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Build Your Own Database Driven Website Using PHP & MySQL
Build Your Own Database Driven Website Using PHP & MySQL Yank, Kevin; Laidlaw, Georgina and Carroll, Julian
304 pages, Paperback
First published September 20, 2001
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
September 30, 2009
Kevin Yank, Build Your Own Database-Driven Web Site with PHP and MySQL (Sitepoint, 2009)
I have just finished my first read through Kevin Yank's Build Your Own Database-Driven Web Site with PHP and MySQL. I can tell you that it will not be my last read through it, by any means. While there are a few places it glosses over and a few rather shocking omissions in the name of simplicity, it was (and I can rarely say this with a computer book) exactly what I was looking for.
Using simple, easy-to-understand tutorials, Yank takes you through the development of a very simple website that has a database as its back end. This should not surprise you, given the title of the book. Impressively, it neither manages to talk down to its reader (assuming a complete newb) nor spirals off into overly technical jargon (assuming a MySQL-certified reader). Granted, if you've been a database developer for ten years (that would be me) some of this will be redundant, but it's a good refresher course for basic database concepts and a perfect way to immerse yourself in MySQL if you're coming from a different DBMS. That said, my main problem with the book was Yank's breezy passing by the idea of using the InnoDB engine and letting your code handle foreign key constraints. That's workable (though very, very iffy) for the four-table database Yank builds here, but any real-life (read: complex) solution will quickly get unmanageable; any minor change to the table structure, depending on how many tables it relates to, could require hours of hunting and changing code. As any programmer learns within the first ten minutes of starting his first programming course, that is a recipe for bugs.
My other problem with it, though this is far more minor, is that (I think) content management systems like this usually store site settings in the database as well, and Yank doesn't address this at all beyond logins and passwords, choosing to refer the user to learning CSS. I thought CSS was dead, or close to it. I'd have expected that in a book written in 2004, but in 2009? But my inexperience with web apps—I've always been a back-end developer—may be more at fault than Yank's writing, so I'll defer judgment on that to those who actually know what they're doing with this stuff, who will hopefully get round to reviewing the book eventually. In any case, the stuff that's actually here, the parts on data access and getting your data from database to website, are clear as well as being very easy to understand and implement, and that's a rare thing in computer books. Highly recommended, though you'll need other books to cover the places where this is lacking. ****
I have just finished my first read through Kevin Yank's Build Your Own Database-Driven Web Site with PHP and MySQL. I can tell you that it will not be my last read through it, by any means. While there are a few places it glosses over and a few rather shocking omissions in the name of simplicity, it was (and I can rarely say this with a computer book) exactly what I was looking for.
Using simple, easy-to-understand tutorials, Yank takes you through the development of a very simple website that has a database as its back end. This should not surprise you, given the title of the book. Impressively, it neither manages to talk down to its reader (assuming a complete newb) nor spirals off into overly technical jargon (assuming a MySQL-certified reader). Granted, if you've been a database developer for ten years (that would be me) some of this will be redundant, but it's a good refresher course for basic database concepts and a perfect way to immerse yourself in MySQL if you're coming from a different DBMS. That said, my main problem with the book was Yank's breezy passing by the idea of using the InnoDB engine and letting your code handle foreign key constraints. That's workable (though very, very iffy) for the four-table database Yank builds here, but any real-life (read: complex) solution will quickly get unmanageable; any minor change to the table structure, depending on how many tables it relates to, could require hours of hunting and changing code. As any programmer learns within the first ten minutes of starting his first programming course, that is a recipe for bugs.
My other problem with it, though this is far more minor, is that (I think) content management systems like this usually store site settings in the database as well, and Yank doesn't address this at all beyond logins and passwords, choosing to refer the user to learning CSS. I thought CSS was dead, or close to it. I'd have expected that in a book written in 2004, but in 2009? But my inexperience with web apps—I've always been a back-end developer—may be more at fault than Yank's writing, so I'll defer judgment on that to those who actually know what they're doing with this stuff, who will hopefully get round to reviewing the book eventually. In any case, the stuff that's actually here, the parts on data access and getting your data from database to website, are clear as well as being very easy to understand and implement, and that's a rare thing in computer books. Highly recommended, though you'll need other books to cover the places where this is lacking. ****
April 19, 2014
Build Your own Database Driven Web Site Using PHP & MySQL is a practical hands-on guide to learning all the tools, principles and techniques needed to build a fully functional database-driven web site using PHP & MySQL.
This book covers everything from installing PHP & MySQL under Windows, Linux, and Mac through to building a live web-based content management system.
While this is essentially a beginners book, it also covers more advanced topics such as the storage of binary data in MySQL, and cookies and sessions in PHP. It comes complete with a set of handy reference guides for PHP & MySQL that include:
MySQL syntax MySQL functions MysQL column types PHP functions for working with MySQL
About the AuthorKevin Yank is a world-renowned leader in web development. When not writing best sellers, Kevin is the Technical Director of sitepoint.com and editor of the popular SitePoint Tech Times newsletter.
December 18, 2007
I initially gave this book a mediocre review. However, after spending some time in the field trying to learn Php/Mysql programming. I realize this is one of the better, if not best, sources of information on how to quickly, easily, and effectively accomplish the task at hand. He gives a pretty thorough treatment of the problems you will happen upon while attempting to build a site like this.
Another good place to start learning php/mysql stuff is over at Zend's PHP Tutorials
Another good place to start learning php/mysql stuff is over at Zend's PHP Tutorials
March 29, 2011
I liked this book. The reason I gave it only three stars is that I found it to be too short; I felt the need for more detail in some areas, and more flushed out examples. One thing missing was any visual help in looking at the resulting web pages. I guess the assumption is that you follow along, either grabbing the code from the book's web site, or typing it in, and then seeing for yourself.
The Core Web Applications book by Marc Wandschneider provides more in-depth coverage and advice.
The Core Web Applications book by Marc Wandschneider provides more in-depth coverage and advice.
November 28, 2010
VERY GOOD book on PHP & MySQL web development. Discusses best practices in easy to follow style. I like Kevin's style of describing things. After finishing the book, I felt like I was reading a novel.
A highly recommended *starter* book for anyone who wants to make a career in PHP & MySQL web application development.
A highly recommended *starter* book for anyone who wants to make a career in PHP & MySQL web application development.
September 17, 2008
changed my life!
October 19, 2009
holy moses
March 5, 2010
oh boy...
one of the better technology books. recommended
one of the better technology books. recommended
January 2, 2017
Although this book is out of date, it gives the beginner a well rounded view of the process of creating a dynamic web site.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews