Beginning PHP 4

by Wankyu Choi, Allan Kent, Chris Lea, et al.

What is this book about? PHP is a rapidly growing web technology which enables web designers to build dynamic, interactive web applications, incorporating information from a host of databases, and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1861003730
• ISBN13: 9781861003737
• Release Date: January 2000
• Publisher: Wrox Press
• Length: 800 Pages
• Weight: 2.79 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.7" x 7.3" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Excellent for the beginner - get this red book!

I began php with two books, one being this wrox publication and the other a more advanced sams publication. The wrox publication was the fundamental lifesaver in my php learning. The examples were easy to follow. And wrox's p2p website and forums have proven to be a lifesaver again and again, providing a wonderful compliment to the book. It is not only a fabulous learning and how-to manual, but also makes a terrific reference. I would definitely recommend this book to the beginner. But not to sound like a complete advertisement! My experience with this book has truly been a positive one.

Excellent for the PHP Beginner

I recently purchased this book, and as some of the other reviewers have said, it rarely leaves my desk. I found this book to be written at an ideal level of difficulty for someone with a good working knowledge of HTML, and NOTHING more. This book has helped me develop from a static HTML designer to a capable PHP programmer. The book covers a number of topics that I'd always wanted to use on my sites, including: cookies, sessions, interactive forms, and database connectivity, including an introduction to using SQL to connect to a number of different databases.The book has a number of tutorials and examples which perform the key function of transferring what you are learning into practical examples (often lacking in beginning books). There is also a great appendix of functions that gives the new programmer a reference to which they can refer for quick answers. Finally, and maybe best of all, Wrox has a great Web site with a number of forums related to the topics covered in the book.Overall, it's a great book for beginners. I used what I'd learned in the first week to add a number of dynamic features to my own Web sites, and the difference was instantly noticeable. Best of luck!

Great book fo newbie PHPers

This book is well written with the absolute beginner in mind. If you already are at an intermediate level, then this book will seem very simple to you. Then again, they would've named it Intermediate PHP. Some people may be put off by the repetition in the lessons, but for me, it's perfect. It helps things to sink in better if it's repeated several times.Yes, this book has errors and typos just like any other book does, but if you go to the Wrox website, they have a very good eratta. I printed it out, then cut each page's eratta into strips and inserted them into the apropiate pages. No more problem!If you're a complete newbie to programming or PHP, get this book! You won't regret it. By the end of this book, you'll be writing some fairly advanced and useful scripts.

by far the best beginning php book i own

Whenever anyone asks me which book I recommend for someone just starting out with PHP I recommend this one. The book is an excellent introduction to not only PHP but also to mySQL , database design, and elementary programming prinicipals such as arrays and datatypes. With confidence I can recommend this book to a beginner that has never used a database before (let alone designed one) or programmed before and know that with this one book they can get a handle on how to create a simple database driven php site. I found the examples to be excellent. In fact, I have reused code in this book on my projects several times. As a book for beginners should be written, it assumes no prior knowledge whatsoever and is easy and enjoyable to read. The one thing the book does assume, which I think is a must, is prior knowledge of HTML and some Javascript. If you've never even built a webpage before, you should start with learning those 2 things first before picking up this book.

Coffee, Keyboard, Mouse, Big Red PHP Book.

I am very pleased with Beginning PHP 4 and it's rarely off my desk. I'd highly recommend it to anyone wanting to get a fast, no nonsense tutorial and a great reference for PHP.This book is probably not for someone creating their first Web site. It assumes that the reader can code and publish HTML. I also think it would be a good idea for prospective buyers to visit some PHP sites ... before jumping into "Begining" PHP 4. Beginning PHP 4 teaches by example so the reader learns functions and techniques VERY quickly as they build working projects. Plus, the layout of the book is such that the reader can drop into any chapter and get a brush-up tutorial and sample code.So... get a basic feel for PHP, write a few simple PHP enhanced pages on your own and you'll REALLY enjoy this book. You'll find the difference in PHP's power after reading this book is like the difference between throwing a bullet and firing one from a gun.