Product Description
Offering a step-by-step walk through understanding the three key open source technologies that form the basis for most active web servers, this book demonstrates how to quickly create a professional-looking, functional site using Apache Web server, the MySQL database system, and the PHP scripting language. You’ll take an in-depth look at why the combination of PHP, MySQL, and Apache has become so popular: flawless interaction, flexibility, customization, and cost, as well as their ability to run on both Linux and Windows servers. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

This book could have been so much better
If you are easily frustrated or do not enjoy debugging other peoples code, this book is definitely not for you. There are many, many places in this book where you will complete the tutorials and then attempt to execute the code only to find that you are (a) not getting the results the authors say that you should be getting or (b) you are not getting any results at all (except maybe an error message). I was able to work my way through this book by making frequent visits to the Wrox user forum for this title to see what fixes others have come up with for the bad code and by trolling the internet for solutions to some of the problems not discussed in the forum. I also wasted almost a month trying to get the PHP mail function running on my windows machine before giving up and migrating all my files to a unix server.
I don't know who is to blame for all the errors in this book - the authors or the publishers - but there are lots of them, especially in Chapters 13 - 16. Yet I feel like I learned a lot from this book, because I have a hands-on learning style, and if everything worked right the first time, there would be no challenge to the learning process.
This book has some really good tutorials and covers a lot of ground, but it could be a whole lot better if the authors and the publishers would get their heads together and fix some of the errors.

Good And Bad
I will say that this book is good that teach how to build various application like login system, forum, send mail and etc.
but what make me rate this book 3 is

1)It use table in html, even thought this book is not teaching html, but at least use simple/standard css than using table where many tr and td cause confuse.
2)Many grammer error and use wrong word.
3)it dont use php efficiency like this book try to incorporate all php code in one php file.
4)It seem like focus on php 5 instead of php6, well maybe i wrong in this.

Best book for real applications
If you are looking for a book that gives you real world applications this is it. However, this book does not go through every little detail and then say make an application. It actually gives you an application then goes into how it works. So if you are a person that likes to learn everything upfront and then tries to make applications from what you have learned then this book might not be for you. But, if you are like me and like to see how these applications are built and learn from "reverse engineering" then this is for you. I have yet to have a problem with the code; however, I do agree with others that it is a must, when learning a new language, to draw from more than one book as a learning tool.

Good book but small imperfections in code
First, I want to say I received this book as a gift so I can't complain too much. Second, I am new to PHP/MYSQL coding and this book has taught me a lot. The only problem I have with the book is that some of the code they use has errors or small imperfections. For example, in chapter 6 the book shows you how to write or edit to a database. The code is all written for you so basically all you have to do is copy/paste the code into your editor of your choice.
I use Dreamweaver and I like to type the code myself, so I can understand how it works.

After finishing and bringing the page up with Apache I noticed that the drop down lists, that connect to the database and let you choose the lead actors and directors displayed them in doubles. The actors and directors are placed in the same table, which has a total of eight values. The code was reading all the actors but it was counting the director's spots and placing the actor's names in the places again. I have tried everything to figure out how to get the extra names off the list but nothing worked. I checked the code over and over but everything looked good.
I even thought they meant to do this on purpose, to show an example. But that wasn't the case either.

There are many small examples like this through out the book. In a way, it's a good thing because it forces the reader to debug the code or improve on it. It also can be annoying. Either way, the book gives a lot of information but read additional PHP/MYSQL books because as I found out, everyone codes differently.

Frustration
The details of the chapter on utilizing PHP and an email server was vague and I didnt find that as a beginner I would be able to figure it out without looking up additional resources.I bought this resource to answer my questions and this peticular chapter caused confusion.

I am rating the book at one star because its not a minor flaw its an entire chapter rendered useless. ... Read more

Product Description

• The combination of Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP is popular because of interaction, flexibility, customization, and-most importantly-the cost effectiveness of its components
• Helps LAMP professionals take their skills to the next level with in-depth discussions of OOP; extensions of PHP such as PEAR, GD, XML, and CURL; improving site security; and advanced tools available to the coder
• Those proficient in other languages such as Java, C++, Perl and ASP will find this guide invaluable when transitioning to the LAMP environment
• The Web site includes sample scripts created in the course of each chapter, and several applications that can be modified and reused

Customer Reviews (3)

Mostly covers PHP
This book only gives rudimentary coverage of MySQL or Apache.

Twenty one pages in the chapter for 'Advanced MySQL' -- really! 13 pages of this is a review of SQL, how to do queries, updates, deletes, etc.

Apache got 35 pages and was a little better. It did have info on rewriting URLs but a lot of time was spent on rewrite patterns and rules. Many of the other items and configuration settings could be gleamed from the Apache configuration file.

I really was disappointed as I expected more of a discussion of PHP in the context of MySQL and Apache. I wish the authors had spent as much time on the other subjects as they did on PHP.

Linux -- wasn't even in the table of contents or the index and I didn't see anything that was even close.

The discussion of PHP covered subjects like installing packages, code effeciency and PHP extensions and was adequate.

Maybe the book should be called "PHP Packages Available".

The Next Level
I just finished reading Professional LAMP. These four components make for quite a powerful open source solution. It is being used at the enterprise level, with companies such as Yahoo and Google taking advantage of the flexibility if can offer. This book is ideal for anyone wanting to delve further into this development environment. As far as I know, it is the first book to cover LAMP at the professional level. The full listing of chapter topics covered are as follows:

1. What's New in PHP5
2. PHP5 Object Oriented Programming
3. More Obscure PHP
4. Advanced MySQL
5. PHP Configuration
6. Apache Tricks
7. Site Security
8. PEAR and PECL
9. Code Efficiency
10. PHP Extensions
11. AJAX
12. Caching Engines
13. Content Management Systems

As you can maybe tell, the above topics are a bit light on the "L" aspect of LAMP. Linux is covered briefly, addressed as the platform on which the AMP aspect runs. To be honest, I did not expect that this book would be a comprehensive look at Linux, because there is already a plethora of books out there. This book addresses in detail many aspects of Apache, MySQL and PHP.

- What's New in PHP5

This chapter covers the changes between PHP versions 4 and 5. This includes object-oriented programming, new functions, configuration changes, mysqli, XML support, Tidy library extension, and SQLite. Suffice it to say, there is quite a bit of information to absorb from this comprehensive first chapter.

- PHP5 OOP

This chapter opened with a good discussion on procedural versus object oriented programming. It then moved on to cover class definitions, methods and instances. One of the things I thought was cool is abstract, which allows you to create a class that can be extended by others. Using OOP methods also allows you to build an extensible API so that developers can create their own plugins. One such example would be peppers that people make for Mint.

- More Obscure PHP

This chapter was great, and helped to clear up some confusion for me. It covered some of the history behind Perl and C that led to PHP coming into its own. Like many languages, PHP has been around long enough that there is some "legacy" code still packaged in it. These relics remain only for backwards compatibility with older applications. Much like target="_blank" and iframe are deprecated as of XHTML 1.0 Strict, there are some things in PHP that are no longer supposed to be used, though they are still supported.

Anyway, the point is that PHP has breadth and depth that many programmers never even touch. They describe it like the English language, that though we understand quite a bit of terminology, most of us only use a small portion of it in our own daily vocabulary. Examples of things covered in this chapter are: callbacks, array_map(), array_walk(), array_filter(), preg_replace_callback(), call_user_func_array(), create_function(), glob() and creating streams.

They even discuss the code necessary to create an aerial orthophoto database query, such as would be seen in Google Maps' satellite view. They cover various compression methods for PNG files that make up the series of photos. I have to admit, it is pretty heady stuff, so you'll just have to check it out for yourself.

- Advanced MySQL

In this chapter, a simulated list of cars at an auto dealership is presented. They show you how to maintain data based on manufacturer, model, paint color, etc. There are many code examples for creating new entries, modifying existing data, and joining / merging tables. Also covered is how to use a MySQL database with the InnoDB storage engine, as opposed to the default MyISAM. Some of the benefits to this include transactions, row-level locking, and foreign key constraints. The one major drawback is lack of full-text searching. They also show you how to switch back and forth between MyISAM and InnoDB on the fly, should you ever need to use both in any particular situation.

In addition, the process of granting / revoking user priviledges is covered, which is a crucial aspect to understand if you want to have different tiers of access to different sections of your data. For instance, you might want the administrator to be able to affect everything, whereas your staff worker you would only want to be able to enter new entries into a product inventory.

- PHP Configuration

Next, they cover some of the basics of tweaking PHP for optimal performance. This all revolves around the php.ini file. They give several recommendations for settings to change, such as: register_globals = off, display_errors = off, log_errors = on, magic_quotes = off, asp_tags = off, and short_open_tag = off. They gave a compelling reason why to leave off short_open_tag, because instead being "< ?php", it is shortened to "< ?". This would cause a parsing error, because XML is written "< ?xml" but would be treated as PHP because it begins with "< ?" as well. If you plan on doing any AJAX, this would create major problems. Keen insights such as this are sprinkled throughout this chapter.

- Apache Tricks

This chapter offered a slew of helpful pointers on Apache Server, including sixteen pages on mod_rewrite alone, the Apache module that allows for more readable clean URL's, instead of messy addresses. Consider the following two examples, both of which lead to the same page (this very book review):

* godbit.com/article/professional-lamp-review
* godbit.com/index.php?id=110

As you can see, while the first might be a bit more lengthy, it contains more memorable information, such as the fact this is an article, and it is a book review of Professional LAMP. This goes a long way in making things more human friendly, and helps search engines index your site more accurately.

Another topic covered is that of mod_deflate, a compression method used in conserving bandwidth. This will cause Apache to send along text such as HTML and CSS with white-space and line-breaks compressed in gzip format, which most browsers are able to interpret and then convert back into a plain text, uncompressed equivalent. The book gives the example of sending a Zip file in an email, rather than several separate attachments. There are also security tips, such as authenticating MySQL users or using SSL when uploading files.

