Help a Noob

[macarthur]

Ok, Heres the deal...
At the moment I know nothing of php except that the name is a recursive acronym

Anyway, My friend is really into php and we made a bet that I cant learn php.
I have a client that wants to make puzzles and answers to these puzzles.
Its the kind that you try to find the quote like a maze w/o borders you follow letters.
Anyway, I was wondering if any of you guru's could help me learn towards the direction of that end.
I could do it in photoshop in less than 10 minits but he seems to think that php could do a better job.

So what do I want?

1) An interface, that lets me typen vertical and horozontal numbers that corospond to the number of squares Like 8x8 would be like a checker board that sort of thing. (or just a selection that would have a few pre built ones ( he says that there are only a few sizes))

2) Be able to click in the boxes to draw lines between them in a string fasion. (all of them would be connect in the exact center of the boxes and they are not that dynamic Ie they dont double back on each other)

3) Be able to print the final picture

(optional) After the lines are made up be able to type in the boxes and add letters, (hence the puzzle)


Ok, I'm not asking anyone to do this for me, that would be dumb, I'm asking for some help and pointers that could get me started, looking at the right tutorials to get me off in the right direction.

Cheers and thanks for any help you can bestow on my tatterd brain...

[Technosailor]

My head hurts.

[macarthur]

Why?

[Technosailor]

I'm sure what you said can be done, my mind is just fried from 36 hours of PHP this weekend.

I've got a case of the Mondays.

[macarthur]

Cool, My head was fried from php after reading the first tut so

Cheers

[platinum]

yeah my head hurts too

Sounds like something more suited to flash or javascript rather than PHP though You can do it in photoshop? I don't think photoshop would be much help

[Technosailor]

yeah, CSS/Dhtml sounds to me more the ticket. Flash if you REALLY want to.

[macarthur]

In photoshop I could set up guides and make it a graphic already rather than starting from (external source Php, flash css dhtml whatever) then making it a graphic.

It would take about 3 minits for the first one in PS and less for the rest
Cheers

[lieut_data]

Anyway, My friend is really into php...

Morning Macarthur ;-)

and we made a bet that I cant learn php.

Allow me to rephrase that -- I give you free hosting for another year, if you succeed in learning a reasonable amount of PHP (like you did with learning HTML) -- I'm fairly positive you *can*, but just won't... thus this bet is more of an encouragement

he seems to think that php could do a better job.

PHP, in a web environment -- rather than designing a custom app in Java or C++, PHP combined with GD would be an interesting, and highly useful application for designing this sort of interface...

So what do I want?

1) An interface, that lets me typen vertical and horozontal numbers that corospond to the number of squares Like 8x8 would be like a checker board that sort of thing. (or just a selection that would have a few pre built ones ( he says that there are only a few sizes))

This is where I would disagree -- I'd suggest that the PHP script output a grid (via GD) corresponding to previously set height / width, and number of cells.

2) Be able to click in the boxes to draw lines between them in a string fasion. (all of them would be connect in the exact center of the boxes and they are not that dynamic Ie they dont double back on each other)

Once the user clicks on the imagemap, the coordinates are passed to the script, it draws a new line (saving the coordinates in the session). Since the system knows where the cells are, the centres are suprisingly easy to calculate.

3) Be able to print the final picture

That would be up the browser, but since only one image would be outputted, it would be a simple matter to copy / save...

(optional) After the lines are made up be able to type in the boxes and add letters, (hence the puzzle)

At this point, it gets more practical to use Flash or an application, however it's still possible with a combination of JavaScript and PHP, whereby when one letter is typed, it auto jumps you to the next box, etc...

Ok, I'm not asking anyone to do this for me, that would be dumb, ...

And if you did, it would invalidate the bid ;-)

Cheers and thanks for any help you can bestow on my tatterd brain...

: lol :

[Technosailor]

[macarthur]

Quite

[lateralis]

Why dont you just get your head into one of the 100s of PHP books around and learn it for yourself?? Like what the rest of us did. It aint easy being a genius!

[Technosailor]

Actually, I never learned from a book. I learned from asking questions here on Sitepoint. There's validity to him asking.

[macarthur]

Actually, I never learned from a book. I learned from asking questions here on Sitepoint. There's validity to him asking.

So there

[lateralis]

damn! serves me right for not reading every post! oh well, you win! sorry.

but still, i recommend it.

[macarthur]

Well, 100 percent of the people think it cant be done...

[Technosailor]

It can be done, but you'd have to use javascript too.It would be a seriously tricky (but clever) deal...

[Dr Livingston]

Laughs Out Loud ? Yes I agree... PHP for this project folks ? Must be off yer heads...

As stated earlier this is dynamic HTML - Javascript and the Doc Obj Model with a twist of CSS thrown in for good measure.

Use PHP and GD to draw out a static grid ? Why bother when a GIF can do the job and use a lot less resources ? Just one point though I could give a dozen more if pushed.

As to your bet you've lost if you have to learn PHP solely for the task you want, on the otherhand you've won if you take the time and make the effort to sit down, install Apache et al and begin to learn PHP for the purposes the langauge was designed for - that is to develop interactive web applications and web sites;

Not client puzzles

[macarthur]

Maybe Ill stick w/ ps.

all you people in this php fourm are not really helpful

Good bye and no thanks for any help to some of you.

Thanks to some of you at the same time

[lieut_data]

Use PHP and GD to draw out a static grid ? Why bother when a GIF can do the job and use a lot less resources ? Just one point though I could give a dozen more if pushed.

Which would defeat the purpose of a resizeable grid with a varying number of cells....

I'd be interested in knowing some more reasons why you are opposed. (if only for my own benefit)

[lieut_data]

Good bye and no thanks for any help to some of you.

I really hope that's not directed at me....

[macarthur]

If I was mean I would give out neg rep... But I'm not so I won't...