Rating:  - Programming background? This book is for you!
I was looking for a decent introduction to PHP, and stumbled across this on Amazon. I can only speak as someone with a programming background, but this was exactly what I was looking for. Mr. Ullman takes you through PHP from the ground up, but the layout of the book and the thoroughness of the index makes it a pretty good reference if you just want to know some particular piece of the puzzle.
Want to create an online form using PHP? This book walks you through a project that does just that.
Want to figure out how arrays work in PHP? You can jump to that section, and migrate your own programming knowledge over to the PHP environment.
PHP (and, for that matter, HTML) programming is a little counterintuitive , particularly if you have previous experience in other languages. This book makes the move a lot easier!
Again, my review is from the standpoint of someone with experience in programming. However, the approach that the book takes - walking you step-by-step through practical examples - probably would work really well for those who are new to programming, too.
I bought it along with the companion book on PHP and MySQL (PHP and MySQL for Dynamic Web Sites: Visual QuickPro Guide (2nd Edition) (Visual QuickPro Guide)), which turned out to be a great idea - both are getting dog-eared as I build a website using dynamic content.
A great book, well worth purchasing!
Rating: - Wonderful resource, useful
An excellent resource book, with step-by-step instructions. It is easy to understand yet has useful examples. Great book!
Rating: - Perfect beginner book
This book was perfect for the newbie to PHP programming. It walks you through examples with perfect clarity and a great explanation of why. I wish more how-to books were written just like this one. Other programming how-to books are very difficult to read and require a reference library to comrehend all the unexplained material. This books explains everything it introduces. I will look for more books from Mr. Ullman.
Rating: - Comprehensive for Beginners
I like this book series. They provide a foundation that I find much easier to "digest" than online tutorials, articles, or guides. [Am a note-taking learner who needs a solid resource around, afterwards.]
The topic flow is nice; you ease into a wider scope of applications
with simple examples that can be built upon. It's very helpful when authors provide online errata, resources, forums, etc. and Larry Ullman's text does.
- a beginner who made progress ;-)
Rating: - Excellent book
$novice = "I don't know the first thing about PHP and I really want to learn it";
$advanced = "Already know a fair amount of PHP and want to get the finishing touches on my wealth of knowledge";
if ($phpUnderstanding == $novice){
print "This book was so helpful. It took me from zero knowledge to building basic web applications. It doesn't supply you with every ounce of knowledge to build the next DIGG. It does, however, get you on the road. This is a must read for beginners wanting to learn PHP. //see variable $novice.
}elseif ($phpUnderstanding == $advanced){
print "This book really isnt for you. It is a beginners book and is meant for folks who dont know the first thing about PHP. Ullman wrote another book for Advanced PHP. Get that one.}
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