I need someone to point me in the right direction...

[eluser]johnpeace[/eluser]
[quote author="boltsabre" date="1346168601"]But as mentioned previously, if you're not that great with PHP yet, this kind of project is likely to be way beyond your skill set. I'd start making some simple little things first and work your way up. [/quote]

Don't be afraid based on this though...the only way to grow is to get in over your head. Everything I know about software development has come from an at times painful career where I said 'yes' anytime I was asked if I could do something.

Don't be afraid to make mistakes...they're your most valuable experience.

Good luck and have fun!

[eluser]rdawkins[/eluser]
@boltsabre... wow. thanks for the time you took to write that down, pretty comprehensive.. i hadnt considered all that really. i guess at this stage im not really sure what exactly i want so i need to sort that out first then take your advice and sort all the pre-development stuff as you suggested.

im a .net developer but am keen on learning php.

@johnpeace, i did the EXACT same thing with my clients! "of course i can get that done for you". so far ive mananged to get by using joomla and (insert relevant component). ive managed to provide solutions to my clients based on the joomla+components. Now, i want to get down and dirty

Thanks again for the advice.

[eluser]boltsabre[/eluser]
@rdawkins,

But as mentioned previously, if you’re not that great with PHP yet, this kind of project is likely to be way beyond your skill set. I’d start making some simple little things first and work your way up.

im a .net developer but am keen on learning php

Ah, sorry, I'm not sure why but I made the assumption that when you said you have limited php skills I thought you meant programming skills. If you're a coder then by all means, dive into the deep end of a dirty big php project, it can only help your skill set.

If you're interested in learning a bit more about how to break down a concept/idea into a manageable project you may be interested in researching "software development life cycles" or "website development life cycles". The "waterfall" method is the traditional approach and a good starting place, it gives you a complete blue print on how to plan your project. However, CI is geared towards (among other things) a quicker development life cycle like "agile". Either way, it's good to have an idea about them as they give you a "project framework" that helps keep you on the right path.

Also, if you're interested you can also investigate UML (universal modelling language), it's a set of standards on how to plan/draw your use cases and such. Be careful though, it's a big subject - don't get too bogged down in it, perhaps just a day or 2, it will help you structure your use cases into meaningful diagrams that actually help you see how they work.

Anyway, I'd spend about a week researching the above 2 mentioned things, it truly will save you a lot more time in the future if you do! Good luck with you ci/php project champ!!!

[eluser]rdawkins[/eluser]
thanks boltsabre, im actually a medical doctor but i code as a hobby, i sometimes wish i had taken a different career path but hey..

ive already learnt so much on this forum thanks to you guys/gals. waterfall method? will definately be looking into that and the UML.. you are absolutely right, i need to spend more time with this to make it easier and less frustrating for me as i go on this learning journey.

Thanks again to everyone