where do i even begin

[jakeross]

im looking to start a web site dedicated to file storage... movies, pictures, files, etc. i want people to be able to log into their account and be able to see all their files and upload more files whenever they want. the only problem is im not sure where to begin. i have pretty extensive knowledge of HTML and a little bit of CSS but i know im going to be needing alot more than that. i have the bisness package from 1and1 webhosting so i am able to do all the scripts and whatnot. and i have MYSQL... im just not sure how to use it all... if anyone could give me a basic runthrough on what im going to need to learn i would be very thankful.

i know this is a big task but any help would be appreciated..

sorry for the long write up and thanks in advance.

[whizard]

PHP and MySQL should do a pretty good job of covering everything you're looking for. Check out some basic introductory tutorials (w3schools.com and tizag.com are good places to start), then break down what you want to do into specific tasks, ie,

I need a script to:
-upload the file
-let a user log in
-let a user create an account
-show a user all of their uploaded files
-etc

Then look around for specific tutorials and code snippets to accomplish those tasks. If you get stuck, theres always the PHP manual (php.net/manual) and the MySQL manual (dev.mysql.com/doc/mysql/en/), and certainly ask questions here as well!

HTH
Dan

[jakeross]

whizard, thanks for the reply. i was really helpful... also im a little confused on if i could make my own server at home for people to store things on or if i would have to pay for server space from a host. keep the replies comin guys this website has been really helpful so far! ill be stickin around here :thumbsup:

[_Aerospace_Eng_]

You can use your own server at home but your ISP may have restrictions on this and might cancel your account so contact them first before you try to do it. The main issue in sites like this is storage and bandwidth. These things aren't cheap and will be the deciding factor on whether or not your site will work well or not. If you don't have the storage, then you won't be able to have a lot of users, if you run out of bandwidth you will be buying more. As time goes on if the site is successful you will constantly need to buy more storage and more bandwidth.

Good luck.

[mlseim]

For you, I would look into Joomla.

It's free and you can have it installed on your 1and1 website.

It's basically a do-all CMS with member support, database, etc.
Probably a learning curve for you, but you'll find a lot of forums that
offer support and help.

[rfresh]

@jake

I agree with Wizard - your project would best be done using PHP & MySQL.

[jakeross]

thanks for all the help everyone.. i think im going to try to go with php and MYSQL but i might give joomla a try, but ive never heard of i so im gunna do some research.

thanks and if anyone else has anything else to add dont be shy :)

[oracleguy]

For a project like this, especially since you are new to server side coding take baby steps. Once you have your layout and such working, make the registration page that will add users to a table in your database. Once you have that working, write a script so they can log into your website.

After you do that, you'll have a much better feel for it all and doing to rest with file uploading, etc. won't seem as huge and complicated. And you'll be in a position to do a better job writing the rest of the site.