New to PHP on DreamHost - set up questions

#1

I’m not new to programming - just PHP and DreamHost.

I have a website on DreamHost and want to redo it using PHP to add all kinds of interactive elements.

I was thinking of downloading a free IDE in particular PHPcoder from phpide.com. DreamHost provides MySQL which I also want to use.

How do I set all this up on my computer? Do I have to download anything from DreamHost once i have the IDE? Do I have to do anything besides ftp my files with extension.php to the DreamHost server?

I’d be happy to hear from others how they perform the various steps.

Thank You!

#2

You can try installing your own apache, mysql and php. Edit on your favorite editor and upload your content to DreamHost.

XAMPP or WAMP is a good choice.

Regards

#3

Thanks for the reply infomar!

Is it necessary to install my own apache, mysql and php? Is it possible to get by with just the editor? Perhaps I need all those things to test and debug?

#4

While not necessary it is very helpful. With apache, php and mysql on my laptop, along with Eclipse for editing I can work on my site without affecting my live copy on DH.

If I want to make a major change I can even setup a 2nd copy of my site and only upload (I use FileZilla) to DH when I have all the bugs out of the new site. Same thing with MySQL.

It’s always a good idea to have a test site and Apache HTTPD, PHP and MySQL make it pretty easy to make one you can take with you.

#5