5 comments about Creating Database Web Applications with PHP and ASP (Internet Series).

1. I'm a seasoned (some would say salty) web developer, and I have been teaching web applications for two years both online and "on the ground." I've looked in vain for the right mixture of theory, practical application and humor (a needed ingredient for this type of instruction). I use this book for intermediate web developer students who have a solid grounding in HTML, CSS and Javascript, and some basic knowledge of either PHP or ASP (or other programming logic). I used to use Wrox's Beginning ASP, but at more than 1000 pages, and more errata than I could cover in a single class, I continued looking. With this book, I think I've found the right text for some of the classes I teach!

   Dr. Meyer's work starts with a review of HTML and Javascript, with an emphasis on how to use the DOM in an application setting. Regarding databases, there are chapters explaining application concepts and E-R diagrams, as well as how to use the CLI client for MySQL. The CD-ROM even has SQL instructions for importing the material from the text; and for Access users, db files that mirror the work in the text.

   But the real heart of the matter is the instruction in coding practices, from reading and writing to databases (using MySQL and DSN-less Access connections), to using cookies and session variables for data persistance. And this is where this book has no equal: it supports both the hugely popular open-source PHP/MySQL as equally as it shows ASP and Access. I've never seen such a universal attempt pulled off quite as well.

   I recommend the book, but no work is perfect. I don't think that a book can equal the combination of education and experience (but as an instructor, I may be biased). The PHP code supplied in the accompanying CD-ROM utilizes global variables (which may be turned off in some production environments for security purposes)--but that underscores the use of the text as a textbook, and not a coding "cookbook" with samples that are "ready-to-eat." Also, the ASP uses the less-common, but more palatable ASP JavaScript (or JScript) instead of the more commonly utilized ASP VBScript (but even third-party ASP interpreters like that used in the SunOne Server handled the code).

   I found that students should adapt and improve the code from the CD-ROM as part of their studies, so that they could fix some typos, and learn how code integration works. Also, they needed to create interfaces for the samples so we could stop staring at web forms and add some color to the examples! Students have created portfolio pieces using the concepts in this text like psychological profile tests, e-commerce sites, calendar applications and marketing surveys.




2. I am very new to computing, having just learned the basics of HTML. I found this book very helpful. First of all, it does start out with basic HTML which was reassuring for me. It then adds JavaScript. It builds up gradually, with many examples in the text. There is also a complete set of code on the CD. The PHP with MySql and the ASP with Access are always compared with general previews. The book has many screen shots.

   The book also has some examples of what the screen would look like if you did something wrong which beginners tend to do. I have not seen this pedagogical technique in other texts. I found it very helpful. The chapters on database design and SQL were also very good. I strongly recommend this book. It is an excellent book for anyone new to Web applications or someone with some experience, who wants to know more. In particular, if someone knows one of the technologies featured (PHP, ASP, MySql, Access, SQL) and wants to know how this one technology relates to others, this is a good source. The examples of the book are well-chosen, without any extraneous material, and are explained in a table, with code in one column and explanation in another. I liked the fact that that it is clear and concise since I like most people don't have a lot of time to expend on a lot of unnecessary verbiage.




3. Jeanine,

   Just wanted to let you know how helpful your book is. Before I thought, it was impractical to have two scripting languages and two databases. I said this because from my experience I started learning database from Access then learn Visual Basic Codes and Scripts. Originally, my field of profession is Financial Accounting. In the early 1990's I learn Lotus then migrated to Excel spreadsheet programs. I was not satisfied for what macros can do so I studied Access database. I was so amazed by it but there are things I know and hope will make things easier and faster. I wanted to learn SQL knowing how powerful it is, but how expensive commerialize DBMS softwares were it made me stick with Access. The internet period has arrived at that time, so I learned ASP with Visual Basic Scripting. I was still not comfortable & not happy with it because VBScript is always tied up with a giant corporation and at the time I was learning HTML, XML & JavaScript.
   
   This made me confuse what direction am I going but continue what I learned so far, apply it then and whatever will make it easier. So, I studied ASP with JavaScript langauge. Consequently, from learning and experience, I read about MySQL and PHP and studied it as well. So far your book is the best and most helpful, in showing how to connect to a server and for sure will SAVE me and my clients alot. Currently, I am a financial administrator and partly the intranet designer of a university in San Francisco. My goal is to be a free lance web designer and to own a Web design company using MySQL (OPEN SOURCE database), PHP (OPEN SOURCE scripting language), Access database, and Active Server Pages (ASP).

   Thank you again and more power to you.

