Customer Reviews

Beginning Php 4 (Programmer to Programmer)

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Whenever anyone asks me which book I recommend for someone just starting out with PHP I recommend this one. The book is an excellent introduction to not only PHP but also to mySQL , database design, and elementary programming prinicipals such as arrays and datatypes. With confidence I can recommend this book to a beginner that has never used a database before (let alone designed one) or programmed before and know that with this one book they can get a handle on how to create a simple database driven php site. I found the examples to be excellent. In fact, I have reused code in this book on my projects several times.

As a book for beginners should be written, it assumes no prior knowledge whatsoever and is easy and enjoyable to read. The one thing the book does assume, which I think is a must, is prior knowledge of HTML and some Javascript. If you've never even built a webpage before, you should start with learning those 2 things first before picking up this book.

I recently purchased this book, and as some of the other reviewers have said, it rarely leaves my desk. I found this book to be written at an ideal level of difficulty for someone with a good working knowledge of HTML, and NOTHING more.

This book has helped me develop from a static HTML designer to a capable PHP programmer. The book covers a number of topics that I'd always wanted to use on my sites, including: cookies, sessions, interactive forms, and database connectivity, including an introduction to using SQL to connect to a number of different databases.

The book has a number of tutorials and examples which perform the key function of transferring what you are learning into practical examples (often lacking in beginning books).

There is also a great appendix of functions that gives the new programmer a reference to which they can refer for quick answers. Finally, and maybe best of all, Wrox has a great Web site with a number of forums related to the topics covered in the book.

Overall, it's a great book for beginners. I used what I'd learned in the first week to add a number of dynamic features to my own Web sites, and the difference was instantly noticeable. Best of luck!

I began php with two books, one being this wrox publication and the other a more advanced sams publication. The wrox publication was the fundamental lifesaver in my php learning. The examples were easy to follow. And wrox's p2p website and forums have proven to be a lifesaver again and again, providing a wonderful compliment to the book. It is not only a fabulous learning and how-to manual, but also makes a terrific reference. I would definitely recommend this book to the beginner. But not to sound like a complete advertisement! My experience with this book has truly been a positive one.

I am a complete beginner and found the book fairly easy to read and apply. However, some of the scripts I downloaded don't seem to work. Maybe its my lack of understanding, I don't know...

You must know how to read html to get anywhere with PHP. You can use Dreamweaver or any other HTML editor to write your scripts in.

The book has a good Appendix for all the PHP functions and the authors do a great job at explaining PHP at the beginning of the book.

Each chapter starts off with a real basic script as it develops and adds more functions to the script until you end up with a fairly advanced script. Every time they add more stuff to a script they break each line down with explanations.

Over all its a good place to start with a lot of Reference material for advanced users. However, if you have never programmed or want to get an easier start with php, I recommend "Php : Your Visual Blueprint for Creating Open Source, Server-Side Content" ISBN: 0764535617. Then move to the PHP Cookbook.

I like this book and highly recommend it. It is good for people who are new to PHP but not so good for people who are new to programming. I've done a lot of programming in other languages and needed to learn PHP in a big hurry for a project that I was about to take on. This book got me up to speed fast. I'm inclined to think that a lot of the negative reviews are from people without any programming background. I agree this book is not the right place to start if you are a non-programmer. I've also done a fair amount of html prior to reading this book, I found that it's html section and php techniques for generating forms was really excellent, I learned some really great things!

As far as depth goes, such as discussing details of the functions. Well, that's what the php manual is for (www.php.net). Initially I tried to learn the language from the php manual alone but didn't get very far, I couldn't see the forest because the trees were in the way, eg too much detail without a big picture. What this book does is to focus on the big picture of how and why to do something. It also shows multiple approachs to the same problem and compares them so that you get an idea of the alternatives and trade-offs.

Starting from not knowing php to writing some very sophisticated programs... I learned it all with two books and the manual. The other book that I read is PHP Developers Cookbook. The two books are very complimentary, there is not that much overlap between them instead they fill each others gaps. Note that the "Cookbook" is more advanced and assumes that you already know a lot of php.

