Learning PHP 5

by David Sklar, Tatiana Diaz (Editor), Nathan Torkington (Editor)

Overview

PHP has gained a following among non-technical web designers who need to add interactive aspects to their sites. Offering a gentle learning curve, PHP is an accessible yet powerful language for creating dynamic web pages. As its popularity has grown, PHP's basic feature set has become increasingly more sophisticated. Now PHP 5 boasts advanced features—such as new object-oriented capabilities and support for XML and Web Services—that will please even the most experienced web professionals while still remaining user-friendly enough for those with a lower tolerance for technical jargon. If you've wanted to try your hand at PHP but haven't known where to start, then Learning PHP 5 is the book you need. If you've wanted to try your hand at PHP but haven't known where to start, then Learning PHP 5 is the book you need. With attention to both PHP 4 and the new PHP version 5, it provides everything from a explanation of how PHP works with your web server and web browser to the ins and outs of working with databases and HTML forms. Written by the co-author of the popular PHP Cookbook, this book is for intelligent (but not necessarily highly-technical) readers. Learning PHP 5 guides you through every aspect of the language you'll need to master for professional web programming results. This book provides a hands-on learning experience complete with exercises to make sure the lessons stick. Learning PHP 5 covers the following topics, and more:

• How PHP works with your web browser and web server
• PHP language basics, including data, variables, logic and looping
• Working with arrays and functions
• Making web forms
• Working with databases like MySQL
• Remembering users with sessions
• Parsing and generating XML
• Debugging

Written by David Sklar, coauthor of the PHP Cookbook and an instructor in PHP, this book offers the ideal classroom learning experience whether you're in a classroom or on your own. From learning how to install PHP to designing database-backed web applications, Learning PHP 5 will guide you through every aspect of the language you'll need to master to achieve professional web programming results.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780596005603
Publisher:	O'Reilly Media, Incorporated
Publication date:	07/02/2004
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	368
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 9.19(h) x 0.79(d)

About the Author

is an independent software development and strategic technology consultant. He was a co-founder and the Chief Technology Officer of Student.Com and TVGrid.Com. At both companies, David oversaw the architecture and development of varied systems to deliver personalized dynamic content to users around the world. After discovering PHP as a solution to his web programming needs in 1996, he created the PX (http://px.sklar.com/), which enables PHP users to exchange programs. Since then, he has continued to rely on PHP for personal and professional projects. When away from the computer, David eats mini-donuts, plays records, and likes to cook. He lives in New York City and has a degree in Computer Science from Yale University.

