[darkangel]

Im a B.Sc.(I.T.) student studying in India. We have been asked to develop an Online customer Support System (Help Desk) for web based companies in any programming or scripting language. I have heard that PHP and MySql are the easiest.

I have no prior knowledge of these languages but am hard working and willing to learn. We have 8 months to develop a fully functioning software.

Is there anyone who can guide and help me in this? I would my extremely grateful since this project carries 200 marks.

[Amadeus]

I am sure that you can find help on the site to guide you with any specific questions that you may have in regards to implementing this academic assignment...the first thingg you will have to do is set the scope of the project...decide what functionality that you need it to fulfill.

[darkangel]

I want it to use the Ticketing system. Here the end user will have to login and submit a ticket which contains his query and urgency level.
It should also support multi operators. The Administrator has a seperate control panel through which he can monitor the tickets and add/delete names of staff and departments. He should also be able to generate reports.
The end user should also be able to track his ticket and view all open and closed tickets submitted by him.

Problem is since i have to knowledge of the required languages i dont know where to begin.... can u recommend a good online PHP/MySql tutorial?
Are these languages good enough? or should i opt for ASP .NET?

[Amadeus]

I would think that PHP used in conjunction with MySQL would be more than enough for your needs...it is a very robust and flexible combination, although ASP.NET could also be used...either would be fine.

As for tutorials, they abound on the internet...a good place to begin may be here:
http://www.php-mysql-tutorial.com/

Although I also always recommend the manual as well as a resource.
http://www.php.net/

[darkangel]

is there any particuar topics or functions of PHP and MySql i need to concentrate on? I would really speed up my learning process.

[skyhawk133]

As with any language, you will want to have a solid grasp of the basics... variables, scopes, conditionals, loops, arrays... once you've got a descent understanding of how php works, I'd go ahead and jump in to learning how it can interact with mySQL.

Here is a very basic intro and example of how to execute a mySQL query in php: http://forums.dreami...owtopic9772.htm

If you don't have access to a PHP/mySQL server, you can download Apache2Triad which has PHP, mySQL, and a variety of other software that is normally bundled with most hosting accounts.

Does anyone else have any suggestions for darkangel?

[capty99]

'i use wamp instead of apache2triad but thats just me'

after you get a basic working knowledge of php just go download some script maybe similar to what you want, and dont take any of it, but look through it and learn how it works and then you will get more ideas about how to set yours up. taking apart a full script is always helpful for me.

[darkangel]

Hey! thanks a lot for everyones suggestions.... it's gonna be immensely helpful for the project

[skyhawk133]

Darkangel,

Keep us posted, we'd love to see what you come up with. And of course, we'll be happy to answer any other questions you have.

Best of luck with your project. Let your class mates know about us!!

[cyberscribe]

My primary tip with regard to your project is that you should start with the data structures. A ticket system with users implies users, support people, tickets, and relationships between them all. With a firm understanding of how you will model all this in MySQL, building the front-end in PHP should be considerably more straightforward. Good luck, and don't hesitate to follow up with further questions.

(Yes, Chris -- I'm still alive )