Rating: 
Summary: wunderbar
Review: this book rocks the casbah - i went from 0 to a fully ecommerce enabled, automated content, crazy reporting screens and all sorts of other database driven geegawmatic things in about a month. i owe it all to this book. in a tough economy, i still have my job and this book has a lot to do with it. between this and sitepointforums.com you'll be able to get to an advanced level with php in way less time than you'd probably expect.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic way to learn PHP from the bottom up!
Review: This book was designed with a beginner in mind. You can literally pick it up and get started. Although the "crash course" offered at the beginning is a little intimidating, upon reading into it and doing some of the exercises it all becomes do-able. One of the things I really like about this book is that it has ongoing exercises in it. Starting in chapter 1, you begin to design a website for a fictitious company, and through the next chapters you continue it's development, applying the new skills you've learned. This method (as opposed to doing little isolated exercises that don't give a comprehensive approach) was an easy way to apply new skills and really helped things stick. I did have some prior experience (although not much!) in programming Perl. This would definately be helpful, but it is most certainly not a requirement to learn PHP with this book. If you're not a very advanced programmer and are looking for an easy way to get started with PHP and online database processing, then this book is definately a solid choice .
Rating:
Summary: PHP, MySQL, and More
Review: I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking to get into using PHP and MySQL.
After reading the first five chapters I already felt I had gotten my money's worth. Not only did I learn the things I needed to know about PHP and MySQL quickly and easily, but I learned more.
In college I took a class in Java Programming for the Iternet. A lot of it went right over my head at the time. After reading this book, I actually began to understand Java Programming also (thanks to the chapter on Object-Oriented PHP).
I highly recommend this book to people just starting out in the world of programming, databases, and web scripting. I would also highly recommend it to people coming in with a lot of experience in other programming languages. Welling and Thomson somehow find that very delicate balance between satisfying the needs of 'newbies' and programming veterans alike.
Rating:
Summary: Great starter book
Review: If you have absolutely no experience with PHP and want to jump into the the world of web development and potentially extend your skills to create real-world web applications, then PHP and this book are for you. The book gives you a little of both world: PHP and MySQL. Teaching you the most popular functions of both PHP and MySQL, you should be able to write your own simple MySQL-driven PHP powered website or application in no time. The book also dwell into simple real-world web applications written in PHP which you can build upon as you learn. These apps include: a web mail based service, a mailing list generator, a web forum, a content managing system and even a shopping cart system! All source and even the entire book is included within the accompanying CD-ROM disc. This book alone is more than enough to get you started with PHP and MySQL programming. Of course, if you want to master or fine tune your skills in this field, I would suggest you continue your reading with: "PHP Functions", "Web Application Development with PHP 4.0", and "MySQL"; all published by New Rider.
Rating:
Summary: GREAT BOOK to buy!!!
Review: I'm a newbe in PHP, and to tell you the truth this book took all the fear away that I had about PHP. I LOVE it! Trust me, if you need to learn PHP from the beginning, this is a great beginner book. I KNOW it was for me. It talks very detailed about PHP and how to program with it. It has a very good flavour of MySQL as well. GREAT CHOICE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ilir Kuqi
[URL]
Rating:
Summary: Excellent for experienced webcoders
Review: Excellent coverage of ecommerce site building for anyone with some experience in html and preferably dynamic site building (not necessary) and sql. I am a professional JSP/Java coder and found this book to be very clear, precise and comprehensive. Highly recommended!
Rating: 
Summary: Windows users.... edit your registry for shortcut(alias)
Review: Alias/Shortcut to mysql and mysqladmin in Windows XP The following applies to Windows XP users (at least) who use cmd.exe for command line (Note not command.com, for that use autoexec.nt for nt users and check registry ParseAutoexec=1) My OS is Windows XP Professional. The book and MySQL manual shows you how to alias mysql path in unix environment, but not in Windows. Here is how.... (two ways doing the same thing, the easier for novice the first) I assume your MySQL is installed under C:\mysql. If not, replace C:\mysql in the following to your mysql directory. Check you're logged in as administrator by clicking start button. Then Method 1 (My WinXP Pro is Japanese Localized version so title translation may not match to that of English)
Start -> Control Panel -> System -> Advanced? or Setting? ->
Environment? (bottom left button) -> Under System Environment Variables? table, scroll down to find PATH variable, highlight it and click edit. Add ;c\mysql\bin at the end. restart your computer and check your work by launching cmd.exe and typing mysql (if mysql is run as service automatically); otherwise launch mysql by typing net start mysql Method 2
Start -> Run -> (type) regedit
Go to the directory:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Session Manager\Environment On the right window pane, find PATH registry.
Double left click it and add at the end
;c\mysql\bin
Click OK
Restart your computer
Launch cmd.exe (command prompt)
Lanch mysql by typing (if mysql is not started already; i.e. manual setting in Service)
net start mysql Check if it works by typing
mysql -u (your userid) -p <---assumes mysql is at localhost if not add -h (your host). Done. Ok... my review so far now at Chapter9... The book assumes your basic knowledge of HTML. Prior experience in programming is minimal, but sure it helps. As a novice with no prior knowledge of PHP, MySQL, Apache.... Pros: things are coherant and explained in order. introduces a new term with definition mostly. Points out where to pay attention in code. I find the book gets to the point quickly. Cons: Above annoyance for windows, typos, sometimes fails to explain definintions, or they appears later in chapter(s). For novice like me, set-up info in Appendix was not enough for proper installation. See installation instructions under MySQL, PHP, and Apache manuals for your OS. Intended audience seem to be beginning to intermediate.
Rating:
Summary: Lyric and delicate prose.
Review: Potentially the most perfectly formed book in existence, this weighty tome makes all my other geek books shiver with fright. They've been outclassed, they know, their time has come, for the mighty "PHP and MySQL" has made its way onto my shelf. Every chapter is more riveting than the last, I mean, "Gone with the wind" has nothing on this beauty. And those diagrams! They should be framed and hung in the best galleries in the world. Obviously the authors demonstrate a combined devastating intellect which should enable them to conquer bold new frontiers. p.s. Hi Laura and Luke :-)
Rating:
Summary: Excellent presentation and sophistication
Review: I have read several books on PHP and this is the best. It presents ideas clearly, and the authors have a good sense of what is appropriate in large web site design. I had read Professional PHP Programming 1/e, which I liked for its clear layout of the PHP language, but I needed PHP 4. In the bookstore, PHP Black Book looked good, because it covered topics (sablotron) that others did not. However, Black Book was so poorly written that had I not known the basics of PHP, I would not have learned them there. So I read this book. On PHP it is clear. It is the best explanation of PHP objects I have found. It's discussion of PHP software engineering is the best that I have found. It's case studies are the most complete that I have found. As far as MySQL, it is okay. Not bad. Get Kofler's MySQL for a better reference to MySQL.
Rating:
Summary: Easy on the eyes
Review: I'm usually a die-hard O'Reilly fan, but I think this book is great. It's very easy to read, and it covers so much more than PHP and MYSQL. It covers many of the things that you should be aware of when working on the web in ANY language.
| 
