Product Description

• Shows Web developers how to use two popular open source technologies, the PHP scripting language and MySQL database, to build Web database applications
• This updated edition covers changes in PHP 5 and the latest version of MySQL, including programming techniques for the new PHP default setting, methods for handling MySQL security problems, and extended information about Apache Web Server and Mac OS X versions of PHP and MySQL
• Explains how to install Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X versions of PHP and MySQL
• Includes two complete sample applications: an online catalog and a members–only Web site
• Features a companion Web site with code examples from the book and links to the author′s successful site
• Kevin Beaver has more than fifteen years of experience in security and information technology, specializing in security assessments and incident response
• Features a companion Web site with links to various utilities discussed throughout the book and practical security checklists

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #161562 in Books
• Published on: 2004-04-08
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 456 pages

Synopsis
* Shows Web developers how to use two popular open source technologies, the PHP scripting language and MySQL database, to build Web database applications * This updated edition covers changes in PHP 5 and the latest version of MySQL, including programming techniques for the new PHP default setting, methods for handling MySQL security problems, and extended information about Apache Web Server and Mac OS X versions of PHP and MySQL * Explains how to install Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X versions of PHP and MySQL * Includes two complete sample applications: an online catalog and a members-only Web site * Features a companion Web site with code examples from the book and links to the author's successful site * Kevin Beaver has more than fifteen years of experience in security and information technology, specializing in security assessments and incident response * Features a companion Web site with links to various utilities discussed throughout the book and practical security checklists

From the Back Cover
Updated for PHP 5 and MySQL 4

Create dynamic, interactive Web pages on Windows^®, Linux^®, or Mac OS^® X systems

Open up a whole new world of Web database applications with PHP and MySQL, the perfect open source pair! This handy guidebook shows you how, with sample applications of an online catalog and a members–only Web site. Get the scoop on security issues, set up your Apache Web server, design the ideal database, and more.

The Dummies Way

• Explanations in plain English
• "Get in, get out" information
• Icons and other navigational aids
• Tear–out cheat sheet
• Top ten lists
• A dash of humor and fun

Discover how to:

• Plan and develop a Web database application
• Design and build the database
• Write custom PHP application programs
• Work with numbers and character strings
• Move information from one Web page to another

About the Author
Janet Valade has been a Web designer and programmer, a systems analyst, a builder of e–commerce Web applications, and an instructor of various computer topics.

Customer Reviews

4 Stars for complete dummies
I picked this book up after a few weeks of playing around with PHP and MySQL and found it a very good book to get started with. The reason I say this is 4 stars for Dummies is because for the very new people, I think this book is great. It shows you good examples of the basics and enough to get you running in to PHP/MySQL but thats it. It doesn't go in to vast details but I think that is not what this book is about.

To be fair, the bit on installing PHP/MySQL is TERRIBLE. I got SO stuck on this, so my advice, google a tutorial on this, as its very simple, but for some reason, this book makes it complicated, I can do it with my eyes closed now, but back then, this book did me no favours.

Putting that aside however, once you get to the actual code its a good book. If you are very new to the world of PHP/MySQL I fully support getting this. I now code Javascript. VB, PHP/MySQL, SOAP, Ruby, C++, Java, ASP, .NET and it all comes from starting with PHP and fundermentally, this book.

Alot of people might slate this book, I can see why, its just not for them, but for me back then it was great. Two big projects to work on at the end, and massive referance at the beggining, good for having at your table when you first start out.

Severely lacking for the beginner with little practical advice
I picked up this book because I have enjoyed and found other 'for Dummies' books useful and friendly. Sadly I found this book to be poorly written and excessively dry (especially for a 'Dummies' book).

The author takes an excessive amount of time explaining the basics of PHP and MySQL and does so poorly, (you get the impression that she was a bit lost trying to explain them), while at the same time skipping over practical information and advice. The first two chapters left me with more questions than answers, and this is coming from somebody with a background in Computer Science and Software Engineering!

If you're looking for a practical, easy to understand, step-by-step guide to getting PHP and MySQL set up and running on your computer, then this definitely isn't it. The author spends far too much space explaining all the possible permutations of web-servers that you might possibly have, in a very theoretical way, whilst providing very little practical advice for the rest of us on a home computer.

The author also provides absolutely no explanation of how to use an existing database (for example, from Microsoft Access) with SQL and PHP, but instead only explains how to create one from scratch.

Also, I'm surprised that the author recommends the user learns HTML4, instead of recommending its successor XHTML. In this day and age, HTML 4 should not be mentioned to beginners, let alone recommended.

That said, there are some good tutorials at the end of the book, (like creating a "members only" website), but if you're looking for something to give you a solid grounding in PHP and MySQL I wouldn't recommend this.

I'm very disapointed in this book as it didn't fill any of the criteria I wanted from a PHP and MySQL tutorial, namely *practical*, real-world application, and instead seemed entirely too focused on theory.

Useful to a point
Unlike many of the dummies books, and I have loads of them, this one took more time in reading. A lot of the examples and the use of the code wasn't explained well enough in my opinion. I got the impression that you should have some basic knowledge of php before reading it. Though with that said, I still think it's a good book.