In a recent post to the Ask About PHP blog, there's a quick "first look" at the CakePHP framework from a beginner's perspective.

Finally, I found some time to take CakePHP for a spin. I've heard some really good things about it, and I've been trying to get some time to try it out. I installed the framework and went through the tutorial on building a simple blog application. I have to say I'm quite impressed.

The post briefly introduces the Model-View-Controller method the framework follows and shows some of the features/benefits it brings with it - the low entry level, its speed, and whether or not it makes for a good "first framework" for other developers.

Hasin Hayder has blogged about some of his "first steps" with a relatively new PHP framework on the scene - Orchid.

Orchid is a small framework with bare necessities to kick start developing killer php web applications. this framework is not flooded with unnecessary features and libraries. it only contains the essential helpers and libraries to boost up your development, not slowing it down. orchid features a very short learning curve, which will keep you trouble free.

He documents the step he followed - downloading the latest release (from the svn repository), making a first controller and adding a view to make his first "hello world" application.

On DevShed today there's a new tutorial showing how to build file upload functionality into your scripts.

If you're a PHP developer who has built a certain number of web applications, then it's quite probable that you've already worked with HTTP file uploads. [...] First I'm going to teach you how to handle file uploads using a procedural approach, and then, with the topic well underway, by way of the object-oriented paradigm.

The introduce the beginners out there to the $_FILES array (a superglobal) that contains the details about the file(s) that have been submitted. Next comes the construction of a simple form and how to handle the submission on the PHP side.

Stefan Mischook has posted part two of his video series looking at the use of sessions in PHP applications today:

This is the part 2 of 3 of my videos that introduces the beginner to PHP sessions. In this video, I get into practical examples where we see basic PHP sessions in action.

You can find the video here as well as part one if you need to catch up.

The KillerPHP.com site has posted about the release of yet another introductory video to using PHP - this time with a focus on using sessions.

PHP sessions are one of the most important mechanisms in PHP because they solve a fundamental issue in web application development: keeping state on a user. [...] This is video 1 of 2 on sessions.

You'll find the video here. If you're looking for some of the other great PHP videos the site Stefan has created, check out the videos section of the site.

The Developer Tutorials site has posted a new look at working with PHP in a different sort of environment than most people think - on the desktop.

You've been through it all with the web, from basic database hacks to battling with inconsistent browser rendering, and now you want to have a go at something different.

Of course, the standard destination would be desktop application development.

The work through some of the basics of desktop development as well as some of the advantages and disadvantages to making the move. The include some example code to get you started with a "Hello World" sort of example using the PHP-GTK libraries.

On the Developer Tutorials site today, there's a new tutorial posted that walks you through some of the useful features that PHP's CLI functionality can bring to your system administration.

In this tutorial, I'll show you how to use PHP-CLI, the command line interface for PHP, to get your maintenance under control using the technologies you're already familiar with. I'll also examine some of the By the time you've finished this tutorial, you'll be able to build human-assisted backup systems, automatic report generators.

It's a pretty basic introduction that talks about what the CLI environment is and what sorts of things PHP brings to the table. They include some sample scripts to do things like database cleanup and a method for taking in human interaction via the command line.

Over on the Developer Tutorials website there's a new comprehensive tutorial looking to introduce you to the world of PHP.

PHP, as we told earlier, is a server-side scripting language. The client will always see and interact with HTML in his browser. [...] PHP can also be used from command line to execute php scripts. [...] PHP is capable of doing much more than what read above. Let's look at some of the popular features of PHP.

Some of the topics covered in the tutorial include:

• the basics of PHP
• variables and data types
• expressions
• functions
• scoping
• strings/arrays

If you're new to PHP and want to get in on what the language is all about, be sure to check this comprehensive tutorial out. You'll get a quick dose of the language - enough to get you started developing quickly.