First PHP/MySQL Project Day 5: Date Functions, Updating Data, and More

I put this project on hold for a while, but I made up for it today by learning a lot — maybe a little too much! To add deadlines and recurring tasks to my to-do list, I had to learn about MySQL’s date functions, operators, null values, the UPDATE statement, and the CASE control flow function. It’s all summed up in this nine-minute screencast:

Links for Date Functions, Updating Data, and More

All of these are from the MySQL manual, except where specified:

How’s that for a productive day? Before this I didn’t know the first thing about MySQL’s functions, and now I know how to make a huge query using multiple functions and fancy operators!

11 thoughts on “First PHP/MySQL Project Day 5: Date Functions, Updating Data, and More

  1. Yup, I do wanna learn about OOP eventually. :) Probably not for a while, though. I think I’m gonna be done with this project soon and then move on to other things, like JavaScript.

  2. Hi ^_^

    I’m trying to learn OOP. Quite difficult at the moment. Apparently it was very hard with php-4 because it didn’t have proper support.

    If you do javascript, go the unobtrusive javascript way. It means you don’t have to add things into the actual html, everything is done is the javascript file. Plus i’m guessing its going to (or maybe is) a standard. (better for acceptability, non javascript browsers, etc)

    Are you gonna do a backend (admin) thing for thing application your working on?

    I have just finished a css template, well most of it. I did an “expandable” layout.
    It works fine, and is valid, but I was thinking of adding more stuff to it.

    CSS, isn’t too hard, but it can give you a headache quite quickly. What with browser compatibility, and making it fluid, look the way you want, etc.

    I would say you should do a little css, just some basics then go on to javascript. But its up to you :p

    Looking forward to your next video. :)

  3. Thanks, Yas. :) I’ll keep that in mind about the JavaScript file. And yeah, I’m thinking of doing a series on basic HTML and CSS, just for any complete newbies out there — and also for me to review. But you’re right, it would make sense to do that before getting to JavaScript. I think that’s what I’ll do. :)

    As for this project, no, I’m not gonna get into making an admin thing. I just don’t want to bother. =P I decided I’ll make one more video and then put this project to rest — I might come back to it again in the future, but it’d be for a new series on more advanced stuff.

  4. Heres something on the javascript thing:
    http://www.onlinetools.org/articles/unobtrusivejavascript/chapter1.html

    Thats the main link people point to, but there are probably a few more, Google it.

    I read that a large percent on website design is to do with typography so something on that would be cool too. I guess its true, because when you go to sites were the text “flows” well then you stay and it looks nice.

    This project has been cool. Doesn’t matter if you do the admin thing, I’m guessing it wouldn’t be too hard for people.

    You could, after you have done some javascript move on to dhtml then *buzzword alter* AJAX :p
    :)

  5. Pingback: MSQL, PHP & Tick Boxes | Stevp's Blog

  6. Pingback: MSQL, PHP & Tick Boxes | Stevp's Blog

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