Code to search my site by zipcode.

[CodeJunkie]

This might be really easy, but it's been a long time since I've done any kind of coding besides HTML and CSS. I'm getting ready to build a website where people put in their zip code, and I bring up a list of a certain kind of service in their area (no, not THAT kind of "service"). The website only deals with the one kind of service, but I would perhaps like to narrow it down during the search later--like, if they want a service that's in Anaheim, and also only is blue.

I know this sounds like "If Lewis Carroll or Dr. Seuss had a code question and didn't speak English as a first language," but I can't really talk about the project specifically. I need to know what languages I need to learn to compile a database of information, transfer that database to my website, query the database, and then bring up the results on my web site, formatted to my specifications. I don't want a search by "keyword," I want users to be able to put in their zip code and bring up all the places we have in their area.

Thanks in Advance...

Susie

[coppocks]

I've used PHP (Hypertext pre-processing) and MySQL (database) for online zip code databases.

[CodeJunkie]

PHP, eh? Sounds like a fun ride.. I'll have to check it out. :) Thanks.

I'm still open for suggestions, of course, if anybody has any more.

[coppocks]

The actual zip database data is a bit out of date... but you can see it here:

http://w3zip.w3datasystems.net/

It's PHP with a MySQL database. You'd obviously have to code yours to display your own desired result data by adding something like a "services" table to cross reference. But this example just shows that it can be done using PHP & MySQL.

[CodeJunkie]

PHP doesn't look too hard. I've been checking into it, and it jibes with some of my prior programming experience--which is good. I've been having problems finding solutions because everything that I searched for suggested that I search via the zip code database, and that's not exactly what I need--it'll be a search of businesses by zip code, which I can, of course, do by searching a database that I create.

Anyway.. lol it's late. Thanks for a point in the right direction :)