   John




4. Jeanine,

   Just wanted to let you know how helpful your book is. Before I thought, it was impractical to have two scripting languages and two databases. I said this because from my experience I started learning database from Access then learn Visual Basic Codes and Scripts. Originally, my field of profession is Financial Accounting. In the early 90's I learn Lotus then migrated to Excel spreadsheet programs. I was not satisfied for what Macros can do so I studied Access database. I was so amazed by it but there are things I know and hope will be easier and faster. I wanted to learn SQL knowing how powerful it is, but because how expensive commerialize DBMS softwares were it made me stick with Access. The internet period has arrived at that time, so I learned ASP with Visual Basic Scripting. I was not totally satisfied with it because VBScript is always tied up to a giant corporation and at the time I was learning HTML, XML &
   JavaScript. This made me confuse, what direction am I going. I decided to continue what I learned so far, apply it then to whatever will make it easier. So, I studied ASP with JavaScript Langauge. Consequently, from learning and experience, I read about MySQL and PHP and studied it as well. So far your book is the best and most helpful, in showing how to connect to a server and for sure will SAVE me and my clients alot. Currently, I am a financial administrator and partly the intranet designer of a
   University in San Francisco. My goal is to have my own server
   company.

   Thank you again and more power to you.

   John




5. While this book covers both ASP and PHP coding and the use of MySQL and ACCESS, the author does little to explain the 'why' behind much of the coding. This means that using the coding is not as straightforward as she would like it to be.
   
   To start a book with the basics of HTML and then take a user through to complex database design would require more explanation and peripheral information.
   
   I find that Larry Ullman's books provide far better explanations of the coding and help the user to understand how the coding fits in with a) the rest of the coding on the page and b) the coding that relates to subsequent pages.
   
   
   I used this book as a textbook in a class, and most students encountered similar problems. If someone were to purchase this book, I strongly recommend another more hands-on book in tandem with it.

5 comments about PHP-Nuke Garage (Garage Series).

1. I found the book discouraging!
   
   The author does not guide me through installing and getting phpnuke started at all.. instead of helping out he discourages readers to just send their php files to hosts which have already installed phpnuke ! if i wanted to do that why wud i buy book?
   
   I can quote innumerable instances from the book which are discouraging.. and the entire book is kind of irritating..
   
   Not recommended at all..
   
   The free FAQ listing on php-nuke website does a much better job than this book.



2. A painfully forced attempt at a hipster ambience. What with the cool shades of green and the musical instruments backdrop across the chapters. But in spite of this, and not because, it is still a decent read.
   
   Jones makes a good case fo adopting PHP-Nuke to develop out and maintain a small website, that solicits user input in the form of content that will usually be later published on the site. The modules are more than just for making web pages. There are also crucial hooks to SQL databases. Which you'll need for more realistic scenarios.
   
   You should know some HTML before venturing here. A lot of his code examples become easy to follow with this background, along with some experience of the basic operation of web servers. He discusses HTML page layout and how the program does seem to make development easier. But it is primarily for managing content, of course. Graphical layout is adequate but not really even in its remit. (For that, check out Dreamweaver for a more comprehensive treatment.) It's the manifold abilities like users having journals and making submissions and the like that are the focus.



3. This is a well written overview of Nuke. It lays out step by step instructions on how to maintain Nuke. I disagree with the review that states the book is useless since it doesn't go into detailed install instructions. The install of Nuke is very easy if you can't install it on your server, you shouldn't be hosting yourself.
   
   I agree you need some html and basic skills to operate Nuke, but this book makes it easy.



4. Author mentions his site www.ScriptingAnswers.com is run using PHP-NUKE ( bottom page 5 ) , however, when visiting the site, it is < not > PHP-Nuke being run at all !
   
   Instead, it is using Microsoft Dot.Net and Dot Net Nuke....totally not PHP_NUKE at all !
   
   Shame on the author for selling out PHP-Nuke to jump in bed with Microsoft and it's Dot.Net garbage.
   
   If using a personal/business site to tout a book, the author should make sure that site actually uses what is being written about !



5. As PHP-Nuke's author I can say, with property, that this book covers many aspects of PHP-Nuke for the average user.
   
   It isn't a book for professional PHP developers. It's basic but very well written. A very good introduction of what PHP-Nuke can do, the author even describes module by module with lot of graphics.
   
   If you're new to PHP-Nuke and want to know how far this CMS/Portal system can go, this book is for you.

5 comments about Upgrading to PHP 5.