Okay, the one big gripe that I have is their lack of proof reading. They must have really rushed this to press. There are literally hundreds of errors and the errata sheet is incomplete. However it is easy to get past the errors as long as you don't make the assumption that the text is always correct. In other words, if something doesn't make sense then you should be suspicious of an error instead of always assuming that it's your lack of understanding.

The necessity of Rewriting the code examples is a little annoying, but the book can hardly be faulted for language changes that were made after the book was published. PHP is a rapidly moving target, no book will ever be current for very long. And besides, the best way to understand a program is to take it apart and rewrite it, that's why they are called "Examples". (most of the changes needed are trivial).

Mostly what you need to do is to change $varname to $_REQUEST['varname']

and that will fix it. If you are having trouble finding the correct variable then use

phpinfo();

to get a list of all of the available variables, then you just pick what you need from the list and put a $ in front of it.
(...)By the way, the code examples can be downloaded from their website which can save a lot of typing...

I am very pleased with Beginning PHP 4 and it's rarely off my desk. I'd highly recommend it to anyone wanting to get a fast, no nonsense tutorial and a great reference for PHP.

This book is probably not for someone creating their first Web site. It assumes that the reader can code and publish HTML. I also think it would be a good idea for prospective buyers to visit some PHP sites ... before jumping into "Begining" PHP 4.

Beginning PHP 4 teaches by example so the reader learns functions and techniques VERY quickly as they build working projects. Plus, the layout of the book is such that the reader can drop into any chapter and get a brush-up tutorial and sample code.

So... get a basic feel for PHP, write a few simple PHP enhanced pages on your own and you'll REALLY enjoy this book. You'll find the difference in PHP's power after reading this book is like the difference between throwing a bullet and firing one from a gun.

As always, Wrox does an excellent job presenting this particular web development language.

Their "Beginning PHP4" walks you through PHP from the beginning (windows and unix installation and basic syntax) through database connectivity, XML, and even generating graphics.

This book assumes you have a thorough knowledge of HTML 4 and although not clearly stated, experience with other web scripting languages (especially JavaScript) or even C would be very helpful for the beginning PHP developer.

As with anyone wishing to learn a programming language you cannot expect the book to do it for you. It will show you the path, but you're going to have to do the walking. Write the examples, build the samples, and this book will work out fine for you.

This book is well written with the absolute beginner in mind. If you already are at an intermediate level, then this book will seem very simple to you. Then again, they would've named it Intermediate PHP. Some people may be put off by the repetition in the lessons, but for me, it's perfect. It helps things to sink in better if it's repeated several times.

Yes, this book has errors and typos just like any other book does, but if you go to the Wrox website, they have a very good eratta. I printed it out, then cut each page's eratta into strips and inserted them into the apropiate pages. No more problem!

If you're a complete newbie to programming or PHP, get this book! You won't regret it. By the end of this book, you'll be writing some fairly advanced and useful scripts.

Experienced programmers will find the first few chapters a bit slow, it seems to be aimed at people fairly new to any sort of programming. The pace picks up later in the book, with good sections on connecting to a MySQL database, using XML, generating graphics on the fly etc. The book concludes with a complete sample application using a backend database.

For newcomers to PHP it's a good starting place, experienced web programmers/developers could probably jump straight in with Professional PHP.

I have long been a fan of Wrox books, but if "Beginning PHP4" had been the first one I read, I probably would not have purchased another. It solves no problem that exists. If you have never programmed, it will not teach you how. If you have, the book is sufficiently chaotic in its organization, and lacking in rigor, that you will find it difficult to get the information you want. And if once read, the book should be discarded, because it cannot be used as a reference.

In an attempt, presumably, to produce a book that is not overly burdensome for a "beginner," descriptions are frequently sloppy and filled with half-truths. The authors would have been much more successful in appealing to the inexperienced reader by significantly reducing the size of the book. Few in the target audience want to start with a 750+ page volume.

As an example of the sloppiness I indicated above, the authors go to the trouble to distinguish between "parameters" and "arguments," and then immediately use the terms with exactly the opposite meanings. For the purists among us, there is also a misuse of "less" and "fewer." Finally, there are frequent references to appendices that do not exist.

For anyone interested in PHP, I would recommend "Professional PHP Programming" if you want to stay in the Wrox family. Being published in 1999, it lacks the latest information on PHP 4, but it also suffers from none of the flaws in "Beginning PHP 4."