Carlos On Web :: Going techie without going broke

How much does it cost to create a website? As a web developer, I often hear that same question over and over from business acquaintances I get into contact with. Some would like to build a business website, thinking that it is a cool thing to do. Others would think that building a website is much like typing a thesis paper on a word processor and therefore it should be easy and cheap. If you were to answer that question, what would your response be?

Three hundred thousand Pesos? Fifty thousand? Five thousand? One thousand? Just a cup of McDonald’s hot chocolate?

Any Web Developer worth his salt and who has been in the business of developing websites — or Web Applications for that matter — is aware that the first question raised above is actually incomplete. It doesn’t even give you a hint as to the nature of the project. So any figure you that you will come up with based on that question alone is in fact meaningless. But, on the side of the customer (the one asking for a price quotation), it is a good way of spotting the kind of web developer you are talking to – whether an amateur or a real professional.

“Hey Carlos, if you don’t come up with a figure right then and there, how will the client know if he will hire you to do the project or find someone else?”

Thanks for asking and you have a good point. First, I don’t regret losing a client who doesn’t know what he is about to do. If I should be working WITH a client, I’d like to do it with someone who awards a project not on the basis of price alone, but on the benefits he will derive in knowing that he is working with a real problem solver. Second, as a web professional, I always make it a point to remember that I am also a consultant. It is my job to dissect what my client’s real needs are and offer a few suggestions. It could be free during the initial stage, I’d be glad to do that. Just because a client wants a business website doesn’t automatically mean that it is the perfect pill for him to shallow.

“So Mr. Consultant, how do you proceed?”

If you are new to Web Development Business, read carefully. I am about to share some priced possessions that I’ve been keeping in my treasure chest of wisdom learned from being a practicing web developer and software consultant. I am assuming here that you are dealing with a client who relies on you for guidance in showing him the right way to develop his website.

Here are the five points to remember:

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One of you the ways you can provide interactivity to your website is by providing data entry forms where site visitors can send their orders, feedbacks, inquiries, subscriptions and the like. Forms are even more important in database-driven Web Applications. Can you imagine anything useful in a web application that doesn’t provide forms. Forms are primarily the main interface where users get to interact with an application.

In tutorial, you will learn how to handle HTML forms in PHP. I am assuming that you are thoroughly familiar with creating HTML Forms. Can you do it by hand without the aid of and HTML Editor? If not, be nice to your self and fire-up that DreamWeaver Icon you placed on your desktop and get ready to rock and roll.
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Under normal conditions, an execution engine like the PHP always executes code instructions on a line-by-line basis. That is, it performs the first statement, then the second statement, etcetera, until the last statement. A program like this would not be really be doing any useful application.

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Dealing with data always involves the use of constants and variables. This is the primary topic of this tutorial. The concept is really easy to understand and by the end of this tutorial, you should gain the following knowledge:

• Differentiate a variable, a constant and a literal.
• Learn the different data types supported by PHP.
• Learn how to create and use variables and constants in PHP Script
• Create and use simple PHP Arrays
• Know the difference between PHP String in Single Quotes and in Double Quotes

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What I like about PHP is that it is very easy to learn. You will find that out for yourself after this simple lesson on the basic syntax of PHP. At the end of this tutorial, you should be able to:

• Identify the PHP Tag.
• Write a simple script and save it to the server.
• Run a simple PHP Script from the browser.
• Learn about PHP Statements.

Just like most modern Web Scripting Languages, PHP is also a server-side, HTML-embeded script; that is, you can mix PHP code into your HTML tags. To demonstrate what this means in actuality, consider the program snippets shown. Listing 1: sample.php

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