Food&Bev Site - coding questions - help!

Posted: Wed Sep 06, 2006 10:17 pm

Ok so let me give you the low down on what I'm doing to you'll have a better idea of what I'm looking to do..

I'm creating a Food&Bev Industry website.. possibilities for content are endless.. but getting that content in correctly is where I need some help.

I'm not an idiot as far as coding goes.. but don't bother replying talking to me in gibberish.. I'd love an example for me to work off of if possible.. As long as this takes off as it should from a local venue of information to hopefully a nationwide reality I'd be more than willing to compensate the people who go the distance..

Ok so here goes.. My guess is that this will probably be rather simple to code.. but to get them to work together will be even better.

I'll want to be able to "Input" things into a database.. for example..

I'll want to input a database for Resturaunts and their companie's description.

I'll want to input a database for Wine and the Wine'ries description.
When inputing the Wine, I'll want to be able to select from a drop down field the type of grape used (Merlot, Cabernet, Pinot's, etc.) so that it can later be sorted for easy search of a wine.

Same goes for liquor.
I'd like to be able to input a variety of ingredients, and then choosing a liquor type (Vodka, Whiskey, Scotch, etc.) for another field to update with the current listing of liquor in that field. All this so I can have a drink mix db.

I'd prefer if everything had the ability to incorporate comments (not required though).

Now - here's where I think it will get tricky.. because to my understanding all that uptop is just creating fields and sql queries and to have it relist at a later time.

I want the majority of these things to be interactive..

Here's the process I'll go through when adding a Resturaunt.

Input Resturaunt & Companies description.. I'll then, if available, input any Happy Hour info.. then I'll go through the rigerous process of selecting Wines/Liquors that the Resturaunt offers.

Now when viewing the "Resturaunt" Directory.. I'll choose the particular resturaunt I'd like to learn about.. then it will display the following.

Resturaunt Info (including the type of resturaunt, average PPA (term used in Food&Bev stating the avg. cost of each person eating), Company description and URL)

Then listed is their Wine selection.. all the wines should link to the "Wine Cellar (thats what I'll call it)" module so that the person can learn about the particular wine that is selected. The wines are listed depending on me/admin inputing the wines/liquor.. however no wine/liquor can be added to a resturaunt listing unless I've added it into the liquor/wine listings.

Then I'd also like for each resturaunt listing to search the reviews table for its particular resturaunt.. not listing them all, just a handful.. 5 or 10..

Now I know this seems like alot.. but I just like to be clear about what I'm trying to achieve. At the moment the only way that I can do this is to create "Content" pages for all, and manually linking them from one to another.. but the main reason I want the coding behind it is because if you know anything about wines then you know there are TONS of them, so when I happen to add a new wine from a very popular vineyard that a handful of resturuants decide to carry.. it would help to just be able to point and click.

Any and all help would be highly appreciated..

I'm not looking for someone to hand this to me, but more or less give me an example (as I'm not really familiar w/ php language itself - find me an html to php converter and we're in business!).. I'll obviously need help continuing through the project until its complete probably.. At the moment the interlinking feature isn't necessary.. as there is so much for me to input.. let me know if anyone has any questions..

And I know there is one of you out there.. so.. please - don't tell me to suck it up and pay someone.. I'm 19 struggling through full time school / work.. If I had the money I would =\

Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2006 6:12 am

Quick thought.. I could easily figure out how to put all the info in through phpMyAdmin, however I'm still stuck on how to get it to recall onto a page..

wine_merlot
wine_chardonnay
etc

or

liq_vodka
liq_rum
liq_teq
etc

Even if there was some sort of editor out there that would let me just input the info about the SQL tables and then sort how I wanted it displayed that'd be awsome (looked w/o prevail..(sp))..

Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2006 7:21 am

It is understandable that you can't pay someone. And your ambition is commendable. And using PHPnuke is a good way to learn but you need some fundamentals first. But I'd also recommend adding a dose of patience because otherwise you are likely to get frustrated and give up after a while.

