PHP & MySQL For Dummies 3rd edition (For Dummies (Computer/Tech)) [Paperback]

Janet Valade (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0470096004 | ISBN-13: 978-0470096000 | Publication Date: November 20, 2006 | Edition: 3

Build an online catalog and a members-only site

Everything you need to know to create a dynamic PHP and MySQL Web site!

Been thinking of creating a high-quality interactive Web site? This book is just what you need to get started! Here's the fun and easy way(r) to develop a Web application in PHP 4, 5, or 6 and MySQL 5, test your software, enable your Web pages to display, change, and move database information, and much more.

Discover how to
* Plan and implement a Web database application
* Design and build a MySQL 5 database
* Build dynamic HTML forms
* Create scripts that store, retrieve, and update database information
* Display database information in a Web page

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Build an online catalog and a members-only site

Everything you need to know to create a dynamic PHP and MySQL Web site!

Been thinking of creating a high-quality interactive Web site? This book is just what you need to get started! Here's the fun and easy way® to develop a Web application in PHP 4, 5, or 6 and MySQL 5, test your software, enable your Web pages to display, change, and move database information, and much more.

Discover how to

• Plan and implement a Web database application
• Design and build a MySQL 5 database
• Build dynamic HTML forms
• Create scripts that store, retrieve, and update database information
• Display database information in a Web page

About the Author

Janet Valade is the author of PHP 5 For Dummies, PHP & MySQL Everyday Apps For Dummies, and PHP & MySQL: Your visual blueprint for creating dynamic, database-driven Web sites, as well as the author of first and second editions of this book. In addition, Janet is the author of Spring into Linux and a coauthor of Mastering Visually Dreamweaver 8 and Flash 8.
Janet has twenty years of experience in the computing field. Most recently, she worked as a Web designer and programmer in an engineering firm for four years. Before that, Janet worked for thirteen years in a university environment, where she was a systems analyst. During her tenure, she supervised the installation and operation of computing resources, designed and developed a data archive, supported faculty and students in their computer usage, wrote numerous technical papers, and developed and presented seminars on a variety of technology topics.
To keep in touch, see janet.valade.com.

Product Details

• Paperback: 456 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies; 3 edition (November 20, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470096004
• ISBN-13: 978-0470096000
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #319,755 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Would recommend, July 5, 2007

By 

Shirley Evans (TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: PHP & MySQL For Dummies 3rd edition (For Dummies (Computer/Tech)) (Paperback)

I just finished PHP and MySQL for Dummies last night. I took C++ about 7 years ago in highschool and I think that helped with following the PHP part. Here are the pros and cons I found.
Cons
1.Not enough info on PHP and Mysql setup. One of the reasons I picked up this book was for help in getting everything configured. I had tried numerous how-tos on the web that weren't working, this did not offer much help either, although you can email the author for additional support. Solution: save the headache and download WAMP5, everything is configured for u with php, mysql, and apache server.
2. I found it annoying that the author would throw in lots of functions that were not included in the chapter into her example programs. Sure, they're there (some of them) in the last chapter, but they are not referenced so some of the examples are hard to proof unless you change them or read ahead.
3. Read the chapter "PHP Gotchas" at the beginning of the php chapters intead of at the end. If you follow along in order you will already know everything in that chapter, with much frustration, by the time u get there.
Pros:
I now know how to design a fully functional web program and have already figured out in my head how to do 2 others, plus modifications to the sample programs.
This is not the last PHP/MySQL book you will buy but it's good to get your feet wet.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Monkey see, monkey lost, February 21, 2008

By 

M. Eve "mike_in_seattle" (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: PHP & MySQL For Dummies 3rd edition (For Dummies (Computer/Tech)) (Paperback)

I've read many Dummies books, and like the "Monkey read, Monkey see, Monkey do" approach. This monkey learns better when all the steps are clearly shown and executed in the text. Unfortunately, this book is more like "Monkey read, Monkey lost". For example, Chapter 4, "Building a Database". The author describes 2 sample databases then discusses the various operations (queries) that can be performed on the databases without detailed, step by step instructions along the way. With some trial and error, the steps can be deduced, but this can be very frustrating and may not always work.

p.s.: Janet Valade has written several beginner books on PHP/MySQL. Maybe, eventually, she will get it right. She is so close...

24 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is the way to get started, December 15, 2006

By 

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

This review is from: PHP & MySQL For Dummies 3rd edition (For Dummies (Computer/Tech)) (Paperback)

The basic concept of the web was that there would be a bunch of documents around, each document would have a unique name/address (called a Uniform Resourse Locator or URL) and when you wanted to read that document you would browse to that URL and get the document. There was no thought of connecting the documents to a database so that the information being presented to the visitor would vary depending on what he wanted.

Then beginning a dozen or so years ago, it kind of instantly became obvious to everyone that database connectivity was needed. And we got several competing approaches. Some like Cold Fusion were commercial packages. Some like Microsoft's ASP were nominally free (if you used their operating system). And there were other approaches using Java, Perl, CGI, etc.

Conclusion. If you are starting out to set up a web site using a database to supply the data being displayed, you would not go wrong to use PHP and MySQL. The packages are free, reliable, fast, and easy to use.

This is a book to use when you are getting started. It gives you the basic concepts of web/database interconnectivity so you can understand just what's going on. After this, you'll want more specialized materials: the MySQL reference manual for instance so you can go much deeper into it's version of SQL; and something that goes deeper into PHP.

But start with this one. Once you get a site doing some simple database connectivity you can go deeper into your own particular application.