PHP & MySQL: Novice to Ninja

by Kevin Yank

Product Description
PHP is an extremely popular open-source general purpose scripting language that’s particularly suited to server-side web development. As of 2007, PHP was used on some 20 million domains worldwide. It’s a very popular choice with the SitePoint community.

The easiest, simplest and most fun way to get into server-side coding. All of the software used is free, so no additional outlay is required.

• An easy-to-follow tutorial, with all code available to download
• Install PHP & MySQL on Windows, Mac OS X, or Linux
• Gain a thorough understanding of PHP syntax and object oriented programming principles
• Master database design principles and SQL
• Develop robust websites that can handle high levels of traffic
• Build a working content management system (CMS)
• Develop an e-commerce shopping cart

Beginner-level web developers. They will need to have a little familiarity with HTML and CSS.

What’s new in this edition?
• Up to date: Updated for Windows 7, Mac OS X Lion, and the latest versions of PHP, MySQL, phpMyAdmin, XAMPP and MAMP.
• Now even easier to get started: Software installation and setup have always been one of the biggest hurdles for beginners. This edition of the book now recommends using all-in-one installation packages like XAMPP and MAMP, and moves the brittle manual setup instructions to an appendix at the end of the book.
• No command prompt required: phpMyAdmin is used for all database administration tasks, and for sending SQL commands to MySQL. Previous versions of the book asked readers to use the Terminal or Command Prompt to send SQL commands to their MySQL server.
• Best practice database code: Rather than building up SQL queries as strings and passing them to MySQL-specific functions like mysqli_query as in previous editions, this edition uses the more robust and portable PHP Data Objects (PDO) API and prepared statements to work with MySQL.
• HTML5 markup: The bulky and verbose XHTML1 markup of previous editions gives way to the svelte, easy-to-read HTML5 markup that all the cool kids are using these days.
• Object oriented programming (OOP) primer: Chapter 4 now contains a primer on OOP. While OOP is not required to start using PHP or to understand the code used in this book, many of the popular PHP frameworks that readers might like to move onto after finishing the book, such as Symfony and CakePHP, assume OOP knowledge.
• Tons of tweaks: Hundreds of tiny nips and tucks based on reader questions and feedback received for the 4th edition, removing common sticking points and providing additional guidance where needed.

Genres: Nonfiction, Computer Science, Coding, Reference, Programming

496 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I checked this out to help me learn PHP/MySQL since my professor is decidedly not doing that. This book was not particularly helpful because it doesn't have an index. I will die on the hill that indices are valuable and should be non-negotiable, particularly in books like this. Fight me.

[Morten Brunbjerg Bech · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this a long time ago, didn't get to read it then but now I needed the knowledge. A bit to the old side but otherwise a nice and comprehensive introduction to procedural PHP.

[Ju Hong Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's been over 5 years since I read this, so I don't remember too much about the specifics about the book. So I will tell you my experience and results from the book. Just as the title implies, this book is a great introductory to creating a dynamic website that interacts with a database. I first read this book back in HighSchool and had no experience with php (and any server side programming languages) nor with interacting with a database. Reading this book taught me all the basics I needed to create my own mock-up webstore in a little over a week. Although I used some other references along with this book (i.e. w3schools and one or two youtube videos about php), this book is sufficient enough to get your hands on building a website quickly and equip you the basic knowledge to go through and understand other people's php code. The book is simple enough for a High School student who has slightly poor English (English is my main language, I was just slow at learning languages) to pick up the book and create a website.

One complaint about the title of the book is that after reading this book, you won't obviously become a "ninja" in PHP & MYSQL. I certainly did learn a lot from the book but I wouldn't say I became an expert in PHP and in SQL. There is a lot to learn than the book actually covers but it does give you basic foundation and equips you enough information to build a website such as a webstore.

I am not sure what the future of PHP is in 2019 and onwards or how useful it would be to learn PHP rather than some other trending languages and framework. But I can ensure you that SQL isn't going to go away anytime soon and there are still a lot of websites that still use PHP. And as one youtuber said, "We don't marry to languages". I had to pick up many languages and frameworks throughout the years and keep up with new technologies as well as old technologies. Some universities like mine will still teach you PHP as one of the many languages and frameworks to learn in web design/computing courses. The company I am interning at still use PHP for their internal tools and requires maintenance.

[Kinan Diraneyya · Rating 4 out of 5]

As the name implies, this book provides a very good introduction to PHP and SQL. I started reading it expecting to work with PHP, but despite changing to another technology, the SQL (and database design) background was still relevant and helpful.

The explanation is gradual; it includes the basic first steps of installation and goes slowly from there, assuming only basic programming knowledge. It also focuses more on concepts than it does on technologies, which I consider a better approach.

In my opinion, a few design concepts should have been discussed in more detail. A few conventions were also ignored for the sake of proving simple examples, but the author neglected to mention that. Nonetheless, it was still a good read.

As a fresh graduate, this book was just what I needed. A more advanced developer can probably skip to chapter 9, or pick another book altogether.

[Aiman Adlawan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Php is an essential tool for building CMS. This book is a great help to those who want to learn by themselves.

[Mojtabaavahdati · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is indeed a 5 star book! Read on to know why I have rated it 4 stars.

This book tought me a lot and I also really like the writing style of Kevin and Tom(They are very nice people as well, I messaged them whenever I was struggling to understand some points in the book and they responded in a very welcoming manner), however, after reading all this book, I simply wish I had learned a better architecture. Specially, this book does NOT teach MVC.

If one is fine with that, then I should say this book is incredible for a novice and genuinely delivers its promise of turning them into a ninja.

[Musawer Shah]

It must be a nice book to learn backend technologies.