More specifically you need to take at least one database course and one programming course and just work thru the fundamentals of PHP and accessing MYSQL databases a step at a time. You could use your proposed wine/food database as an example but there are some fundamentals that you need to know first. Yeah, you could buy a book, like PHP and MYSQL Web Development by Welling and Thomson but if you have no background in this stuff it's hard to START that way.

You also need to know HTML forms and how they work and how they interact with a database and then figure out how to use them within Nuke. In other words there are a number of steps here and a number of building blocks and unless you break them down into manageable units you will never get anywhere.

Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2006 7:37 am

fkelly,

Luckily I'm a very patient person.. I don't burn-out easily.. don't let this rush of ambition make you think that I'll give up after a months work.. this isn't something I expect to just pop out of thin air and smack me on the face..

Honestly, I'd rather it take some time so I do learn what it is that is being done..

Quite familiar with HTML tbh, been self-taught in the computer biz since I was 12, thank my mother for that.. building me a paper-weight of a computer when I was young and handing me those giant floppy discettes playing Super Gonzo..

But your right, I need a place to start.. courses unfortunetly are out of the question, my work load at the moment is too stressful as it is.. but its the only way I qualify for my kaching!

grant..

Obviously I have some spare time..

So, you tell me.. where do you feel I should start.. I don't feel that "having the information" is necessary at this point due to the fact, if I have no where to put it why go through the struggle of collecting it.. once this is up and running I'll never finish.. completely ongoing..

Unfortunetly through my "self-taught" ways I've only managed to learn the things that concerned me at the time, the things that I was able to make use of.. so you say "Html + Database".. creating forms is no problem-o.. but having them create the fields into MySQL, then later having them pull back out? I don't see it in HTML, rather in PHP its noted for its interaction w/ sql injections,etc..

I'm thinking maybe its possible to examine modules within PHPNuke to learn from it.. such as maybe the Reviews module.. kind of what I'd like to end up having when looking at the "Wine Listing" or "Drink Mix Listing".. I know your able to change the fields in a user registration as long as you apply such changes to your nuke_ tables aswell.. why not here? Create a copy of the module, but change it to your liking, adding/removing the input/recall of tables..

This are mearly ideas.. guidance is obviously a must on my part.

Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2006 7:51 am

For whats its worth, thats how I first got involved with PHP/mySQL.
I looked at several modules that did something similar to what I wanted and slowly took them apart to find out 'what does these few lines of code do and why?' - that way you learn as you 'tweak'.

If you look at simliar modules, you can compare the code and once you have a basic understanding and ask, well why did this coder do this in this way, yet this other coder did it a different way to get the same result - which is the best way?

You can then take what you have learnt to start creating your own module.

Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2006 7:52 am

If you can't take courses then I'd recommend that book I mentioned and just make yourself sit and work thru the first half of it. The second half is kind of a programming example of a system they developed and you could use your own example but follow their outline for an approach.

Get MYSQL and PHPmyadmin and PHP installed (either on your home machine or use web hosting somewhere like at Raven's) and then find a decent editor (search threads here for discussion of options) so you can make changes and test quickly and conveniently. I'd recommend that you do at least a modest amount of "standalone" programming before you muck with PHPnuke. The reason is that understanding the Nuke code and approach introduces a whole 'nother layer of complexity that can be distracting from understanding how things work fundamentally. In Nuke you'll find that one file includes another which includes another almost ad infinitum and even telling "where the heck you are" can be maddening. It's something that I would recommend putting off until you are comfortable with a moderate level of PHP programming.

registered · Site Admin Joined: Jun 04, 2004 Posts: 6437

As for functionality, I'd look at the web links module as a starting point. There are yellow pages and classifieds modules that might support this, but they're really out of date.

Download XAMPP so you can quickly and easily setup a development environment on your PC. Check out one or more of MANY available resources for learning PHP, MySQL. Raven reviewed a book on PHP-Nuke, which should contain guidance on developing modules, etc. You can also check the PHP-Nuke HowTo reference, available on this site.