Newbie with questions

Hello, I'm Cep.

I am pretty good with computers hardware and software, I dabble in various game modding projects, I know HTML and have some knowledge of Java and DHTML.

I want to learn PHP and serverside development of websites simply because I am fed up of other people doing them and then leaving.

I want to ask some completely n00b questions first because I find a lot of information surrounding PHP is just,

1. downright confusing
2. mostly deliberate jargan

However I want to make a guess that .php files are not like .html files as in a html file contains code and the information which is interpreted and viewed via a browser.

Whereas php files just contain code which calls the information from a database or adds information from the browser.

Second question is html in links call other html pages. However do php links call different php scripts or areas of the database it uses?

As you may be going ur going to have to forgive me hehe.

Anyway if you could help be that would be fantastic, I would rather be taught and use my own trial and error then read some massive tutorial.

Thanks!

Hey Cep - welcome to the forums!

As you mentioned, PHP is a server-side technology, that allows a programmer to perform tasks on the server-side only. That is, it has no function in a users browser. This is because, when a user requests a php page, only the finished, compiled HTML is returned to the users browser. i.e. There is no PHP code in the final output. This is how all server-side languages (PHP, ASP, JSP, ASP.NET) work, but for some reason, seems to be one of the hardest concepts for people to grasp. This explanation should also answer your second question. If you have any other PHP related queries, post them in the PHP forum, and one of the many PHP guru's will be only to glad to help you out!

hey cep,
what helped me when i was learning asp and php was taking other peoples scripts and breaking them. playing with a working script, breaking it, and then trying to fix it again taught me more quickly than just reading a manual.

best of luck to you