PHP 5 For Dummies [Paperback]

Janet Valade (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 30, 2004 | ISBN-10: 0764541668 | ISBN-13: 978-0764541667 | Edition: 1

Covers the latest major release of PHP, the most popular open source Web scripting language, in the friendly, easy-to-understand For Dummies style

• PHP is installed on nearly nine million servers, and usage has grown at the rate of 6.5 percent per month for the past two years
• PHP is easy to learn, well suited for Web development, and can be embedded with HTML, making it a good choice for creating dynamic Web pages for e-commerce sites and other Web applications; a database-friendly language, it connects easily to Sybase, MySQL, mSQL, Oracle, and other databases
• Explains how to acquire and install PHP, how PHP's features make it a useful scripting language, and how to use PHP for three of the most common applications: interactive Web sites, database storage, and common operating system tasks

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Start programming PHP and make your Web site interactive

Discover arrays of variables, start writing scripts, and get object oriented

The script calls for an interactive Web site – where do you start? Right here, with a fast and friendly way to get the hang of PHP 5 programming! You’ll also discover all the other cool things you can do with PHP, like managing files, interacting with databases, using system commands, and more.

The Dummies Way

• Explanations in plain English
• "Get in, get out" information
• Icons and other navigational aids
• Tear-out cheat sheet
• Top ten lists
• A dash of humor and fun

About the Author

Janet Valade is the author of PHP & MySQL For Dummies. In addition, she has authored and revised chapters for several Linux books and for a Webmaster certification book.
Janet Valade has 20 years experience in the computing field. She worked as a Web designer/programmer for an engineering firm. Prior to that, Janet worked for several years in a university environment as a systems analyst. During her tenure, she supervised the installation and operation of computing resources, designed and developed a data archive, provided technical support for faculty and students, wrote numerous technical papers, and developed and presented seminars and workshops on a variety of technology topics.

Product Details

• Paperback: 408 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies; 1 edition (April 30, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764541668
• ISBN-13: 978-0764541667
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #676,859 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #52 in Books > Computers & Technology > Databases > Database Design

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Yes, the author reads the reviews., August 15, 2005

By 

Janet Valade (Oregon) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: PHP 5 For Dummies (Paperback)

Yes, the author reads the reviews here. That's me. The error in which a few quotes were replaced with underscores occurred during the publishing process, after I was finished with the book. I didn't know about the errors until I saw the earlier review here. However, there is no way to fix it. If the book is reprinted or a second edition is released, I can fix the errors, but not until then. I wish I could. I apologize to any who were confused by this problem.

There are 8 quotes replaced with underscores on 4 lines in Chapter 3, 2 quotes replaced with underscores on 1 line in Chapter 4, and 20 quotes replaced with underscores on 8 lines in Chapter 5. I have a list of the errors and corrections on my web site at janet.valade.com/php5errors.html.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars There are better choices out there, January 28, 2007

By 

M. Strong - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: PHP 5 For Dummies (Paperback)

I only give this two stars because there are a few snippets of code that are worth absorbing. However this book has enough errors to make the subject matter confusing. I've used quite a few "Dummies" books as intros to a variety of subjects in my 20 years of programming. They have for the most part been quite helpful.

I always expect some errors from books dealing with technical material, but the errors here are of a nature so as to cause confusion, especially to those new to PHP.

My bottom line recommendation is not to use this book if you are new to programming or to PHP. You'll spend more time than warranted separating the wheat from the chaff. There are much better intros to be had. Try Sam's "PHP, MySQL and Apache" or Sitepoint's "Object Oriented PHP Solutions". Both are accurate, easy to understand, and have code samples that are easy to get to.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just Getting Started, June 25, 2004

By 

John Matlock "Gunny" (Winnemucca, NV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: PHP 5 For Dummies (Paperback)

I like the Dummies books.

OK, so I'm not sophisticated, professional, or even very smart. But so many computer books seem to forget the first twenty pages that explain just what the hell you are trying to do. Perhaps the Dummies books take 40 pages to explain what could have been donw in 20, but that's not a problem. I can read fast.

It has often happened that I first read a Dummies book and then once I'm deep into doing something with that language I need to go get a more complete Bible type book. I haven't gotten far enough into PHP yet to know if this is true, but in moving a web site over to Unix (BSD), Postgre, Apache, and PHP; I don't have the time to read a Bible on each one of these. This book, along with some other Dummies books is getting me started a lot faster than I thought possible.