1. This is a fantastic book. I frequently find that when an existing developer buys a book, he/she has to sort through all the garbage review in the beginning. This book assumes you are a competent PHP4 programmer. Then it takes you step by step through new PHP5 syntax and features that are unique to PHP5. It reviews and explains Object Oriented Programming (OOP), then discusses a variety of PHP5-only concepts, like SimpleXML and SQLite.
   
   I recently installed a PHP5 server and this book has been by my side since. All PHP4 developers who expect to use PHP5 within the next year or so should really have a copy of this book handy.



2. Being fairly proficient on PHP 4 but looking for more info on version 5, the idea of getting books on PHP 5 that, once again, starts from scratch wasn't exciting at all. This book instead was exactly what I needed, it assume you know PHP 4 and covers only the new features with a good amount of details and a bunch of useful suggestions for code migration. The only reason I don't give it 5 stars is that in the chapters covering OOP and DOM the author try to explain the new functionalities but also attempt to throw in the mix more generic info on this two topics. The end results are somewhat mixed, the coverage of PHP 5 is, in my opinion, very good, but the material about OOP and DOM instead aren't up to the rest and does more harm than good.



3. A very good choice. PHP5 is a new wave in dynamic web development. It dramaticly improved the handeling of classes and objects. This little book is your quick and easy to use refference of objects, methods, variables, scopes, functions. At Procreative Designs (procreative.ca), the company I work for this one was distributed all over our web development department at the beginning of last month. I personally find this book really handy and useful. Previously I owned PHP4 Refference and it always served me well. Overall its a great choice for quick refference.



4. The author does a great job summarizing common PHP characteristics and elaborating on PHP 5 improvements, with plenty of well-chosen code examples. Well suited for the established PHP programmer making the transition to PHP 5. For those starting out, use "Learning PHP 5" instead.



5. I own a sizable collection of O'Reilly books and have found them to in general be very well written and useful. "Upgrading to PHP 5" continues this tradition superbly.
   
   This book is _not_ for new PHP coders; the vast majority of the text assumes good familiarity with PHP 4.x. If you have this familiarity then you will find this book to be a thorough and well-organized primer on the many new features in the new PHP.
   
   The first chapter merely lists the major areas that have changed in the latest PHP, each of which roughly corresponds to a chapter in the book.
   
   Major enhancement to the OOP facilities of PHP are appropriately discussed in the next chapter. Unfortunately, this is probably the most clumsily written chapter due a strange desire to educate the reader in OOP basics (about the only place in the book where this mistake is committed). The result is a schism that imposes redundancy in the material while simultaneously making it unduly hard to locate specific topics.
   
   Thankfully the subsequent two chapters (on the new MySQL interface and the SQLite database) are uniformly well-written. Especially useful is a (perhaps oddly-situated) section on migration strategies from a PHP 4/MySQL 4.0 platform to a PHP 5/MySQL 4.1 platform.
   
   A chapter on XML follows, but I did not read it in great detail since my applications tend to not require it, so other reviewers are likely to provide greater insights here.
   
   Iterators, yet another feature completely new to PHP 5, are covered next. Unlike much of the conventional PHP fare (even OOP) this topic really does require understanding of rather abstract concepts (especially when debugging the RecusrsiveIterator interface). For this reason, while clearly written it may take hobbiests some time to take this material to heart.
   
   The new error-handling functions are introduced next. I think that the chapter could have benefited from a little more discussion; Trachtenberg seems to think providing code samples is almost self-explanatory. At the end of the day, though, the chapter does its job.
   
   The chapter on streams and filters is another one that I barely perused, so I defer to other reviewers on this topic.
   
   The penultimate chapter provides a very cursory evaluation of a handful of extensions to PHP. While certainly useful to the practicing PHP programmer they are covered in so brief a manner that you will need a separate text to implement them meaningfully. But this chapter does give enough information to at least evaluate the extensions' potential usefulness in an application.
   
   Trachtenberg concludes with an example PHP application. I do not like such examples in books - between space limitations and the complexity of real life this and other examples feel too... contrived... to be worthwhile. But I understand that it is included practically as canon, and do not fault the author for its inclusion.
   
   So, all things considered, this text covers the changes in PHP 5 in detail in a surprisingly brief 300 pages (and small page footprint). A worthy addition to a book collection, provided you already have general PHP reference available.

No comments about Beginning PHP 6, Apache, MySQL 6 Web Development.

5 comments about Mastering phpMyAdmin for Effective MySQL Management.

1. phpMyAdmin is usually installed quickly, out of acute necessity. You need to do something with your database, and you can't do it via telnet or SSH or anything else, so you download the latest version, FTP it up, and away you go. More often than not, the install is forgotten about as soon as your need is over.

