Mysql And Php First Time User

[ajdowntown]

I am attempting for the first time to build a database, but I have no idea how to do it. Here is what I want to do:

On the submission side:
I want users to login, post information about a restaurant, such as name, address, etc, and have them submit it where the information goes and stores in a database.

On the retrieval side:
I want a person, logged in or not, to be able to look for a restaurant based on a search for the zip code.

That is really the basics of what I want, but I have no idea where to start. Please, someone help point me in the right direction! And can someone please tell me how to do everything I need to know how via Direct Admin/phpmyadmin/or anything else we have access to here!

[ljmyers]

I would first ask . . .

Are you building the database and the script to do this or do you already have a script in mind that you have possibly uploaded?

Since you have no experience it might be better for you to try using installatron.
You can use installatron found in you direct admin near the bottom of the page under Advanced Features, choose from the list at the right hand side - one of the cms's or portals (this will also give you a link so that you can go to the homepage of each script to see if it is something you might like or not), click on it, click new install and follow the directions from there. This will set the script itself up for you as well as the database/mtsql stuff. This will set you up and then you can go into phpmyadmin, take a look around at the database and learn a bit about the concept its self.

Note: When installatron gets to the page where it gives you your database name, username and password, copy and paste it into notebook for the time being because with a couple of the scripts you will need it a page or two later.

If you have a script you prefer already upoaded and just need the database, go into the script files and find a .sql file. Go into MySQL Management and create the database first. Then go into phpmyadmin, click on the database you just created, click on SQL and there will be a window for you to copy and paste all of the data from the sql file in the script into therefore creating the database for you without your having to add all of that individual info which is a pian in the hiney.

Hope this helps, I'm back off to my Christmas baking.