1 comments about Teach Tourself PHP With MYSOL (Teach Yourself).

1. A fantastic little book, written with style and humour, that introduces PHP and mySQL with enough detail to get a good grounding. Recommended.

5 comments about PHP Essentials, 2nd Edition.

1. This book is well written, but I was expecting more contents.



2. If you just want a clear-cut intro to PHP, this is the book to get. Meloni takes the basic concepts, and shows you how to use them to create a shopping cart (so you learn database interaction, how to send an email, and basic syntax). Perfect for newbies.



3. Thanks amazon for providing good book in fast and secure manner i appreciate it



4. This is a great book for people new to php. It gives you good examples and very detailed explanation to the code. I will strongly recommended if you are new to PHP.
   great buy!



5. Before I go on a tirade about this book, I would just like to say that it does have a good layout and organizational structure, as well as a nice appendix of built in PHP functions. I would also like to mention that I am a professional Computer Engineer. I bought this book to quickly learn php syntax/semantics so I could make a simple DB front end.
   
   Other than that,
   
   1.) The book is rife with syntax errors and typos. Much of the example PHP code won't even come close to compiling in PHP 5.
   
   I spent about 3 hours trying to figure out why a few simple lines of PHP code directly from the book wouldn't work. Since I had not been introduced to PHP previously (hence buying the introduction book) I was not able to recognize the errors in the text. The examples were apparently made for a previous version of PHP. It wasn't after googling around for a while I found out the error was in the book.
   
   2.) The author had no idea who she was writing the book for.
   
   The author states at the beginning of the book that it was not written for programmers (to my dismay), but for someone who could "take (the book) off the shelf, skim though, and say, Hey, this PHP thing looks like a neat language, and ever-so-easy to learn!"
   
   First of all, if you aren't a programmer, you don't learn programming languages. If you know a programming language and use it, guess what, you're a programmer.
   
   Secondly, the author wants to assume to reader isn't a computer scientist or programmer, but that they know how to properly set up a linux system with an Apache Webserver and SQL/PHP support. Anyone who is a novice user would probably spend days getting this to work correctly to begin with.
   
   Thirdly, nobody picks up a programming language book and randomly decides it's a "neat language" that is "ever-so-easy to learn". People decide what they want to learn first and then find a book on it. So writing an entire book on that basis is pretty flaky in my opinion.
   
   Another problem with this book I could see was that the examples were introducing unexplained elements. I.e. using language elements that were not previously described. I understood much of it, but for a true novice this could be extremely confusing.
   
   In summary, the book tries to compromise between technical value and accessibility to a beginner, but ultimately just ends up with a poorly crafted piece of literature. My recommendation would be either to buy a different book, or save your money and use one of the many free PHP guides available on the internet.

5 comments about PHP Fast & Easy Web Development, 2nd Edition (Fast & Easy Web Development).

1. I am so disapointed in this text. Not only does the content/code on the CD NOT match the text in the book, some of it is just plain wrong. An errata is available on the book's Web site to some minor credit of the author but with errors in a book for beginners is completely unprofessional. Don't waste your money on this text. Sadly, this book is rated highly by others. I wonder if they got though the code.
   
   Update: The latest version of this book, geared for PHP5 users is a huge improvement over this text.



2. This is one of the best "introduction to" books I've used in a long time. Essentially, you're retyping simple, but potentially useful, well-documented examples -- much friendlier than the "this is left to the reader as an exercise" approach of textbooks I've read. This book **does** assume you know some programming. You should know basic concepts such as variables, arrays, loops, etc. before purchasing this book. Of course, had the author discussed these concepts, this book would be many pages longer and cost 25% more. The examples in the book are available in the publisher's website, although when I downloaded them, the example code wasn't organized well to match the book. The book, likewise, has a few, but critical typos. Also, not that **any** programming book I've read helps you debug code, but if you mistype something and have to debug your code, you're totally left on your own (although I haven't emailed the author like another reviewer did). A very good introduction to PHP!



