Message from Dean - May 8th 2007

I am currently testing out a new version of the APF Bridge Component - If you notice any errors within this demo store please drop me a line.

Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 005.133
EAN: 9780596005436
Edition: 2
ISBN: 0596005431
Label: O'Reilly Media, Inc.
Manufacturer: O'Reilly Media, Inc.
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 680
Publication Date: May 13, 2004
Publisher: O'Reilly Media, Inc.
Studio: O'Reilly Media, Inc.

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Editorial Review:

Amazon.co.uk Review:
Web Database Applications shows Web developers how to build rich Web database applications using two leading open-source technologies, PHP and MySQL. The authors also assume use of the Apache Web server, which is by far the most common PHP scenario. Both PHP and MySQL are introduced from scratch, although this is a fast-paced book best suited to at least intermediate developers.

After a brief discussion of Web database applications, the authors offer a rapid tour of PHP essentials, including loops, expressions, functions and common mistakes. Next comes a quick-start guide to MySQL, focusing mainly on the SQL language itself. The following chapters tackle connecting to MySQL and other databases, implementing user-driven queries and enabling writing as well as reading data. There is a useful chapter on data validation, both on the client and the server and excellent coverage of another crucial subject: security and authentication. This looks at the fundamentals of HTTP authentication and examines security features in both Apache and PHP, identifying weaknesses and explaining pros and cons. The closing chapters form a detailed case study, an online wine store, with complete code available for download. It embraces user management, a shopping cart, searching, ordering and delivery, covering many key topics in the process. At the back of the book are appendices on a range of issues, including installation, Web protocols, database modelling and session management.

Web Database Applications is tightly-focused, packing in lots of solid technical information without wasting words. It does not pretend to cover all the potential uses of PHP, and the screen shots will not win prizes for design, but it's a great handbook for building robust, secure database applications with these popular technologies. --Tim Anderson




Rating: - What's PEAR got to do with it
I wholly concur with the comments of D.Lloyd "TVT". I bought this book with the intention of building a website using PHP and MySQL only. I don't want or need PEAR. Not a good book. Steer well clear if you are looking for a book on PHP and MySQL.

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Rating: - This book should hafe been called "Applications with PEAR and MySQL"
How annoying! Yet another book that professes to be about PHP, but is in fact about an extension of PHP which I for one don't really want to use. I don't need PEAR for my site. I am quite content with native PHP Mysql support. I want a book that explains the ins and outs of that.

This book assumes you will be using PEAR. All the DB stuff is done using PEAR. Native PHP MySQL support doesn't get a look in.

Also, this book assumes you will want to use templates. I don't I keep my php apps as lightweight as possible, so templates are not needed for me.

In my mind, a good learning book will teach you the basics you need to get the job done, and leave you in a better position to explore the extensions etc for yourself, or with the help of dedicated reading matter. Had this book set out to teach you PEAR, I am sure it would have been pretty good. But it didn't. It set out to teach PHP. And it failed.

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Rating: - Doesn't really lead by example
It's a good and thorough book, and as far as it goes or any other book goes on this subject I would recommend it. There are however some caveats to this. The first is that there is a huge chunk in the middle which just lists a whole bunch of functions. It is essentially a reference section in the middle of the book. They do the same for MySQL as they do for PHP. So what are we upposed to do with this? Read amd memorise the whole lot?
It would have been a lot more helpful to bash through and construct a database application (which is what this book is about actually) and explain the code and have a reference section or a pullout at the end.
I now regularly use phpfreaks.com for their tutorials as this is what they do. Take a chunk of useful code, break it down bit by bit, line by line. when properly structured this is a much better way of learning as one really digests the commands and syntax. Just reading an incredibly dry list of commands and functions or being expected to do ... Read More

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Rating: - Extremely well written!
This book is an extremely well written book. The best thing about this book is that it builds a sample web database application (wine store) throughout the book.

The book is also very well organised which covers PHP fundamentals and demonstrates PHP's tight intergration with MySQL. It also has an appendix covering Modelling and Designing Relational Databases.

The book also covers advanced stuff such as Sessions, Authentication and Security, etc.

The book has an installation guide for PHP, MySQL and Apache.

I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to learn PHP.

A must by!!!

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Rating: - Good concise and easy to understand
I like this book - yes it is a bit heavy in terms of pages but it also covers a few of the things that are harder to find in other books - The OOP section is a very good and worth reading. This one will be in my bag and book shelf for a while..

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