Amazon.co.uk Review
One issue that dampens enthusiasm for open-source products is a lack of mainstream documentation and tutorials written by professionals.
PHP 4 Bible takes care of that little detail for PHP, the cross-platform (and free) server-side scripting language for the Web.
PHP 4 Bible is as comprehensive a discussion as you will find about this fascinating language, which can hold its own against commercial competitors like Microsoft Active Server Pages and Allaire ColdFusion. It covers the core elements of the language and its syntax with critical applications of PHP such as database access and XML integration. The chapters follow a traditional tutorial style, helpful to those new to PHP.
An introduction to the basic language constructs, control structures and functions leads off this book in a comfortable way for readers versed in other languages such as Visual Basic. Some very practical chapters, such as "Basic PHP Gotchas", help keep students out of trouble as they get their feet wet in PHP. For database access--a critical application of PHP in the real world--the focus is appropriately on MySQL, a simple cross-platform SQL database.
Plenty of code examples and a companion Web site with downloadable code fill this tutorial out nicely. It is a one-stop way to learn PHP inside and out. --Stephen W. Plain
Product Description
The PHP 4 Bible is a comprehensive tutorial and reference to PHP. The Bible provides a clear, coherent description of PHP and how to use it whether you are a web developer, someone with ASP experience, or a C programmer. The book covers why users need PHP, how to get started, how to add PHP to HTML, and how to connect HTML web pages to databases. The authors take advantage of their own extensive experience using PHP to provides case studies of how and where to use PHP, along with advanced topics such as HTTP, cookies, redirection, building graphics, and sessions.
Why you need this book:
- Comprehensive tutorial for PHP4: covers all the basics of PHP 4, and how to use PHP to connect HTML– and XML–based web pages to databases.
- Essential reference for programmers: provides extensive PHP case studies, and appendices that get you up and running quickly if you have a experience with JavaScript, ASP, Perl and C/C++
- Covers the key features and improvements in PHP 4
- Advance topics include: building graphics, classes and objects, sessions, cookies, and real–life case studies
- Expert authors: Tim Converse is a programmer with experience in web developer and who instructs at the University of Chicago. Joyce Park is a writer on open source topics and web developer who creates sites using PHP.
See all Product Description
With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is). 
Amazon Home
