Beginning PHP5 (Programmer to Programmer)

Rating:
Summary: This book has been extremely useful
Review: (...)PHP code can be used on a local machine as well as uploaded to your server and used in the real world. You may need to make modifications to the code to reflect the domain name, etc. of your particular server.
With that out of the way, let me say that this book has been extremely useful to me (a beginner). Not only does it start with the fundamentals of PHP, including installation, it continues through many advanced areas of programming so that you do not need to rush out and buy another book to complete your project. It even covers some basic HTML integration for those that are new to that too.
All in all, I have not seen any other book on PHP5 with the depth and ease-of-use of this one.

Rating:
Summary: a little dissapointed
Review: First off, I found many errors, grammatical and in their code, within the first three chapters. Then, to make sure I was on the right track I referenced the exercise solutions in Appendix A. They use code that they don't even introduce for another 400 pages. The first couple chapters are okay at teaching with syntax and showing how to write good code. Not great or outstanding, not even good... just okay. I'm definitly going to stay away from Wrox when I buy more programming books. Anybody have an awesome PHP book they want to sell me?

Rating:
Summary: Not what you expecting
Review: That company is different now.

THE sample is only for Local machine.
NOT FOR TRUE WORLD.

that Code you download from there WEB site CAN NOT BE open.

You will have to BUY another SOFTWARE to read those sample CODE.
ANOTHER choise is type in by yourself.

Rating:
Summary: Not much on PHP5, bad SQL
Review: The best parts of this book are the first chapters that provide a very methodical introduction to the core functional aspects of the language. Not only do they provide good syntax instruction, they also teach you about writing good PHP code.

The trouble comes in the SQL database access chapter, in it's use of string concatenation to build SQL insert, update and delete statements. That strategy is prone to SQL injection attacks, and just basic buggy behavior. What's worse is that the section on PEAR, where you would expect to see SQL done well, doesn't reference the PEAR SQL wrapper.

In addition the book only has two chapters on the Object Oriented properties of the language. Where the first is just an overview of basic OO methodology.