PHP 4: A Beginner's Guide (Paperback)

~ William McCarty (Author) "In this module, you'll learn how to create and execute PHP programs..." (more)
Key Phrases: Beginner's Guide, Tools Help, Mastery Check (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Essential skills for first-time programmers! PHP 4: A Beginner's Guide explains the fundamentals of this hot programming language. You'll learn to create forms, work with functions, use cookies, access relational databases, and debug PHP scripts. The modular approach of this series--including drills, sample projects, and mastery checks--makes it easy to learn PHP 4 programming quickly.

From the Back Cover

Get up and running quickly with PHP 4 using this introductory resource

Use this book to learn the basics of working PHP 4 -- one of today's most popular, cross-platform open-source scripting languages. You'll start out by creating basic PHP programs and move toward more advanced topics such as writing conditional statements, using strings, creating functions, inputting arrays, and more. Follow along with sample programs as they progress in complexity, so you won't miss a step along the way. In no time, you'll be able to use PHP as a Web development tool for e-commerce and intranet applications or for handling other tasks including network management and database administration. Informative and remarkably easy-to-follow, this instructive guide will help you master this powerful and reliable scripting language.

This Beginner's Guide is Designed for Easy Learning:

• Modules -- Each concept is divided into logical modules (chapters), ideal for individualized learning
• Goals -- Each module opens with the specific skills you'll have by the end of the module
• Ask the Experts -- Q;A sections throughout are filled with extra information and interesting commentary
• 1-Minute Drills -- Quick self-assessment sections to check your progress
• Annotated Syntax -- Example code annotated with commentary that points to the particular technique illustrated
• Projects -- Exercises contained in each module show how to apply what you are learning
• Mastery Checks -- End-of-module reviews that test your knowledge using short-answer, multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blank, and simple coding questions

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Product Details

• Paperback: 544 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Osborne Media; 1 edition (July 26, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0072133716
• ISBN-13: 978-0072133714
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #945,692 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not for the beginner..., November 28, 2002

By A Customer

Don't do it!! If you're new to programming, I recommend staying away from this book. It teaches programming using programming language. It's like trying to learn Greek by reading a Greek newspaper.

Here is an example from the book, it explains what an environmental variable is:
"Environment variables are used to store options and parameters that customize the application environment. Applications can access the values of environment variables and adjust their behavior accordingly."

If this example didn't make sense to you, don't expect the author to clarified it any further. For the most part, the entire book is written using programming jargon and not much plain English at all.

Here's another example, (one of my favorites):
"A database table should contain only atomic values. That is, no column should have a composite value."

I am sure this means something to someone, but to explain atomic values by saying they're not composite values is far from plain English! I nearly threw the book after reading this!

Nowhere did I find a simpler explanation of what is meant by atomic values. I guess the author thought "not composite" was sufficient enough.

I had to get this book for a class. I have read over half of it and still have no clue how to program with php. I actually experience anxiety when having to complete reading assignments from this book because I know it will only cause confusion and frustration.

Plus I have yet to figure out if there is any logical order to the way the material is presented. Each chapter seems to be independent of itself - not building on much of the previous chapters.

All in all, a very disappointing book. Despite the title, this is not a beginner's guide. If you already understand programming than maybe this will help you learn php. But if you are new to programming, stay away from this book... far, far away!

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not as bad as they say, November 7, 2002

By	Mike Cuccaro (Miami, FL) - See all my reviews

The examples in this book are decent. It has a path from beginner to intermediate that is acceptable. I think its main setback is that it doesnt really get into how the data is being parsed based on the code you write. Something he doesnt explain in the book that I found out the hardway (getting laughed at by the geeks in efnet-#php) is that globals are not turned on by default. This book assumes they are and doesnt tell you what thats all about. I would recommened this book to someone who doesnt want to learn php, but is more interested in stealing some codebits to put some projects up quickly. While I refer to it from time to time, when I do, im usually looking for the mickey mouse approach which this book seems to embrace. I wonder if I am allowed to say mickey mouse in a review.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars clear and easy to understand, June 21, 2003

By	"keithl168" (San Diego, Ca USA) - See all my reviews

This is my first review. I don't normaly write them except that I found this book to be exactly what I was looking for. I needed to learn php and I had to do it on my own.I am a complete beginner in this area.
The chapters were clear and concise. The code was explained without 'over explaining" it.
There are small quizes in each section to help reinforce the learning.
I didn't find any problems with the source code.
If you're looking for a place to start with php I don't think you can find a better book.