Sams Teach Yourself PHP, MySQL and Apache All in One (Sams Teach Yourself)

This has to be the worst teach yourself book I have come across!
There are errors and omissions which will cause the newcomer hours of frustration when the software doesn't do what he expects.
For example in chapter 18, when describing the use of the mysqli_connect() function, the example erroneously gives the code as mysqli().There is no such function!! This is simply shoddy proof reading. Fortunately in this case, the code on the CD is correct. There are other examples which are not so obvious.
Another significant problem is the way the book skips over many details of the set-up of PHP and the way it links to MySQL. For example, there is no mention of tailoring the PHP.INI file to ensure that it loads the appropriate DLL files to run with MySQL. In my case, having set the software up (running under Windows XP) as described in the manual, PHP would not connect to MySQL, and because the book provided no guide as to how to turn on PHP error reporting, I was completely in the dark as to the cause of the problem. It took several hours of searching the web to identify how to turn on error reporting which then enabled me to identify the missing DLL files. Further web searches showed me how to include these PHP components and I now have a working set-up. No thanks to the authors of this book.

A Great PHP and MySQL Starter but... (0/0 people found this helpful)

I'm two thirds through and found this to be a great introduction to PHP and MySQL. By following the examples and experimenting I have become adept in a language which I had no knowledge of 2 weeks earlier.

The text guides you through the development process, from simple HTML additions to "stateful" HTML Forms which allow development of Shopping Carts, etc. I have plenty of 'C' programming knowledge and found the sections on PHP syntax and string/date manipulation a bit drawn out, but overall the text is well-paced and builds on earlier chapters.

The SQL/MySQL sections cover this complex subject at a fairly high level, but give enough information for you to get started. My objective in reading this book was to understand enough PHP to build an eCommerce site, driven by a MySQL database, and the text has certainly given me the knowledge to do this.

Critisms? Only one - the proof-reading is terrible.

The book's examples often don't run because of some syntax error, or the documented answers are cut-and-paste errors!

$num_tries = (isset($_POST[num_tries])) ? $num_tries + 1 : 0;

may look very similar to what should have been written:

$num_tries = (isset($_POST[num_tries])) ? $_POST[num_tries] + 1 : 0;

...but let me assure you that when you've spent 3 hours trying to figure out why you can't get this new language to work for you then you'll be equally indignant!

So, you decide. As a PHP & MySQL introduction its great, but as for proof-reading Julie Meloni should be speaking with her publisher...

I gave up (3/3 people found this helpful)

These comments relate to the April 2007 edition.

I'm a complete layman here, having only a rough knowledge of HTML, though I have put together 3 reasonable web sites on the back of this.

I have to say I just got stuck with this book. The first few rungs of the ladder I could climb, but then there seemed to be several rungs missing, and I felt I was expected to jump to the next level, and I couldn't.

To me it felt like there were too many assumptions being made about what I should know before reading the book, and it seemed to lack a clear progression from the simple to the more complex, with each stage building on the last. So, for example, some of the basic starting stuff about PHP is shoved in at the end of a chapter about something else entirely, whereas to my mind it should be trumpeted as the start of the trail of learning.

I can imagine this book might come in useful once I've learned more about PhP, but as a starter book for a non-geek, I can't recommend it. It feels like the author has forgotten what it's like to be a complete beginner.

Sorry for a lukewarm review! I'm not stupid, but I did get stuck!

One of your best options for learning PHP, but forget the MySQL section. (6/6 people found this helpful)

Studying towards a degree in programming, I have access to a large selection of programming books at my institute. Having sampled at least half a dozen PHP books, this was definitely the most help. PHP is a fairly easy language to learn (especially if you have some experience with HTML), although many other books will overcomplicate the learning process by elaborating on small details to a ridiculous extent (think the Wiley 'Bible' books).

This book teaches you everything you need to know to learn PHP's fundamentals and by the time you've finished the PHP section of the book, you'll be capable of writing various PHP scripts. Everything you learn is accompanied with examples. Everything is explained clearly. I didn't find myself losing track even once. Thorough but to the point, this book is my highest recommendation for anybody wishing to learn PHP. A few days after finishing the book, I had written a purely-PHP image gallery interface that thumbnails and displays details for all of the images in a folder on a web server. I had to use forums to finish the gallery off, but the book is owed the main thanks.

As with most programming books, you won't walk away able to program the most complex scripts. "Expert" is a title no book will get you. Luckily, there are countless forums online that will expand your knowledge of the language further than any book on the market.

Unfortunately, the book's section on MySQL is rather poor. It assumes you have foundational knowledge of MySQL's commands and using the command prompt to modify database tables (why would you?). Quite disappointing, really, as the PHP section of the book (almost 300 pages) is fantastic.

Still, this book puts many of the other PHP books out there to shame.

Help for install (0/0 people found this helpful)

I basically bought this book(2nd ed.) because I was having trouble installing the software from the versions I'd downloaded seperatly. The instructions that came with them seemed to assume you knew what you were doing "simply do this, and change that setting in the thingy" and as a beginner (complete novice) in all three subjects, I had no idea what they were talking about.
So, I bought an earlier version of this book an used it to get everything set up reletively painlesly. Sure it's not an 'in depth' book about any of them, it's not meant to be, the most imortant bits of are the CD, and the first couple of chapters. Once you are up and running, the rest gives you a basic grounding in stuff after which you can read other stuff for the specific info you need.
I would and have recomended this book to friends who want to get all three application up and running on their PC's.

Sams Teach Yourself PHP, MySQL and Apache All in One (Sams Teach Yourself)

Julie C. Meloni

Reader Reviews:

Buy a different book ! (1/1 people found this helpful)

A Great PHP and MySQL Starter but... (0/0 people found this helpful)

I gave up (3/3 people found this helpful)

One of your best options for learning PHP, but forget the MySQL section. (6/6 people found this helpful)

Help for install (0/0 people found this helpful)

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