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Programming Languages Guide

Complete learning path for web development with WordPress focus.

Learning Path

Follow this order for best results:

1. Development Environment Setup ⚙️

Time: 1-2 hours
Set up your development machine with all required tools.

What you'll install:

  • VS Code
  • Laravel Herd (PHP)
  • Composer
  • MySQL/MariaDB
  • Node.js & npm
  • nvm
  • Git
  • Oh My Zsh

Start here → dev-environment.md

2. HTML & CSS 🎨

Time: 2-3 days
Learn web structure and styling fundamentals.

Topics:

  • HTML5 semantic tags
  • CSS3 layouts (Flexbox, Grid)
  • Responsive design
  • BEM methodology
  • SASS preprocessor

Quick Start:

Practice: Build a responsive 3-column layout
Quiz: HTML & CSS Quiz

3. JavaScript ⚡

Time: 3-4 days
Master interactive web programming.

Topics:

  • ES6+ modern syntax
  • Closures & scope
  • Event loop
  • Promises & Async/Await
  • Type coercion
  • Clean code practices

Quick Start:

Tools: Node.js, npm, nvm
Practice: Fix array sum function, understand type coercion
Quiz: JavaScript Quiz

4. PHP & MySQL 🐘

Time: 3-4 days
Learn server-side programming and databases.

Topics:

  • PHP 8 syntax
  • Object-Oriented Programming
  • Namespaces
  • MySQL database operations
  • PDO vs mysqli
  • Session management
  • Clean code practices

Quick Start:

Tools: Composer, Laravel Herd, TablePlus/Sequel Ace
Practice: Debug log function, fix email validation
Quiz: PHP & MySQL Quiz

5. WordPress Development 🌐

Time: 8-12 weeks
Master WordPress from basics to advanced development.

Topics:

  • WordPress fundamentals and administration
  • Coding conventions & standards
  • Plugin development (basic to advanced)
  • Theme development (basic to advanced)
  • REST API integration
  • WP-CLI mastery
  • Gutenberg blocks & FSE
  • Performance optimization

Full Course: WordPress Development →

Modules:

  1. Introducing WordPress
  2. Coding Conventions
  3. Basic Plugin Development
  4. Basic Theme Development
  5. REST API
  6. WP-CLI

Note: Complete the Development Environment Setup before starting WordPress.

Practice: Build custom plugins, create themes, develop Gutenberg blocks

Quick Reference

By Technology

Technology Guide Time Difficulty
HTML & CSS html-css.md 2-3 days ⭐ Beginner
JavaScript javascript.md 3-4 days ⭐⭐ Beginner
PHP & MySQL php-mysql.md 3-4 days ⭐⭐ Beginner
WordPress WordPress Development 8-12 weeks ⭐⭐⭐ Intermediate-Advanced

By Resource Type

📹 Video Courses (Laracasts):

📖 Official Documentation:

🎮 Interactive Learning:

✅ Quizzes:

Tools Reference

Code Editor

  • VS Code - Recommended for all languages
  • Extensions: PHP Debug, ESLint, Prettier, GitLens

PHP Development

  • Laravel Herd - Local PHP environment
  • Composer - PHP package manager
  • PHP 8+ - Latest PHP version

Database

  • MySQL/MariaDB - Database server
  • TablePlus - Database GUI (recommended)
  • Sequel Ace - Mac-only database tool
  • PHPMyAdmin - Web-based management

JavaScript

  • Node.js - JavaScript runtime
  • npm - Package manager
  • nvm - Node version manager

Version Control

  • Git - Version control system
  • GitHub - Code hosting

Terminal

  • Oh My Zsh - Enhanced terminal (optional)

Learning Tips

For Complete Beginners

  1. ✅ Start with HTML & CSS - Most visual and immediate
  2. ✅ Move to JavaScript - Add interactivity
  3. ✅ Learn PHP & MySQL - Backend and database
  4. ✅ Finally WordPress - Put it all together

For Those with Programming Experience

  1. ✅ Skim HTML & CSS basics
  2. ✅ Focus on modern JavaScript (ES6+)
  3. ✅ Study PHP OOP principles
  4. ✅ Dive deep into WordPress architecture

Daily Practice

  • Morning: Study theory (1-2 hours)
  • Afternoon: Code exercises (2-3 hours)
  • Evening: Build projects (1-2 hours)

When Stuck

  1. Read error messages carefully
  2. Google the error
  3. Check official documentation
  4. Ask in team Slack
  5. Schedule time with mentor

Progress Tracking

Use this checklist:

  • ⚙️ Development environment setup complete
  • 🎨 HTML & CSS basics learned
  • 🎨 Responsive layout built
  • 🎨 HTML & CSS quiz passed (70%+)
  • ⚡ JavaScript fundamentals learned
  • ⚡ Practice problems solved
  • ⚡ JavaScript quiz passed (70%+)
  • 🐘 PHP basics learned
  • 🐘 MySQL database operations understood
  • 🐘 PHP & MySQL quiz passed (70%+)
  • 🌐 WordPress admin dashboard explored
  • 🌐 First WordPress plugin created
  • 🌐 WP-CLI commands practiced
  • 🌐 Gutenberg block developed
  • 🌐 WooCommerce basics understood

🎓 Next Steps After Completion

Once you complete all programming language guides:

  1. Operating System Basics - ../operating-system/os-fundamentals.md
  2. Web Fundamentals - ../web-fundamentals/web-basics.md
  3. Debugging Setup - ../debuging.md
  4. Build Real Projects - Apply your knowledge

Need Help?

  • Mentor: Schedule 1-on-1 sessions
  • Team Slack: Ask questions in channels
  • Documentation: Check official docs first
  • Stack Overflow: Search for similar problems
  • WordPress.org Forums: WordPress-specific help

Goals

By the end of this module, you should be able to:

✅ Build responsive websites with HTML & CSS
✅ Create interactive features with JavaScript
✅ Develop server-side applications with PHP
✅ Design and query MySQL databases
✅ Build WordPress plugins and themes
✅ Customize WooCommerce
✅ Develop Gutenberg blocks
✅ Use modern development tools effectively

Start your journey: dev-environment.md

Estimated Total Time: 12-16 weeks of full-time learning (including comprehensive WordPress)

Good luck! 🚀