From the book lists at Adware Report:

 All information current as of 13:50:31 Pacific Time, Wednesday, 16 March 2005.

MySQL/PHP Database Applications, 2nd Edition

   by Brad Bulger / Jay Greenspan / David Wall / Jay Greenspan / Brad Bulger

  Paperback:
    Wiley
    01 October, 2003

   US$26.40   

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Editorial description(s):

Amazon.com
How could the combination of PHP and MySQL--which is feature-rich, highly reliable combination, capable of dealing with large traffic volumes, and absolutely free of charge in most cases--be any better? In MySQL/PHP Database Applications, Jay Greenspan and Brad Bulger explain how to work with the capable pair, primarily for applications you might use on a Web site. If you take the time to study the advice and work through your own tests of the concepts presented, it's pretty much certain that you'll walk away with the knowledge you need to do serious development work with the PHP scripting language and the MySQL database server.

Rather than make up trivial programs just to illustrate aspects of the MySQL/PHP environment, this book features code snippets, each half a page or so in length, that illustrate the behavior of key code structures. For example, in explaining conditional statements in PHP, the book gives you a no-frills IF statement with real values in place. It's not always obvious how the code structures will behave in practice, but the book does a consistently good job of commenting intelligently on the place of each aspect of the language in a well-designed application. The latter half of the book attacks specific problems--a chat system, a guest book, and so on--and walks through the setup of MySQL and each important PHP function for each. --David Wall

Topics covered: The PHP server-side scripting language and the MySQL database server, explained for people who have neither a lot of database administration background nor programming experience. Matters of creating and querying databases, and of performing simple and advanced operations with PHP scripting, are covered adroitly. --This text refers to the edition.


From Book News, Inc.
This guide explains how to write web-based applications with PHP and MySQL and get data-driven web sites up and running, then walks through a sample guest book, survey, content management system, discussion board, and shopping cart. The second edition covers MySQL 4.0. The CD-ROM contains MySQL, the Apache web server, PHP 4, and example applications.Copyright © 2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR


Book Info
Text demonstrates Web-application development using MySQL and PHP. Includes updated coverage of MySQL 4.0 and an extensive look ahead into PHP 5. Softcover.


From the Back Cover
Learn what it takes to get data-driven Web sites up and running using PHP 5 and MySQL

The popularity of using MySQL and PHP to create organized and efficient Web sites is growing at a steady pace. MySQL has proven itself to be fast, robust, and easy to use. It works well with PHP, and it';s perfect for Web applications for simple to robust sites. For many developers, PHP is the next obvious step from HTML due to the fact that it was written specifically for use on the Web, it';s cross-platform, and it';s relatively easy to understand and write. MySQL/PHP Database Applications, Second Edition, demonstrates Web-application development using MySQL and PHP by presenting multiple practical, ready-to-use examples ranging from a simple guestbook to a fully functional e-commerce site with a shopping cart. Other applications include a catalog, a content manager, a threaded discussion, and a problem-tracking system. You';ll learn the essentials of working with MySQL and PHP so you can start building and customizing database applications for the Web in no time!

This edition offers updated coverage of MySQL 4.0 and an extensive look ahead into PHP 5. The example code was rewritten to run against the new PHP engine, and this edition explores its new object-oriented features, as well as improvements in XML processing, remote file access, and other areas. Containing advice on how to easily tweak and customize a site, this book:

The CD-ROM contains the example code and applications from the book, as well as MySQL, PHP, and Apache.


About the Author
BRAD BULGER is a seasoned software developer who has worked for several companies that no longer exist and is now a member of The Madfish Group, where he builds Web sites.

JAY GREENSPAN is a New York—based writer, editor, and technical consultant. He is author of MySQL Weekend Crash Course® and runs Trans-City Productions, Inc., a firm that provides editorial services to high-tech companies.

