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: 005.2762
EAN: 9780672325618
ISBN: 0672325616
Label: Sams
Manufacturer: Sams
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 672
Publication Date: March 04, 2004
Publisher: Sams
Studio: Sams

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Rating: - Concise, objective and confidently written. Smart ideas for advanced developers
I lent my copy of Advanced PHP Programming to a friend last year and when I finally got it back it was dog-eared and edge-worn - a testament to how brilliant and useful the book is to any middle-weight or advanced developer.

The confident, objective writing style is immediately reassuring. Scholssnagle isn't the kind of writer who stubbornly refuses to go into detail about how to use global variables, for example, on the basis that they're evil and should be avoided at all costs. Instead, he explains how to incorporate them sensibly, acknowledges that they're a 'big mistake' and then suggests some alternative strategies. He doesn't rant about or sneer at less-robust techniques, but calmly explains the risks and suggests alternatives.

There's a lot of smart, fresh ideas in this book. The first chapter is on coding styles. There's plenty of good, simple guidelines on how to lay out, structure, and document your code to make it easier to handle and some excellent ... Read More

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Rating: - Unacceptable number of mistakes
The book is ok generally in the areas it covers, however there are lots of errors in the example code and other parts of the text with some pieces taking many corrections to make them work. Things like getting :: and -> mixed up when calling functions, silly stuff but very annoying(how hard is it to test the code before it's published?!?!). Seems like it was rushed and not had much effort put in compared to many other books I own. On this basis I would not recommend it.

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Rating: - Great enthusiasm badly implemented
Like so often with PHP, this book suffers from having boundless enthusiasm for the topics at hand but lacks the professional polish which is so increasingly rare. Within the the first chapter alone there are numerous syntactical errors within the code and the writing surrounding them. As the book progresses these are coupled with ambiguous explanations of potentially thorny problems and some glaring naming inconsistencies.

If you're expecting a thoughtful and precise book, this isn't it, no matter how hard it tries to be. The book highlights a number of excellent ideas but comes off as more of an extended opinion piece by the author with colloquial language and even extolling the virtues of his own software (APC).

Great for the occasional dip into but expect to do a lot of your own research into the topics presented.

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Rating: - Best of Breed for Advanced PHP Programming
As a teacher of PHP programming to final year undergraduates, I am always on the lookout for concise, well organized and accurate texts. This text meets and surpasses all of these criteria. The chapter on "Object Oriented Programming Through Design Patterns" is worth the cost of the book by itself. The publisher should encourage the author to put together an expanded second edition. Highly recommended.

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Rating: - A PHP programmers must have!!
If you are a programmer and want to learn about good practice and design ideas, and are not interested in re-reading about loop constructs or basic beginner-type chapters, then this book is for you.

The author is evidently an 'expert' from the way he writes but it is also a very well written book providing informative and advanced ideas on how to get the best out of PHP5.

If you know your way around PHP4/5 and want to move onto the next stage, then buy it....you will not regret it!

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