Rating:  - Digging and Hunting through blocks of code
I gave this book a trial run for a day of programming, in an effort to find a handy little reference book I could refer to when I forgot syntax or needed a function but couldn't find the name.
I found the index suitable, but the descriptions of functions made lots of assumptions about what you should do, rather than present a clear explanation. Then, a large chunk of code is presented as an 'answer', with the inclusion of a lot of confusing parts. This is not a good phrasebook, but more of a skimpy tutorial book with a slant.
Rating:  - The perfect format for programmers.
It's kind of like having a Reader's Digest version of an O'Reilly Cookbook title, but more oriented to learning the language instead of just listing the solutions to odd problems.
The Phrasebook series gives me everything I need to know to use my existing knowledge in a new language. Sure, they are not comprehensive. But too much information slows down the initial learning process, and makes the book less likely to be read. Read one of these books and you'll know enough to get started, and make smarter Google searches when you get stuck. Best of all, it fits in your back pocket.
If you're already a programmer and simply want to start using a new language, buy a Phrasebook. The PHP Phrasebook was my first one, and I "learned" PHP while I was in the waiting room of the mechanic shop having my car inspected.
Rating:  - PHP Phrasebook
I am fairly new to the world of PHP. Most of what I have learned about these scripts has been self-taught through trial and error or gleamed through articles or scripts found on the internet. Even with my limited knowledge, I have always seen great practical usage of PHP scripts and am always trying to learn a little more on the subject. Therefore, I was really excited when I got the opportunity to review this book.
I have to admit that, at first, I was a little bit lost in reading this book. PHP Phrasebook: Essential Code and Commands is definitely not a book for beginners. However, once I started actually writing the script out and using the examples scripts as a sort of tutorial system, I quickly figured out what each set of scripts actually did. Then, I started to get ideas on how to make practical use of this new information. Moreover, as I continued through the sections, I found a good deal of solutions to problems such as manipulating strings to check usenames and passwords; protecting email addresses; pre-filling forms; and creating a secured area that I didn't have the knowledge to solve before reading this book.
Rating: - PHP resource for beginners
My first book on PHP was Sams Teach Yourself PHP, MySQL and Apache All in One (3rd Edition) (Sams Teach Yourself) which was great to get me started. But once I started designing and writing in PHP it was not very helpful. I have had this phrase bookon only 2 days and already I have used four examples (uploading a CSV file, saving form data, and two string manipulation funcitons). The index and organization are laid out like I think ..."how do I load a CSV file?" ... look up CSV and there's real examples plus cautions on how to look out and deal with problems. When I am writing now, this book will be next to me!
Rating: - Very handy little book
This book is one of those that you like to keep at arms length. It has a lot of useful code that comes in handy. I liked it so much I purchased the MySQL Phrasebook as well.
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