Rating:  - the best book on the subject
If you want to learn how to build a large scale php web app from start to finish this is the best book you can buy. Nearly every question i had was clearly explained, from user input validation to file uploads, from database queries to session management, its all here. Some books show you lots of small toy projects, this one builds a (nearly) industrial strength e-commerce site. The lessons are fairly universal, too - i used what i learned form this book to build a full scale dating web site.
The only beef i have with this book is that the code is entirely procedural, as opposed to object-oriented. This may not be a problem for most people, but i really feel that, after a site reaches a certain level of complexity, objects really make the code a lot easier to manage. There are also a truly heroic number of typos, so be sure to read the errata on the books web site. That i can still give this book 5 stars is just another testament to its excellence.
Rating: - Very useful and practical guide
Web Database Applications by H.E. Williams and D. Lane is a truly wonderful book if you are looking to learn how to get an online database application up and running fast. The book eases you into PHP with a decent length chapter on the basic syntax of the language, followed by an introduction of MySQL.
After that, each chapter will teach you new techniques which are instantly applicable to a real-world online database system. Among others this book will teach you how to: write scripts that interact with MySQL, deal with security issues, handle sessions, handle shopping carts and lots lots more.
The book was written before the introduction of PHP 4.2, so certain 4.2 (and up) specific issues are not covered. However, most of the examples in the book have been re-written for use with 4.2 and can be downloaded freely. On top of this the authors supply a level of support that is all but unheard of. Every question that I asked was answered within 1 day if not within the same day.
All in all this book is at the top of it's league, I can highly recommend it!
Rating: - A serious book
This book is the only technie guide that discusses the theory behind building a web database application. It's written in a concise, information packed style. You'll learn everything you need to know from the ground up, and you'll think a lot more about applications as you build them after you've worked your way through the book. Great book guys! The only downside is that it is about PHP 4.0 and not 4.3. However, the authors have put up PHP 4.2 code on their website.
I can't agree with the negative reviews of this book. You need an attention span to read it -- it's a serious book. If you "learn by visual" (I don't understand what this means) or you don't want it too "theoritical" (you can't even spell it "A reader"), then this isn't the book for you. It worries me what sort of programmers these people are. Can you really learn a serious topic with pictures and no theory? I don't think so.
Rating:  - PHP and MySQL straightforward and made clear
This book, as most O'Reilly books I own, contains a wealth of information that has taken me from being a novice to being able to construct my own dynamic website. I recommend this book for both beginners and experience users as it is a great reference too. The authors have also been helpful when prompted for questions and help. The code in the book is available for download and also contains updated code for PHP 4.2. The only drawback is this version of the book does not address the changes in 4.2, but I would assume the next version will. In any case: I Highly Recommend!!!
Rating:  - Read my review
I am a well versed programmer who has read many programming books by many different authors. If you are a person who learns by visual do not get this book. Here are some of the pitfalls of this book.
1. They throw globs of code at you and do not explain what any of it is doing. You have to figure it out for yourself.
2. This book is not a step by step book for beginners, you will get lost.
3. The name and the reviews fooled me. This book is not for the beginner who would like to advance into the subject of creating Dynamic web sites.
If anyone knows of a good book on the subject of creating dynamic web sites using php, and that is very visual and in a step by step format please let me know.
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