PHP Cookbook

Learning PHP 5

PHP and MySQL Web Development (3rd Edition) (Developer's Library)

MySQL Cookbook

Databases

Web Database Applications with PHP & MySQL, 2nd Edition

Format: Paperback
Author: Hugh E. Williams
ReleaseDate: 16 May, 2004
Publisher: O'Reilly Media
Rating:

Disappointingly poor index
I'm customizing some PHP code, using code examples for ideas. I'm new to PHP and MySQL, but a programmer for over 3 decades. When I (a) see something I want to understand better or (b) want to find the PHP analog for basic functions, I naturally turn to the index to try to find the information I need. However, I found the index very disappointing because of what it doesn't have. For example, simple and basic keywords are not in the index: "comment", "logical operator", "and", "or", etc. I'm going to have order a different book as a PHP reference.

The best starting point to php and mysql
I only had little programming experience at that time, I I didn't even have any experience with databases. I bought this book with the hope I could learn just enought to get me started with web application development. Well. This book was the perfect introduction to web applications. From security to authentication, from php basics to multi-table join sql queries, this book got me into this world, and I appreciate it so much because I am working now in web development, thanks to what I learned from here.

Altough this book is not for the absolute beginner, it teaches you just what you need to know to get you started, and even more. It lacks some subjects, like caching, or some advanced php 5 language constructs. Its focus is in real world development, without too much emphasis in application design or php/mysql internals. It teaches you just what you really need to know, and it teaches you that extremely well. You will learn php, from its basic syntax and usage, to object oriented programming basics. Then the book takes you to mysql, with a great introduction to sql, and how to use mysql from php. The following chapters deal with typical database concepts you must grasp, like concurrency issues and even performance tunning. It doesn't get too deep in php as a language, rather it focuses on php and mysql interaction, with an eye towards constructing a real world web application (which finally gets its parts joined in the final chapter).

Things I dislike are its use of templating systems over many chapters. That was not a subject I was interested in. Althought a serious php developer can't simply ignore this topic, it is not crucial in understanding the fundamentals, and it, in turn, adds a source of difficulty to the examples from chapter 7 on. Other thing I didn't like was the development of a complete application that I didn't have time to study, altough fortunately I managed to ignore it as much as I can, without losing too much.

In summary, I love this book, it is not perfect, but it's just what I needed and I give it 5 stars because it is a really well written and focused book.

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Excellent Introduction Book & Reference
It has a few chapters introducing PHP, then a few introducing MySQL, and then walks through the steps necessary to build a functioning dynamic website. This book is an excellent introduction to PHP, MySQL, and the interaction of the two. They also include an elaborate and detailed case study of a Winestore application the author's developed.

Whenever somebody tells me they are interested in PHP and web programming, this is the book I tell them to get. Many friends have borrowed my copy since I got it.