- Site Security

This leads me into the next chapter, which is all about security. Inevitably, with the ungoverned way the Internet operates, you will have malicious people trying to mess with your website. Basically, if you want something secure, don't hook it up to the `net. That being said, there are significant precautions you can take in order to minimize the likelihood that your site will be compromised either intentionally or accidentally.

They explain how to control authentication with both Apache and then adding another layer of PHP checks, such as form validation or register_globals protection. Plus, there is a section on protecting yourself from SQL injection attacks. This nastiness works by using an input, such as comment form or discussion forum, to do things like drop tables or granting user priviledges. Suffice it to say, that can cripple a database driven site, such as this one.

- PEAR and PECL

It has been said that good programmers borrow, but great programmers steal. While I do not advocate ripping people off, the premise of this quote is that if it's been done before, you'd be wasting your time to re-invent the wheel. PEAR - PHP Extension and Repository, and PECL - PHP Extension Community Library are two big components of what make PHP so great. You could think of it as standing on the shoulders of giants, continuing to build where they left off. Basically, each of these is a big pool of submitted extensions that improve PHP's functionality. You could think of it like installing a plugin for the language.

There are far too many extensions to do justice in this review, but one of the ones mentioned in the book was the Date class. With this package installed, you can reference and modify the date with methods like these: addSeconds, getDayName, getMonth, getNextDay, getQuarterOfYear, isLeapYear, etc. As you can tell, each of those is more human readable than: echo date("Y");.

- Code Efficiency

This was a great chapter on balancing code efficiency with real time efficiency. In other words, you don't want to kill yourself over a few milliseconds of loading time, if it is going to take several hours of real development work, especially if that time could be spent better elsewhere. They gave an example of a server computer running software slowly. The first reaction might be to buy new software, resulting in days of lost productivity due to necessary data backup, operating system and program upgrades. In their example though, all that was needed was more system RAM, requiring only a few minutes of down-time.

They take this same principle and apply it to coding methods, benchmarking a few ways of writing mathematical computations, namely a<<3 versus a*8 to multiply a variable integer by 8. If that looks like Greek to you, don't worry because it's explained in this chapter. Essentially, it's an argument of binary notation versus long-hand yet human readable code. They even go so far as to benchmark single quoted (') vs. double quoted (") strings. After an extensive series of tests, and rendering two very complex 3D graphs, it appears that single quoted is in fact faster, though many things can affect the outcome.

Aside from the theoretical arguments, they also help address various server configurations in order to find bottle-necks. An example of this would be too little RAM on your server, or too fast of a server in comparison with too slow of a connection. A good way to think of it is the adage "The box, or the band?" If it's the box, then you can make hardware tweaks, but if it's the bandwidth causing the problem, then you can either up that allotted amount, or tweak various compression schemes and server / client caching methods, to make things go faster. In addition, they of course show you how to write leaner, meaner PHP code, to save on both processor cycles and download time.

- PHP Extensions

This chapter touches on the many extensions that are available. Two of the ones I found to be interesting were PDFLib and GD Library. PDFLib does what the name implies, and creates PDF files on the fly via server-side methods, pulling info from a database. They give an example of how to create a r?sum? maker that outputs PDF versions for download. GD Library handles images on the server-side, allowing you to do things like rotate, resize, and even add watermark overlays or text descriptions with varying opacity directly into the image. This can be seen on sites like iStockPhoto, which have a branded stamp across preview images, encouraging you to buy the unaltered version.

- AJAX

Oh man, I am sick of talking about AJAX - Asynchronous JavaScript And XML. This book does a very good job of explaining the concepts behind it, but I feel like we hear about it so much nowadays that it is almost pointless to regurgitate it again. If you like, read the reviews I've done on books about AJAX here:

* http://godbit.com/article/ajax-and-php-review
* http://godbit.com/article/foundations-of-ajax-review
* http://godbit.com/article/professional-ajax-review

- Caching Engines

This is a good chapter for people who might be concerned about getting Slashdotted or being on the front page of Digg. Basically, it covers several methods of caching pages on a server, so that when a visitor comes, your MySQL database is not constantly being hit in order to serve up content that has not changed. This can be done in a variety of ways.

One such method involves using Alternative PHP Cache, which stores code from the PHP runtime engine in shared memory, so that it not recompiled each time unnecessarily. Other caching engines that function comparably are eAccelerator and the Zend Optimizer. They also cover JPCache, which is unique in that it does not require being installed as a DSO or built into PHP statically, because it runs off standard include and required statements. There is also one called memcache which requires its own daemon to be running on Linux, and caches database results in RAM to keep SQL from running, freeing up the hard drive. It should also be noted that according to this book, JPCache and memcache can "play well together" on the right server, further increasing response time.

Content Management

In this chapter, they cover installing and configuring a few different CMS's. Most of these I had not yet heard of, for example Exponent CMS. This is an enterprise level system, which I found is table-based and not very standards compliant. Therefore, I am not recommending it to anyone. Another CMS mentioned in this chapter is XOOPS, which suffers from the same sort of poor front-end markup. Basically, this chapter was about antiquated systems with bloated code. Also listed were Mambo and PHP-Nuke, both of which should be avoided. To their credit, the authors did cite Drupal and WordPress, which are more accessible and standards compliant than the aforementioned clunkers.

Summary

With the exception of the last chapter, I found that the whole of this book is one that I will refer back to often as I continue to grow in my usage of the LAMP development environment. I would highly recommend it to anyone who has dabbled in the Linux / Apache or PHP / MySQL combo, but really wants to gain a more complete understanding of how they interact. It will definitely help anyone who wants to write cleaner PHP or provide a more responsive hosting server.

Could be of interest to the right audience...
If you don't know (in which case you wouldn't be reading this in all likelihood), LAMP is an acronym for Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP5.It's the open source "software stack" used to do web development.If you have a basic grounding in all those software elements, you might be interested in the Wrox book Professional LAMP - Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP5 Web Development by Jason Gerner, Elizabeth Naramore, Morgan L. Owens, Matt Warden.

Contents: What's New in PHP5?; PHP5 OOP; More Obscure PHP; Advanced MySQL; PHP Configuration; Apache Tricks; Site Security; PEAR and PECL; Code Efficiency; PHP Extensions; AJAX; Caching Engines; Content Management Systems; Language Translation; Alternative Tools; Index

As you can see from the content listing, this is a bit of a grab-bag of topics that may or may not interest you.There does seem to be some contradictory information as to who the target audience might be.Looking at the back of the book, the book is described as being for "intermediate to advanced LAMP professionals".This is backed by their visual flowchart of titles, which shows this as a high-end book for those who already know what they're doing.But in the introduction, there is a description of the book as one "for web developers with some experience who want to take their websites to the next level."This is followed by a list of basic skills that they assume, none of which are the software elements that make up LAMP.While I consider myself the target of the second description, I can tell you that this isn't a book that I could use to learn and understand LAMP.You definitely need to have a firm grasp of PHP in order to gain value from this material, as they go into new and advanced features very quickly.

Having stated the caveats, I will say the book is laid out well and would be beneficial to the right audience.There is a lot of code to use and play with, and the information is well documented.The focus is on PHP5 material, so I think that you'd find the book most valuable if you were a PHP developer looking for tricks and tips using the latest version of the software.The Linux part of LAMP is not covered much at all.It's assumed that you're using Linux to run the "AMP" part of the stack, but that's about as far as it goes.If you're looking for Linux info, you won't get much out of this book.

Recommendation?If you're firmly grounded in LAMP and you're looking for information that goes beyond the basics, you might be interested.If you're just looking to get started, you'll want to look elsewhere... ... Read more

Product Description
Even if you've never used MySQL before, this Visual QuickStart Guide willhave you up and running with the world’s most popular open sourcedatabase application in no time. In this completely updated edition ofour best-selling guide to MySQL, leading technology author Larry Ullmanuses his trademark crystal-clear instructions and friendly prose tointroduce you to everything that’s new in MySQL. Filled withstep-by-step, task-based instructions and loads of visual aids, thisbook explains how to interact with MySQL using SQL, the language commonto all databases. The interface examples show how to use MySQL’s owntools and how to use three popular programming languages (PHP, Perl,and Java). The book covers MySQL versions 3 and 4, as well aseverything new in the eagerly anticipated version 5. Along the way,you'll find extensive coverage of MySQL installation, administration,database design, as well as its use with various programming languages,database programming techniques, utilities, advanced MySQL and SQL, andmore!

•    Takes an easy, visual approach to teaching MySQL, using pictures to guide you through the software and show you what to do.
•    Works like a reference book—you look up what you need and then get straight to work.
•    No long-winded passages—concise, straightforward commentary explains what you need to know.
•    Affordably priced, because buying a computer book shouldn’t be an investment in itself.
•    Companion Web site atwww.DMCInsights.com/mysql2 contains complete source code for examplesin the book, online resources, extra scripts and tutorials, updates, areader forum, and more.

... Read more

Customer Reviews (16)

MySQL, Second Edition
I am so thankful for the simplicity of this book to help me get grounded with MySQL. I would definitely recommend this book for everyone.

great reference
I found this book a great MYSQL reference for me as PHP developer , Iam not a databse administrator , and i want to know more about mysql to help me better understand it and better code my PHP/Mysql projects , the book illustrate everything with figures and step by step from installation on various operating systems , runing Mysql and interacting with it through mysql client , database design and normalization , basic SQL , MySQL functions then illustrate MySQL/PHP interface in chapter 7 and MySQL/Perl chapter 8 and MySQL/JAVA chapter 9 , then Advanced SQL and MySQL manipulation in chapter 10 which cover transactions , full text searches , regular expressions , user defined variablesand Unions , then cover the new features in MySQL 5 like Stored routines , using OUT parameters , Triggers and views , then in chapter 12 Illustrate some techniques for progamming best practice , and end with chapter 13 MySQL administration . After all this book is very good and wrap my mind around topics i never heard about in normal PHP books that only cover mysql in one chapter for PHP/Mysql interface .