3. I couldn't get past page 8 in this book. The mysqld-opt command to use to start the mysql server is not what www.mysql.com recommends for a windows machine. The book looks like it's easy to read. But I couldnt get out of the starting block with the mysql effort in the first chapter. It was easier to buy a mysql book and do it the correct way. Some URL's are needed in the install area that take one to some type of Mysql installation help. There are some at the back of the book, but I only saw those as I was dropping the book in the trash.

   It's probably not the books fault, but mysql installations on a windows machine... well you have to be lucky. There is no forum easily accessbile at mysql.com and google points mostly to linux resources...




4. This book sits right here on my shelf next to my PC along with my Photoshop, UNIX, and C++ books. It's a great resource for things PHP related.
   
   The step-by-stel method works well with this book and it explains things in clear, plain english. This is a PHP book for someone who loves HTML, but has never ventured into PHP before. It will be of limited use for someone who uses PHP all the time, save for the refrence section, which is like a shortened and easily explained version of www.php.net
   
   The biggest problem I had with this was that it tries to show you PHP/SQL applications without really teaching you mySQL. So you'll get the jist of the database workings (They even throw in a section on normalization!), but no real sense of the database itself.
   
   If you're going to buy this book, buy an easy SQL book and go through that first so you understand how to make databases, tables, etc. It'll make this one a lot easier once you hit the DB part of it.
   
   Just come prepared, and this book will be worth it.



5. I have to admit that I learned PHP primarily by reading this book, but I wouldn't recommend it for others. Beside the errors (which would confuse the heck out of non-programmers), I find the book repetitive and hard to read for long amounts of time. In fact, I believe there are two tables both defining the same escape characters, but now that I search for them, the index doesn't point to any tables at all. The book definitely has TOO MANY FRICKIN SCREENSHOTS. Sure, screenshots are alright for some things, but when it's one or two lines of formatted HTML, you might as well include it inline instead of taking up 1/3 of the page. Another thing I don't like about the book is that no matter what chapter you read, it still reads as though you've never programmed PHP before. Example (page 189):
   
   10. Close the for loop:
   
   }
   
   
   I ask, is this really necessary? One-third of the book could be easily condensed, and I'm not even eggagerating. This nonsense runs throughout the book. The examples are very useful, but for me, it was very hard to read cover to cover. Personally, I think you should find something else.

No comments about PHP Security & Cracking Puzzles.

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 Professional PHP Programming.

1. I'have the book. A lot of more books from Wrox are in my hands. This is a very good on PHP. Examples, bits of code explained step by step, huge amount of info, lack of some other (in programming NONE was perfect and complete). Good point to start serious programming with DB (MySQL or other ones). 4 stars only because God is not a programming writer, not Schumann and the others in this are, and I cannot put a 4 and half stars....

   If you dont know HTML, learn first. Then, read this book. I repeat, READ IT! Like a novel, not as reference one. Every page contains valuable information, only have your eyes wide open to catch it! Put it beside your bed or your WC!

   Results: a large Internet project, an ecommerce site, a tutorials online site, a.... well, you know what I mean. With this book, I'm mastering PHP with no fears!

   BUY IT NOW!




2. I bought "Beginning PHP4" first, expecting to learn more later from "Professional PHP". Unfortunately, the "Professional" book was written in 1999 and mostly covers PHP3; the first half of this book is introductory material similar to that covered in "Beginning". The "Beginning" book was written in 2000, and covers PHP4. Therefore, the two books don't confer a chronological sense of "Part 1" and "Part 2", as I had anticipated.

   In my opinion, if you have one of these two Wrox books, you won't need the other. Since "Beginning PHP4" is newer, get that one for an excellent introduction to the subject, then get "PHP Black Book" or another advanced book to continue your studies.

   By the way, I hope that "extremeperl" gives more thought to book ratings in the future. He gave this book a 1 star rating because he thought that PHP was a poorly written language, and preferred Perl. Since the authors had no hand in creating the PHP language, it's extremely unfair to criticize PHP by giving poor ratings to this book ...




