php/architect's Guide to E-Commerce Programming with Magento [Paperback]

Mark Kimsal (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0973862173 | ISBN-13: 978-0973862171 | Publication Date: May 30, 2008

This highly anticipated book will give you the insight you need to successfully manage and customize your Magento Commerce installation. php|architect's Guide to Programming with Magento takes you from installation to deployment of this popular e-commerce open source software. Magentos flexibility and Zend Framework-based structure have made it an increasingly popular e-commerce solution. Designed as a valuable companion to the the documentation provided on the Magento web site, this comprehensive book covers everything you as a developer need to know, including: - Installation and configuration - Basic understanding of Magento Commerce features and functions - Overview of front-end and back-end systems - Dealing with multiple stores - Accommodating multiple languages & internationalization issues - Handling Magento modules - Working with the Magento template system - Understanding Magento's EAV database structure - Made-to-order products - Adding a rewards or points system - Integration with a CMS - Accounting, inventory and order fulfillment and exporting information with XML - An entire chapter devoted to quick answers to common questions

Product Details

• Paperback: 184 pages
• Publisher: Marco Tabini & Associates, Inc. (May 30, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0973862173
• ISBN-13: 978-0973862171
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #991,600 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars The author/publisher obviously just want to make a quick buck, July 22, 2008

By 

Mark Twain (bay area) - See all my reviews

This review is from: php/architect's Guide to E-Commerce Programming with Magento (Paperback)

The book is poorly organized. After reading the book twice, I still don't feel confident in significantly modifying magento. The author's lack of explanation and poor writing style made it hard to understand what he was explaining. I feel completely lost in the book several time. The lack of code example made the problem worse. I couldn't help thinking if the irresponsible author/publisher was just trying to make a quick buck by being the first magento book on the market.

What the author/publisher should have done is have the book read by a developer who's new to Magento and ask him to develop a decent size module from scratch with information just from the book. The author also should have included web and forum materials in the book so that reader don't have to search back and forth.

I give the book 2 star because it's still better than no book at all. I hope better, more complete magento book comes out soon....

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Poorly written, August 20, 2008

By 

Alfred Diez "rmadrid" (Toronto, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: php/architect's Guide to E-Commerce Programming with Magento (Paperback)

This book is very poorly written. The author simply jumps from one topic to another without any introduction. Example, he begins the CMS Integration chapter by simply jumping into it without really any intro into what Magento provides as a CMS solution. I find this book extremely difficult to follow. The author dwells into technical concepts of Magento without giving a thorough explanation of the concepts. he also uses different terms interchangeably expecting the reader to somehow understand these terms. The point is if someone is buying this book, it's because they know very little or nothing of Magento, however the author assumes that the reader is already a Magento developer.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A rushed, incomplete and poorly thought out book, October 24, 2008

By 

T. Wolaver - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: php/architect's Guide to E-Commerce Programming with Magento (Paperback)

While this is the only book on the market for getting into the inner bowls of the Magento Beast, it was rushed to market. I understand that things move quickly, especially in the world of open source, however there have been 10 releases of Magento since the May 2008 publish date. Many of the examples in the book do not work. They may have worked at one point but not any longer. You will need to spend a lot of time on wikis and forums to get the some of the complex examples working. Ideally you would have a companion website with errata and updates for code samples, no such luck here, you're on your own.

In addition, the book is poorly written and I don't think there was an editor (doesn't seem like it anyhow).

Would I still purchase this book again? Yes I would. It still provides a glimpse into how Magento works... not to mention it is the only book out there.