Rating: 
Summary: If you are a solid actionscripter....
Review: ....get the Professional book, even if you have limited PHP experience. I thought it would be a good idea to start from scratch even though I had fairly advanced actionscripting abilities...I outgrew this book within a couple of days. Anyway, that's not the fault of the book. It is well written, and intended for someone with no programming experience.
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Summary: Another hit from Wrox.
Review: As always, Wrox does an excellent job presenting this particular web development language. Their "Beginning PHP4" walks you through PHP from the beginning (windows and unix installation and basic syntax) through database connectivity, XML, and even generating graphics. This book assumes you have a thorough knowledge of HTML 4 and although not clearly stated, experience with other web scripting languages (especially JavaScript) or even C would be very helpful for the beginning PHP developer. As with anyone wishing to learn a programming language you cannot expect the book to do it for you. It will show you the path, but you're going to have to do the walking. Write the examples, build the samples, and this book will work out fine for you.
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Summary: Excellent book for beginners!
Review: Excellent book for beginners, very informative and well written codes.
Rating:
Summary: Slow to start, but then some good material
Review: Experienced programmers will find the first few chapters a bit slow, it seems to be aimed at people fairly new to any sort of programming. The pace picks up later in the book, with good sections on connecting to a MySQL database, using XML, generating graphics on the fly etc. The book concludes with a complete sample application using a backend database. For newcomers to PHP it's a good starting place, experienced web programmers/developers could probably jump straight in with Professional PHP.
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Summary: Doesn't support the most recent PHP version
Review: For a book reprinted in July 2002, with a title that mentions PHP 4, not just PHP, I expected it to tell me about the latest PHP 4 version that's been out for quite a while. I run PHP 4.2.1. This book doesn't understand anything about SUPER GLOBALS or any of the new 4.2 features. The examples assume that you have register_globals=on in your ini file, and I believe the default under PHP 4.2.x is to have this off. Therefore the examples won't work as expected unless you turn this option on. The author does tell you this. What isn't mentioned is that this technique is now deprecated in favor of the newer way of passing information in 4.2.x. The examples are downloadable from the WROX web site, but there is no version of them that's been converted for PHP 4.2.x. If there were, it would make the book more up to date even if you have to read between the lines a bit. Michael Kofler's MySQL book has a good PHP section, and his web site provides downloadable examples for both the older PHP versions as well as 4.2.x. His book was written in 2001, and he maintains his work to reflect changes in the industry to keep his material current. Now there's an author who cares! Using Kofler's examples I compared the older against the newer code and that gave me enough information to convert the examples in this book to PHP 4.2.x This is a good book, but I wish it were a bit more current.
Rating:
Summary: Informative
Review: I am a complete beginner and found the book fairly easy to read and apply. However, some of the scripts I downloaded don't seem to work. Maybe its my lack of understanding, I don't know... You must know how to read html to get anywhere with PHP. You can use Dreamweaver or any other HTML editor to write your scripts in. The book has a good Appendix for all the PHP functions and the authors do a great job at explaining PHP at the beginning of the book. Each chapter starts off with a real basic script as it develops and adds more functions to the script until you end up with a fairly advanced script. Every time they add more stuff to a script they break each line down with explanations. Over all its a good place to start with a lot of Reference material for advanced users. However, if you have never programmed or want to get an easier start with php, I recommend "Php : Your Visual Blueprint for Creating Open Source, Server-Side Content" ISBN: 0764535617. Then move to the PHP Cookbook.
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Summary: Coffee, Keyboard, Mouse, Big Red PHP Book.
Review: I am very pleased with Beginning PHP 4 and it's rarely off my desk. I'd highly recommend it to anyone wanting to get a fast, no nonsense tutorial and a great reference for PHP. This book is probably not for someone creating their first Web site. It assumes that the reader can code and publish HTML. I also think it would be a good idea for prospective buyers to visit some PHP sites ... before jumping into "Begining" PHP 4. Beginning PHP 4 teaches by example so the reader learns functions and techniques VERY quickly as they build working projects. Plus, the layout of the book is such that the reader can drop into any chapter and get a brush-up tutorial and sample code. So... get a basic feel for PHP, write a few simple PHP enhanced pages on your own and you'll REALLY enjoy this book. You'll find the difference in PHP's power after reading this book is like the difference between throwing a bullet and firing one from a gun.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent for the beginner - get this red book!
Review: I began php with two books, one being this wrox publication and the other a more advanced sams publication. The wrox publication was the fundamental lifesaver in my php learning. The examples were easy to follow. And wrox's p2p website and forums have proven to be a lifesaver again and again, providing a wonderful compliment to the book. It is not only a fabulous learning and how-to manual, but also makes a terrific reference. I would definitely recommend this book to the beginner. But not to sound like a complete advertisement! My experience with this book has truly been a positive one.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent for the beginner - get this red book!
Review: I began php with two books, one being this wrox publication and the other a more advanced sams publication. The wrox publication was the fundamental lifesaver in my php learning. The examples were easy to follow. And wrox's p2p website and forums have proven to be a lifesaver again and again, providing a wonderful compliment to the book. It is not only a fabulous learning and how-to manual, but also makes a terrific reference. I would definitely recommend this book to the beginner. But not to sound like a complete advertisement! My experience with this book has truly been a positive one.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Book for Learning PHP
Review: I bought this book after buying Professional PHP Programming - which was a totally useless book. This book is MUCH better. Not only does it teach PHP but is a very good reference and has a usable index unlike Professional PHP Programming. Please note that this book and Professional PHP Programming look almost identical but if you want to learn how to program in PHP, this book is for you.
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