Beginning PHP5 (Programmer to Programmer) (Paperback)

by Dan Squier (Author), David Mercer (Author), Allan Kent (Author), Steven Nowicki (Author), Clark Morgan (Author), Wankyu Choi (Contributor) "PHP, which stands for HyperText Preprocessor, is widely used for creating programmed features for Web sites because it is easy to learn and also because..." (more)
Key Phrases: resource parser, user phpuser, int juliandaycount, Package Manager, Try It Out Use, Red Hat (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
What is this book about?

Beginning PHP5 is a complete tutorial in PHP5's language features and functionality, beginning with the basics and building up to the design and construction of complex data-driven Web sites. Fully functioning applications are developed through the course of the book. Other features of the book include installation guide and troubleshooting tips, introduction to relational databases, practical working examples and applications, and a detailed language reference.

Here are the new topics in this edition:

• OOP
• PEAR
• GTK
• MSI
• CLI
• SQLite
• Error handling with try/catch

From the Back Cover
PHP5 is the newest version of the preferred language for rapidly creating dynamic Web page content. While its main use is as a cross-platform, HTML-embedded, server-side Web scripting language, it now works equally well when creating multi-tiered applications or XML-based applications as well as Web applications. This book teaches you the features and functionality of PHP5, from installing and configuring it to designing and constructing complex data-driven Web sites.

As you proceed, you will build a number of fully functional applications. You’ll be introduced to basic programming logic, relational databases, OOP, PEAR, GTK, MSI, CLI, SQLite, and more. When you’re finished, you will understand how to create, test, debug, and put your applications to work in the real world.

What you will learn from this book

• The fundamentals of object-oriented programming in PHP5
• How to write PHP5 applications that run on Windows®, Linux®, Mac OS® X, and other operating systems
• Why PHP5 works effectively in small to enterprise-level applications
• Error handling with try/catch
• Data manipulation in MySQL® using PHP
• How to build practical applications such as an online text editor, a Web-based e-mail application, and an object-oriented contact manager application
• Command-line scripting and GUI application development
• Effective methods of maintaining and organizing your code, and more

Who this book is for

This book is for beginning programmers as well as experienced developers who want to learn what is possible with the latest version of PHP.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 888 pages
• Publisher: Wrox (July 16, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764557831
• ISBN-13: 978-0764557835
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 7.4 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #635,239 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book has been extremely useful, October 21, 2004

By	Christine Davis (California) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

(...)PHP code can be used on a local machine as well as uploaded to your server and used in the real world. You may need to make modifications to the code to reflect the domain name, etc. of your particular server.
With that out of the way, let me say that this book has been extremely useful to me (a beginner). Not only does it start with the fundamentals of PHP, including installation, it continues through many advanced areas of programming so that you do not need to rush out and buy another book to complete your project. It even covers some basic HTML integration for those that are new to that too.
All in all, I have not seen any other book on PHP5 with the depth and ease-of-use of this one.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Look for another book!, November 20, 2005

By	Chris Gaeden (Santa Rosa, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The numerous grammar and coding errors in this book make it one to completely avoid if you are new to PHP programming. Fortunately, I was familiar enough with PHP to catch most of the coding errors.

The thing that probably bothered me the most was the fact that many of the explanations of the code given in the book refer to code that isn't even printed in the book! The explanations seemed to refer to a previous revision, rather than the code in the final printed version. Whoever was the project manager and/or proofreader of this book should be shamed and then fired.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Beginning PHP, March 1, 2005

By	Robert N. Conner, Jr. "rafstar" (North Benton, Ohio USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have always felt that WROX books were the best computer books on the market, until I read this one. There are tons of grammatical errors, which I can deal with. However, the syntax errors are far too numerous for this type of book. Also, some of the programs do not do what they are suppose to. If you are new to PHP, then stay away from this book. I am glad I bought this book from Amazon and paid a discounted price instead of buying it from WROX and paid the full cover price. At least I minimized the money I wasted on this book.