php+mysql vs php+processwire

[lundy]

Hi, Im new.  

My question is what is the difference between php+mysql vs php+processwire.  

I'm a new coder... and I don't know php, and I want to create a data driven website... before I dive into processwire, I'm trying to figure out what the advantage is over plain php+mysql.

It seems to me that processwire is sort of an abstract way of accessing the database.  As well as a collection of php scripts (modules).

 I wanted to create a simple but very custom data driven website with minimal coding, is processwire the solution?  I dove into the basic website tutorial, and it appears that I still have to code in php.  I'm not against learning it, i'm just trying to figure out what exactly processwire is...

I hear it's a framework.  But for someone who is new to php and (my)sql, does learning an additional framework actually improve the speed with which i can develop my website.  Will it simplify what I need to do?

For example... if I wanted to output a single simple html page that outputs 1 field from 1 record, (example: "this is the content of field 1 record 1") is it faster to set that up in mysql + php, or processwire + php.

It seems that in processwire I have to setup a page, a field, a template, etc, to be able to output that 1 field, and i still have to use php to get it.  Whereas with mysql (using a visual interface), i could create a new table, new record, edit field 1, connect to the db in  php page and echo field 1.

I'm not seeing that much of a difference, can someone please tell me.

Is processwire taking care of some of the coding logic, manipulating data?  or do i still have to do that in php?

[processwirefan]

Hi, I am new to ProcessWire too, but have experience with PHP programming and using other CMSes. First of all, there is no separation between

php+mysql vs php+processwire

Because it's PHP + ProcessWire + MySQL. PHP is a server side script programming language what ProcessWire is based on. To save data, it requires a database server and MySQL is the default one (but there others like Postgresql, MS SQL, Oracle, even file db like SQLite). ProcessWire is just one of the many content management system on the market.

The strength of ProcessWire is that it's easily themeable with any pre-made web templates, maybe that's why I couldn't find any frontend themes from the module directory

http://modules.processwire.com/

By contrast, you can find tons of pre-made themes for WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, Concrete 5, etc. So it is required to have some HTML, CSS and PHP basic knowledge to handle the template files in ProcessWire. 

[Martijn Geerts]

Using MYSQL with php is not part of the starters lessons PHP. First its time to understand the basics. What are types, variables, operators, control structures functions etc. etc. This basic knowledge is enough to get start with ProcessWire. For the MYSQL + PHP only way, the second lessons for PHP starts & you have to subscribe to the starters lessons for MYSQL. 

side note: Take the multi lessons hard way, over the easier step in to ProcessWire. This knowledge will make the difference from 'can make a website' to 'to be a developer'.

Comparing only getting 1 field from SQL to ProcessWire is not fair. On the time you get 1 field out of SQL with PHP, ProcessWire has take care of all the stuff thats needed to be a fully functional CMF/CMS and given you back the field data needed. ProcessWire takes care of an awful lot of logic. But on the end it's the developer who decide. There's the framework part of PW.

ProcessWire is build with PHP and done very well. The simplicity to access data with ProcessWire is unique. Never seen this simple way anywhere.

What you decide is up to you but the multi lessons hard way will come in handy !

[diogo]

An important aspect that wasn't mentioned yet is security. PW handles a lot of it by default, and gives you tools like sanitation to make it easy for you to handle it also.