DAVID WALL is a freelance technical consultant, lecturer, and writer operating through his consultancy David Wall Enterprises. He specializes in Linux/Apache/MySQL/PHP (LAMP) servers and in Voice over IP technologies from IBM and Cisco Systems.


Book Description
* Demonstrates Web application development by presenting ten real, ready-to-use examples
* Samples start with a simple guess book and end with a fully-functional e-commerce site with a shopping cart
* New features include both MySQL 4.1 and PHP 4.2
* Latest edition contains new applications including log analysis and project tracking
* CD-ROM includes all the code and examples applications from the book in addition to MySQL, PHP, Apache, PHP classes, libraries, utilities, and other tools




Reader review(s):

Quality Content, Sloppy Editing, March 3, 2001
While the examples are great and the topic coverage is excellent, there are 2 or more typos on almost every page. It looks like they were in such a hurry to get the thing out the door that quality control was not a consideration.

The typos aren't just in the text; they are quite common in the examples. For instance, when showing an example of a "contact" table, the text refers to contacts while the example shows contracts. There are missing "_"'s in the data names and PHP and SQL syntax mistakes throughout.

Given that, if you are willing to debug the text and the examples, you'll find 99% of what you will need to know to be able to create a database driven website with Apache/PHP/MySQL.

If you need the information now, buy it. If you can, I'd wait for the second edition; perhaps they can reduce the mistakes.

sj

Not for the beginner, March 13, 2001
I probably should have taken more notice of the Reader Level on the back of this book, which lists "Intermediate to Advanced". Unfortunately it was the only book available at the time that seemed to cover both PHP and mySql, so I went ahead and bought it.

I've bought coding/scripting books in the past for "beginner" levels and found myself screaming through the book at 10 pages a minute, and ending up not learning much at all, hence I wasn't too concerned about the level listed for this book.

In hindsight, this was pretty stupid. I'm halfway through this book and my head is spinning. I don't think i've taken in a single thing so far, or nothing I could replicate anyway. I was hoping that once I got to the coding examples, i'd start to pick things up. Unfortunately, the author doesn't take you through the creation of the scripts, rather presenting the finished script on the CD for analysis.

Anyway, i'm about to head out and buy a book aimed at the PHP beginner level, hopefully PHP Essentials by Julie Meloni, or PHP Fast and Easy Web Development, also by Meloni.

Too Much Fluff, February 23, 2002
I first learned PHP from Luke Welling and Laura Thomson's excellent "PHP and MySQL Web Development," and bought 'MySQL/PHP Database Applications' to provide an alternative perspective on solving problems. Unfortunately, this book doesn't offer enough content to warrant its high price.
A full 58 pages is devoted to a PHP function reference which is a bit of a joke because PHP has one of the better online function references available. Code examples are printed with very large font again taking up more space than is necessary.
Most important, though, some of these examples are a little bit suspect.
They present a Catalog application written using Object Oriented Programming (OOP). This would have been valuable except that the classes they create are so specific that they couldn't be re-used -- basically negating the value of OOP to begin with.
They do provide a couple of examples of good and bad relational database schema, but that isn't really worth the cost of this book.

Too many typos, April 19, 2001
There are typos everywhere. Often the typos render the code unusable. For the person who is learning these two development tools (which should be the target audience) you can't figure out why the code doesn't work. I hate paying money so that I can be frustrated.

good guide for web developers, May 15, 2001
I bought this book knowing next to nothing about PHP or MySQL. (I did have experience with Active Server Pages so I was familiar with using scripting languages in sites.) It has served as a great reference for me in learning PHP and becoming familiar with MySQL. PHP and MySQL are often used together in building sites and providing everything from installation instructions to function references is a great help. If information exists on a function that is out of the scope of this book, the authors refer you to specific pages on the Web that will provide you with those details.

The index could use a little beefing up and there are a lot of typos, but the typos have not taken away from the usefulness of the book.

This is the only book I have bought on PHP and MySQL and I don't feel inclined to buy another-- this one is just fine.

