PHP for the Web: Visual QuickStart Guide Author: Amazon Prime | Language: English | ISBN:
0321733452 | Format: EPUB
PHP for the Web: Visual QuickStart Guide Description
With PHP for the World Wide Web, Fourth Edition: Visual QuickStart Guide, readers can start from the beginning to get a tour of the programming language, or look up specific tasks to learn just what they need to know. This task-based visual reference guide uses step-by-step instructions and plenty of screenshots to teach beginning and intermediate users this popular open-source scripting language. Leading technology author Larry Ullman guides readers through the latest developments including use and awareness of HTML5 with PHP. Other addressed changes include removal of outdated functions and more efficient ways to tackle common needs.
Both beginning users, who want a thorough introduction to the technology, and more intermediate users, who are looking for a convenient reference, will find what they need here--in straightforward language and through readily accessible examples.
- Series: Visual QuickStart Guide
- Paperback: 528 pages
- Publisher: Peachpit Press; 4 edition (March 19, 2011)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0321733452
- ISBN-13: 978-0321733450
- Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.2 x 1 inches
- Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Larry Ullman's PHP for the Web is unsurpassed as a beginner's guide to learning PHP. The book, for instance, covers many essential topics, such as variables, forms, sessions and cookies, numbers, and strings. Ullman furthermore provides excellent screenshots of the code to provide the macro, or `big picture', perspective while providing an explanatory break down of each piece of code for a micro perspective. Ullman also uses relevant examples that are necessary for making a professional Web site, including log-in pages and editing features for administrators. More importantly, Ullman's style of writing is instantly engaging, wondrously eloquent, and grammatically polished, making for a thoroughly enjoyable read of what might otherwise be considered a dry topic.
Prior to reading Larry Ullman's book, I read the entirety of a PHP manual by Kevin Yank, concluding the book with complete confusion and no practical skills. However, it appears that Yank has a new edition that might have some improved features. In addition to reading Yank's manual on PHP, I read Janet Valade's Dummies guide, which was the worst PHP manual imaginable, heavily laden with coding errors and misprints.
As a beginner to PHP and computer programming, the key to my success with Larry Ullman's book included the prior reading of Javascript, A Beginner's Guide, Third Edition by John Pollock. Pollock's book broke down not only Javascript into accessible components, but also explained the basics of computer languages, such as variables, arrays, regular expressions, and other essentials necessary for a solid background in introductory computer programming and PHP. After reading Pollock's book, Ullman's book appeared lucid and friendly-- a logical next step.
I have been making websites here and there, simple ones, for over 10 years now. I also have good knowledge of programming, and have been doing that for many years as well (C, C++, Java, and other languages). When it comes to web programming, all I've used before is pretty much only HTML, and some random javascript codes picked up over the internet. I thought PHP was not for me, but mostly, I thought it would be too long to learn.
As it turns out, it is an easier language than most other languages. And this book makes it all the more easy, and goes right to the point. The examples are plentiful--the author mainly starts whatever he wishes to show with an HTML form that is to be handled by a PHP script. The page layout is really well designed as well: all pages are divided into two columns, and on the outer-most columns you have the text, while on the inner-most columns you have codes and boxes. The codes are well laid out as well, with the important or new lines of codes being highlighted in grey. After each example, the author also gives a series of tips, which are very insightful, and generally a little more advanced than the text itself.
This book is certainly written for a beginning audience, when it comes to both PHP and programming more generally. However, even though I'm a beginner only in PHP and certainly not in programming, I appreciate this book immensely, and it is extremely helpful. Importantly, I do NOT deem it to be too simple. It is the case that I read over some sections quickly, but I'm still doing what I bought this book for: learning PHP.
I was hesitating between this book and the author's more advanced
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