Rating:  - Good intro, but many errors and poor explanations
The author gives a good intro to Ajax and PHP combined. Gives you a good understanding of what those two are able to do together.
Sadly this get ruined by a lot of mistakes in the sample code provided, one example being an SQL phrase that actually will make the script not work. Also he dump several pages of code right in your face, but fails at explaining properly what's going on, leaving you with the feeling he might have "borrowed" the code from somewhere and not really knowing himself what it does.
Rating: - Decent introduction to Ajax, but flawed execution
This book is pretty polished and gives a lot of information, but I found it flawed in a few rather bothersome ways....
First off, the author glosses over a lot of things that are generally considered "best practices" when it comes to using HTML -- for example, web page examples are often cluttered with "style" attributes applied to multiple tags, when this sort of thing should really be dealt with using a stylesheet (reducing the amount of typing and *greatly* increasing the readability of the examples!) If there is a particular reason why he doesn't do this, he should tell us, and he doesn't.
Second is the frequent use of innerHTML, which is nonstandard JavaScript -- I would be far more confident that he's truly teaching me the best way to use Ajax if he were more clearly demonstrating knowledge of best practices for HTML and CSS.
The other thing that made this book cumbersome in places was that in giving an example script, he'll dump four or more pages of solid code in your lap, and then say "Okay, here's what I did...", which leaves you flipping back and forth trying to follow what he's saying about code that's several pages back. I've had a much easier time with other books that explain as they go: give a chunk of code, and if there's something that warrants explanation, do it right away and *then* proceed with more code.
It's a decent book in terms of information, but a harder slog than it could (or should) have been.
Rating:  - Solid Intro to Ajax
This is a solid book for those looking to get their feet wet with Ajax concepts. Beginning Ajax with PHP: From Novice to Professional was penned by Lee Babin of the recently formed Icona.ca. He brings a wealth of PHP knowledge to the table and effectively shows how to use it alongside JavaScript.
He starts out by explaining some of the concepts behind Ajax, and how it differs from web programming in a controlled environment. He gives real-life examples of how to use asynchronous scripting, such as an image uploader / photo gallery. He also gives examples of how to use Ajax for form submission.
He shows how to use the Google Maps API to create a spatially enabled web application - in this case, one that will locate nearby video game outlets. He also explains how to make use of PEAR - PHP Extension and Application Repository, using proven code to speed up Ajax development.
He also covers how to make use of various web services, and touches on potential pitfalls for security when using Ajax. I liked the way he referred to Ajax as an increased surface area of attack. While not necessarily hazardous to your site or data, it does afford would-be malicious hackers more opportunity. Lee shows how to defend against this and secure your code.
Lastly, he finishes up with an overview of DOM Scripting methods. To me, this seems like something that would have been better suited to the beginning of the book, but I suppose he positioned it as such to delve right into the guts of Ajax, and explain the theory behind it later. I did appreciate this tangible approach.
My one qualm with this book is the client-side code in the examples. There is a mix of document types throughout: HTML 4.01 / XHTML 1.0 Transitional / XHTML 1.0 Strict. I would like to have seen more attention placed on best practices for unobtrusive JavaScript and CSS layout, instead of inline event handlers and tables. That being said, it does effectively explain concepts behind Ajax and gives understandable PHP examples. It is well worth the read.
Rating:  - A Good Introduction to AJAX for the PHP Programmer
PHP is a very popular web scripting language. AJAX is the hottest new interactive web technology. It only makes sense to write a book to combine the two.
This book does a great job of combining clear explanation of the concepts with real working code that you can reuse in your own applications. Giving me a head start with reusable code is something I always look for in a book, and this book provides a wide range of PHP and Javascript code that you can reuse.
Chapter 1 begins with a very good description of what exactly AJAX is, and how it differs from traditional web programming. Chapter 2 builds on Chapter 1 by explaining the basic components of AJAX. The XMLHttpRequest object is covered in great detail. Each property and method is explained. The book only explains how to use XMLHttpRequest to communicate to the server and does not cover hidden iframe's. However, that may be for the best, since I believe hidden iframes are mostly a legacy way to implement AJAX communication.
Chapter 3 gets right into it with connecting PHP with AJAX. Chapter 4 follows up with using the database. If you are not familiar with PHP or Javascript you may find some of the examples a little difficult to follow. Though if you've worked with C/C++/C# or actual Java, the syntax is close enough you should be able to follow what is going on. Though a good PHP and Javascript book will come in handy!
Chapters 5 and 6 cover forms and images, which are important parts of any AJAX web site. The author presents a calendar application that pops up forms to allow you to enter data. The book does a good job of explaining the difference between how traditional POSTed forms work compared to AJAX.
Chapter 7 shows how to create a real-world AJAX application. You are taken step by step through the creation of an AJAX photo album application. Chapter 8 discusses look and feel. It makes the very important point of when to use AJAX. Its a pain to program many of the AJAX "effects" by your self, so the author introduces you to the PEAR (PHP Extension and Application Repository) package. This can speed PHP and AJAX development quite a bit.
Chapter 9 discusses web services. Chapter 10 is very interesting as it discussed "spatially enabled web applications". This is the type of application that Google Maps is! Chapter 11 is important as it discusses cross-browser issues, and how to avoid them. Chapter 12 covers some of the unique security issues that AJAX presents. Chapter 13 explains how to test and debug AJAX applications.
The book ends with Chapter 14, which is an overview of the DOM. The DOM, or Document Object Model, allows you to easily parse and generate XML. This is very important for the XML messages that you will be exchanging with the server. If you are getting confused by some of the DOM usage earlier in the book, I would suggest reading this chapter after about Chapter 3 or 4.
This is a very good introduction to PHP and AJAX. The book is only 252 pages so it does not waste much time with introductory information. You really should be at least basically familiar with the following technologies before starting this book:
Basic HTML/XHTML layout
Java Script
PHP
SQL
Cascading Style Sheets (not critical, but still useful)
The book does not attempt to teach these technologies, but rather builds upon them.
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