Superb introduction to MySQL
Larry Ullman has seemingly made a career out of his expertise in PHP and MySQL. And his expertise in both is unquestionable. Fortunately for those of us who wish to quickly grasp the essentials of these two technologies, Ullman is also an excellent teacher and writer.

MySQL walks you gently through the beginner to early intermediate level of familiarity with the platform.

It does not treat any aspect of MySQL in great depth - which is a plus, not a minus. Cruising this book will not make you an expert on MySQL, but it will place you firmly in control of the fundamentals so you can more comfortably continue on the path to becoming a MySQL. Think of it as "training wheels".

Overall, a thorough, painless introduction to MySQL for the rank beginner.

Jerry

Excellent Book
This book is excellent for someone with no experience with MySQL.(Like Me!) It steps you through installation, setup, and use without assuming prior knowledge.

Great Introduction and Reference for MySQL
Learning MYSQL can be a little daunting for beginners because its open-source and you have to do some research in getting the right information sometimes. This book is aimed at the beginner who wants to get their feet wet with MYSQL and also how to use it with many of the more popular development platforms such as Java, Perl and PHP.

It is easy to read through because of its column-based format with enough snapshots and visual guides to prevent you from getting eye strain. º

It first focuses on getting up and running on MySQL with the installation process on Windows or Mac or Linux (and UNIX). The book gives you all the links to install all the components of the database plus additional tools that will streamline you development process.There is also good information on how to upgrade your version of MySQL

The next chapter explains how to get you up and running in MySQL in the three different OS¡¦s with specifics on: Using mysqladmin, setting root password, using mysql client, setting up user privledges (creating new users) and starting and stopping services. A kinda detailed brief overview of how to be a MySQL admin.

Chapter 3 focuses on database design which usually can be kinda boring talking about normalization, importance of keys, table relationships, etc but the book only gives you the information you need with nice visuals to reinforce what is tauaght.

Chapter 4 goes over the MySQL and SQL commands in creating a database and table(s) with emphasis on field data types.Chapter 5 is a very useful chapter on basic SQL commands, since what is a database without the user knowing SQL, right? The author very succinctly reviews the SELECT statement for retrieving data, the UPDATE statement for updating records, DELETE and INSERT (you can guess what those two do). The book also goes into detail about table JOINS and filtering data with the WHERE, LIKE and GROUP BYclauses. A great resource chapter for the times you forget your basic syntax (which most people do from time to time).

Chapter 6 through 9 reviews how each of the more popular server-side web languages (PHP, Perl, and Java) use MyQL is used to retrieve, populate and update via web pages.The book provides code examples of the MySQL functions are specific to each language. Starting from how to connect to the database; how to execute commands; how to retrieve and display data (looping through records); how to incorporate error handling and how to secure your data. Depending on your preference, you will at least one of these chapters very helpful.

The next chapter focuses on new features in MySQL version 5 (stored procedures, triggers and views).These are somewhat advanced topics to a point but are covered wonderfully that even the newbie can understand.

The book finishes up with database administration issues such as performing and scheduling backups, logging, importing/exporting and repairing corruption issues.

A great introduction to MySQL that really can be your all-in-one reference as well. ... Read more

Product Description
PHP and MySQL have become a serious and commercially viable system withwhich to develop web applications. With the relase of PHP 5, J2EEdevelopers, in particular, are starting to take a second look at PHP. And whilethere are many books on the makret that describe PHP language syntax, thereare very few that fully describe web application development with PHP andrelated technologies. This book describes the complete web applicationdevelopment lifecycle, from planning the application to designing the userinterface to building in robust security. And since web applications serve theentire world, often neglected globalization issues are treated in detail.Though MySQL is used throughout the examples, Part IV also containsexamples of building applications on top of both Oracle and PostgresSQL, twopopular alternatives to MySQL for use in mission-critical systems. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (23)

One Star is too high for this book
I am really wondering who are the people they gave the book 4-5 stars...

This book is full of typo error, bug coding, wrong concepts by the following facts:

1. He propose a fingerprint concept, but actually fingerprint needs to be sent back to the user via other ways. The author makes the reader to assume that he can only md5 the user agent with a seed variable and store that in $_Session varialbe to make every work. Wrong!! Totally wrong, nobody will know your fingerprint if you don't send them back to the visitor, and it is meaningless.

2. The book really piss me off. It looks that the book was written by somebody who don't know PHP ...almost every two pages has a typo error, or even more... a script full of bugs....I read it totally once and take notes in every page, and after my reading, I start to try every code which I think is important, but I am really dispointed that they all are junk codes...and the author gave a lot of wrong concepts...for example, the chapter 5, using prev, next, current to handle array. He said if the next element in the array is (bool)False, the next function will end up. I tried it, and the author is wrong again.

It's really time-wasting in reading this kind of book. Not only waste your money, but also waste your time.

Outstanding Book on PHP and MySQL
This is an outstanding book if you have a background in programming C++ as I do. It is clear, concise and can be used as a reference book.

I used another book to get started and soon tired of the tedious copying and testing code. This book does not spend inordinate amount of time explaining each keystroke (exaggeration) and you can skim the parts you know and spend more time on the subject matter that you need to learn.

I highly recommend it.

Way, way too ambitious for one book.
This book has some real gems in it, like the part about how to prevent hi-jacked sessions and cross scripting attacks. Which is why I gave it two stars.

But this book really needs to be split into 3 or 4 volumes. The author just cannot do justice to the complexity of the topics involved. And his lack of coding examples, typically 4 or 5 brief lines, shows this.

As for his "complete" examples, e.g. of a calendar project, he waxes so obtuse with his OOP coding that, not only does the project not work, good luck in trying to fathom it! (I spent two fruitless days at this task and finally gave up. And I have already written and sold a commercial calendar/scheduler to various companies.)

So, unless you are a programmer at the near genius level and you can extrapolate from coding samples like an Einstein at the chalk board with calculus & and a slide rule, the average programmer out there is going to need something much more basic than this book -- if he or she wants to explore the advanced topics it trys to present.

Great Intermediate level PHP book
This is a fairly long book at 858 pages. It is well worth your time.It's well written and therefore, easy to read.Each section gives a detailed explanation, followed by a well commented code example. The index is extensive so it will serve as a good PHP and MySQL reference.The books layout also makes for easy reading.Each chapter, 33 in all, is just long enough to be read in a day, and covers its topic extensively.

I would call this an intermediate level PHP book. It goes beyond your beginning PHP books.Yes, it covers PHP and MySQL basics in the first two sections. And then, it gets into the meat of why your learning PHP and MySQL with major sections on "Planning Web Applications", "Implementing you Web Application, and three "Sample Projects."

What I thought this book added that the basic PHP books do not cover was a constant attention to web security.If security could be a problem in each section of the book, the security issue was explained, and the example showed you how to protect your application from the potential security problem.It also covered areas that are usually glossed over in beginning books, such as cookies & sessions, secure (encryped) layer, user authentication, error handling, form validation, and regular expressions.

You can hardly go wrong with this book, it will give you a solid foundation for whatever you want to do in web development. I highly recommend it.

Good materials to start off with but needs proof reading
As an experience programmer from ASP.Net, I can say that this is a good book for getting into PHP.The book paces pretty well, making sure you get the necessary basics but not bore you with overstuffed material.

The only thing that annoys me, is the amount of typos on the samples and sample codes.If you are a seasoned programmer like me, you will pick them up with no problem before testing them.But for the novice, it could give them extra time debugging.

Still I recommend this book. ... Read more

Product Description

MySQL and Perl for the Web provides a much-needed handbook for database and Web developers seeking an extensive and detailed guide for using the combination of MySQL and Perl to build dynamic and interactive database-backed Web sites. It shows how to use Perl's DBI database access module, pairing it with with the CGI.pm module that allows Web pages and forms to be generated and processed easily. These tools provide developers with a solid foundation for creating applications that incorporate database content to create dynamic, up-to-date Web sites.

The book employs a practical learn-by-doing approach that demonstrates development techniques by building complete applications, not just fragmentary pieces. It shows what to do at each step of the way during the process of building live, working examples. Applications are fully explained so you can understand how they work and apply the techniques they illustrate to your own projects.

The sample code for the applications in this text is presented in small pieces in context with the discussion; most of the space is devoted to explanations of the issues and implementation. All of the code is available, however, from the book's companion Web site. This tutorial is an excellent way for Perl developers to move to the next level of development and make the most of some powerful, free tools. --Stephen W. Plain ... Read more

Customer Reviews (26)

A great book to get you up to speed
Disclaimer: I was given a copy of this book on the condition that I would write a review of it.That said, what follows is my opinion.

This book provides a good "from the ground up" guide for using Perl to do just about anything you'd want to do on your web site, including run an eCommerce site.You need to know a bit of Perl before you start, but even if you don't the examples start out simple enough that you should be able to pick it up as you go, provided you have some programming background.Should you get stuck, there are plenty of pointers to online resources, as well as an appendix to show you how to set up the software used in this book.

The book starts out with the basics: setting up MySQL and Apache to get at your data via the web, including Perl DBI basics.You then get started by writing a simple to-do list application, and in the process create modules that you will use (and build on) later in the book.

Mod_perl is covered, and then progressively more complex form based applications are presented.Many useful techniques are discussed. Once you're just about tired of all the tedium of form based applications, automated form-handling techniques are introduced that use meta-data about the table structures to automatically generate (and validate) input data.Techniques for session management get a chapter as well, presenting very good information on the pros and cons of different session management techniques (IP, cookie, URL key, etc).

Security and privacy get a very good chapter.Not only are issues presented regarding keeping user's information confidential, but cautions are also presented regarding keeping the server secure.SQL injection attacks are discussed, as are defenses against them.Hint: use MySQL's quote() function.

The book closes with a chapter on writing an eCommerce application.All the techniques used in the book are brought together in one application, and it is shown (very well) how they all relate to each other.While the resulting eCommerce application is extremely simple in regards to what it can do, it effectively shows the reader the power of MySQL and Perl together, and provides an excellent reference when writing applications of one's own.

