PHP and MySQL Web Development

Author:

Luke Welling  Laura Thomson

Learning PHP is worth your time because you can do so much with it. Backed by a MySQL database server, the language makes an extraordinary engine for doing server-side scripting on Web sites. <I>PHP and MySQL WebDevelopment</I> aims to unravel the wonderful possibilities of the two title technologies by walking the reader through tutorials, then presenting a series of moderately elaborate example projects. The PHP tutorial will impressanyone coming to the language from simple HTML work, and the MySQL tutorial is adequate for most applications (though it ignores the relational capabilities that appeared in version 4 with the InnoDB table type). If you like to study code(both listings and commentary), you'll appreciate the authors' solutions to common problems, like implementing shopping sites and managing restricted-access rules.<p> The programming approach of Luke Welling and Laura Thomson isprocedural, neglecting the object-oriented capabilities of PHP almost entirely. It's a valid choice, as most PHP code is written in procedural style. As well, they've chosen to build their software around PHP 4.3, which doesn't have asmuch object-orientation capability of the new version 5 release. Some readers may lament the lack of up-to-date coverage, but others--perhaps serving sites from hosting services that run well-proven PHP 4.x--will appreciate that theauthors took time to revise their PHP 4.3 code samples (which should, in most cases, be backward-compatible), rather than writing PHP 5 code for its own sake. <I>--David Wall</I><p> <B>Topics covered</B>:How to program with PHP 4.3 (and its predecessors) and store data in a MySQL database. PHP coverage is extensive, covering all capabilities from basic form-handing to Web Services, while MySQL coverage is limited to the essentials ofdatabase setup and administration. Elaborate applications--such as a PDF generator and a content-management system--are written in a way that invites learning and adaptation.

Book Review:

<P><I>PHP and MySQL Web Development</I> teaches the reader to develop dynamic, secure, commercial Web sites. Using the same accessible, popular teaching style of the first edition, this best-selling book has been updatedto reflect the rapidly changing landscape of MySQL and PHP.</P><P>The book teaches the reader to integrate and implement these technologies by following real-world examples and working sample projects, and also covers relatedtechnologies needed to build a commercial Web site, such as SSL, shopping carts, and payment systems.</P><P>The second edition includes new coverage of how to work with XML in developing a PHP and MySQL site, and how to drawon the valuable resources of the PEAR repository of code and extensions.</P>

About Author:

Luke Welling and Laura Thomson are co-founders of Tangled Web Design and recently won the CCH Emerging Technology award for a site they built using PHP. Bothare teachers at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia, and have over five years of web design experience. ACCREDITATION Luke Welling and Laura Thomson are co-founders of Tangled Web Design, and recently won the CCH Emerging Technology award for a site they built using PHP. Both are teachers at RMIT University inMelbourne Australia, and have five years web design experience.