   The downside of this is that you're not getting nearly the value you should out of a phpMyAdmin install. Most people work with phpMyAdmin superficially and in very narrow usage corridors - like kids walking barefoot on a painted line through a very large parking lot. There's so much about the app that you don't know.

   This book is a departure from a lot of tech books in that (1) it's short and sweet (just under 200 pages - not nearly the 600-page monolith some of these things become), and (2) it seems more...conversational. Concepts are explained in plain English. I normally hate that cliche, but it fits here. I got a sense of simply having a casual conversation with a fellow geek.

   I read it over the course of a week, putting in a chapter or two each night. I learned something new in every chapter, and I'd implement them in my phpMyAdmin install right after reading the chapter. By the end of the book, I'm left with a superb phpMyAdmin install that does a thousand times more than I've ever accomplished with the app before.

   There's a lot of phpMyAdmin functionality under the hood that you've likely never seen. For instance, you can set it up to enforce relational integrity in your database. This is just good database design, but it also enriches the interface considerably. Foreign key fields now become drop-down lists to the foreign table with a selection of entries. You can print a PDF summary document with descriptions of all tables and columns and an entity relationship diagram showing field relationships. Bet you haven't seen that trick before.

   I suddenly have a sense of liberation with phpMyAdmin. We all hate writing admin interfaces, especially for one-off apps we do in a hurry. Thankfully, phpMyAdmin can support an enormous amount of administration chores in an interface not nearly as utilitarian as the default one you get on install. It won't work for administering the data of every app you write, but I bet it will handle a lot of them.

   I can now see writing apps and doing things that I stayed away from before just because I didn't want to write all the data entry and database admin scripts that easily dominate the work required to put these things together. Instead, I can concentrate on the fun of the front-end pages, while phpMyAdmin sucks up all the back-end work.

   The book also includes some good information about PHP and MySQL in general. On page 86, in the chapter on importing data, there's a solid little discussion about PHP file upload and execution limits that trumps anything I've read before. I'm a better developer for having read these four paragraphs about the "upload_max_filesize," "memory_limit," and "post_max_size" parameters.

   As for MySQL, did you know about InnoDB tables? This is a table format that builds referential integrity into MySQL - something the database has been missing for so long. I'll admit to being utterly ignorant about this feature until this point.

   There's a chapter at the end of the book about MIME-based transformations that summarizes the general level of apathy about this app. I can't believe I haven't run across a discussion about this feature before -

   You may have known on the periphery that you could store files directly into a MySQL database using a BLOB column. But did you know that phpMyAdmin will support this with a file upload field in the interface, so your users can upload files directly? Or that you can sent a MIME Transformation on that field to display a thumbnailed view of stored images in the row when browsing the database? And that you can link that thumbnail to the full-size version or the image, pulled directly from the field? I'll bet the percentage of phpMyAdmin users who know that trick is in the single digits.

   So, good book. If you find yourself writing a lot of throwaway admin interfaces and hating every minute of it, the $30 cover price for this text is probably looking mighty attractive right now.




2. If you're not familiar with phpMyAdmin, then you're missing out on a very powerful tool for administering your MySQL databases. It is an effective way to handle all of your tasks with MySQL, from development to administration. Don't worry, though; if you want to get up to speed in getting the most out of phpMyAdmin, then Mastering phpMyAdmin for Effective MySQL Management (Referred to from here as Mastering phpMyAdmin) will quickly take you from download to proficiency.
   
   Most software purchases I've made rarely begin with me carefully taking out the manual and reading it before installing the software. My goal is to toss aside the manual and other bits in favor of getting to the install media as quickly as possible. If there's ever a problem, then it's time to fish out the manual and see what I missed. Manufacturers caught up with this mentality and include mere pamphlets compared to the gigantic tomes that used to be included with software in the late 80s and early 90s. So why pick up Mastering phpMyAdmin? Can you get along just fine without a manual? phpMyAdmin is easy to use, and very straightforward, but Mastering phpMyAdmin shows just how powerful phpMyAdmin can be. Those who like to have more of a hand-held approach or want to have printed documentation will find Mastering phpMyAdmin to be invaluable and an asset to their use of phpMyAdmin.
   