I am a system administrator, and have done a good chunk of web site design (mostly the technical side) and programming.I've been using Perl since 1996, and MySQL with that since 2000 (used mSQL before that).So, yes, I had quite a bit of Perl and DB experience before I read the book.I say that to say this: I still learned things.There were tips and techniques in there that I hadn't thought of, and will make my job just a bit easier the next time I use Perl to write a MySQL based application.Even if you have some Perl and MySQL experience under your belt, the book will still be useful.

An excellent book on both MySQL and Perl.
There are plenty of books about MySQL and PHP in bookstores. Yet, I still prefer Perl as my web page languages, thanks to its powerful regex and the similarity to C grammar (Some functions have exactly the same name and take the same arguments as in C).

For web applications, a backend database is necessary (MySQL). But how to access and operate on these dabatases? Perl comes into scene at this point.

I don't understand why people write so many books on PHP and MySQL, and so few on Perl and MySQL. Up to now, Paul's book is the only one I ever saw to cover both MySQL and Perl's application in web pages.

Paul's method is step by step, and the examples are not trivial ones. And he clearly explained the critical parts of his code. He even wrote some packages which can be used as library.

Before reading his book, I feel curious how the dynamic web pages work. Now, after finishing his book, I can understand how a commercial site such as Amazon works.

Finally, I recommend this book be bought with the other title by Paul - "MySQL". This is the book dedicated to MySQL language. It is a good companion to "MySQL and Perl for the Web".

This is the most important book in my library (of over 300)
Like many others, I wish I'd seen this book long ago.

The attention to detail and accuracy of the examples is just incredible!

This is by far the most used reference book in my library.After repeatedly having to tape the book together, I finally gave it away and bought a new one.

Following his examples eliminates many potentialpitfalls that would otherwise result in hours of troubleshooting.

I can't imagine how I would have ever learned this information without the expert advice of the author, Paul DuBois.His coverage of CGI.pm is essential as well as his list of other books to read.

I think I have all his other books as well.

He even returned email almost immediately!

My only complaint is that it isn't bound in leather!

Clear explanations and excellent examples
This is an excellent book. I knew my way around Perl and had done a few relatively simple CGIs before being handed a project to build an application that would allow 50 or 60 employees to enter several thousand customer complaints and email them to the right recipients based on the complaint content. I had a three-week deadline.

I bought the book and started patching elements of the example applications together until I had everything almost working. One problem delayed me a couple of days so I emailed DuBois with a question and received a solution within the hour.

I'd recommend this book to anyone who has a moderate grasp of Perl and Apache. It's one of the most lucid computer books I've ever read.

MySQL and Perl but no templates?
This isn't a complete review but readers should be aware that this book does NOT cover templates (it doesn't appear in the contents or the index).There's no mention of Template Toolkit or HTML::Template, for example. (Text::Template and HTML::Mason get mentioned as an aside, but that's it)Similarly, there are three chapters on forms, but no mention of CGI::FormBuilder.

Seems like a big omission to me. YMMV. ... Read more

Product Description
This book is a comprehensive guide to unlocking the full potential of phpMyAdmin. Whether you are an experienced developer, system administrator, web designer or new to MySQL and phpMyAdmin, this book will show you how to increase your productivity and control when working with your MySQL.

phpmyAdmin is one of the most widely used open source applications, but few users are aware of hidden power and features. In this book you’ll learn about:

• Installing, configuring, and customizing phpMyAdmin.
• MySQL administration.
• Managing databases, table data and structures.
• Managing indexes.
• Exporting databases and table data and structures.
• Searching databases and tables
• Using metadata and bookmarks
• Generating multiple SQL queries
• Documenting table structures
• Mime-based transformation

Along the way you’ll build a more detailed understanding of SQL and how it works in MySQL. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

It got the job done.
It wasn't the easiest read, but it will give you all the information you need to handle phpmyadmin.I am not a programing guru, so I needed something I could handle and understand.This did the job.I bought the book used and though it was a previous edition, it provided me with everything I needed.

One of the best guides to phpMyAdmin
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!

Great, helpful book!
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!

You need this book
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.

Quality manual for a quality product
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. ... Read more

Product Description
Modern bioinformatics encompasses a broad and ever-changing range of activities involved with the management and analysis of data from molecular biology experiments. Despite the diversity of activities and applications, the basic methodology and core tools needed to tackle bioinformatics problems is common to many projects. Building Bioinformatics Solutions provides a comprehensive introduction to this methodology, explaining how to acquire and use the most popular development tools, how to apply them to build processing pipelines, and how to make the results available through visualizations and web-based services for deployment either locally or via the Internet. The main development tools covered in this book are the MySQL database management system, the Perl programming language, and the R language for statistical computing. These industry standard open source tools form the core of many bioinformatics projects, both in academia and industry. The methodologies introduced are platform independent, and all the examples that feature have been tested on Windows, Linux and Mac OS.

This advanced textbook is suitable for graduate students and researchers in the life sciences who wish to automate analyses or create their own databases and web-based tools. No prior knowledge of software development is assumed. Having worked through the book, the reader should have the necessary core skills to develop computational solutions for their specific research programmes. The book will also help the reader overcome the inertia associated with penetrating this field, and provide them with the confidence and understanding required to go on to develop more advanced bioinformatics skills. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Great Book! Responsible Authors!
This is a great book,I am very satisfied with it.

In fact, this book combines the most popular tools in bioinformatics:Perl, R and MySQL.

Some of us may be expert for one or two of these tools. But how to systemically to use them together, this book gives answers.

It aslo gives direction of how to go further if you want to master one of these tools.

Plus,it has a lot of practical examples which you can easily transform for your own work.

And I must say the authors are very responsibe. They answered my questions promptly and in details. I really apprecitate this.

Thank you.

Excellent book!
I'm very satisfied with this book.
Very clear explanations and examples.
Contains all the relevant chapters that one needs to get into bioinformatics.
... Read more

Product Description

• Provides programmers with a complete foundation in MySQL, the multi-user, multi-threaded SQL database server that easily stores, updates, and accesses information
• Offers detailed instructions for MySQL installation and configuration on either Windows or Linux
• Shows how to create a database, work with SQL, add and modify data, run queries, perform administrative tasks, and build database applications
• Demonstrates how to connect to a MySQL database from within PHP, Java, ASP, and ASP.NET applications
• Companion Web site includes SQL statements needed to create and populate a database plus three ready-to-use database applications (in PHP, Java, and ASP.NET)

Customer Reviews (3)

Hace honor a su título: BEGINNING
Muy buen libro trata lo esencial de MYSQL, sinceramente muy bueno para gente que empieza con MySQL.
Si ya eres un usuario avanzado no te recomiendo el libro.

the best reference for the biginners
I advise every person who want to learn MYSQL to Buy this book , it's learn you the following :
an introduction to database systems .
an introduction to strucure query language (SQL).
simple way to learn the mysql .

Great MYSQL book!
MYSQL is an open-source standard DBMS now and is a great way (free) to get yourself started in learning about web design and how to create databases.This is a great book to use a starter guide to learning MYSQL or for people who have learned some MYSQL on their own and want a guide and/or resource for learning more intermediate topics.

The first thing the author goes into how to get/install/configure MYSQL whether it be on a Windows or UNIX environment. There are some differences between the two setups on the different OS so it's an important first chapter.The next chapter covers how to create a relational database while explaining good design with normalization, relationships (one to many, many to many, etc), understanding what a data model is, and showing some good database examples. Jumping into creating your tables before you understand design theory can be disastrous down the road when you realize you need to re-design your tables which can lead to hours of extra work.

Then of the meat of the book (Chapters 5 - 10) goes into explaining the SQL (Structured Query Language) in how to create a table, retrieve data, update, append and delete data. The author spends a good amount of time on the basics of SQL and shows some good examples.After the basics it shoes the MYSQL specific syntax more complex queries and uses working examples for each of them.The author does a great job of going through the syntax first then shows some examples and then goes through using the new syntax in a database project as well.

The rest of the book (Chapter 11 - 16) goes into administration tasks such as exporting and copying databases, managing transactions, setting up security and optimizing and performance issues. The final 3 chapters goes into using different web technologies (PHP, ASP.NET and Java) to interact with MYSQL databases and show data on a web page. A very nice change of pace that can prove helpful if you want to get into web development as well.

Overall this a great book on MYSQL that really explains the important topics with some great examples. ... Read more

Product Description
Are you ready to begin programming with PHP and MySQL? Then get ready to jump right in. You'll get an introduction to programming with a specific focus on programming web servers with the PHP programming language. Much of the original content from the first edition (1931841322) is retained, but you'll also cover updates relating to the upcoming PHP 5.0 release. Following the same format as the popular first edition, this book provides easy-to-follow instruction. You will use the concepts presented in the book to create games using PHP and MySQL. As each concept is put to the test, you'll acquire programming skills that will easily transition to real-world projects. A true beginner's guide, this book enables you to acquire programming skills that you can use in the next language that you tackle. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (19)

For the absolute beginner A+
This is an excellent book for the beginner.It steps you through the functions and has good sample code.I really recommend this book.

It is the best for me
This book is the best. As I read it I clearly understood all I had in my head for my new web site. It is simple and there is a lot of useful examples. Thank you!

If you read it 2 or 3 times you'll get the idea
The authors writing style leaves a lot to be desired. He's hard to understand sometimes. He uses a game to illustrate the concepts of PHP & understanding the game was more difficult than the code. It's not bad - it's just OK. I'd recommend Charles Wyke-Smith "Codin for the Web" for a clear explanation of rudimentary PHP MySQL concepts with real world examples - not stupid games.

Good for PHP basics
My son was looking for an introduction to web development, and I couldn't think of a better place than PHP with which to start.

I found the author's writing style very enjoyable - and was particularly impressed by his choice of example programs. For instance, the chapter on databases introduces concepts using an adventure game!

