PHP books

Pro PHP XML and Web Services is the authoritative guide to using the XML features of PHP 5 and PHP 6. No other book covers XML and Web Services in PHP as deeply as this title. The first four chapters introduce the core concepts of XML required for proficiency, and will bring you up to speed on the terminology and key concepts you need to proceed with the rest of the book. Next, the book explores utilizing XML and Web Services with PHP5. Topics include DOM, SimpleXML, SAX, xmlReader, XSLT, RDF, RSS, WDDX, XML-RPC, REST, SOAP, and UDDI.

Author Robert Richards, a major contributor to the PHP XML codebase, is a leading expert in the PHP community. In this book, Richards covers all topics in depth, blending theory with practical examples. You’ll find case studies for the most popular web services like Amazon, Google, eBay, and Yahoo. The book also covers XML capabilities, demonstrated through informative examples, in the PEAR libraries.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction to XML and Web Services
2. XML Structure
3. Validation
4. XPath, XPointer, XInclude, and the Future
5. PHP and XML
6. Document Object Model (DOM)
7. SimpleXML
8. Simple API for XML (SAX)
9. XMLReader
10. Extensible Stylesheet Language Transformations (XSLT)
11. Effective and Efficient Processing
12. XML Security
13. PEAR and XML
14. Content Syndication: RSS and Atom
15. Web Distributed Data Exchange (WDDX)
16. XML-RPC
17. Representational State Transfer (REST)
18. SOAP
19. Universal Description, Discovery, and Integration (UDDI)
20. PEAR and Web Services
21. Other XML Technologies and Extensions

Each chapter focuses on one topic, such as version control or debugging. After initially discussing essential concepts, the author takes an in-depth look at one or more tools relevant to the topic. Sample projects and plenty of well-documented code are used to work through practical application of the concepts. This book has been written for professional developers new to PHP and experienced PHP developers who want to take their skills to the next level by learning enterprise-level tools and techniques.

* Now revised to cover features found in PHP4 and PHP5, this new edition shows Web developers step by step how to create dynamic, data-driven Web applications
* Two-color screen shots accompanied by concise callouts demonstrate how to tackle more than 100 key PHP tasks, including using cookies to monitor the activity of Web site visitors, retrieving information from MySQL or other databases, creating images and Web pages on the fly, and processing XML documents
* Shows how to use PHP with Apache Web server, process data forms, access data files, troubleshoot PHP scripts, and migrate scripts to PHP5
* A companion Web site features a fully searchable e-version of the book, plus all code that appears in the text-ready to plug into users' Web pages

Build Your Own Database Driven Website Using PHP & MySQL" uses practical examples, straightforward explanations and ready-to-use code samples to help anyone build a database driven Website in no time.

If you want to add more power and functionality to your Web sites, add some database applications like a powerful shopping cart or a fun quiz game. Such applications make your site more dynamic, allow you to gather information, and provide customized experiences for your visitors. Creating Database Web Applications with PHP and ASP teaches beginning and intermediate designers the fundamentals of creating complex Web applications. By covering both open source (PHP/MySQL) and proprietary tools (Microsoft ASP and Access), readers gain insight to the strengths and weaknesses of each. In addition, they learn how to work with both sets of tools and determine which works best for their projects. Practical examples, including a shopping cart and quiz show, are used to teach the basic concepts behind creating and testing database code. Every example is also provided in both PHP and ASP for easy comparison and use. With the knowledge and experience gained here, beginners will learn the fundamental concepts behind these two technologies, while more experienced developers will learn which technology works best for their specific needs. Exercises, questions, and projects are included with each chapter.

• This comprehensive tutorial and reference covers all the basics of PHP 5, a popular open source Web scripting language, and MySQL 4.012, the most popular open source database engine
• Explores why users need PHP and MySQL, how to get started, how to add PHP to HTML, and how to connect HTML Web pages to MySQL
• Offers an extensive tutorial for developing applications with PHP and MySQL
• Includes coverage of how to install, administer, and design MySQL databases independently of PHP; exception and error handling; debugging techniques; PostgreSQL database system; and PEAR database functions
• The authors provide unique case studies of how and where to use PHP drawn from their own extensive Web experience

Step-by-step lessons for using PHP and MySQL in a unique book-and-video combination

Assuming no previous experience with PHP or MySQL, this book-and-video package is ideal reading for anyone who wants to go beyond HTML/CSS in order to provide clients with the most dynamic web sites possible. The approachable tone breaks down the basics of programming and PHP and MySQL in individual lessons starting with the installation of the programs necessary to run PHP. You begin with a static web site and then watch and learn as PHP functionality is added as you work through the lessons.

