Beginning PHP 5.3

This book is intended for anyone starting out with PHP programming. If you’ve previously worked in another programming language such as Java, C#, or Perl, you’ll probably pick up the concepts in the earlier chapters quickly; however, the book assumes no prior experience of programming or of building Web applications.

That said, because PHP is primarily a Web technology, it will help if you have at least some knowledge of other Web technologies, particularly HTML and CSS.

Many Web applications make use of a database to store data, and this book contains three chapters on working with MySQL databases. Once again, if you’re already familiar with databases in general — and MySQL in particular — you’ll be able to fly through these chapters. However, even if you’ve never touched a database before in your life, you should still be able to pick up a working knowledge by reading through these chapters.

Introduction xxvii

Part I: Getting Up and Running with PHP

Chapter 1: Introducing PHP 3

Chapter 2: Your First PHP Script 11

Part II: Learning the Language

Chapter 3: PHP Language Basics 33

Chapter 4: Decisions and Loops 51

Chapter 5: Strings 73

Chapter 6: Arrays 101

Chapter 7: Functions 141

Chapter 8: Objects 165

Part III: Using PHP in Practice

Chapter 9: Handling HTML Forms with PHP 221

Chapter 10: Preserving State With Query Strings, Cookies, and Sessions 267

Chapter 11: Working with Files and Directories 297

Chapter 12: Introducing Databases and SQL 337

Chapter 13: Retrieving Data from MySQL with PHP 367

Chapter 14: Manipulating MySQL Data with PHP 403

Chapter 15: Making Your Job Easier with PEAR 441

Chapter 16: PHP and the Outside World 471

Chapter 17: Generating Images with PHP 507

Chapter 18: String Matching with Regular Expressions 539

Chapter 19: Working with XML 573

Chapter 20: Writing High-Quality Code 619

Appendix A: Solutions to Exercises 673

Appendix B: Configuring PHP 719

Appendix C: Alternatives to MySQL 757

Appendix D: Using PHP from the Command Line 765

Index 775

Matt Doyle has worn many hats in his professional career, including working in the fields of system administration, computer training, software development, graphic design, and website creation. A solid introduction to writing powerful web applications using PHP 5.3

As one of the most popular open-source web-programming languages in use today, PHP is an ideal server-side scripting language that connects HTML-based web pages to a backend database for dynamic content. It allows you to create anything from a simple form-to-email script to a web forum application, a blogging platform, or a content management system. This guide introduces the PHP language and shows how to write powerful web applications using PHP.

• Looks at the ways that PHP programs interact with web servers and other technologies such as HTML

• Teaches you how to build robust web applications and change the flow of your scripts with decisions and loops

• Examines ways to create and use strings, arrays, objects, functions, and files in your scripts

• Shares tips for creating interactive web forms in PHP, as well as capturing user input

• Unveils methods for preserving an application's state between page views

• Offers advice on how to work with MySQL databases using PHP

• Includes best practices for using PEAR to speed up your application development

• Presents techniques for manipulating XML from within your PHP scripts

• Walks you through the creation and manipulation of web graphics using PHP

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