The only problem I had was the lightweight treatment of Content Management Systems (in particular the discussion of PHP-Nuke), which ended up being much too generic to be of use.

However, that doesn't really detract from the quality of the rest of the book, which is highly recommended.

Outdated and useless.
Unfortunately this book, despite its best efforts, falls flat on its face when it comes to teaching php.I am a beginner to the language and I ordered the book recently to begin teaching myself.The code in the book did not work at all, even when I uploaded the pages stored on the CD rom directly to my site they didn't work properly, which let me know that even though I'm new to the language the errors weren't my fault.The script is incomplete and poorly written, as told to me by professional web site authors I know.It lacks the most important parts of the script to make them work and if you're on your own you won't be able to figure out why it isn't working, unless you find the answer in a forum or something.I recommend this book instead, PHP 6 and MySQL 5 for Dynamic Web Sites: Visual QuickPro Guide.The code in this book actually works and any errors are insignificant plus have corrections online at the author's site.Don't make the same mistake I did in buying this book.It will just disappoint you and waste your money. ... Read more

Product Description

Increase your MySQL productivity and control by discovering the real power of phpMyAdmin 3.1

• Covers version 3.1, the latest version of phpMyAdmin
• Administer your MySQL databases with phpMyAdmin
• Manage users and privileges with MySQL Server Administration tools
• Get to grips with the hidden features and capabilities of phpMyAdmin

In Detail

MySQL has gained wide popularity because of its open-source nature, performance, reliability, robustness, and support for various platforms.

phpMyAdmin is a web-based front-end to manage MySQL databases and has been adopted by a number of open-source distributors. It is one of the most widely used open-source applications written in PHP. phpMyAdmin supports a wide range of operations with MySQL. Currently, it can create and drop databases, create/drop/alter tables, delete/edit/add fields, execute any SQL statement, manage keys on fields, manage privileges, export data into various formats and is available in 52 languages. The powerful graphical interface of version 3.1 has made phpMyAdmin an indispensable tool for MySQL and web developers.

This is the first book that covers version 3.1, the latest version of phpMyAdmin. It has been fully updated from the previous version that covered phpMyAdmin Version 2.11. It is a comprehensive guide to unlocking the full potential of phpMyAdmin. It builds a solid understanding of the core capabilities of phpMyAdmin before walking you through every facet right from showing you how to set up and manage the database with clear, step-by-step instructions and screenshots to exploring the less well known and generally under-used features and capabilities of phpMyAdmin in depth. Along the way you'll build a more detailed understanding of SQL and how it works in MySQL.

Whether you are an experienced developer, system administrator, web designer or new to MySQL and phpMyAdmin, this book will show you how to increase your productivity and control when working with your MySQL.

What you will learn from this book?

• Administer MySQL users and get statistics about MySQL servers and databases
• Create better database tables and relational structures
• Generate multiple SQL queries and build a more detailed understanding of SQL and its workings
• Prepare better documentation of evolving table structures
• Manage databases, table data and structures, and indexes to create efficient databases
• Learn the different mechanisms involved in importing SQL and CSV files
• Examine the modified behavior of phpMyAdmin to use the outstanding application to its full power
• Perform day-to-day database and table management effectively with the new interface to ease your work

Customer Reviews (3)

Good book, not a necessity
This book isn't bad but is very general and in the end didn't supplement a whole lot of things I didn't already know about the phpMyAdmin.

I recommend it for beginners to phpMyAdmin.Intermediate to advanced users may be disappointed.

I read a great review for this book
I will paste a review of Ben Dodson (one of the books reviewers) hoping it helps other users. I just bought the book and I hope it's as good as this review says:

"I was recently asked by Packt Publishing to review a copy of their latest book, Mastering phpMyAdmin 3.1 which promises to "increase your MySQL productivity and control by discovering the real power of phpMyAdmin 3.1. I was a little skeptical at first of a book on phpMyAdmin, the most widely used MySQL admin tool, especially when it arrived at 325 pages! However, there is a huge amount of information that really is very useful to every PHP developer out there whether you are a beginner or an advanced user.

Now, most people I've mentioned the book to have scoffed and said something along the lines of "I already know how to use phpMyAdmin". Like them, I thought I knew what phpMyAdmin was and what it could do but it turns out there are huge amounts of functionality I never knew existed in MySQL let alone in phpMyAdmin!
For the Beginner

The book starts off with a very gradual introduction to phpMyAdmin covering everything from basic installation and setup to a detailed explanation of the overall interface. I was particularly pleased to see an in-depth chapter on security configuration at the beginning of the book which would help any newcomer make sure that their setup is completely secure - usually such chapters are found at the back in the appendices! The first six chapters follow in a similar vein with very basic information about how to run SQL queries, edit data, change structures, and so on but chapters seven and eight deal with exporting and importing data which is one of the many areas that I have seen developers struggle with in the past. There is a good explanation of the different methods for importing / exporting including the benefits of certain types over others. Crucially, there is a section on CSV using LOAD DATA which is something that has always seemed to lack proper explanation to me in the past.

There then follows a few more chapters which more advanced users can probably skip such as searching, an overview of relational databases, and table / database operations.
Advanced Topics

I would say that the real meat of the book for experienced PHP developers begins at chapter thirteen with each further chapter adding useful knowledge. I've listed the key highlights of these chapters below:

* The Multi-Table Query Generator - A powerful tool which enables you to fine tune complex queries via a series of forms thus allowing you to specify multiple criteria. It contains features such as automatic joins which allow you to very easily build up complex queries.

* Bookmarks - A feature I was completely unaware of that allows you to save queries for future use. This is particularly useful if you happen to be a database administrator that administers purely on a table by table basis within phpMyAdmin and has a number of queries to run. I always used to have popular queries I'd use stored in a notepad on my OS X Dashboard but no need anymore!

* System Documentation - I recently had a need to produce some MySQL documentation so was very happy to read this chapter and find out about the excellent documentation tools available within phpMyAdmin. This includes not only a basic print view, but also a data dictionary and a relational schema which are all exported as PDFs.

* MIME-Based Transformations - If you're the kind of developer that likes to store images, etc, as BLOB fields. With transformations, you can make images appear as images within the phpMyAdmin results rather than as indecipherable encoded text. Very useful!

* MySQL 5.0 and 5.1 - a quick look at the enhancements that MySQL 5 added with things such as views, routines, stored procedures, and very interestingly, triggers (a way to run other MySQL commands when a certain thing happens - e.g. when a table gets updated). You'd probably want a separate book to cover MySQL 5 if you were planning on doing any development with it, but this chapter gives you a good overview of some of the things you can expect.

* MySQL Server Administration - The final chapter deals with some of the more fundamental maintenance tasks related to the actual server and improvements that can be made with caching etc as well as a good comparison of the different types of storage engine you can choose.
Summary

All in all, I would highly recommend this book to any PHP developer or anybody that is using phpMyAdmin on a regular basis. It could really have been broken into two books - a beginners and an advanced - but it works well by acting as a reference for those developers that have grown up using phpMyAdmin. The main thing though is that it taught me a great deal about phpMyAdmin that I didn't realise was even there - just goes to show that even a basic sounding book can have a great deal to offer."

Mastering phpMyAdmin 3.1
I've been using phpMyAdmin since... Hmmm... Well... The times before I used to code in PHP. So when offered to review Mastering phpMyAdmin 3.1 by Marc Deslisle, I didn't expected to learn anything new, but I was bwrong.

The book is full of information for all kinds of users from beginner to professional. I only gallopped through the first chapters covering setup, basic usage etc. while luckily not covering basic SQL topics, so if you are new to phpMyAdmin and know basic SQL, this book may be the right one for you. Since phpMyAdmin has evolved in the last years and is still evolving, also the experienced user may find something new here.

About one third of the 326 pages cover advanced topics like the SQL validator, advanced bookmarking or the database documentation generator Although I've been using phpMyAdmin for years now, some of the covered topics were new to me.

If you are new to phpMyAdmin, you should buy this book. Even if you are using phpMyAdmin since some years, you may find Mastering phpMyAdmin useful. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (10)

Poorly wriiten
I bought this book thinking that it could teach me well and I could try to make a nice PHP & MySQL script on my website to manage news.

I was utterly wrong.

I am really a fan of the O'Reilly books, they are pretty well made, except for this one.

There are quite a few errors in the coding where I get a TON of parsing errors.

It would be really nice if they could completely re-write the book and take out using PEAR, It may be a useful tool, but I don't like it that much.

I would suggest not getting this book, but for one of the other O'Reilly books, like "Headfirst PHP and MySQL".

Stay Away
This book is full of errors and I never got any thing to work. Stay away from this book. I suggest the Friend of Ed series.

Outdated and many mistakes
This is definitely below the bar for an O'Reilly book. I am about 1/3 way thru and already have to spend hours searching the Internet for the right steps on phpMyAdmin and Apache2 config on MacBook Pro. I am debating if I should finish the rest of the book, best to avoid this book to begin with.

[update] The second half of the book is a bit better, I would recommend skipping the first few chapters and start at Practical PHP.

Riddled with errors - avoid
This dreadful book is so far below O'Reilly's normal high standard that it's hard to believe anyone at the company saw it before publication. It is riddled from start to finish with typos, technical errors, bad coding practices, contradictions and statements that are just plain wrong. It's quite baffling that O'Reilly would let a book this bad hit the shelves.

What is particularly worrying is that this is the second edition. The first was also full of mistakes (see the reviews on the O'Reilly website) and the publisher seems to have acknowledged this by rushing out this second edition only a year after the first, but the new edition fixes few of the problems of the first while introducing a host of new ones. One of the worst books ever published by O'Reilly. Avoid at all costs.

