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php question about brackets ()

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Colin:
I disagree, I think a book is less helpful than an online course. W3 schools is a fantastic resource for basic procedural PHP. If you learn online you can apply the concepts while your are learning them. With a book you tend to read on without fully understanding the concepts. Yes, there may be some more advanced concepts hidden in the courses, but overall they do a good job of explaining the content in a simple manner.

MrPhil:
My objection is that most of the online courses I've seen have been built on the assumption that you already know basic programming principles. The OP does not, and needs a very basic take-you-by-the-hand introduction to procedural programming. Personally, I think ink-on-dead-tree books do a better job of this. Of course, I date back to prehistoric times, so that may just be me...

ApplianceJunk:

--- Quote ---I think ink-on-dead-tree books do a better job of this.
--- End quote ---

Oh no. I downloaded it to my iPad. ;)

Arantor:
I personally find online versions better, if only because it's much easier to update/get updated when there's a typo. You'd be surprised how many typos I've found in publications (other than intentional ones to prove a point)

It also doesn't help that you have folks like me that make it look easier than it is :P

What I will say is this: I came to PHP years ago after VBScript/Classic ASP, and before that a variety of languages across a variety of systems, Basics and assembly between ZX Spectrum, BBC Microcomputer, Amiga, and PC, and that brought a few interesting lessons to the fore.

The most important lesson of which is: it's actually much easier to learn to program when you have far fewer distractions. You still get all the fun of writing logic and handling decisions, branching, loops, etc. in crude little games for a ZX Spectrum, and you get something meaningful out of a couple of hundred lines of code that you can actually understand how it all works together.

See, when I started learning to program, I didn't have all the distractions and complexities of PHP to work with. I didn't have to worry about classes or even what we would know as discrete functions; ZX Basic didn't have them. You just had line numbers, that ran in order unless you told it otherwise with a GOTO or a GO SUB. While I'd shudder at writing in such a language today having grown very used to the conveniences and structures imposed by higher level languages like PHP, I can't help but think they made such an excellent foundation for doing what I do.

ApplianceJunk:
The book I linked to above has the sample code online that you can download and work with instead of having to type it out of the book.

They suggest in the book though that you type out the sample code to get a better learning experience. And then if you can't figure out why your code is not working as it should use your editor to compare your code to the sample code you downloaded in the file.

I'm just glad you guys are around to help answer stupid questions I have. :)

Back when I learned html (I know it's not programing, lol) I had a few books along with a 486 computer and a dial-up internet connection.
Had no idea what I was going to do with HTML but the first HTML book I come across in the book store looked interesting.

A year or so after playing around with html and static websites I found SMF.

Now I want to learn how to do more then edit other peoples mods or at least get a better understanding of how php code works.

There are obviously some really pros around here at SMF. I don't know if most of you do this type of thing for a living or it's just a hobby, but I hope to learn what I can from you guys and gals.

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