A Programmer's Introduction to PHP 4.0

by W. Jason Gilmore

PHP is the language used to write web applications on Apache, which forms the basis of the WWW. This book is for developers wishing to develop low-cost applications that are portable across various operating systems and web servers, scaleable to mammoth proportions, and capable of integrating enterprise technologies such as Enterprise Java Beans or COM components. It provides in-depth coverage of topics that are normally otherwise overlooked and assumes...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1893115852
• ISBN13: 9781893115859
• Release Date: January 2001
• Publisher: Apress
• Length: 453 Pages
• Weight: 2.04 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 7.4" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

3 thumbs up

Not for newbies to programming but if you know the basicsof html and javascript and basic database stuff but want the heads up on PHP then this book is great !!!... Just the facts described short, sweet and to the point. Examples are perfectwithout being overly complex. Good stuff.

Somewhat misleading title, but the book is still great

A more appropriate title would have been 'An Introduction to PHP 4.0 for HTML Programmers'. The first five chapters cover basic programming concepts such as data types, conditional statements, functional programming, in arrays in very great detail. I found myself (a VB, C, and C++ programmer) skipping dozens of pages at a time. However, in addition to the basic theories, the book does do a good job explaining the various commands and functions PHP uses, although in a manner slightly more basic than I had expected.Starting in chapter 6, however, Gilmore throws down new concepts fast and furiously. The quality of his explanations doesn't suffer, he simply covers more in a briefer period of time in a manner that a somewhat experienced programmer will easily understand.On the whole, I was very impressed with this book. It does a fantastic job introducing PHP 4.0 and serves as a fantastic reference book as well.

Great book for those who hate to read 3" thick books

This is actually the only PHP book that I can finish reading. Those thick books from Sam's and Wrox are just too much for me. (They don't lay on my lap nicely while I'm typing either) Great book for programmers who don't want hello world examples, but real-world working examples. I enjoyed it from the beginning till the end, even for the first half intoducing the core syntax. The array and database sections even serve as a handy reference I look up everyday (filled with useful examples). Topics regarding ODBC, XML, COM, Templates & Javascript are good to introduce the topics, but not too long to bore you. I highly recommend this book!

Great place to learn core syntax

This book starts with the understanding that you know how to write programs. It gets right into the particulars, without bogging you down in the details of what conditionals or objects are. There are a few holes though, so I would suggest getting a more detailed book like the "PHP 4 Bible", by Tim Converse and Joyce Park from IDG Books, as a supplemental reference.

Well Done - A Programmer's Introduction to PHP 4.0

This book is well done. It is easy to understand and the code and examples are great. Its starts off with a section on the fundamentals of using PHP in a web site. It has a great section on File I/O and the file system. The most useful part of the text for me was the section toward the end of the book on dynamic web sites (chapters covering forms and databases - specifically MySQL).I have read and reviewed (for text adoption at the college I work at) a number of PHP/MySQL books in the past year and I found the Gilmore text (A Programmer's Introduciton to PHP 4.0) targeted to people who already understand HTML and static web development and some basic programming concepts. The text is full of solid code and clear explainations.This text is geared for people who want to implement an open source PHP and MySQL or other database solution. Mr Gilmore gets right to the point quickly brings you up to speed. Many of my junior and senior level students also liked the book.The curriculum I use in class (at the college) is well supported by this book. The following is a list of key elements I cover in my PHP/MySQL class (and is well supported by this book):PHP Introduction - Server Environment (usernames/passwords) Server Side Includes, Redirects, Date Functions (1 week) Intermingling HTML and PHP, Variables, Form Processing, and E-mail Handling (1 week) Introduction to SQL and MySQL - working with tables and data (in and out) (3 weeks) Web-Based Registration Systems - forms to register, send data, get data, relational databases, etc. (2 weeks) PHP Fundamentals - More of Variables, Functions, Arrays, etc. (3 weeks) PHP File Management (1 week) PHP Searching and Sorting (1 week) PHP Security and .htaccess Security (1 week)