   Mastering phpMyAdmin is a very thin book, weighing in at a spartan 205 pages, but those 205 pages are put to work with plenty of screenshots and information. The book covers using phpMyAdmin under Linux and Windows, so both sets of users will be able to benefit from phpMyAdmin. Each chapter in the book is short, roughly 10 pages each, but each chapter is packed with useful information. The author is quick to give attention to functions and features tha are genuinely useful. Unlike other books that describe a configuration file by dedicating a chapter to configuration, the author chose instead to describe the configurable portions of phpMyAdmin as each function is introduced. This allows the really useful bits of phpMyAdmin to shine without getting muddled in useless details. phpMyAdmin has lots of little interface tweaks in the config.php.inc file, but the book touches on the ones that anyone but the serious interface hacker would be interested in. This makes the book read like an experienced tour of functionality rather than a "drink from the firehose" reference manual. The author covers all aspects of phpMyAdmin: installation, database creation/deletion, table creation/modification/deletion, searching, and administration. phpMyAdmin features such as BLOB editing, bookmarks, linked tables, and relational schemas are also covered in depth with the same attention to detail and brevity as the other chapters.
   
   I highly recommend anyone who wants to get more than a simple front-end for MySQL look into picking up phpMyAdmin and Mastering phpMyAdmin. Mastering phpMyAdmin is an excellent resource for phpMyAdmin, and both beginners and experts alike will benefit from this excellent resource. It's brief enough to be a quick introduction, yet detailed enough to make anyone feel like an expert with this incredibly useful tool.



3. If you work with phpMyAdmin to work with your mySQL server, you will want this book. It breaks down tasks in non tech-geek language. I use this as my first reference books when I need information to help accomplish a task.



4. I had quite a few questions that no amount of Googling would answer....this book answered them all!
   Clear pictures, troubleshooting. A must to include with any MySQL development..go Linux!



5. Although this book doesn't contain even one snippet of PHP code, it's still really useful to any PHP programmer, especially if you're just starting out. It's likely that you'll use phpMyAdmin during development, and it's important to know about all the (hidden) features, so you can save time and work as efficient as possible.
   
   Initially, I had some worries that this book might be mainly targeted towards beginners, but this is not the case at all, and it's more of a complete guide to phpMyAdmin than just a beginner's book. This book is targeted towards everyone, and even the most advanced programmers will learn a thing or two from this book, especially about PMA's own unique features.
   
   If you're looking for a good phpMyAdmin book, or still don't feel really comfortable with phpMyAdmin, I can definitely recommend this book. This is one of the best guides to phpMyAdmin, and the author has done a terrific job!

5 comments about How to Do Everything with PHP and MySQL (How to Do Everything).

1. If you want to work directly with HTML, PHP, and SQL without extra tools like PEAR, Smarty, Dreamweaver, etc., you may like this book. For small projects that do not need to be pretty and especially for learning how the code all works together, I like the approach of having the SQL, HTML, and PHP all on one page for a change. I am using the examples to convert an old ASP/Access project to PHP/MySQL and find the examples helpful.



2. I skimmed through this book once, and I read the reviews here. I thought this book could not have been that bad. It is a well structured book (from reading the Titles and SubTitles). Then I started reading it in details - lucky I borrowed this book from the library.
   
   This book started off so well. It promises "best practices", yet delivers very bad coding habits and taking shortcuts. The book outlines and titles were well designed, but the details were nothing more than, "Hay, here is the syntax, this is the usage plus some simple examples..., and you can use this to design database." Nothing that I couldn't find from the online PHP manual, and probably with better examples. Functions and keywords used were never explained properly. Its like, "Kid, now that I taught you addition, multiplication, subtraction and division.... You should be able to go out and solve the 2nd law of Thermodynamics because all mathematics built upon plus and minus."
   
   Not only that you can't do "Everything" reading this book, having read it I think I know less PHP.
   
   This book reflect badly on the publisher as well, I'd think twice buying similar book from them.



3. In the Introduction, the author claims that this book "is targeted at novice web developers". And true enough, the first two chapters guide the novice how to install and configure MySQL, PHP and Apache. Obviously these chapters have been written or thoroughly edited by an English speaking person. Then, from third chapter, the geek takes over ! He writes assuming that the reader has prior knowledge of PHP and MySQL, using terminology that he does not explain. In almost all chapters, instead of elaborating the subject under discussion, he suggests that the reader should look up the recommended website.
   
   I thoroughly recommend any book on PHP/MySQL written by any author other than Vikram Vaswani. I did not learn anything new from this book, which is "the worst" computer book I have ever read. How can any reputable House publish a book that consistently urges the reader to seek knowledge from elsewhere ?



4. Material is poorly presented. Author assumes programming knowledge on your part. You are often left floundering, wondering what the author meant. Found a much better book at my local library but it was, as you can imagine, seriously out of date. I have made it 1/3 of the way through this book and am considering tossing it in the trash.



5. Great book. It really got me started when I first had started my trek on learning PHP. It goes more in depth than other books I had read before. The only thing I would recommend is a better chapter on error coding and security. Over all I recommend this book.

