Learning PHP, MySQL, and JavaScript: A Step-By-Step Guide to Creating Dynamic Websites (Animal Guide) [Paperback]

Robin Nixon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 21, 2009 | ISBN-10: 0596157134 | ISBN-13: 978-0596157135 | Edition: 1

If you know HTML, this guide will have you building interactive websites quickly. You'll learn how to create responsive, data-driven websites with PHP, MySQL, and JavaScript, regardless of whether you already know how to program. Discover how the powerful combination of PHP and MySQL provides an easy way to build modern websites complete with dynamic data and user interaction. You'll also learn how to add JavaScript to create rich Internet applications and websites.

Learning PHP, MySQL, and JavaScript explains each technology separately, shows you how to combine them, and introduces valuable web programming concepts, including objects, XHTML, cookies, and session management. You'll practice what you've learned with review questions in each chapter, and find a sample social networking platform built with the elements introduced in this book.

This book will help you:

• Understand PHP essentials and the basics of object-oriented programming
• Master MySQL, from database structure to complex queries
• Create web pages with PHP and MySQL by integrating forms and other HTML features
• Learn about JavaScript, from functions and event handling to accessing the Document Object Model
• Use libraries and packages, including the Smarty web template system, PEAR program repository, and the Yahoo! User Interface Library
  
• Make Ajax calls and turn your website into a highly dynamic environment
• Upload and manipulate files and images, validate user input, and secure your applications

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Just get this book... [it] will work like a miracle for you." - Abdul Khan --Amazon Canada

"Excellent! Easy to read, straightforward guide. Already learned several very useful things." - Holly --Good Reads

"Finally a comprehensive resource for HTML users who want to move to the next level, and implement data-driven access to their websites." - Michael L. Kleper --The Kleper Report

"After the first chapter of introducing terms; I knew that I had to purchase this book." - Graysen --Greysen Oh's Blog

"This is a superb start for learning the ins and outs of PHP, MySQL and JavaScript." - Jonny IT Guy --Amazon UK

From the Author

Having developed for the Internet since the mid 1990s I have used a number of programming languages, beginning with Perl, which was the first tool I mastered. However I soon found that great though Perl was for developing with, at the time it didn't have the power I needed for ultra busy websites, and so the load averages of the servers I used was going through the roof.

So I rewrote all the processor-intensive code in C and was able to substantially slow down our server acquisition rate. But while C is powerful, it takes a lot of coding to replicate even basic Perl functions. So when PHP came along I was very pleasantly surprised to discover that even though it is interpreted (that is, re-compiled each time it is run), it placed far less of a strain on the servers than Perl, and also took up far less development time.

Since then I have used PHP in combination with MySQL for all my server side development. And with JavaScript gaining the XMLHttpRequest object, and hence the beginnings of Ajax, the three technologies are now my mainstays for web development.

So when O'Reilly asked me to write this book I jumped at the opportunity. In it I have tried to take you from first steps, without assuming any prior knowledge other than basic HTML and maybe some CSS, through each of the technologies in turn, and along the way point out the shortcuts and pitfalls I have discovered, to give you the headstart I didn't have.

I maintain an active discussion forum on the book's topics, which is linked to via the companion website at lpmj.net, and am always happy to answer any questions you may have.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 528 pages
• Publisher: O'Reilly Media; 1 edition (July 21, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0596157134
• ISBN-13: 978-0596157135
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (52 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,261 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #1 in Books > Computers & Technology > Databases > SQL
  • #6 in Books > Computers & Technology > Programming > Introductory & Beginning
  • #10 in Books > Computers & Technology > Web Development > Programming

More About the Author

Robin Nixon has been a writer for 30 years, has written in excess of 500 articles for many of the UK's top magazines, and has authored over a dozen books.

Robin started his writing career in the Cheshire homes for disabled people, where he was responsible for setting up computer rooms in a number of residential homes, evaluating and tailoring hardware and software so that disabled people could use the new technology, and writing supporting documentation and articles for a selection of national magazines.

