I'd like to try my hand at creating a Magic Square in PHP (i.e. a grid of numbers that all add up to the same value), but I really don't know where to start. I know of the many methods that create magic square, such as starting "1" at a fixed position, then moving in a specific direction with each iteration. But that doesn't create a truly randomized Magic Square, which is what I'm aiming for.

I want to be able to generate an N-by-N Magic Square of N² numbers where each row and column adds up to N(N²+1)/2 (e.g. a 5x5 square where all rows/columns add up to 65 — the diagonals don't matter).

Can anybody provide a starting point? I don't want anybody to do the work for me, I just need to know how to start such a project?

I know of one generator, written in Java (http://www.dr-mikes-math-games-for-kids.com/how-to-make-a-magic-square.html) but the last Java experience I had was over 10 years ago before I quickly abandoned it. Therefore, I don't really understand what the code is actually doing. I did notice, however, that when you generate a new square, it shows the numbers 1-25 (for a 5x5 square), in order, before quickly generating a fresh randomized square.