PHP Solutions: Dynamic Web Design Made Easy, Second Edition [Paperback]

If you're thinking of getting into PHP programming, you know that there are many many different books that you can buy and use. The problem is, most of these books assume a certain familiarity with programming in general and general concepts in particular. This means that I person that is a complete programming computer will ultimately wind up getting lost and confused with most of the texts. This is not the case with this book however. If you've read and learn from the first edition, you know that the author takes pains to ensure that somewhat otherwise daunting concepts, such as classes, file handling and so on are presented in a clear and easy-to-understand way. If you're looking at the second edition you may be wondering why exactly you should purchase this. Not only has the book and completely updated, it is also much easier to read than and yet still maintains the authors went and wisdom without being dry or boring. This is very important considering it is a book on web programming.

Something else to consider is that although many books will advise you to get PHP, MySQL, and Apache separately, this one does not. It has a specific installer that it recommends and goes through and shows you exactly what to do to get you up and running within 2 to 3 min. at most. This is a far cry from when I had to do it separately and is much easier for the beginner to get started quickly. Something else that is new to this edition is that the author goes into somewhat high-level programming near the end of the book regarding classes. While this may seem to be something that belongs in object-oriented book, this is done in such a way that you will easily understand exactly what he's talking about and why this is actually a good method to start doing from the very beginning.

Just like the first edition of the book, the author develops a PHP site from the ground up but still expects you to know you're basics such as HTML, and CSS. However, the author is focused solely on PHP so you won't have to edit any of that code. Of course, you can always download the PHP code and compare it to the code that you write. The author even stresses the fact that you can just simply read the book and copy and paste. However, I believe that it is better to actually trying to type the code yourself. This way you get a true understanding of what it is that you are doing and potential pitfalls and errors that you can make this programmer.

One thing to consider is that this book will not make you a PHP guy overnight. It is going to take some time to go through and not only do the exercises but really learn and understand the material. However, this is one of the best books that you should have is beginning programmer and indeed may be the only one that you need to start your PHP adventure. If you take the time to read through and learned the exercises, you will find that you'll be able to whip together solid PHP sites in little time with little effort. The reason for this of course is that the author never sounds like he's talking down to students and he always makes whatever topic he is talking about be variables, contact forms or even user authentication, interesting and engaging. This is truly the key to having any successful programming book. So do I recommend PHP Solutions? Absolutely and without reservation this is one of the best books to have on your bookshelf especially if you are beginning PHP programmer.

I'm about to start a new PHP project for our university website and was going to do it with the first edition of Dave Powers's PHP Solutions at my elbow. Now it will be the second edition. I have other PHP books and may dip into them a bit, but this is the one that will see me through.

It seems that Powers came to computer guru-dom from a career in broadcast journalism, and it shows in his ability to present exactly the information I need in exactly the way I need it. I'm a fairly experienced user-developer, but not a technical person. Powers is a wizard and at the same time a first-rate "host" to the reader. He understands the difference between making an explanation ALMOST confusion-free and getting it just right. His writing style pleasantly engages you on grown-up terms, with no static of jokiness to cut through.

As for content, PHP Solutions is, as the title declares, a solution-oriented approach to getting things done with PHP, not a ground-up tutorial or a dictionary-like reference. But I find that the challenges and solutions Powers has assembled amount to an important part of what I want to get done on a project. You can learn PHP basics anywhere (although Powers gives you a refresher in those, too) and then, when it comes to putting a particular capability into your website, turn to this book for the solution. For example, when I look at the code I wrote for my course-management system to display a list of students' reports with short extracts in screens of ten students each, I find the following comment:

// *** Prepare for paging through query results, displaying a specified number
//of records on the page and inserting a record-navigation system above and
//below the records. This is a heavily modified adaptation and combination of
//techniques from PHP Solutions by David Powers.

I really write comments like that, because I have to remember what parts of "my system" might need attribution if I describe it in an academic paper. The one above refers to the first edition of PHP Solutions, which brings us to an important point. I was working in PHP 4 at the time and dreading the move to PHP 5. Dave Powers took care of me at my own level but also showed how things could be done the newer way, thereby getting me started on the road to transition. If you're coming to PHP Solutions now, in the new edition, be aware that PHP 4 is a THING OF THE PAST -- and be glad! You shouldn't invest time and headaches in writing it at this date.