Great for a quick introduction to PHP and MySQL, March 22, 2001
Overall, I found this book to serve as an excellent introduction to development using PHP and MySQL. The authors have a refreshing, no-nonsense approach to presenting information on MySQL and PHP quickly and in an easily understandable manner. However, on the flip side, this book is definately not for the beginning programmer. It is clear that the authors assume at least some familliarity with procedural programming languages, especially when presenting their examples. In the end, I heartily recommend this book to its target audience- programmers with some experience looking to learn how to use PHP with MySQL.

One of my biggest regrets, January 7, 2002
I bought this book with the intention of learning PHP. I went into it with a some knowledge of programming, no knowledge of SQL, and a strong background in logic.

I very quickly discovered that, rather than a learning guide, what I purchased was the source code for several applications with vague descriptions of how data was being handled.

In fairness, I do find what i am looking for about 10% of the time. The other 90% I am either checking the web for source, discussions, or tutorals, or I am using the PHP manual and playing hit and miss.

It is my experience that anything this book can offer is freely available from the Web. And that the Web offerings are usually better documented.

If you are a beginner, look elsewhere. This book will likely leave you dumbfounded.
If you are experienced, look elsewhere. This book will likely bore you to tears.

Suitable for beginner to intermediate programmer, May 27, 2001
Personally i have some experience on perl/cgi programming, thus this book provide me a new perspective to web designing using a different programming approach thru PHP. if u are at the cross junction in deciding whether to learn perl or php, i will personally suggest perl 1st and later on, on php. but mysql is a must is u want to create a database website. this book is easy to undestand but while i was reading from page 1 to 80 i realise there are some programming syntax that are misleading, to list a few, signed and unsigned integer are interpreted wrongly, so are GET and POST interpreted as action in HTML form Tag. just be alert while reading this book.

But on a whole i give this book a 4 because it gives u 7 practical useful web application ranging from guestbook, survey, catalog, shopping cart etc. this book provides a good readup for MySQL on chapter 1 whether u are using perl or php. buy this book if u want to learn php for web database implentation. it is straight to the point. and if u want to know more indept on MySQL u can trust on paul dubois's MySQL. i gave that full thumbs up.

Beginners Go Elsewhere, October 19, 2001
You've probably read elements of this review in other people's posts. Here's the straight dope for beginners:

Start with something else. PHP FAST & EASY is much better than this. I've read that and still don't know what to do with this book. I thought I was ready for it, but to be honest it's just poorly laid out.

What the authors SHOULD have done was take each section and force you to write the scripts giving you step-by-step examples and explanations to each. This never happens. Instead what you do is cover all functions and the basics of programming first, AND THEN they insert elements of each important aspect of the scripts. This forces you to look at the CD and try and match up with the book. (Which is not EXACT!)

I'm sure I could figure out how to write these apps given a few months worth of exploring and trial and error, so why did I buy this thing when I can do that from tutorials on the net?

This book is a waste of money for those that want to learn powerful applications in a 1 - 2 - 3 step manor. If you enjoy cross referencing, if you enjoy the author telling how to write the script one way in the book, but showing you another way on the CD then this is the book for you!

Great Book with the involvement of other books, September 14, 2001
Only one year ago I had no understanding on PHP, MYSQL, Apache, RedHat or Unix, nor did I have any formal training in programming. Now, I have written very elaborate and fully expandable programs that are portable from one application to another and have been promoted Sr. Web Designer in the Internet Systems Department of my company.
This book was one of my frequently used library of books which included MySQL, PHP, Apache, Redhat and Unix Manuals. If you have a good base for programming you may not need it but it will help you create a structure for your code to follow, unlike most PHP code that is out on the web now. PHP is a pretty easy to understand language once you make it past the learning curve so, therefore there are tons and tons of horribly disgusting code that works. This book will help you learn to build your code so that you can use it over and over and not limit your ability for expansion. I do recommend this book but only if you accompany it with other important manuals.
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