5 comments about PHP Advanced for the World Wide Web: Visual QuickPro Guide (Visual Quickpro Guide).

1. A bunch of people are out there writing tons of PHP books, because it is such a "hot" web language. Do a quick Amazon search and you'll find lots of "advanced" adjectives in titles. This text is not advanced (no detailed session management, minimal security descrition). The description of classes (objects) is okay, but could use a more in-depth discussion of object data access, function overloading, etc.. (realizing PHP's objects are not "real" objects -- yet).

   At a higher level, I find the Visual Quickpro format hard to read. They use a two-column newspaper style of typesetting that results in short sentances that I find hard to read. Everything is kind of "cramped-up". Also, some of the code examples show poor editing. For example; pgs 196 and 197 show two full pages of HTML OPTION values for months, days of month, years, etc.. Give me a break!, I don't need to see all this stupid HTML if I am writing advanced PHP!! Also related to editing, some of the web-page examples are half-page size to fit the two-column typesetting.




2. Coming from the world of ASP/VBS, etc., I thoroughly searched the local generic huge book store chain, and thumbed through and finally selected 3 books to teach me PHP/mySQL.
   
   Only after I got home and read 'em in depth did I realize they were all written by the same guy, Larry Ullman:
   
   MySQL; PHP for the WWW; and PHP Advanced.
   
   All three books are great, they are easy to follow, I am getting better and better jobs because of the skills I've gleaned from these books. The author also hosts a forum for poeple who have questions about what's in the boks.
   
   Very helpful stuff, you'll benefit from it.



3. There is a lot more to PHP than Ullman covers in his 'PHP Advanced'. But what he does cover, is well done. Not too verbose. Direct and to the point. I like his explanations & examples. It makes learning and referencing a subject easier and quicker.
   
   Looking forward to 2nd edition & hoping he adds more advanced subjects.



4. This is the first edition, which covers PHP3 and PHP4. PHP5 has been out for a while and supports much more OOP. A second edition will probably require much rewriting.



5. Went through the first one..this one by Larry Ulman as well taught me much more.

5 comments about PHPEclipse: A User Guide.

1. I don't know how I ever wrote php code without Eclipse! And this book makes it easy and FUN to use Eclipse. Shu Chow is a master at explaining the concepts involved as well as the functionality of the tool.



2. I have struggled with PHP, always wishing I could just find a plain-language guide. This book not only makes the material clear, it is actually fun to read!
   
   Having finished the book, I am now writing codes and deploying sites with greater ease than I ever thought possible. If you are ready to make a big leap with your command of PHP, this book is all you need.



3. When you are first learning a new computer language such as PHP, you will want to complete each line of code and each phase of the program by hand and without using any shortcuts. This is the best way to learn. But as we all know, in the real world, we are all pressed for time. Many programmers turn to an IDE (integrated development environment) to keep them organized and to streamline the workflow. This book by Shu-Wai Chow will show you how to install, setup and use PHPEclipse which is a popular open source IDE for PHP programmers.
   
   The author begins with an introduction to IDE's covering their main features and the pros and cons of using them. Following this, is an introduction to PHPEclipse, its history and architecture. Then the fun begins. Chow's tutorial-styled narrative walks you through each step as you install the main software; Apache, PHP, Java, Eclipse and PHPEclipse. I especially liked that he used the free, open source distribution/installation software called XAMPP which automates the installation of Apache, MySQL, PHP and Perl. He covers the installation for Windows, Mac and Linux. At this point you also install Java and PHPEclipse. Finally, he thoroughly discusses the user interface, the views (palettes) and dialog boxes and how you might want to customize these.
   
   Once you have these installed, you begin to work on a real PHP application project which is a database driven website for an animal shelter. You learn how to set up this project's files and folders within PHPEclipse. Then you begin building the PHP code and supporting HTML, JavaScript and CSS files for the website. You also begin to work on the database, program objects and classes. Chow introduces some helpful tools at this point including WTP (Web Tools Platform project), HTML Tidy, Eclipse Tidy and phpDocumentor. I especially liked the phpDocumentor feature that builds the documentation for your application from your source code comments.
   
   Debugging is the next topic and after an introduction to terms and concepts, Chow shows how to install and setup the DBG debugger. With this feature, you can use more sophisticated debugging practices than the basic echo ( ) function we all know so well. Chow walks you through a complete debugging session and discusses common strategies.
   
   The next step is to turn PHPEclipse into a database client by the addition of the Quantum DB plug-in. Chow demonstrates how to use this with a relational database and how to perform common tasks such as writing SQL statements and manipulating tables.
   
