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Programming PHP
This book begins as most O'Reilly "Programming" books do: with a brief introductory chapter. In Programming PHP, this chapter is very short, so don't look to this book for a gentle introduction. On the other hand, this is the perfect book for you if you are just looking to learn a new scripting language. The following chapters go over syntax, data types, built-in functions, etc. These chapters are a little dry, but move quickly and effectively demonstrate the unique features of PHP (as compared to other scripting languages).
Of particular interest to programmers who are interested in expanding their horizons to developing dynamic web pages are the chapters on PHP web techniques, security, and application techniques. The web techniques chapter gives a quick overview of HTML and the GET and POST methods (and why you would want to use one or the other). It then covers a lot of useful tips and tricks that may be foreign to someone who has done little or no web development. Topics such as getting server information, form processing, sticky forms, file uploads, document expiration, and authentication are covered. It ends with an excellent discussion of maintaining state from page to page and visit to visit, covering cookies and PHP's (very cool) session support.
The security chapter covers standard things you want to keep in mind when creating dynamic HTML. No surprises here, but it is always good to be reminded. The application techniques chapter starts with a collection of best-practices, tips, and tricks to make your development process easier and better. It concludes with sections about error handling and performance tuning. As with the security chapter, there is nothing here a good programmer doesn't already know, but you can never hear it too many times.
I think this is a great book for programmers who want to start developing dynamic web sites with PHP. It gives a detailed overview of PHP, lots of valuable tips, and a good sense of PHP's strengths.
As someone who has written a lot of code, but only a little CGI, I really liked the chapters that discussed application development techniques specific to the web. Along those lines, not much time is spent on standard coding techniques, so if you want to use PHP but have never written any serious code, you may want to look elsewhere for an introduction. For the rest of you, just think, you may never have to use CGI.pm again.
The index seems adequate, although I must admit I did not use it much on the first read-through. The book is so well organized that, when reading it, you do not have to flip around much. Perhaps someone who has used this book as a reference can comment further on the quality of the index.
Contents are available on O'Reilly's page LinksSee Rasmus's page for links to where you can buy the book (maybe he gets a kickback for the link). Of course, you could always go to a local bookstore and purchase it.
You can purchase Programming PHP from bn.com. Slashdot welcomes readers' book reviews -- to see your own review here, read the book review guidelines, then visit the submission page.
No contradiction:
You're an accomplished programmer but a PHP newbie then buy it.
Your a newbie to programming then there's prolly a "for dummies" out there.
Or, HIBT HIL and I'm having a nice day thank-you
Get the EULA T-shirt
It seems to me that web language books need to be split into two groups:
1. Web techniques
2. The language
Once one is familiar with typical web techniques and issues (form handling, state management issues, etc.), then many of the books seem redundant WRT web techniques.
The problem is that "Web Programming Techniques" would probably have to choose an actual language for its examples, so they figure they might as well put them together.
Perhaps Oreilly should split web language books into a language details book, and a "Web Techniques using X" series for those new to web issues (where X is a specific language). They could use pretty much the same material, but simply swap the language for that one.
Web programming issues are pretty much the same in ASP, PHP, ColdFusion, etc. If I need to pick up yet another web language, such as JSP, I don't want to waste book-size and eye-space on the same web issues, I want to get right into the specifics and uniqueness (gotcha's) of the particular language.
Table-ized A.I.
Do you really believe that this was my plan? And even if it was, do you think I succeeded? The online docs are freakin' excellent if you ask me, and I will be the first to tell you that you do not need to buy the dead-tree O'Reilly book in order to use PHP. Some people just like having a book they can sit and read on a train, plane or a beach without squinting at a screen. Plus, you don't look like such a geek if you are lying on a beach with a book vs. lying there with a laptop.
You probably also don't know the financials of publishing all that well. Trust me, this book is not going to make me rich even if every PHP user out there bought a copy. Keep in mind that my name is not the only one on this book. Hopefully it will cover various PHP-related travel expenses I always end up with going to conferences and user group meetings and also help with a computer upgrade and if I am lucky a fancy new laptop.