The best way to start any programming project, is with the planning. Lay down on paper / computer exactly what your program will do from start to finish.
eg:
Code:
1. User clicks link to load the hack
2. Check user has permissions to run the hack
3. Fetch hack options
4. load the welcome page
...
80. User clicks save and exits
Once that's all done, and you've got a clear idea of how the flow of your program will go, start converting each of the above steps into code. Believe me, for any project of a reasonable size (ie, more than a 20 line hack), proper planning will prevent many many many logic bugs, security holes and head-scratching later on down the line
For PHP-specific help,
www.php.net docs are handy for looking up function references, etc. For vB-PHP specific help, check the 3.5 Tutorial forums - plenty of good tutorials in there covering most things. Also, the 3.5 Hack Questions forum has plenty of good advice.
And finally, if in doubt, ask. Most people on vborg are happy to help new coders with advice or technical problems
Good luck with your project!
Thanks,
Alan.