Okay, so this is my first post (I think), I posted this somewhere else but I doubt I'll get any decent replies from that large forum. Hopefully I can get some help here.
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I'm trying to get into a new area of web design and I have no idea where to look.
I would like to learn on how to create nice widgets. SEOmoz has some great ones and also Yelp use a few of them. In addition when I go to Facebook they have a slue of them.

I have no idea where to start. I know Javascript is powerful. I know PHP can do a lot. I hear AJAX is used a lot to do this stuff but I'm really clueless.

Can anyone point me to some good resources?
(I don't know much of Javascript and VERY little of php but just want to spend my time in the right area; why learn 10 different web langs...and only need to learn 2?...idk just trying to be efficient)

well, ajax is just javascript - mixed in with a server side language like php or asp. What it does is take data from the client side and send it as post or get data in another http request in the background to an url you specify, that page is, for example, a php page which takes in the data and forms an output which is simply printed on the page. The javascript... script (...) then parses that data in so it knows what to do on the client side. The word "widget" is really a load of rubbish, as is "web 2.0", and ajax to a lesser extent. They are just stuck on the front to simplify the complexity of web development so the average visitor knows what to expect. As for resources, well its just a case of polishing knowledge of php and javascript. I have been using php for about 4 years and I am only getting into ajax now.

Looking for more help. . . .

I think there are plenty of tutorials online if you search. I typed "how to build widgets with ajax" into Google and quite a few tutorials were returned. You can try similar searches with different programming languages.

Just start reading a few. If they all start talking about something that's making no sense it probably means you need to take a step back and learn that confusing part first.

It's all programming though so the first step is gaining more experience with the programming languages. Javascript and PHP are good places to start. They won't be the only languages you can use, but many of the widgets you currently see are using one or both.

I'm not sure which specific widgets you were referring to on SEOmoz, but that site was developed with both PHP and javascript. You won't go wrong learning either or both.

If you want a shortcut, take a look at Sprout Builder.

Yea, I found a lot of 'make your widget here' kind of websites but that's not what I'm looking for. Plus it seems to eliminate the coding side, which makes me DEPENDENT on someone's software/website. And I think in the long run can be counter productive since it would stop any pioneering efforts.

Thanks vangogh. I will take that advice into account.

Glad to help. Just remember it won't come all it once, but it doesn't have to be all that hard either.

You might want to start with javascript since you can run it in your browser and not have to worry about installing the language. JavaScript: The Definitive Guide is probably the bible for learning javascript. It's a programming book so it's not necessarily the most exciting read, but it's all in there. There's a tutorial followed by a thorough reference.

Okay Vangogh, a few things though.

Should I start with js? or skip it and just jump into AJAX and PHP?

I have a few downloaded e-books for each of these languages and a subscription with vtc.com (online web resource, like Lynda or other Video tutorials)

If your pretty good with these languages, how long do you think it would take a novice to learn these languages? (Not verbatim, but well enough to get by pretty well) I'd say it took me about 50 hours to get a good grasp with HTML.

Hmm, you might be asking 'why 50?'....Well, that is because I was learning a lot about servers, ftp, domains, hosting, and a bunch of that other basic Web knowledge needed. So, maybe...30 hours?

So, to recap (so my questions aren't lost).
What languages should I start with? (js, php, ajax)
How long do you think it would take to get a firm grasp on each on?
How long till I could start creating my own widgets?
(I ask these questions because I like knowing what I'm up against...and prepare for things a lot; I'm super-analytical )

ajax IS javascript; at least, a technique programmed with javascript - you didn't even read the first sentence of my (admittedly messy) reply

And it would probably take, overall, hundreds of hours and a lot of production experience to become very good at any of them (either of them...)

Someone told me AJAX is to Javascript as PHP is to HTML. PHP generates html pages and ajax does the same but generates javascript. Is this a flawed idea?

So, to recap (so my questions aren't lost).
What languages should I start with? (js, php, ajax)
How long do you think it would take to get a firm grasp on each on?
How long till I could start creating my own widgets?
(I ask these questions because I like knowing what I'm up against...and prepare for things a lot; I'm super-analytical )

Ajax stands for Asynchronous JavaScript And XML. Don't worry you don't need to know XML to use it.

Years ago Microsoft added something to the JavaScript that enables you to make requests to a database without having to refresh the page. It's been adopted since by other browsers.

JavaScript is for programming the front end, the interface. JavaScript is run in the browser. If you want to interact with a database or the backend in general you'll need a server side language like PHP. You don't have to use PHP though. Any server side language will do. And naturally you'll want to know a database of some kind.

A lot of Ajax programs never even interact with the backend. Before Ajax became trendy people used what was called DHTML or dynamic html, which was essentially using JavaScript to manipulate your html.

To learn Ajax you'd learn the same things you would in web design/development in general. Ajax isn't a language. It's more about combining other languages in ways that can improve the interface, in this case a web page.

I'd start with CSS, JavaScript and the DOM (Document Object Model). In combination with HTML you'll then have the skills to do plenty on the front end. Any book on JavaScript will teach you about the DOM too. They tend to go together.

You'll also want to learn a server side language and a database. My choice was PHP/MySQL, but those aren't the only options. Both are fairly easy to learn.

It's hard to put a time frame on your learning. You can learn the basics of any of the above in a weekend, but it will take much longer to really become skilled with any. I'd start with CSS. The majority isn't any harder to learn than HTML, though it will take practice to master. I'd probably then learn JavaScript just because you can run in it the browser which make it easier in the beginning.

Then go for the backend.

If you're knew to programming in general you may want to spend some time learning the basics of programming. You should be able to pick the basics up with an intro book on any language.

Once you learn one programming language it becomes much easier to learn other programming languages. For example when first learning any language you'll need to learn how to use conditionals (If, While, etc) Once you know how to use them to move to another language you just need to learn how that language handles the conditional and what the syntax is. You won't need to learn how to use conditionals again.

The syntax of many languages evolved from a handful of languages also so much of the syntax of one is very familiar to another.

There really aren't any rules in which you need or should learn first. In the beginning it might seem overwhelming since there's so much you want to learn. Just start with one, spend some time with it, and then begin learning the next. You'll inevitably want to come back to the first one.

You can also learn more than one at a time. I know I bounced back and forth between languages and still do. I recently built a site that required a lot of JavaScript so I saw it as an opportunity to learn a few things I didn't know and reinforce some things I did know.

Yea, I was originally going to take the route you suggested. CSS, Js, PHP/MySQL but I was so interested in creating Web 2.0 websites and dynamic widgets/web applications that I thought about 'what does it take to make them'.

Thanks for the info about AJAX, your comparison makes sense (when you said 'DHTML=HTML+js').

Again thanks for your advice. I don't mind anyone else's two cents.

Again glad to help. When I was first getting started I wanted to learn everything all at once and there were times when it seemed like there was so much to learn I would never be able to get it all.

But if you take things one step at a time you will get there.