Not for PHP Beginners
Maybe a genius or someone who already understands PHP basics will benefit from this book. I have made great progress with a number of instructional books, but got stuck in Chapter three of this one. It seems that important terms and concepts are not explained, not explained well, or explained in pages after the terms and concepts are first used.
I'm going to search for another book on PHP & MySQL. ... Read more

Product Description
MySQL is the leading open source database on the market and PHP continues to dominate the server side of the scripting market—together, they are the most popular and common team for creating dynamic, database-driven web sites. This comprehensive book covers the newest version of PHP and MySQL and is packed with extensive code examples, full working applications, and valuable troubleshooting advice. You’ll explore installing, developing, and debugging the latest versions of PHP and MySQL and get insight on advanced topics such as error handling, debugging, PEAR, security, HTTP, cookies, and OOP. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Great Reference Book
This is a great reference book for PHP and MySQL.I wouldn't recommend it if you are wanting to use it as the soul purpose of learning from scratch, but it is great for someone who is a least somewhat familiar with PHP and MySQL.

Authors and Publisher should be Ashamed
The Title says it all that they have no idea what they are publishing or what is being written about "PHP6 and MySQL Bible (Bible (Wiley)) (Paperback)" PHP6 does not exist the 'just barely recent released' version is 5.3.x - where do they get that 6 from ?

This is not the only book that offers PHP6 (which again 'Does Not Exist') they are mislead and they are business people writing books who have no idea what they are writing about.

Anyways stay away from a book that teaches a version 'non existing'

Good Luck

Great, but not a "bible"
Hello.

I am a web developer with experience in multiple languages.

I'd say, this book is good, but not "great", and definitely not a "bible" (if you consider the bible a good thing).

PROS
---Part 1(PHP) is very well organized, and gives you an ordered path to learn PHP.
---The same goes with part III(advanced PHP).
---It gives a chunk of useful PHP things at the end in part V.

CONS
---Part 2 was nearly horrifying. Seeing as how this book was written even before PHP 6 came out, you would assume the authors would stop using deprecated HTML tags. Also, when is says "PHP and MySQL", it means exactly that. The author is assuming you already know SQL, and tries to throw in the whole SQL language in maybe a chapter and a half.

YOU PICKS (Things I don't care about, but some people might, I didn't read most of these)
---Part IV has a bunch of chapters explaining how to work with other databases (postgreSQL, Oracle, etc)
---Part VI has some case studies(which I read, but you know...)
---The appendix has some references for C, Perl, Pear, and HTML backgrounds.

All in all, I think it is worth getting, but don't bother getting a $70 new copy thinking it will be a life-long reference... get the $5 used one, and when you're done, it probably won't have a very prominant place on your bookshelf.

psychic authors
PHP 6 and MySQL 6?

The problem with that is that PHP is about to release their major update (5.3) and MySQL just released theirs (5.1). Both of these versions took years to develop. Neither MySQL nor PHP have even finalized their plans for their version 6, and in the case of PHP they've made changes to the PHP 5.3 API in just the last couple of weeks.

Because it would be completely idiotic to try to predict what the results of a huge update are going to be years in advance, I can only come to one conclusion- our authors are psychic.

We should give these authors a round of applause- I know that if I could predict the future, I wouldn't be using my talents to get sneak peaks on my favorite web development tools, I would be going for the lottery tickets and superbowl wins. This way I can afford to spend money on quality books put together by top notch marketing departments and clueless authors. ... Read more

Product Description

PHP and MySQL Web Development teaches the reader to develop dynamic, secure, commercial Web sites.Using the same accessible, popular teaching style of the first edition, this best-selling book has been updated to reflect the rapidly changing landscape of MySQL and PHP.

The book teaches the reader to integrate and implement these technologies by following real-world examples and working sample projects, and also covers related technologies needed to build a commercial Web site, such as SSL, shopping carts, and payment systems.

The second edition includes new coverage of how to work with XML in developing a PHP and MySQL site, and how to draw on the valuable resources of the PEAR repository of code and extensions.

Topics covered: How to program with PHP 4.3 (and its predecessors) and store data in a MySQL database. PHP coverage is extensive, covering all capabilities from basic form-handing to Web Services, while MySQL coverage is limited to the essentials of database setup and administration. Elaborate applications--such as a PDF generator and a content-management system--are written in a way that invites learning and adaptation. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (62)

Great but not that Great.
This is my 2nd book regarding php and mysql. My first one got stolen a while back. Anyways, This is a great resource for those who want to create php dynamic and interactive web pages. The codes are good but ive seen better. With this book, You could start making php in no time at all. Samples are interesting and the codes could be used to jump start your own projects. I recommend this for beginners and mid-level php programmers.

PS: I spilled coffee on mine :(

The projects are the real jewel of the book
This is a well-written book for learning how to build Internet applications with two of the most popular open-source web development technologies. PHP is one of the big four server-side scripting languages (along with ASP, ColdFusion, and JSP) and MySQL is one of the best high performance, scalable web-based RDBMS systems available. Together, they provide a powerful combination. The book is divided into two sections; the first half of the book gets you up to speed with both PHP and MySQL, while the second half presents some practical projects. The projects are the real jewel of the book. Not only are the projects described and constructed in a logical, component-based manner, but the selection of projects represents an excellent cross-section of common components that are built into many web sites, including: user authentication and personalization, a shopping cart, content management system, web-based email service, mailing list manager, and web forums. Because of the selection and clarity of the projects, this book makes a great general purpose reference for how to build these types of web applications, no matter which implementation language you choose.

A good book
This book was suggested to me to used if I wanted to learn PHP and MySQL. I found it to be a very good book but at times there were sections that were not explained well enough and also there were some typos in the code sections. Beside that this book is a very good book to use, but I would advise getting a complimentary book especially if this is your first stab at programming in PHP or using MySQL. This is more of an intermediate level book than a beginner book.

It does the job, and it does it well
Before begin what I have to say about the book, I have to position me on the subject. I am considered an expert user, with a B.Sc. in Informatics, but I haven't practice programming for more than a decade. So, I understand the aspects of programming and databases, but I was not familiar with PHP and MySQL before reading this book. And after finish reading it I was, so I believe that this book it does its job and it does it well, at least to a person like me.
It explains the aspects of PHP and progressively it leads the reader to more elements of the language. It is not a reference, so you will need a reference (probably an online one) to see the arguments of a function, etc. But, if you know that a function exists, it is very easy to use it...
The book also shows the reader how PHP integrates with a database like MySQL. With this knowledge, you can make a dynamic web site by yourself. It is actually easy for an entry level web site.
There are more to learn that are not covered on this book. But if you master the content of this book, you have the basis to a deeper usage of PHP and making of dynamic web sites.
Finally, I have to mention the contents of the CD-ROM, that includes a complete application, an example that is devoloped in every chapter of the book. You can see how things work by using the application from the CD-ROM.
A very good book to understand PHP and database based web sites. Probably not the best, but certainly a good and effective one.

Better know PHP
I got this book because I wanted to learn PHP and MySQL.Although the book does an OK job helping you set up your AMP, you will need to visit the MySQL, PHP and Apache sites to complete your setup.The PHP info given is really quick, I assume the author thinks because he mentions something that I am suppose to completely understand.This book is not for beginners at all.It seemed to have some good info and nice code to help you build a site as long as you did not plan on altering the code to much, because you better know what you are doing.I'm sure this book would be good for someone who has some programming experience not just HTML.You should look else where if you have no actual programming experience. ... Read more

Product Description
A short guide for everyone on how to structure your data and set-up your MySQL database tables efficiently and easily.

• How best to collect, name, group, and structure your data
• Design your data with future growth in mind
• Practical examples from initial ideas to final designs
• The quickest way to learn how to design good data structures for MySQL
• From the author of Mastering phpMyAdmin

In Detail

For most of us, setting up the database for an application is often an afterthought. While you don't need to be a professional database designer to create a working application, knowing a few insider tips and techniques can make both the process easier and the end result much more effective. This book doesn't set out to make you an expert in data analysis, but it does provide a quick and easy way to raise your game in this essential part of getting your application right.

What you will learn from this book?

• Asking users the right questions to collect relevant data for the system you are building
• Detecting bad structures
• Sound data-naming techniques, for both table and column names
• Modeling data with future growth in mind
• Implementing security policies with data privileges and views
• Tuning the structure for performanceProducing system documentation (data dictionary, relational schema)
• Testing the model with appropriate SQL queries

Approach

This book takes a practical approach, implementing all theoretical concepts with examples. It is a fast-paced tutorial that focuses on critical decisions that you need to make every time you build MySQL databases. It is rich with tips and advice from an experienced practitioner.

Who this book is written for?

Anyone working with applications that use a MySQL database backend will benefit greatly from the advice and techniques in this book. Although a working knowledge of both SQL and MySQL is assumed, the book is suitable for both beginners and intermediate users alike. Whether you read it through and absorb the advice or work through it on a live project, the efficiency and maintainability of your databases will certainly improve as a result. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

I found this to be very helpful
This book was very helpful in explaining the basic concepts.It is not an exhaustive manual on how to structure databases, but instead it is a great place to start learning.

Another element that I found valuable was how the author pointed out some common pitfalls in designing databases.Those are the kinds of things that only come by experience.If I hadn't read this book, I can see that there are several of the pitfalls that I would have fallen into.

I appreciated the many examples and illustrations.For some reason this author connected with my style of learning.It was fun to read!

My summary would be that this is a great place to start learning MySQL database design.It encompasses the basics and does a very good job explaining the concepts in plain and easy to understand language.

It just kinda let down halfway through
This book starts off with a real bang, working you through the logic of how you would structure your data in a MySQL database. It works through two examples, a car dealership's needs for tracking the details about particular cars and their sales, and then a simplistic schema for storing airline flight information. About halfway through this book, you feel like you're really learning a lot of information, and then the second half just seems to mainly cough out some table definitions. I can't quite put my finger on exactly what went wrong about halfway through, but that's about the point where I felt like I stopped learning from this book and was just reading the remainder of what the author wanted to get regurgitated before he hit his page limit.
You probably won't come away from reading this book with any more confidence in your ability to structure the tables of a database than before you started reading it. Some good info. Overall - disappointing.

