Before you get started with PHP, you should probably have a good understanding of HTML, CSS and some Javascript. While looking for web development stuff online, I found some interesting resources to learn these three languages from, one of them being a website called Dash.
Dash is a website that teaches you HTML, CSS and Javascript through a series of mini projects; where the first one is to build a personal website. It allows you to experiment by being able to see your output directly on the screen in front of you, while also giving you instructions on what to do next. What I like most about dash is that you can build these projects from scratch and so you know exactly how each element is connected to another. The projects are quite limited though; the website doesn’t teach you EVERYTHING there is to know about web development, but it gives you a pretty good start.
Another two project based websites that teach HTML, CSS and Javascript are: Code Avengers and Code Academy.
Another website that I’d recommend is the W3Schools website. Here, you can find all there is to know related to HTML, CSS, Javascript, PHP, SQL, and JQuery. It’s basically your reference for web development. So far, we’ve been using this website in our Internet and Web programming course and it’s come in pretty handy when you want refer back to something. I do find it a bit unconnected though - meaning, if you wanted to start from scratch, you’re not really sure where to begin. That’s where, I think, projects come in handy.
After you’re familiar with these the building blocks of web development, you can start dabbling in a bit of PHP. Personally, I like guides which show me how to do things from scratch, and luckily, I found just that when looking for “Learning PHP step by step”: a post written by Kristain Guevara. His post, which you can find here, takes you through creating a PHP website from the very beginning. It includes, along with other things, how to set up your server, how to set up a login interface and how to create a database.
I guess that’s it for now. If you find any other resources that you’d like to share, you’re welcome to edit this post, or make your own.