Product Description

So you know HTML, even JavaScript, but the idea of learning an actual programming language like PHP terrifies you? Well, stop quaking and get going with this easy task-based guide! Aimed at beginning PHP developers just like yourself, this volume uses step-by-step instructions and plenty of visual aids to get you started testing scripts, using basic syntax, working with variables, creating Web applications, and everything else you need to know to create dynamic Web pages with this increasingly popular and important scripting language. Along the way, you'll learn about all that's new in version 5: the new Zend Engine, updated XML support, greatly improved streams (now able to access low-level socket operations), a bundled copy of SQLite, and more. Throughout the book, you'll find sample scripts and projects as well as the timesaving tips and techniques that have become the hallmark of the popular Visual QuickStart series. A companion Web site offers all of the book's scripts for download.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #72049 in Books
• Published on: 2004-02-05
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 480 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
PHP for the Word Wide Web is a well-presented introduction to this popular server-side scripting language. Aimed at beginners, the 14 chapters cover programming basics such as using variables, performing numeric calculations, creating user-defined functions and reading or writing to files. There are also chapters on HTML forms, databases, cookies and use of regular expressions.

Like other books in the Visual Quickstart series, it uses wide margins and plentiful illustrations, although it has to be said that simple browser screens and code examples do not score highly on visual appeal. Even so, the combination of short, carefully explained topics, numbered steps and illustrations of the output makes for a clear, easy to follow tutorial. An appendix covers installation on both Linux and Windows.

This is a slim title, and does not pretend to cover advanced use of PHP. The database coverage, in just one short chapter, is particularly thin. If you already have a little programming knowledge, you might prefer one of the more detailed PHP books, such as Beginning PHP 4 Programming, from Wrox, or Leon Atkinson's Core PHP Programming. On the other hand, those looking for a keenly priced guide to PHP fundamentals will find PHP for the World Wide Web an ideal starting point. --Tim Anderson

From the Back Cover

So you know HTML, even JavaScript, but the idea of learning an actual programming language like PHP terrifies you? Well, stop quaking and get going with this easy task-based guide! Aimed at beginning PHP developers just like yourself, this volume uses step-by-step instructions and plenty of visual aids to get you started testing scripts, using basic syntax, working with variables, creating Web applications, and everything else you need to know to create dynamic Web pages with this increasingly popular and important scripting language. Along the way, you'll learn about all that's new in version 5: the new Zend Engine, updated XML support, greatly improved streams (now able to access low-level socket operations), a bundled copy of SQLite, and more. Throughout the book, you'll find sample scripts and projects as well as the timesaving tips and techniques that have become the hallmark of the popular Visual QuickStart series. A companion Web site offers all of the book's scripts for download.

About the Author

J. Tarin Towers has contributed as a writer and technical editor to more than a dozen books about computers and the Internet. As an editorial consultant, she has worked with such companies as Netscape Communications, Microsoft, Informix Software, and Infoseek. Her Web site resides at www.tarin.com.

Customer Reviews

Good, but get the slightly more complicated one!
This book is good for your basic start in PHP. I've pretty much worked through it and found it to be well explained and easy to follow. For this I recommend it.

However, on the introduction of PHP4.1 the register_globals command is set to off as default. This means that if your server is running PHP4.1 or later with a default setup most of the example scripts featured in the book will need a small amount of modification before you can run them.

This book is a solid intro on PHP and the changes to the scripts needed to get them up and running are minimal. But, I would suggest getting 'PHP and MySQL for Dynamic Websites' by the same author and publisher as it covers all the topics in this book (and more), has the updated globals handling for PHP4.1 and covers MySQL. It isn't even that much more expensive!

A Good Primer for PHP
I found this book excellent - a very easy to read book, well illustrated with examples.

I recently had to spend a weekend in hospital, just before my first PHP project. This book was my reading matter, and even though I didn't have access to a computer, I was able to follow the commentary and illustrations just as if I was in front of a keyboard.

I can honestly say that I learnt and understood the basics of PHP from this book alone.

Lovin' It
I don't read many books, this is probably the second book I've read since christmas! So, my English is very poor and I might struggle with books that use very complicated text.
But, this book makes it very, very easy to understand PHP. I am half way through this book and I am understanding 90% of it, which I think will be enough. I've been using HTML and Javascript for years and I have decided to go somewhere different and this book has everything I need to know about PHP.

I recommend this book to people who may be in the same situation as me!

I am planning on digging further into web design when I get the hang of PHP and find a book, by the same author, on more advanced programming.

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