Light on content and value
In a nutshell, this book is pretty worthless. Potential readers would be much better off with the "MySQL Tutorial" book. ... Read more

Product Description
Virtual Training Company's MySQL tutorial is just wantyou need to begin designing and developing database managementsystems.Joshua Mostafa will help you go from a beginner'sunderstanding of databases and SQL to gaining a mastery knowledge inonly 8 hours worth of training. He starts the tutorial by covering thebasics of databases and SQL.Once you are comfortable with thebasics, let him guide you through the more complex aspects, such asvariables and security.

Virtual Training Company makes learning the most challenging software easier. Open the program you want to learn. Open your VTC training CD. A friendly expert takes you smoothly from the basics of the program through every single feature. It's simple to apply what your learning as you go.

Need help in the middle of a project? You can quickly search the subject, and within seconds an expert is showing exactly what you need to know.

VTC makes it possible for you to become an expert in far less time, at a much lower cost, than any other form of training.

VTC...The Tutor in Your Computer! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Excellent teacher and thorough content
I am a paying user of the vtc website, virtualtrainingcompany, and have been for several years. Mysql, I've discovered, is a great database, is open source and spreading like wildfire. I started looking up resources on the web and then remembered I am a member of the vtc site. I checked and there it was, this great recent addition to the vtc family of cds. Joshua Mostafa,the teacher, however, is one of the absolute best of all times. This author is brilliant as a teacher and has a superb voice to listen to, and a teaching style that allows you to grasp everything, building step by step as he teaches with complete command of the subject. You can't go wrong with this title. ... Read more

Product Description
MySQL is a popular open source database product that supports keysubsets of SQL on Linux and Unix systems. If you want to builddatabase-backed web pages or other database applications, Managing& Using MySQL, 2nd Edition has everything you need to get started.It takes you through the whole process from installation and configurationto programming interfaces and database administration. Also included is anintroduction to SQL and to relational databases. This second edition has agreatly enhanced administration chapter, and new chapters on security andextending MySQL. Ample tutorial material is included throughout. Managing & Using MySQL, 2nd Edition contains chapters on theprogramming language interfaces for C/C++, Java, Perl, Python, and PHP,as well as a complete reference section with specific function calls foreach language.The reference section also includes details of the SQL language, as wellas MySQL system variables, programs, and utilities. New to the secondedition is a reference chapter describing the internal MySQL tables. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

Very good book for introduction to MySQL
This book was excellent for my need: I had used SQL before but didn't know much of anything about relational databases let alone MySQL. I am in the process of building a web application that reports survey data. It will tell you everything you need to know to get started with a small to mid-size database.

Best of all, this book is well written, clear, the examples are GREAT and if you cut out the portions that are not relevant to you (for me this was security and the sections on PHP and Perl to name a few) you can literally learn all you need to know to get started in less than two weeks of studying for a few hours per day. Amazing value.

The portions of the book on MySQL itself are not obviously dated, but the Python DB API interface has changed (to version 2.0) since this book was written.

Excellent guide and reference
This book covers MySQL at a good level of both depth and breadth.It weaves in a great combination of the history and philosophy behind design choices the MySQL development community made, and provides many examples of how to use MySQL in different languages.

Lack of In-Depth Information
I generally love the O'Reilly books because they tend to be very thorough and have lots of practical code examples, but this book was a big disappointment to me. I was easily frustrated by this book. As a beginner to MySQL and database programming, I was completely lost whenever I tried to apply something to my own projects. The explanations given here are very brief and the authors often send you elsewhere for more in-depth discussion. I wound up doing most of my research online and just using the SQL reference chapter to look-up query syntax. I give it two stars because it did help me get started, but I'd say this is a poor reference for anyone looking for in-depth coverage.

Good Introduction to MySQL - But Only an Introduction
This book is clearly and succinctly written, and provides an excellent introduction to MySQL.It starts with a few pages on the history and philosophy behind MySQL, which is useful if you want to understand the advantages and disadvantages of MySQL relative to other options such as PostgreSQL or Oracle.It then follows with chapters on installation, with specific instructions for Solaris, Linux, and Windows; on MySQL's dialect of SQL (Structured Query Language); and on basic administration tasks such as configuration, startup and shutdown, logging, backup, and recovery.That's really all you need to get a basic database up and running, and it's all in the first 80 pages of the book.

Part II of the book covers more advanced administrative tasks, with chapters on performance tuning, security, and database design.This section of the book is weaker than the first section; while there's some useful introductory material on each of these topics, depth is lacking.For example, the discussion of putting a database into second normal form is misleading because it uses a table with only one field as the unique identifier, making it impossible to clearly illustrate the removal to a smaller table of fields that are dependent on only part of a (typically multifield) unique identifier.Also, some of the more advanced MySQL features which might be appropriate for this section are omitted.

Part III of the book, entitled "MySQL Programming", has sections accessing MySQL from Perl, Python, PHP, C, Java.These sections are mostly limited to information specific to MySQL that might not be found in general purpose documentation of these languages.For example, the PHP section documents the relevant function calls, since PHP uses different functions to access MySQL than it does to access, say, ODBC databases, while the Java section focuses on JDBC (Java Database Connectivity) driver configuration since the JDBC API is database independent.

Finally, there is a reference section and a good, complete index.

If what you want to do is get a small database up and running in a minimum of time with a minimum of hassle, this is the book for you.If you want more than an introductory level of detail and depth, though, you might look at other books; Leon Atkinson's "Core MySQL", for example, has more complete coverage, though the writing style is not as clear and direct.

Don't waste your money
this is a typical book comes out of George Reese:

1. poorly written
2. shamelessly copy and paste existing materials from reference manual
3. full of error

the author is only trying to get a quick buck or two.avoid it at all cost. ... Read more

Product Description
PHP and MySQL Everyday Apps For Dummies is a one-stop reference providing all you need to build dynamic, real-world, ready-to-use apps with the popular PHP (a scripting language) and MySQL (a database system) software. The book is a hands-on, go-to-guide that

• Walks you through installing the applications files from the CD-ROM and setting up your programming environment

• Contains all the code needed to create seven applications:
  • User authentication with HTTP
  • User login
  • On-line catalog
  • Shopping cart
  • Content management system
  • Web forum
  • Building and managing a mailing list (on the CD-ROM)

• Automates the programming process and walks you through building the application from start to finish

• Explains how to write secure code

• Features complete code—not just snippets, but neatly assembled packages with “instant” real-world functionality

• Shows how to build the applications in two forms -- procedural and object-oriented programming -- providing programmers who want to switch to the object-oriented method of coding (which is new in PHP 5!) with the essential know-how

• Includes a companion CD-ROM that contains every line of code in the applications from the book plus a bonus chapter that shows how to build a mailing list

Information on each application includes a discussion of issues, structure of the database, code listings, and an explanation of the code. You can use these applications as is, modify them for use on your Web site, or build your own application using techniques described. If you want real-world Web apps you can use right away, this is the book for you.

Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Pretty helpful product
Not a bad book. Another "Dummies" title making something as complex as database programming accessible to the common man. The one thing that kept this product from a 5-star rating was that it begins assuming some prior knowledge of PHP and MySQL, and/ or programming in general. Fine for me, but still left with a kind of quick survey of installation, confiquration and basics and right into the nuts and bolts of what you want the end result to be. Combine with a regular programming book for maximum results.

mySQL for Dummies
Since the book was for dummies I assumed I would be able to understand it. Probably my mistake I should have researched it further before buying.

Applications don't work. Other reviews must've been premature.
The applications on the CD are not "working and ready for you to install." Not at all.

In fact, if you do exactly what the book says, your apps WILL NOT work. Why? Because the code is wrong. Not only are there errors in the database instructions, but the PHP and inc files have numerous errors.

Even after downloading the "corrected files" and following the new instructions for the database found on the author's website, some functionality is simply broken. The CMS kinda-sorta works, but not really because there is no file upload form as you see displayed in the book. Just not there. Obviously the result of some error in the file include, but you'd have to be a php expert to figure it out. Without being able to add or delete records from a database, well, a CMS is pretty useless, isn't it? Yes it is.

The most important applications on the CD (shopping cart and content management system) are rife with errors. This cripples them to such a degree that they are worthless as is. And corrected. And especially if you are a "dummy."

This is a practical book, not for beginers
This is a very good book to get practical skills in PHP development with MySQL appliances.But before buying it, it is important to understand that this book is not for beginers, this book assumes that the reader have a least basic knowledge of both tools.

For very dummies
if you need a first impression, just found out that computers exist, if you think PHP stands for a new boygroup, then this is the book for you. ... Read more

Product Description

Take your MySQL skills to the top tier

Maximize every powerful feature available in MySQL 5.1 with hands-on instruction from a MySQL expert.This definitive guide shows you how to use MySQL's advanced suite of data management tools, optimize performance and reliability, and secure and administer a robust RDBMS.MySQL Database Usage & Administration includes detailed code examples in each chapter to highlight real-world applications of the material covered.If you want to get the most out of MySQL, you need this practical handbook.

• Understand MySQL's features, technical architecture, subsystems, and commands
• Make database design decisions that optimizre performance, storage, and reliability
• Write complex queries using joins, subqueries, and views
• Group SQL statements into transactions and execute them atomically
• Build and use sophisticated stored procedures and functions
• Automate database operations with triggers and scheduled events
• Import and export data in different formats, includiong SQL, CSV, and XML
• Optimize server and query performance
• Administer a secure, high availability MySQL RDBMS
• Manage users and control access
• Perform database maintenance, replication, backup, and recovery

Vikram Vaswani is the founder and CEO of Melonfire (www.melonfire.com), a consultancy firm with special expertise in open-source tools and technologies.His previous books include MySQL: The Complete Reference, PHP: A Beginner's Guide, and PHP Programming Solutions. ... Read more

Product Description
* Demonstrates Web application development by presenting ten real, ready-to-use examples
* Samples start with a simple guess book and end with a fully-functional e-commerce site with a shopping cart
* New features include both MySQL 4.1 and PHP 4.2
* Latest edition contains new applications including log analysis and project tracking
* CD-ROM includes all the code and examples applications from the book in addition to MySQL, PHP, Apache, PHP classes, libraries, utilities, and other toolsAmazon.com Review
How could the combination of PHP and MySQL--which is feature-rich, highly reliable combination, capable of dealing with large traffic volumes, and absolutely free of charge in most cases--be any better? In MySQL/PHP Database Applications, Jay Greenspan and Brad Bulger explain how to work with the capable pair, primarily for applications you might use on a Web site. If you take the time to study the advice and work through your own tests of the concepts presented, it's pretty much certain that you'll walk away with the knowledge you need to do serious development work with the PHP scripting language and the MySQL database server.

