Posted by Shawn Wilson on 09/29/05 03:38

"Oli Filth" <catch@olifilth.co.uk> wrote in message
news:BlF_e.2714$9l4.2646@newsfe4-win.ntli.net...
> Evert said the following on 28/09/2005 23:14:
>> chris wrote:
>>
>>> I was looking through some PHP code and saw the below line of code and
>>> was wondering what it did -
>>>
>>> $w = ($tmp[0]>$maxw) ? $maxw : $tmp[0];
>>>
>>> can someone explain what it would do ??
>>>
>>>
>>
>> if ($tmp[0]>$maxw) {
>> $w = $maxw;
>> } else {
>> $w = $tmp[0];
>> }
>>
>> RTFM?
>>
>
> Not easy to RTFM if you don't know what it's called...
>

Well, in your defense it IS pretty hard to find that on say php.net if you
don't know what it's called.

However... besides the online manual, most any paper book about PHP starts
out with valid syntax rules and shorthand ways of writing code.

A little nicer way of putting RTFM is: You would do yourself some good by
getting a basic intro to PHP book and at least reading through the first
couple chapters on syntax and concepts. You would have come across that
syntax very quickly in most any PHP book and not needed to ask that question
here for someone to then belittle you.

Don't get me wrong, I myself am quite guilty of this at times and I don't
want to sit here as a finger pointer. Sometimes, I just want to write
something and I know that someone out there knows the answer and I don't
want to read a 300 page book for this one tidbit of info. But, and it's a
pretty big BUT, there are a LOT of things one can learn by reading at least
the first couple chapters of a PHP book.

Please know that I really am just trying to pass on a helpful humble
suggestion to a fellow beginner, not belittle you. Like I said, I'm just as
guilty at times, but recently I have read a couple PHP books and it has
cleared up some things that I was unsure of and wouldn't have known where to
look up otherwise (that particular syntax being one of them).

Your basic O'Reilly 'Programming PHP' is a good place to start.
ISBN: 1-56592-610-2

Also, 'A Programmer's Introduction to PHP 4.0' by W.J.Gilmore was a big help
for me.
ISBN: 1-893115-85-2

Both are for sale on amazon.com for around $30 new or around $10 used.


Good luck.

--
Shawn Wilson

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