   Depending on your projects, you may or may not feel that you need the help of version control software to keep track of the changes made to your application. However, you will be surprised at how helpful this software is with even the simplest project. Chow helps you install, setup and use the CVS version control software with PHPEclipse and also discusses some common terms and concepts along the way. Lastly, Chow covers how to setup PHPEclipse to work with FTP, Secure FTP, WebDAV and Ant for publishing your new site.
   
   As you can see, this book is more than just instructions on how to install these programs. It also gives you hands-on practice using them. You can download the complete application and sample files from the supporting website. Shu-Wai Chow has been working in the programming field for over eight years and is proficient in Java, JSP, PHP, ColdFusion, ASP, LDAP, XSLT and XSL-FO.



4. I'm a long-time PHP developer but a relative newcomer to Eclipse (love it).
   
   This is a fair guide to PHPEclipse. I don't think there's anything about PHPEclipse I'd want to know that I couldn't find in this book, particularly about adding debugging and phpdoc, which don't come bundled with PHPEclipse.
   
   On the other hand - for what you pay, this is a really, really short book. If they needed some filler space to justify the cost, more information on Eclipse in general would have come in handy for a noob like me, or some basics on PHP (the book assumes a fairly high level of PHP knowledge, as it goes right in to OOP in its examples). Some of the graphics work and text layout leaves a bit to be desired, which surprised me, as I've had good luck with this publisher.
   
   If I had it to do over again, I probably would have skipped this book and toughed it out, but overall it isn't a bad book and it did help some. If you are a PHP ninja but you don't know anything about PHP in Eclipse (and you have some cash to kill), it isn't a bad pickup. I give it an "eh" rating.



5. PHPEclipse: A User Guide is a quick read. Having already worked with Eclipse for PHP development the book didn't present any drastic or life changing additions to my technique with Eclipse.
   
   The book is greatly geared toward the newest of PHP programmers, ones still looking to make a mark in the world, or those who are looking to escape the claws of another IDE and want to know what Eclipse and PHPEclipse are all about. Shu-Wai does and excellent job of explaining what Perspectives and Views are and how they work together to make up the meat of PHPEclipse.
   
   Each chapter is full of quick information about how to setup a specific aspect of Eclipse to better work with PHP development. Chapters 3 and 4 explain how the IDE displays information about your application to you, and where to look for more information. Chapters 5 through 8 explain different plug-ins (CVS, Debug, Deploying code) and explain how they work integrated with Eclipse. The best part of each of these latter chapters is they explain in detail how to get the particular plugin installed and configured. It was a fresh and welcome look at plugins and how they work.
   
   What peaked my interest in the book were two things. The first was Appendix A which explains more about where to get more plugins and information about the plugins. The second was the overview of Eclipse. A short history and explanation of how Eclipse came to be what it is today. I was particularly interested in the plugin development, which is built right into Eclipse.
   
   Although the book is short, and a quick read, if you are thinking about picking up Eclipse and using it, you should get this book and read through it while you are in the process.

5 comments about PHP Black Book.

1. I bought this book expecting it to be an exhaustive resource on how to start programing with PHP. I went into it with relatively little knowledge of server side programing, but the back of the book promised to fill me in on all the relevant details. It didn't.

   The book is organized into chapters on general subjects with an "intermediate solutions" and a "in depth" section in each. While it might make some sense for a book, the organization makes reading the book chronologically not work at all. Even the reference is shody at best, very irratic. It includes reference to virtually useless date functions for coverting between dates in the jewish and the roman calenders in the second chapter! The section on the MySQL database includes how to insert rows into a database and create tables, but not how to update or delete entries! Such erratic relevance is present throughout the book - there are many several page long sections which give a one sentense long description to an entire class of rarely used functions. Not only are the functions not especially useful, but the brief and cursory explainations mean that one would have to use another reference material to get them working in the first place. Additionally, many excerpts of complex code are presented without sufficient explaination of the basic concepts behind them. It's not explained well enough to impart a mastery of the skills upon the reader. The book sets out to be both a teaching tool and a reference material, but fails miserably on both accounts. One would be far better off merely learning the stuff at the PHP.net, as I was told when I asked on usenet for recommendation of a book and I foolishly ignored. At least the reference there is complete. Some subjects that are important today (that may not have been at the time of writing), such as setting register_globals to off in the php.ini settings are not even mentioned in the book.