3. This book might be worthwhile as a classroom workbook where you go through each and every chapter in order. As a book for somebody who wants to get things done this book is terrible. You have to wade through entire chapters to find what you want and the index is useless.

   For my real world projects I have never found what I wanted to know in this book. You are better off just looking at online documentation.

   It is also out of date and lacks coverage of sessions (there is a newer edition of the book that might include this but I am not going to buy it).




4. The book would explain PHP well if there weren't so many grammatical errors. The first few chapters were well worth reading, but about halfway through, stilted sentences and the incorrect use of "which" and "that" put me off the treatise entirely. I know that books of this ilk must be written hurriedly so the technology described in the book doesn't get a chance to change substantially before the book goes to market, but this is ridiculous. If I were shopping for a PHP book, I'd look seriously at some others.



5. I was looking for a PHP book that wasn't just a reprint of the manual (like most of them are). This book is great for newbies and expirienced programmers alike. This is the book that'll be on your desk 24 a day -- since you'll keep refering back to it.

   Should be on every serious PHP developer's book shelf. The only thing I didn't like about the book was that the chapter on PHP and XML didn't provide as much details as I was hoping for. But since I got it really cheap using a coupon from UnderTag.com, I can't really complain.

5 comments about Easy Oracle PHP: Create Dynamic Web Pages with Oracle Data (Easy Oracle Series).

1. As the series editor for this book I was involved in Gogala's book, from initial inception to finished product, and I'm impressed. Oracle offers a wealth of different tools to create dynamic web pages (Apex (HTML-DB), Jdeveloper, Ruby on Rail on Oracle, etc.) and PHP is an excellent choice because it is powerful, mature and has well-tested Oracle interfaces.
   
   It's very difficult to take a complex topic such as Oracle with PHP and condense it into an understandable and concise framework, but Gogala has met this challenge.
   
   PHP is, by its very nature, a flexible and robust language, and I was happy to see that Gogala resisted the temptation to go into all of the advanced PHP features.
   
   This is not an advanced PHP Oracle book. Rather, it is a get-started guide with lots of simple, easy to understand examples, and working Oracle PHP code snippets in the code download to allow beginners to get started fast. Mladen spent hundreds of hours refining his text and working with Steve Karam, his technical editor, and I hope that you will agree that this is a great way to get started with Oracle databases on the web.



2. I am afraid that Donald Burleson's kudos for this book, for which he is the series editor, means that he did not read it. This book is riddled with typographical errors, in both the code and the text. The code examples that you download do not always match the corresponding example from the book, and in some cases, neither work. Also, be aware that only the `include' files are available for download. The examples from each chapter, which is the majority of code in the book, are not available. Save your money.



3. For those us who need to provide CIO's with an alternative to buying expensive Event Management Monitoring tools, Mladen's book provides the perfect blueprint to merging SQL scripts into web pages. They key here is easy dyamic web pages.
   
   Most of the the time, management wants to see results in easy to read Web formatting that easily displays the current state of systems: hence, expensive monitoring tools. Using PHP, one can write an effective but cheap portable monitoring solution by utilizing existing sql scripts within PHP. As such, this book has provided me an important opportunity to show cost conscience management a real working alternative to laying out $250k for monitoring tools.



4. Mladen did an excellent job bringing Oracle and PHP together in his book, Easy Oracle PHP. As a Sr. Oracle DBA and a long time PHP developer, I was honored to be a part of its release as a technical editor.
   
   Easy Oracle PHP contains many outstanding examples of the possible uses of these two powerful technologies. In addition, the book is easy to read and understand, despite both PHP and Oracle being potentially complex topics. The many examples and scripts in this book were well written by Mr. Gogala, and I personally tested each one. These step-by-step scripts make it easy for anyone, even beginners, to become well accommodated with the many uses of PHP; the scripts even give the developer the basis for a very handy Oracle database monitoring tool!
   
