SMLP Resource List:
Paper-Based Resources
I have had some previous experience learning a programming language Visual Basic in a similar timescale as I had a HND assignment a couple of years ago where this was relevant.
During this time I found that the books produced by Sams Publishing provided me with a relevant base on which to start my learning.
As such I will be using the following books to start my formal learning of PHP and MySQL.
1. Sams Teach Yourself PHP in 10 Minutes, by Chris Newman. (2005)
This book break down the process of learning PHP into 25 chapters. Each of these chapters should take in the region of 10 minutes to work through. One of the reasons for choosing this book was due to the physical size. On the shelf in the shop, next to books on the same subject (most of which were larger than telephone books) this book stood out as something I may be able to use within the 8 week time scale.
2. Sams Teach Yourself MySQL in 10 Minutes, by Chris Newman. (2006)
Exactly the same as the previous book this one breaks down the process of learning MySQL into 25 chapters. Each which should take around 10 minutes to work through. As I had already chosen the previous book to learn the PHP side of things it makes sense to supplement this with a book from the same author which should hopefully compliment it. Again this book is similar in size to the previous one meaning I should have no problem working through it within my allotted time scales.
3. PHP 6 and MySQL 5 for Dynamic Web Sites: Visual QuickPro Guide by Larry Ullman (2008)
I have also looked at this book as it provides a pictorial view of what should be happening on most of the pages. I think this will be useful should I not understand and it should be helpful to clarify things. This book also breaks things down into very simple instructions. This book will be used should I feel the other two did not provide me with enough knowledge as it seems to be a more comprehensive guide breaking things down into greater detail.
Online Resources
4. w3schools.com online tutorials
This is a site I have come across before when learning both XHTML and CSS. It provides a great number of basic tutorials on all sorts of languages including both php and MySQL. It provides information in relatively short pages and on most of these will have a working example where the code can be edited to provide an interactive learning experience. I intend to begin my online learning with these tutorials.
5. webmonkey.com online tutorials
This site bills itself as the web developers resource. I was also advised by a peer it has a very helpful and easy to understand beginners tutorial on php. The site also has a whole programming languages section which I may find useful.
6. php.net
The home of php on the net this site should provide me with with all the information I need to know about php. There also appears to be a php manual which breaks subjects down into helpful chunks and also provide coded examples of how to use the language.
Other Resources
In order to be able to test the things I build offline I have also downloaded WAMP and MAMP servers and installed these on my PC and iMac respectively as otherwise I would have to upload everything each time I wanted to carry out some testing.