Learning PHP & MySQL: Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Database-Driven Web Sites [Paperback]

Michele E. Davis (Author), Jon A. Phillips (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0596514018 | ISBN-13: 978-0596514013 | Publication Date: August 24, 2007 | Edition: Second Edition

PHP and MySQL are quickly becoming the de facto standard for rapid development of dynamic, database-driven web sites. This book is perfect for newcomers to programming as well as hobbyists who are intimidated by harder-to-follow books. With concepts explained in plain English, the new edition starts with the basics of the PHP language, and explains how to work with MySQL, the popular open source database. You then learn how to put the two together to generate dynamic content.

If you come from a web design or graphics design background and know your way around HTML, Learning PHP & MySQL is the book you've been looking for. The content includes:

• PHP basics such as strings and arrays, and pattern matching
• A detailed discussion of the variances in different PHP versions
• MySQL data fundamentals like tables and statements
• Information on SQL data access for language
• A new chapter on XHTML
• Error handling, security, HTTP authentication, and more

Learning PHP & MySQL explains everything from fundamental concepts to the nuts and bolts of performing specific tasks. As part of O'Reilly's bestselling Learning series, the book is an easy-to-use resource designed specifically for beginners. It's a launching pad for future learning, providing you with a solid foundation for more advanced development.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Michele E. Davis has co-authored and authored over 11 books and has been a career writer since she sold her first poem to CRICKET magazine in second grade. She has an MFA in Writing from Hamline University and is always trying to improve her writing technique. Someday it will be perfect.

Jon A. Phillips is a software engineer who loves Open Source technology. He's been working with web development and databases for over 12 years and is always exploring new technology. Additionally, he co-authored a Dreamweaver for Dummies book that came out July 2006.

Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: O'Reilly Media; Second Edition edition (August 24, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0596514018
• ISBN-13: 978-0596514013
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.9 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #627,084 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #93 in Books > Computers & Technology > Programming > Languages & Tools > XHTML

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Poor writing and editing, November 19, 2007

By 

Guy Tal (Utah, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Learning PHP & MySQL: Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Database-Driven Web Sites (Paperback)

It is not quite clear to me how any technical editor, let alone from a publisher specializing in technology books, could pass this text as is. It is quite obvious that the authors may know their way around developing simple database-driven web sites but completely miss basic programming topics (OOP, constructors, static variables etc. - all are explained in confusing and, at times, incorrect language).

Add to that grammatical errors, and perhaps a reminder that "kraut" is a derogatory term better left out of a mainstream publication, and it's quite baffling how this book made it to print in its current form.

I haven't seen other publications on the topic to compare against but this one certainly was a disappointment.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Contains countless typos and mistakes, February 18, 2008

By 

Love to Sing (California, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Learning PHP & MySQL: Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Database-Driven Web Sites (Paperback)

I have not bought a textbook in over five years. Back then, O'Reilly was a reputable brand. So when I needed to learn PHP and MySQL, I bought this book without doing any research. I will never blindly buy an O'Reilly book again.

I got to page 11 before finding my first typo. After that, I lost track of all the typos and coding mistakes I've seen. Mind you, this is the 2nd edition of this book. Clearly, the authors did not proofread their book, nor did anyone else at O'Reilly, nor did anyone who read the 1st edition (?). I have learned to not trust anything in this book and instead use google for my php/mysql questions. Also, the mistakes are not all obvious typos -- some are mistakes in reasoning, which I can catch because I have extensive experience with computers.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Riddled with errors - avoid, July 20, 2008

By 

Käsekrainer (Vienna, Austria) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Learning PHP & MySQL: Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Database-Driven Web Sites (Paperback)

This dreadful book is so far below O'Reilly's normal high standard that it's hard to believe anyone at the company saw it before publication. It is riddled from start to finish with typos, technical errors, bad coding practices, contradictions and statements that are just plain wrong. It's quite baffling that O'Reilly would let a book this bad hit the shelves.

What is particularly worrying is that this is the second edition. The first was also full of mistakes (see the reviews on the O'Reilly website) and the publisher seems to have acknowledged this by rushing out this second edition only a year after the first, but the new edition fixes few of the problems of the first while introducing a host of new ones. One of the worst books ever published by O'Reilly. Avoid at all costs.