When working with databases, the MySQL database is introduced with demonstrations that show how to interact with it. The accompanying videos enhance your learning experience, as each lesson in the book is portrayed in the video exercises.

Lessons include:
• Getting started with PHP
• Setting up your workspace
• Adding PHP to a web page
• Learning PHP syntax
• Working with variables
• Debugging code
• Working with complex data
• Making decisions
• Repeating program steps
• Learning about scope
• Reusing code with functions
• Creating forms
• Introducing object-oriented programming
• Defining classes
• Using classes
• Using advanced techniques
• Handling errors
• Writing secure code
• Introducing databases
• Introducing MySQL
• Creating and connecting to the
• Creating tables
• Entering data
• Selecting data
• Using multiple tables
• Changing data
• Deleting data
• Preventing database security issues
• Creating user logins
• Turn the case study into a content management system

Note: As part of the print version of this title, video lessons are included on DVD. For e-book versions, video lessons can be accessed at wrox.com using a link provided in the interior of the e-book.

Best practices and expert techniques for even the most demanding MySQL-driven PHP applications

PHP is the world's most popular, general-purpose, open-source scripting language and MySQL is the world's most popular open-source database. This expert-level book begins with a brief overview of the two technologies and quickly moves on to coverage of advanced programming techniques, as well as the exciting new features of the PHP 5.3 release.

Written by three of PHP and MySQL experts and veteran authors, this resource focuses on best practices and expert techniques that can be applied to the most difficult MySQL-driven PHP applications. The authors share design patterns and tools that they themselves have tested in order to save you valuable time usually spent on figuring things out via trial and error.

• Reveals best practices and advanced techniques for handling challenges you may face with MySQL-driven PHP apps
• Reviews practical data reporting techniques for separating business logic from presentation
• Explains how to obtain improved performance and flexibility through caching, multi-tasking, PHP extensions, and MySQL user defined functions
• Discusses security, optimization, and debugging
• Shares author-tested design patterns and tools to save you time and effort

Packed with helpful examples and indispensable advice, this book shares tips and tricks that you can immediately apply to your projects.

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

PHP and MySQL have become a serious and commercially viable system with which to develop web applications. With the relase of PHP 5, J2EE developers, in particular, are starting to take a second look at PHP. And while there are many books on the makret that describe PHP language syntax, there are very few that fully describe web application development with PHP and related technologies. This book describes the complete web application development lifecycle, from planning the application to designing the user interface to building in robust security. And since web applications serve the entire world, often neglected globalization issues are treated in detail. Though MySQL is used throughout the examples, Part IV also contains examples of building applications on top of both Oracle and PostgresSQL, two popular alternatives to MySQL for use in mission-critical systems.

The PHP Anthology: 101 Essential Tips, Tricks & Hacks, 2nd Edition is a collection of powerful PHP 5 solutions to the most common programming problems.

Featuring best-practice code and a commonsense approach to development, this book includes coverage of:

Manage errors gracefully. Build functional forms, tables, and SEO-friendly URLs. Reduce load time with client- and server-side caching. Produce and utilize web services with XML. Secure your site using access control systems. Easily work with files, emails, and images. And much more

The question and answer format will allow you to to quickly find and reference any of the 101 solutions, saving you hours of Internet research or painful trial & error. All solutions are fully explained and the ready-to-use code is available for download.

From the Publisher
"A comprehensive collection of ready-to-use PHP solutions!"

• Over 100 easy-to understand PHP tips, tricks and hacks.
• Save hours of time with "copy and paste" ready code.
• All solutions are fully explained by five PHP gurus.
• Learn the very latest object oriented PHP techniques.
• And so much more...

Each chapter of this book is laid out in a problem-solution format. We'll start with a common PHP problem that you may face, and then provide a concise solution to that problem. In some cases, when the topic warrants it, we'll give you a brief discussion of the solution to provide context.
The chapters are grouped to cover the major areas of PHP. Inside, you'll find solutions to the most common challenges that PHP developers face.

What Slashdot.org Says
"The chapters on error handling and access control are alone worth the price of the book"