   A good knowledge of PHP has become something of an competitive edge in the development world. This book provides the methods by which anyone can learn to use it with the most powerful database software on the public market.



5. PHP isn't a magical solution to dynamic HTML, but it comes as close as anything is likely to. I've met Gogala at a few OUG meetings and he knows his stuff. If you aren't familiar with the topic read the book twice - first time leafing through to get an overview of the capabilities then a second drilling down. Time well spent. Throwing together a quick EIS dashboard using PHP is a great way to please the guys with the checkbooks. Like lighting a match in front of jungle natives, they'll bow down, cry "Great Juju!" and brag about it to other holders of unearned stock options at the golf club.

4 comments about Making Use of PHP.

1. This book is sinply great for beginners who want to begin programming with PHP. The concepts are dealt with utmost care so as to impart the programming basics in the best possible way. The best part of the book is the unique methodology that it uses to deliver technical content. A real-life problem statement is included in the beginning of each chapter and aa solution is given at the end of the chapter. The code snippets in each chapter with output help the reader understand each concept properly.This book is indeed a great buy for beginners! I really was able to build a strong base for PHP after reading this book.



2. I had heard that PHP was an important technology for web development, and now I agree. If you are a developer looking for a quick introduction to the basic features of PHP, this book is perfect. It got me up to speed quickly and really helped my get a handle on the best way to put the language to work. All developers unfamiliar with PHP should pick up this book.



3. This book offers a great approach to teaching PHP. It is very task-oriented, and it highlights development areas where the technology is most useful. As an experienced developer, I was able to rapidly evaluate the usefulness of the tool for particular needs and not waste time trying applications that were not worthwhile.



4. After reading the glowing reviews, I had great expectations for this book. It's been quite a letdown.

   I'm halfway through it now and probably will set it aside and look for another.

   The first major annoyance was trying to find the companion website... Searching the publisher's website was a waste of time as it provided no information other than an option to purchase the book. Finally by chance I happened to notice the correct web address listed in small print on the bottom of the back cover.

   Next I've had to contend with typos and misinformation; obvious ones such as the list of "What's on the CD-ROM, Disk, and Website" (there is no CD-ROM or disk with this book). In a "Write the Code" example, I found "@@@COMP: Break line as shown.@@@" mixed in with the coding...could be confusing if someone didn't realize that snippet was intended for the book's paginator. And there are errors in the coding examples, such as occurrences of "=" instead of the correct "==" operator. Thank goodness for php forums and the generous people there who helped me realize why the code wasn't working as expected. As far as I can determine, there's no errata page available for this book on the Wiley website, which to me is inexcusable. This is the first book I've ever bought from Wiley Computer Publishing, and I can now say with certainty that it will be my last.

   The book is organized basically with first stating a problem for the fictitious Mega Music Mart development team, then presenting page after page of learning material before showing the code to solve the problem. I always have to go back to the beginning of the chapter to refresh my memory of what the objectives of the development team are so that I know what they are trying to achieve in their code. A graphic of what the completed code looks like in a web page appears after the code. I would prefer have the explanatory material first (for example, what functions and variables are), then be presented with the task for the development team, immediately followed by an example of what the end result is, then the code. I have to do a lot of unnecessary page flipping the way it's laid out now.

   The final straw is the lack of commenting in the code, which would be an immense help in understanding the "what" and "why" of the coding. In the "Write the Code" section of the chapter on Classes, there are approximately four pages of coding, yet not one bit of commenting. Odd coming from an author who states on p. 38 that "Comments are an integral part of any program...The comments of one developer help the others understand the logic of the code..." Yes, comments certainly would have helped me understand the author's logic and aided the learning process.

No comments about The Newbies Guide To Mastering PHP.

No comments about HTML for the Business Developer: with JavaServer Pages, PHP, ASP.NET, CGI, and JavaScript (Business Developers series).