I am a front-end developer seeking to add programming to my skillset. As with all things, I'm sure that practice and practical application will aid me most, but I am currently having trouble wrapping my head around the transition from a very linear type of development (HMTL/CSS) to the more 3-dimensional or non-linear concepts of programming, e.g., object-oriented programming. I'm just feeling overwhelmed that there's so much to know! Where to start, where to start. I'm especially interested in learning Javascript, PHP, and RoR. But I'd prefer to really get intimate with PHP as I like tinkering with WordPress.Does anyone have any suggestions for resources relevant to my study, or hands-on example projects that would yield the most practical experience for me? I've tinkered for years, but am just anxious for that ah-ha moment for things to start clicking.Thanks!
Recomendations for Front-End to Programming Transition
php;javascript;ruby
A place to start is by reading this excellent answer to the question, Why does it matter that HTML and CSS are not programming languages?:HTML and CSS describe presentation, whereas programming languages describe function  ...  There is often an implication that skills in HTML, CSS etc. are somehow inferior to skills in real programming languages. This is a serious mistake.What to doUnderstand that the end-result of a web-based application is an HTML page, no different than one that was typed by hand.At the simplest case - imagine a web page that says Hello, [your IP address] instead of Hello, World. Write this in PHP and see it working.Understand that at its core, the goal of web programming is mainly two-fold: 1) Reduce presentation-code/HTML duplication (in other words, using templates) 2) Respond to inputs (query string, cookies, form posts, and with JS, live interaction) dynamically rather than just producing a static result.Begin imagining what other dynamic dimensions can be added to a web page.  Content Management Systems (like Wordpress) are the most common - content is inserted into a template instead of every page being coded by hand.  Personalized content (for logged-in users) is probably the next most common use-case of web programming.Stay on this site and follow the tags for common web-based technologies.What not to doDon't jump right into PHP code in Wordpress.  It's definitely not the cleanest example to follow.Don't get worried if you don't understand Object Oriented programming right away.  A procedural PHP program can be just as functional as an Object Oriented one.  Just think of OO as a way to make the execution of your programmer cleaner and more reusable.