How would i go about making a shopping cart using flash and PHP?

[bigbadmilkman]

Hi guys, i am about to do my final year project at uni, and was thinking about creating a shopping cart using flash, i was told that i need to use PHP or ASP, which one is better and why. Also what would a flash shopping cart involve, i'd like it to be linked to a database, i have roughly 6 months to do it, is this enough time?

I'd be greatful for any info, thanks!

[Jubba]

Yeah thats enough time, but I wouldn't want to do it. A project like this needs a lot of preparation and organization. You really need to sit and thing about all the things that you are going to want and need for this to work.

I personally would use PHP, but thats just my opinion. Its what I am best with and I have a lot of experience combining Flash and PHP (more than I do with ASP) so I would choose PHP.

[bigbadmilkman]

Is it far to complicated, i don't know anything about PHP or ASP, i just know about flash, do u think i should make a shopping cart that doesn't involve flash, would that make it easier?

[Jubba]

Well either way you are going to have to learn PHP or ASP. They are hard enough to learn without throwing Flash into the mix. Personally I dont understand why all these people wnat to make shopping carts in Flash. Its not necessary and it just requires extra work. Any shopping carts that I make are simply PHP with HTML outputs... but again, thats just my opinoin...

[bigbadmilkman]

Vash, on a scale of 1-10 how difficult would it be to create shopping cart without flash, linked to a database?

[Jubba]

well its never really easy, but its not al that difficult either. With or without Flash its about a 7 or an 8. It still requires a lot of planning and organization. You really want to know everything you are going to need before hand because you want to get half-way thru and realize that you forgot something and have to re-build everything. And if you don't know PHP then its going to be a little bit harder than that...

[bigbadmilkman]

Vash...will you be there for me?

[Jubba]

I won't build it for you but if you have specific questions I can help. Do not come to me with very broad questions like:

"How do I script the connection to the database?"

Because then I will just have to slap you.

If you have specific questions then I can help but for everything else I will just point you to the manual.

www.php.net

[bigbadmilkman]

yer cool, i really appreciate your help vash, can you recommend any good beginner tutorials for me?

[Jubba]

start with arrays and strings and get used to using them and displaying them in the browser...

Variables: http://us2.php.net/manual/en/language.variables.php

Strings: http://us2.php.net/manual/en/ref.strings.php

Arrays: http://us2.php.net/manual/en/ref.array.php

[Digitalosophy]

well to jump in, i would honestly try to master it with using php, before i went ahead and intergrated flash

[abzoid]

I may as welll toss in my 2¢ worth too. Before tackling a project of this scale, build a few smaller database sites using PHP first. The time spent learning the do's and don'ts will be well worth it when you do start building your shopping cart.

I agree with Jubba that a Flash shopping cart may sound like a "pretty" idea initially, but the added complexities involved with integrating it with a database make it far less appealing from a strictly time and cost perspective.