Essential Skills--Made Easy!

Learn how to build dynamic, data-driven Web applications using PHP. Covering the latest release of this cross-platform, open-source scripting language, PHP: A Beginner's Guide teaches you how to write basic PHP programs and enhance them with more advanced features such as MySQL and SQLite database integration, XML input, and third-party extensions. This fast-paced tutorial provides one-stop coverage of software installation, language syntax and data structures, flow control routines, built-in functions, and best practices.

Designed for Easy Learning: Key Skills & Concepts--Lists of specific skills covered in the chapter; Ask the Expert--Q&A sections filled with bonus information and helpful tips; Try This--Hands-on exercises that show how to apply your skills; Notes--Extra information related to the topic being covered; Tips--Helpful reminders or alternate ways of doing things; Cautions--Errors and pitfalls to avoid; Self-Tests--Chapter-ending quizzes to test your knowledge; Annotated Syntax--Example code with commentary that describes the programming techniques being illustrated.

Part 1 - PHP Basics

Chapter 1 - Introducing PHP

Chapter 2 - Using Variables and Operators

Chapter 3 - Controlling Program Flow

Part 2 - Advanced PHP

Chapter 4 - Arrays

Chapter 5 - User-defined Functions and Classes

Part 3 - Working with Data from Other Sources

Chapter 6 - Files

Chapter 7 - Databases

Chapter 8 -XML

Chapter 9 - Sessions and Cookies

Part 4 - Security and Troubleshooting

Chapter 10 - Security

Chapter 11 - Errors

Chapter 12 - Extending PHP

Appendix A - Obtaining and Installing PHP

Appendix B - Obtaining and Installing MySQL

Vikram Vaswani is the founder and CEO of Melonfire, a company specializing in software consultancy and content creation and syndication services. He is the author of PHP Programming Solutions, How to Do Everything with PHP and MySQL, and MySQL: The Complete Reference. Vikram is the author of numerous well-received articles on open-source technologies (including Perl, Python, XML and the very popular PHP 101 series), all written with the goal of making complex technologies accessible and understandable to novice users. He has been developing software since 1995, was first introduced to PHP in 1998, and hasn't looked back since. Vikram is regular columnist with Zend Technologies (creators of PHP), as well as with IBM DeveloperWorks, CNET Builder.com, DevX.com and other OSS sites.