Synopsis:
It hasn't taken Web developers long to discover that when it comes to creating dynamic, database-driven Web sites, MySQL and PHP provide a winning open source combination. Add this book to the mix, and there's no limit to the powerful, interactive Web sites that developers can create. With step-by-step instructions, complete scripts, and expert tips to guide readers, veteran author and database designer Larry Ullman gets right down to business: After grounding readers with separate discussions of first the scripting language (PHP) and then the database program (MySQL), he goes on to cover security, sessions and cookies, and using additional Web tools, with several sections devoted to creating sample applications. This guide is indispensable for intermediate- to advanced level Web designers who want to replace their static sites with something dynamic. In this edition, the bulk of the new material covers the latest versions of both technologies: PHP 6 (due out in 2008) and MySQL 5 (available now). The book's publication date is likely to beat the official release of PHP 6, making it one of the first books available on the subject.
From the Author:
UPDATE: As of October, 2011, a newer edition of this book is now available. The most current edition of this book is "PHP and MySQL for Dynamic Web Sites: Visual QuickPro Guide" (4th Edition). Thanks! This is the third edition of the fourth book I wrote and it continues to be my most popular. In this book I teach how to use the two most important server-side technologies--PHP and MySQL--to begin creating dynamic Web sites today.
The book teaches everything you need to know to create real-world Web applications, from the fundamentals of PHP, SQL, and MySQL, to more complex uses of all three technologies. The book does not assume previous experience with any of these, although you should already be comfortable with HTML. I will say that this book, considering all the content involved, goes at a fairly quick pace. If you have less computer, Web development, or programming experience, you may be better served by my "PHP for the Web: Visual QuickStart Guide" book, which goes more deliberately and explains things in smaller chunks.
When I wrote the book, PHP 6 was about half-way complete, so I was able to use a beta version of PHP 6. For somewhat complicated reasons, PHP 6 has since died and its status is still uncertain. Still, I can recommend the book in good conscience, as only a few pages of one chapter require PHP 6, and that content is clearly marked (actually, most of that content can be replicated in PHP 5, just using different code). As with all my books, if you ever have problems with or questions about any code, you can always get a direct answer from me via email or, preferably, using my online support forums.
In March of 2011, I begin writing the fourth edition of this book, due out in August 2011.
Thanks for your interest in the book. It is appreciated. And if you purchase it, I hope you like it and find it to be useful and informative.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
