PHP and MySQL Web Development 4th Edition

This was my textbook for an online "Web Scripting with PHP" college credited class I took. The book is broken up into logical sections, starting with a simple practical application: someone wants you to build a web app for them. The chapters continue building the users knowledge of php by introducing them to basic concepts using the simple customer web app, building on what was done previously. The topics are important and standard, (data types, variables, operators, loops, control structures, conditionals) and move into more advanced topics (file IO, MySQL database development, authentication, OOP development). At this point the user can look back and say, "Now I know how to do some pretty useful stuff". It doesn't stop there, however. The user is moved onto more advanced admin-like topics (building a shopping cart, php and mysql administration topics, PHP and AJAX, web app security, building a web forum, etc). By the time you go through this book, doing all of the projects, you can call yourself a php developer. What the book doesn't cover is any specific framework such as PEAR, or methodology such as AGILE or Design Patterns. I felt, However, that these omissions are a strength of the book rathar than a weakness since what it teaches is the core library, uses, and functionality of PHP/MySQL and didn't get side-tracked or distracted by anything else. I felt this was a great introduction (and well, WELL beyond) to PHP/MySQL web development and made learning this language very easy for me. The book is well laid out and follow a logical progression, the examples all work, the language is realistic, the projects are practical, and overall the book prepares the reader with the necessary knowledge to get hired and learn a specialization, use a design pattern, or work with a team of developers on a great project. I still use the book in my projects and will continue to do so for years to come, I would imagine. BTW, I got an A in the class!

It's a bit comical when I agree with the reviewers listed inside the cover of the book ... "I picked up this book 2 days ago and can't put it down" and "layout and flow is perfect," etc.I tried PHP for Dummies and I was too dumb. I tried Sam's, but he failed me this time. Finally, I found this book. I consumed this book as I do many tech books first on kindle, using the text to speech method to listen to it. Then I purchased a hard copy so I could follow the code. In this case, the hard copy of the book also has a great CD-ROM that I was able to use to install Apache and MySQL on my computer. I've failed so far to get the PHP up and running, but I'm not sure it matters since I just put the code on my website and it runs from there.I would recommend on future editions, the authors move up to the front a little teaser. It teaches how to use PHP to shuffle photos. Its a super simple set of code and it is currently located in a completely rational location, explaining how to reorder arrays. The only reason I would recommend a teaser upfront is that the reader, immediately upon opening the book could go to a website and immediately post some PHP code on the web. In the instant world of the 21st century, this small mod would sink the hook a little further on this book.Regardless of minor adjustments to make the book more enticing, its the best I've seen yet. It's clear, linear and easy to follow. As the reviewers in the book state, it has a natural flow ... its intuitive. What more could one ask for in a tech text?Well done!

I haven't gotten through enough of the book yet to be able to comment on its handling of the subject matter, but so far it seems like it will be great in that regard. I wanted to address a few of the negative comments about the Kindle version though. The formatting isn't very good as far as Kindle books on programming go, with some text running right into code snippets. Also, there's no electronic/hyperlinked Table of Contents, which makes it much more difficult to navigate through the book and really needs to be remedied in the next edition. Hopefully the release of the 5th Edition (which won't be released until this summer) will fix both of these issues in the Kindle version. As to other critiques about the source code being unavailable, that's just not true. Anyone who buys the Kindle version (and this is likely true of the print version as well) should flip to the front of the book and look for the "Reader Services" section located right before the Introduction. It comes shortly after the printed Table of Contents and Acknowledgements sections. That section contains all the information anyone should need on how to acquire the source code, which weighs in at around 725MB in size. Granted, this info is a little more difficult to find considering the substandard formatting and the fact that a newly-purchased book automatically opens to a point just past this blurb. Nevertheless, this isn't the only book to offer source code on a physical CD that (obviously) can't be included with an electronic copy of the book, so if you're interested in buying any Kindle books about coding, I'd recommend keeping a lookout for information like this near the front of these types of books.All-in-all, this looks to be a great book that just needs a little more attention on the electronic copy.