Right now just plowing ahead with either PHP/MySQL, Bootstrap, or whatever is going to be kind of rote. Make filters, pretty up screens, etc. That would just be practice reps without much hardcore learning. Therefore, once I finish plowing through the remaining videos in the JavaScript: Understanding the Weird Parts course by Anthony Alicea on Udemy I’m going to dive into a course in the React framework, which a) seems rapidly up-and-coming, b) might give me more insight into managing the connection between the front and back ends, c) give me some ideas for managing the UI in the To Do app from a different viewpoint, and d) allows me to follow the recommendation of several people I’ve talked to. I can see where it’s heading using raw JS and PHP but it’ll be more interesting to see how a newer framework updates the concepts.
For better or worse I’ve chosen Modern React with Redux by Stephen Grider, also on Udemy. I feel I’ve had good luck so far!