   The other annoying aspect of the book is the author's sense of humor and his stories. As was mentioned in another review, it's fine if the material is good, but really is just fluff that covers up holes. His disdain for JavaScript is understandable, but uncalled for. When an author poorly describes even just the basics of a programing language, his extra comments aren't appreciated nor helpful. We'll be writing code that works worse than the poorly writen code of so called "professional" websites that he mentions his hate for many times, with only his book as a resource.

   Yes, the book does have a few useful excerpts and sections, but until the reader has a well educated knowledge of the subject, far beyond what the book imparts, it doesn't help at all. There's no compensation for the gaping holes in the text.




2. I've bought a couple of PHP and other programming books that were good and when I ordered the PHP Black Book, I never thought that this would become my desk reference and partner on work. Why? Because it has a simple, interesting, fun reading and because it is so well written and organized that you wont get lost on chapters and subjects.
   For me, it is not one more book, this has become The Book and if you're considering PHP programming, you've got it all here with fun and professionalism.



3. This is not a very well-organized book. The examples are generally over-simplified. My biggest complaint, however, is with the cd rom - it includes "Source Code" from the examples in the book. The source code is merely all of the snippets of code in each chapter jammed into a few html pages. For example chapter 17, "Objects" has several "Example" pages which do not work because objects are illegally redefined several times within the same page. The author does spell it all out in the chapter, but the examples are simply not usable.



4. i read this book , i read this book again and i read this book thrice . except for a few things there is nothing that helped me . Most of the examples are poor to follow and many of them do not work .

   the only thing that can be learnt from the book is that there's nobody else in the world who can program better than Peter Moulding . Peter Moulding is a guru , he has learnt 50 websites , 25 years of experience , lots of languages etc. etc. etc. and other people who make websites are foolish but call themselves 'experts' .

   I am not writing this because of frustration but thats how the book really is




5. I went from knowing some HTML before I bought this book, and after reading PHP Black Book I was able to dive into PHP right away.

   I am now a developer of a Content Management System which implements PHP and a MySQL database, which I owe alot of credit to this book. Peter Moulding has done an outstanding job writing this book! Though I do admit some of the example code is incorrect, everything that is written and meant to teach you something succeeds with flying colors.

   This is also an excellent PHP reference book. Anytime I am in doubt of something, or need to double check something, this book has the answer. It was well worth the money!

3 comments about Mastering phpMyAdmin for Effective MySQL Management 2e.

1. The purpose of this book by Marc Delisle is to teach you how to use phpMyAdmin, which is a popular open source program for working with a MySQL database using the phpMyAdmin user-friendly graphic interface. Most PHP programmers use MySQL for their database needs because these two technologies work so well together. For those who have not yet worked with phpMyAdmin and MySQL, this book will help you get up and running quickly. And for those programmers who have taught themselves to use phpMyAdmin by trial and error, this book will introduce and explain those features you may have missed.
   
   The author begins with an introduction to phpMyAdmin. He covers the main features and some history of the program. After that, he jumps right in to the installation, configuration and security issues for the Linux, Apache and IIS servers. Of course, if you are using phpMyAdmin with your web host account, you may not have much control over these issues. Once the program is installed, he explains the user interface and discusses those easy-to-use features that make this program so popular.
   
   Delisle starts with the basic tasks such as creating databases and setting up tables. He explains the different types of data, table fields and the various choices you have when performing many tasks. Next, he shows you how to move tables between databases and how to backup, copy and move databases between servers. Although the user-friendly graphic interface is what makes phpMyAdmin so nice, you may at some time need to use the SQL commands alone. The author covers the most common tasks you may encounter. Finally, he moves on to more advanced issues such as administrative tasks and generating database reports and documentation.
   
   Marc Delisle is a developer and project administrator for the phpMyAdmin project. He also teaches at the College de Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada.



2. I've got a review copy of the phpMyAdmin 2.8 book as well as the previous edition of this book. The old edition already was rather comprehensive and had all the features that phpMyAdmin has cleary laid out.
   
   Still, the layout of the new edition improved a notch, this is a nice update. While you probably won't need the book if you already have the old edition, it is a nice book to help you get out the most of phpMyAdmin.



3. If you don't like command-line interface with your computer, phpMyAdmin is a great tool! And if you want to learn the right way to interact with phpMyAdmin, this book is your perfect resource!
   I stumbled upon a phpMyAdmin screencast by DeLisle at a conference. His calm and collected presentation style along with a great clarity for instruction is repeated in this book.
   Mastering phpMyAdmin has enabled me to move out of my limited comfort zone with database management in general. The book is clearly laid out to give you step-by-step instructions to make a database work for you.
   I highly recommend this book, and DeLisle's Creating your MySQL Database: Practical Design Tips and Techniques as well. They are great books!