Table of Contents

Dedication; Preface; Who This Book Is For; Contents of This Book; Other Resources; Conventions Used in This Book; Using Code Examples; Comments and Questions; Acknowledgments; Chapter 1: Orientation and First Steps; 1.1 PHP's Place in the Web World; 1.2 What's So Great About PHP?; 1.3 PHP in Action; 1.4 Basic Rules of PHP Programs; 1.5 Chapter Summary; Chapter 2: Working with Text and Numbers; 2.1 Text; 2.2 Numbers; 2.3 Variables; 2.4 Chapter Summary; 2.5 Exercises; Chapter 3: Making Decisions and Repeating Yourself; 3.1 Understanding true and false; 3.2 Making Decisions; 3.3 Building Complicated Decisions; 3.4 Repeating Yourself; 3.5 Chapter Summary; 3.6 Exercises; Chapter 4: Working with Arrays; 4.1 Array Basics; 4.2 Looping Through Arrays; 4.3 Modifying Arrays; 4.4 Sorting Arrays; 4.5 Using Multidimensional Arrays; 4.6 Chapter Summary; 4.7 Exercises; Chapter 5: Functions; 5.1 Declaring and Calling Functions; 5.2 Passing Arguments to Functions; 5.3 Returning Values from Functions; 5.4 Understanding Variable Scope; 5.5 Chapter Summary; 5.6 Exercises; Chapter 6: Making Web Forms; 6.1 Useful Server Variables; 6.2 Accessing Form Parameters; 6.3 Form Processing with Functions; 6.4 Validating Data; 6.5 Displaying Default Values; 6.6 Putting It All Together; 6.7 Chapter Summary; 6.8 Exercises; Chapter 7: Storing Information with Databases; 7.1 Organizing Data in a Database; 7.2 Connecting to a Database Program; 7.3 Creating a Table; 7.4 Putting Data into the Database; 7.5 Inserting Form Data Safely; 7.6 Generating Unique IDs; 7.7 A Complete Data Insertion Form; 7.8 Retrieving Data from the Database; 7.9 Changing the Format of Retrieved Rows; 7.10 Retrieving Form Data Safely; 7.11 A Complete Data Retrieval Form; 7.12 MySQL Without PEAR DB; 7.13 Chapter Summary; 7.14 Exercises; Chapter 8: Remembering Users with Cookies and Sessions; 8.1 Working with Cookies; 8.2 Activating Sessions; 8.3 Storing and Retrieving Information; 8.4 Configuring Sessions; 8.5 Login and User Identification; 8.6 Why setcookie() and session_start() Want to Be at the Top of the Page; 8.7 Chapter Summary; 8.8 Exercises; Chapter 9: Handling Dates and Times; 9.1 Displaying the Date or Time; 9.2 Parsing a Date or Time; 9.3 Dates and Times in Forms; 9.4 Displaying a Calendar; 9.5 Chapter Summary; 9.6 Exercises; Chapter 10: Working with Files; 10.1 Understanding File Permissions; 10.2 Reading and Writing Entire Files; 10.3 Reading and Writing Parts of Files; 10.4 Working with CSV Files; 10.5 Inspecting File Permissions; 10.6 Checking for Errors; 10.7 Sanitizing Externally Supplied Filenames; 10.8 Chapter Summary; 10.9 Exercises; Chapter 11: Parsing and Generating XML; 11.1 Parsing an XML Document; 11.2 Generating an XML Document; 11.3 Chapter Summary; 11.4 Exercises; Chapter 12: Debugging; 12.1 Controlling Where Errors Appear; 12.2 Fixing Parse Errors; 12.3 Inspecting Program Data; 12.4 Fixing Database Errors; 12.5 Chapter Summary; 12.6 Exercises; Chapter 13: What Else Can You Do with PHP?; 13.1 Graphics; 13.2 PDF; 13.3 Shockwave/Flash; 13.4 Browser-Specific Code; 13.5 Sending and Receiving Mail; 13.6 Uploading Files in Forms; 13.7 The HTML_QuickForm Form-Handling Framework; 13.8 Classes and Objects; 13.9 Advanced XML Processing; 13.10 SQLite; 13.11 Running Shell Commands; 13.12 Advanced Math; 13.13 Encryption; 13.14 Talking to Other Languages; 13.15 IMAP, POP3, and NNTP; 13.16 Command-Line PHP; 13.17 PHP-GTK; 13.18 Even More Things You Can Do with PHP; Appendix A: Installing and Configuring the PHP Interpreter; A.1 Using PHP with a Web-Hosting Provider; A.2 Installing the PHP Interpreter; A.3 Installing PEAR; A.4 Downloading and Installing PHP's Friends; A.5 Modifying PHP Configuration Directives; A.6 Appendix Summary; Appendix B: Regular Expression Basics; B.1 Characters and Metacharacters; B.2 Quantifiers; B.3 Anchors; B.4 Character Classes; B.5 Greed; B.6 PHP's PCRE Functions; B.7 Appendix Summary; B.8 Exercises; Appendix C: Answers To Exercises; C.1 Chapter 2; C.2 Chapter 3; C.3 Chapter 4; C.4 Chapter 5; C.5 Chapter 6; C.6 Chapter 7; C.7 Chapter 8; C.8 Chapter 9; C.9 Chapter 10; C.10 Chapter 11; C.11 Chapter 12; C.12 Appendix B; Colophon;

Editorial Reviews

The Barnes & Noble Review
Here’s a PHP 5 book that’s equally useful for experienced programmers and nonprogrammers who simply want to deliver dynamic web content without too much hassle. David Sklar covers all you need to create forms, integrate with databases, manage users, create dynamic graphics, send email, and do plenty more. What must you know before you start? HTML -- that’s all.

Sklar starts by clearly explaining how PHP interacts with web browsers and servers. He shows how to handle text and numbers; create and reuse functions; write programs that make decisions based on user input; and work with arrays. You’ll write cookies, interact with files, even work with XML. There’s a full chapter on debugging, too. If you build web sites, this book will quickly get PHP into your toolbox, where it belongs. Bill Camarda

Bill Camarda is a consultant, writer, and web/multimedia content developer. His 15 books include Special Edition Using Word 2003 and Upgrading & Fixing Networks for Dummies, Second Edition.

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