows

Apache MySQL PHP) on your desktop, which will allow you to test

and develop PHP and MySQL applications on your desktop or

laptop without being connected to the internet. Scott Galvin has a

WAMP download/install at <http://thinkro.com/content/resources.php>

I used it and it was fairly easy, but far from automatic.

I could not get it to work until I bought the following book, which told me

how to change a few lines in a few configuration files.



SAMS Teach Yourself PHP, MySQL and Apache

by Julie C. Meloni

$30 USD

ISBN 0-672-32620--5

http://www.samspublishing.com

This book comes with a CD which has a complete WAMP install on it, though I have not tried it out yet.



Since I had already installed Scott Galvins WAMP download from

http://thinkro.com/content/resources.php

http://www.hotscripts.com/PHP/Softw...Kits/index.html

, I did not bother trying the SAMS CD install.
I think I shall try that on the Dell XP (Home Edition, not Pro) at work.

At home I am using an old Win 98 machine.

In order to solve my problems and make PHP and Apache work together, it was necessary for me to follow the instructions found on pg. 56 of Chapter 3, "Installing and Configuring PHP"

I used Windows Explorer Search to find php4ts.dll and copy it into the Windows System folder (where all the other dll files are located).

Then, I had to use Windows Explorer search to locate httpd.conf and, editing it with DOC, use the find function to determine that there was no statement

LoadModule php4_module c:/php4/php/php4apache2.dll (which should be added at the end of the #LoadModule and LoadModule statements) and also I found no statement

Come to think of it, there was also a nasty missing dll, and I had to search to find mdac_typ.exe 7.5 meg patch to install that missing dll.
AddType application/x-httpd-php .php .phptml .html

(which should be added in the section # AddType allows you to add your override to the MIME configuration)

So once I added those two lines to the Apache httpd.conf file, and rebooted to reload the Apache server, then suddenly Apache was successfully recognizing and parsing php files (which it had not been doing previously).

Another good book, but of a more advanced nature is Secure PHP Development by M. Kabir , publisher WILEY. ISBN 0-7654-4966-9 which also comes with a CD which has a WAMP install, plus all the code for 50 applications which he has developed.

A third book, which is very thin and inexpensive, but excellent for a beginner, is by Mike McGrath, entitled PHP for Windows and Linux in Easy Steps, published by Barnes & Noble ISBN 0-7607-4786-5

NOW AS TO THE QUESTION of a host which supports PHP and MySQL, some do and some do not.

I chose easyhost.com as a host with a personal account which costs only $4.00 USD per month (paid semi annually), and they support PHP and MySQL, and it seems to work just fine for a beginner like me.

You may download an excellent free PHP editor from this link http://hapedit.free.fr/ as well as another free editor from http://www.pleskina.com/

You may download a free FTP (file transfer program) which you will need to upload and download files to a website from http://www.smartftp.com/download/

And if you need a free zip/unzip program go to here http://free-backup-software.net/download.htm

another excellent source of help is to download mIRC irc client, and join the #phpfreaks channel.

You must be patient and polite and persistant, (but not pesky), until someone feels like answering your question, but people there are quite knowledgable, and it is realtime response.

Visit this link for detail on downloading the mIRC chat client and joining #phpfreaks

http://www.phpfreaks.com/ircchan.php

I do hope that sharing my initial experiences with getting into PHP ans MySQL will help some other beginners.

Also I suppose it helps in your profile at this forum if you provide an AOL AIM and/or an ICQ contact number. And then possibly you will get to know people who can help you out, and then as you learn more and more yourself, you may start helping others.

And remember that search engines like google.com, properly used, can uncover so many tips and downloads and scripts and answers to questions.

There will always be people around willing to help you with particular questions, but if you really want to gain some competency in PHP and MySQL then you must be prepared to invest many hours in study, reading, practice exercises, until you build up a fluency. And you should be prepared to devote some time every day, even if only an hour, to read or review notes. Its just like playing a musical instrument. People can give you lessons, advice, tips, demonstrations, but without the long hours of practice you will make no progress.