Note the following from the introduction to the book: "If you're in hurry or are daunted by the prospect of building class definitions, you can simply use the finished files. However, I encourage you to explore the class definitions. The code will teach you a lot of PHP that you'll find useful in other situations." Right. I started out pasting useful code snippets years ago but found that while it was the first step in learning the code, it was also the first step in a mess that I couldn't untangle when things didn't quite work. Do learn the lessons that Powers makes so learnable. They'll have you writing reusable code, and you'll understand how to deploy it. Still, you don't want to struggle with every last keystroke in making it run -- and that, of course, is why you want a book of solutions. So it's great having solid, tested examples to go from.

With many computer books, I feel that I've invested in a small number of valuable tips -- which is all right, if they're lifesavers. With PHP Solutions, the abundance of lifesavers and generally useful information is very rich. Since the original edition is my most-used computer book (literally), I'm happy to have had the chance to review this edition, working from a complimentary copy.

Almost four years ago I was lucky enough to buy the book "PHP Solutions: Dynamic Web Design Made Easy", I was lucky because in 2006 PHP books was not so numerous as today or at least the greater part of those existing was too much similar to the official PHP manual containing only the general description of the language, its main functions and supplied only with basic examples not really useful. I have always planned and realized the graphical part of the Web sites and having to the age a very basic knowledge of PHP and Database the only alternative was to search and use pre-made PHP scripts, often meeting unsurmountable mistakes in my works.

David Powers in its books guides the reader step by step to understand the infinite power of PHP language through practical projects to realize, following the philosophy of the subtitle: "Dynamic Web Design Made Easy". This second edition adopts the same structure of the previous book but has been updated following the natural evolution of the language: PHP is an alive language and from 1995 to today it upgraded adding a lot of powerful features. Altough the first edition of the book already took in consideration version 5 of PHP - while version 4 was used by all - this second edition raises the compatibility to version 5.3 assuring also full compatibility with future PHP v. 6, under development for several years and never ended to a really usable release until now.

I would like to emphasize that this is not the usual book that limits itself to try to explain what's PHP with 500 and more pages of boring theory making use of interminable lists of PHP terms and property, rather reading with attention the several chapters everyone will succeed to complete practical projects that will sure return useful in the realization of Web sites as well as will increase the skill of PHP programming. This is possible also using the example files downloadable from the website of the book: at the last you will have 17 folders - one folder for chapter - plus images, CSS styles and all the files necessary for working easily through the book. Obviously a bit of theory is present: what's PHP? Is it useful for my works? Is it hard to understand? But I can assure that Powers supplies useful answers without to fall in boring programming rules, indeed using sometimes an unexpected sense of humor: An example? In chapter one he illustrates the way PHP makes Web pages dynamic and for example he uses the "Date" function of PHP reassuming the advantages of using it writing this: "You can enjoy your New Year's party without worrying about updating your copyright notice. Anyone accessing your site after the stroke of midnight sees the correct year." I find this both useful and actual since I am writing this review on the 26th of December.

After the good description about PHP, the author guides the reader to prepare a functional testing setup on the computer so to try soon the functionality of scripts made: useful suggestions are supplied about how install PHP, MySQL database and Apache server both on Windows and Mac and what all-in-one free packages are available to install as well as what editor to use to start to write PHP scripts.

A full chapter is dedicated to write PHP scripts in the more correct way: well this is the real core of the entire book. It's a bit hostic for the novice - although David Power try to make it friendly - and contains some technical notions about PHP and you will have to read it many times and probably will use it like reference in the future, but if you understand well it your skill will grow in clean way. Maybe this can free your interest for programming and today for a Web developer this is a great success key. The following chapters show other important PHP features overall the includes function and the classes that costitute a first step in OOP Programming: luckily Powers friendly explain this powerful way to write PHP code, emphasizing both its importance and efficiency.

Another important chapter is dedicated to Web forms: how to validate user imput, how to transmit it to email address and how to avoid that forms become a vehicle for spam diffusion. I have appreciate a lot this last theme that is well explained as well as the difference between GET and POST method with which PHP gains information from the forms. Luckily there is always PHP code ready to work with, so it's necessary only the minimal engagement to understand the argument and to complete the project.

Remaining chapters are dedicated to show the ability with which PHP can upload files to server, image manipulations, protect access to selected Web pages with login and password, and interact with MySQL database: all notions really necessary to know for the creation of really dynamic web sites. After a rich introduction to MySQL and the way databases stores informations, Powers guide the reader to create pratical project like a dynamic online gallery of photos. Thanks to this project the reader can also understand the correct way to dynamically add, delete, update elements in a database to change the aspect and the contents of Web pages or how to authenticate users to personal blog or any protected areas of a Web site and storing its access informations in a secure way using encription.

I think that this PHP book will be a bestseller for everyone that want to transform itself to a real Web developer as it goes to overwhelm some gaps present in Web designers that rarely exits from the comfortable house constituted from PhotoShop...

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