Rather than make up trivial programs just to illustrate aspects of the MySQL/PHP environment, this book features code snippets, each half a page or so in length, that illustrate the behavior of key code structures. For example, in explaining conditional statements in PHP, the book gives you a no-frills IF statement with real values in place. It's not always obvious how the code structures will behave in practice, but the book does a consistently good job of commenting intelligently on the place of each aspect of the language in a well-designed application. The latter half of the book attacks specific problems--a chat system, a guest book, and so on--and walks through the setup of MySQL and each important PHP function for each. --David Wall

Topics covered: The PHP server-side scripting language and the MySQL database server, explained for people who have neither a lot of database administration background nor programming experience. Matters of creating and querying databases, and of performing simple and advanced operations with PHP scripting, are covered adroitly. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (41)

I NEVER RECEIVED THIS ORDER!
RE: MYSQL/PHP DATABASE APPLICATIONS 2ND EDITION BOOK
I NEVER RECEIVED THIS ORDER!
I DID NOT RECEIVE MY MONEY BACK OR ANY ATTEMPT ON THE PART OF THE SELLER ORAMAZON TO MAKE THIS RIGHT.
I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED WITH THE LACK OF PROFESSIONALISM.

Great Book, I am missing the CD though.
I like this book and I find it very informative.I have both the first edition and the second edition. Second edition is a must buy, I would't get the first edition unless you are just hard up on cash at the moment.

However since my copy of the book came with a broke cd, I can't explore it very well.If anyone has a copy of the CD or knows where I download one I would be glad to take it off of your hands or download it.

Thanks,
d a r k n e s s v b @ a o l . c o m

A General Guide
When most individuals cover a topic in a non-fiction book they start generally then begin honing in on their topic. This book never seems to get to the specifics. They spend so much time introducing individuals to the topic of PHP and MySQL that they hardly ever get to specifics. When they do get to specifics they do a good job of covering what needs to be covered.
This may be a result of the fact that the book was written by a number of authors.Overall it is a nice reference book to have and good if you are just beginning but not extremely valuable for experienced programmers.

Loved it!
I'm puzzled by the negative reviews.I'm a 30 year vet in computing, recently retired, and doing web/tech computing part time.I've needed to grasp parts of computing that I haven't been involved with, and boy did these guys get it right!

I loved the comment about "The bulk of this chapter is for those of you who have made it to the early 21st century without working with relational databases!"That's me!And the writing was just right in terms of code hints and kinks along with clear explainations of database concepts.

I'm reading the first edition, saw the second edition was out, and ordered it.

I will agree, however, that there are *many* editing mistakes where they mistake terms or have errors in their tables/code.Hopefully the 2nd edition solves this.

bogus code
Unfortunately for me I spent the $40 for this book.What a mistake!

When I first opened it up I was exited by the project management example in chapter 17.I told my wife I must have it!After I got home and started reading through it I decided to load the sample data into the my htdocs directory in my local Apache install.The nightmare never ended in getting the code to work.And this wasn't because I didn't set up the user accounts in MySQL!After messing around with it all weekend I decided to pay my fried a visit who is an expert web developer (builds web-enabled databases for California lobyists with millions of records).He looked at the code and found constructs that are specific to PHP5.The readme didn't say that I must install PHP5 for the examples to work.Anyway, after changing the code to conform to PHP4 syntax the examples still didn't work.

I'm totally disappointed that I spent my hard earned dollars on this book.If the authors would be kind enough to post some code that works and is easy to follow, that would be a good step at repentance.Oh, one last thing, the authors make use of PEAR; that was a pain to install too.However, I got that working (with no instructions in the book) and the code still fails to work.

Two thumbs down for this book. ... Read more

Product Description

Quickly master dynamic, database-driven Web development—no experience necessary!

Even if you’re completely new to PHP, MySQL, and Web database development, this book will guide you through every step of building powerful, database-driven, dynamic Web sites. Direct from the world’s top scripting instructor, Ellie Quigley, PHP and MySQL by Example illuminates every concept with tested code examples, screen shots showing program output, and clear, line-by-line explanations.

Classroom-tested in Ellie Quigley’s Silicon Valley training courses and at Marko Gargenta’s Marakana training company in San Francisco, this book takes you from the simplest PHP scripting and SQL querying techniques all the way to dynamic, database driven Web site construction with PHP and MySQL. From simple fill-in forms to program security and debugging, it’s the only PHP/MySQL book you’ll ever need!

This book covers

• Complete PHP fundamentals, including operators, strings, conditionals, loops, arrays, functions, and more
• PHP QuickStart for more advanced readers—makes you productive with PHP in the space of just fifteen book pages
• Essential Web development techniques, from file handling to validating user input with regular expressions
• Powerful PHP features, including user-defined functions and self-processing PHP Forms
• Day-to-day MySQL administration
• A complete SQL tutorial for creating queries, retrieving data, and writing data with MySQL
• Session management and cookies
• Object Oriented PHP
• Best practices for using PHP and MySQL together

Nearly 100,000 professionals and power users have relied on Ellie Quigley’s books to master scripting languages. With PHP and MySQL by Example, you can, too. And once you’ve become an expert, you’ll turn to this book constantly as your go-to source for reliable answers, solutions, and code.

About the CD-ROM

The CD-ROM contains versions of PHP and MySQL for Windows and UNIX/Linux, plus a comprehensive code library for creating your own sites and database-enabled Web applications, including this book’s powerful Art Gallery case study application.

Lab Solutions

Solutions to the end-of-chapter labs are available at www.prenhallprofessional.com/title/0131875086.

Customer Reviews (12)

I hate this book.
The CD only works on PC.I work on a MAC and couldn't access many of the files.That's just absurd.

Excellent starter's php book
Of the numerous books on php for beginners, I think this is the best I have perused.
Good explanations of everything and good overviews to get the general picture. I would highly recommend PHP and MySQL by Example.

The worst - almost unreadable
I often see 1 star reviews for textbooks I have used and think that the reviewers must be too picky, or they are outright wrong.Oftentimes the 1 star reviews for programming books come from those who the learning style doesn't appeal to, and often to either well-experienced programmers or total beginners.This was not the case with this book.It was a required book for my class and, two weeks into the semester, I am basically chucking it and hoping for the best buying another and matching it to the syllabus. There is the fact that it is somewhat outdated, but this is a minor fact.There is the greater problem that concepts are brought up with no explanation and no reference to how they relate to what the book is handling at the time, but even this I could grudgingly deal with.What is completely atrocious about this book is the number of errors.I'mnot talking minor typos, either.This book screws up syntax in the code constantly.It is so bad, and so frequent, that any example the book makes has to be evaluated line by line, because it seems that it screws up almost as often as it gets it right.I'm not kidding.I would bet (uneducated guess, because I give up with it) that a good 25% of the examples used would not even run due to errors.I've never ripped a textbook this bad before and hopefully never will have to again, but this book is, to me, ABSOLUTELY worthless as a teaching tool.

OK but riddled with errors
I purchased this as the required textbook for a class on PHP / My SQL.I have suggested to the instructor that he find a different book for future classes.

Some people may like the "By Example" format, but I don't.It tends to limit your ability to write code to what you've seen examples of.In many cases, the book doesn't delve into the nuts and bolts of different commands and functions for you to do much but blindly copy the authors' examples.And THAT'S when the problems start.

As many other reviewers have noted, the book is riddled with typos and errors.For a new student, especially one without a deep programming background, these could be extremely frustrating.Is my code wrong?Or did I copy one of the authors' mistakes?I have done a fair amount of programming so I was able to catch a lot of the mistakes while reading.

This does not include the many simple spelling errors that should have been caught by a spell-checker.

The worst chapter of the book by far was Chapter 6 on String Functions.An alarming number of the "Format" sections (where the authors BRIEFLY explain the function and its arguments) and the code examples had some type of error(s) in them.My personal favorite is the "str_ireplace()" function.In the section header, it is spelled "stri_replace()".In the text of the section it is spelled "stri_replace()" and "str_ireplace()" in different places.Finally, to hedge their bets, the function is listed in the Index as "stri_ireplace()"!This is just one of MANY MANY examples.

Also, the book is printed all in grayscale.The lack of color inhibits readability.

The back cover of the book says that the book "illuminates every concept with tested code examples...".After reading (most) of the book, there is no way this is a completely accurate statement.

A final complaint is the writing style.The authors sometimes repeat the same, or similar text, a maddening number of times as you are reading through a topic.They really would have benefited from a more critical editor.

In summary, I don't like the format or the visual appearance of the book, I'm not wild about the "By Example" concept, and the book has too many errors to be taken seriously.

Too many errors!
Absolutely a great book for beginners, but towards half-way through 'til the end, there were just too many errors. Just about every example has an error that prevents the entire script to be ran. Although I've learned a lot from correcting these errors from having general computer programming knowledge, others may find it too much of a waste of time because you'll end up spending more time finding out why the examples in the book aren't working RATHER THAN learning. Without the errors, this book would have easily earned at least 4/5 stars as a great introductory course through PHP & MySQL.

In summary, don't buy this book. It does not deserve your money in its current condition. If anything, borrow it from a friend or check it out at the library. ... Read more