After this Robin's career became a hundred percent writing-oriented when he joined a large magazine publisher, where he held a variety of different editorial positions, before leaving to become a self-employed writer.

With the dawn of the Internet in the 1990s, Robin branched out into developing websites (including the world's first licensed Internet radio station). In order to enable people to continue to surf while listening, Robin also developed the first known pop-up windows.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s Robin and his family moved to the USA a couple of times, once to run a web design company in California, and then again to set up an English Tearoom in Texas. In between times they ran several successful pubs, bed and breakfasts and nightclubs in England.

In recent years Robin has begun to focus more closely on motivation and personal improvement in his writing, while still continuing to produce more in his popular series of books on computing, which have now been translated into several different languages.

Robin lives on the south-east coast of England (where he writes full time), along with his five children and wife Julie (a trained nurse and university lecturer) - between them they also foster three disabled children.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

96 of 98 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow - The Book to read to learn PHP, October 27, 2009

By 

farout (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Learning PHP, MySQL, and JavaScript: A Step-By-Step Guide to Creating Dynamic Websites (Animal Guide) (Paperback)

Here is my background:
Java, Cold Fusion, ASP.net, C#, Rails; sys admin for Windows and Unix boxes.

Picked up several books to learn PHP - yuck!

Picked up this book. Wow. In 2 days I was on my way!

1. all the code examples actually work. Yes, it's true. I know it's shocking.
2. the explanations are excellent. Wow can this person communicate. Again shocking.
3. Tons of examples. Talking is great but I learn through code examples. There are plenty here. That is why in 2 days you will be like: Wow I can code in PHP.
4. Here is the best part - Nixon helps you setup everything so it works. I mean in less than 30min I was running PHP via Apache on my Windows using Mysql. I have days with other books trying to make things work because the author did not care enough to actually help me do setup.

Then pick up the PHP Web Dev Wellin/Thompson book and bang with Nixon's - you are a PHP intermediate level programmer.

Really - that easy.

I wasted so many hours with other books - crap. Live and learn.

Thank you Robin Nixon. This book is a godsend. With the hours I saved, I am partying - yee ha!

44 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Need more like this...but more careful proofing next time!, December 23, 2009

By 

Running Bill (Boston, MA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Learning PHP, MySQL, and JavaScript: A Step-By-Step Guide to Creating Dynamic Websites (Animal Guide) (Paperback)

I had to come back and re-review this book. I'm taking off two stars off my rating, one for the overload of typos I found as I got deeper into the book and for some of the examples NOT being "real world" enough. I know that sounds picky but many of the examples could have served better as real scripts but instead he made some questionable choices that will make you pretty much have to start from scratch to make your own. They just could've been more practical.

On the positive side, I do agree with what's already been said about the author communicating well. The reason I was really excited about this title and why I'm loving it so much as I go through it is that it focuses on combining all three and talks about real-world situations. You might read a PHP or javascript book that does the job teaching you those on their own but when it's time to close the book and use them on a real website, you'd be lost or Googling a LOT of things. Most "cool" sites do a good job of making their scripting languages work well together, and this book will show you how to do that, and it serves as a good jump-off for more advanced scripting later. It's like the author said "I know what you're trying to accomplish, here's how to do it."

Good job.

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, January 9, 2010

By 

Ryan Miller (Arizona, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Learning PHP, MySQL, and JavaScript: A Step-By-Step Guide to Creating Dynamic Websites (Animal Guide) (Paperback)

It is rare that I am so inspired to write a review for something. This book made learning easy. I must say that without the experience of taking a Java programming class at my college (the only programming experience I have), I would have likely had to make use of additional sources to fully grasp the PHP - object oriented section of this book. But even so, I still highly recommend this book to anybody wanting to create a highly functional website.

After spending about 2 weeks with it, I am already building dynamic websites that are impressing even myself. It is written very well and has great examples for practice coding. FIVE STARS without question!