Noob Question :)
 

I'm looking to learn how to program with PHP. So i figured I'd come on and ask where I should start. I have a very basic understanding of HTML. What is required to know before starting to learn PHP?

Thanks for your helpful input. :) Trolls here we come.

Ravensmoke.

Well, there's this: http://www.php.net/tut.php (and this: http://www.php.net/manual/en/)

I would try to ensure you have a decent understanding of html and CSS. At the end of the day this is what you are coding to output, so having a decent understanding of these will ensure you can concentrate solely on the PHP rather than trying to to learn all at once.

As others have said, absolutely get your html and css down before diving into php. It will also help to get a grasp on javascript, nothing too in depth, but just an idea. I would also avoid jumping into vBulletin development right off the bat when learning php and try to build some things yourself first (you'll look back years later and call them garbage but its a necessary milestone). VBulletin is pretty complex and has a lot going on, I initially made the mistake of hacking core (modifying the actual vBulletin files), rather than building stand alone plugins and products because I tend to learn things the hard way. It's difficult to explain to someone new to development why that is bad practice, but you'll see eventually.

Most importantly, don't be intimidated by any of the web languages. Figure out something you want to do, maybe a simple, static portfolio site for starters, and go at it. Google is your best friend, I rarely have to ask questions on forums as most of them have been asked and answered before on any multitude of sites like StackOverflow...

http://www.w3schools.com/ gets criticized sometimes, and can be overly basic but really helped me with a lot of the fundamentals.

Once you get into php, learn how to use the php manual. It can be a bit cryptic at first, and I put off using it for far too long, but I visit it several times a day now, to double check syntax and look at related methods of doing things.

Thanks for all your input. I definitely have some work ahead of me. :)