A book that covers both PHP and MySQL is an intuitive start to what websites actually use, combining both technologies which are easily seen in almost every modern content management system or weblog. Therefore, the premise of this book seems solid for the apprentice webperson. The preface itself indicates this:

This book is for people who want to know how to create dynamic websites. that could include graphic designers, who are already working in an IT firm or advertising firm creating static web sites, who may need to move forward with coding database-driven websites…

In the ‘Assumptions’ area, it clearly points out that this is a beginner’s book - and it may be too simple for people who can already create their own web pages with PHP and MySQL - instead referring to the O’Reilly Nutshell series for references.

Beginning PHP 5 and MySQL: From Novice to Professional, offers a comprehensive introduction to two of the most popular web application building technologies on the planet: the scripting language PHP and the MySQL database server. Readers are not only exposed to the core aspects of both technologies, but also gain valuable insight into how they are used in unison to create dynamic data-driven web applications. It is the first book to delve into the features of the latest releases of the world’s most popular open source web development technologies, the MySQL 4 database server and PHP 4 scripting language. Not only will readers profit from extensive introductions to the core features of each technology, but also from insight into the cutting-edge, sometimes undocumented features of the most recent versions.

Learn by doing! Follow along, step-by-step, as you upgrade a static HTML site that uses obsolete code to an XML standard-compliant, CSS-formatted dynamic site using Microsoft Active Server Pages (ASP), Macromedia ColdFusion, or the open source PHP. Create several integrated applications for a fictional travel tour operator, including a searchable listing for tour descriptions, country profiles, and a tour price calendar. In this official Macromedia guide, you’ll learn how to:

* Use a relational database—Microsoft Access or MySQL—as the driving force behind a site
* Use Dreamweaver’s built-in server behaviors and application objects to assist in the rapid development of dynamic Web applications
* Read and hand-code ASP VBScript, ColdFusion Markup Language, and PHP scripts well enough to understand how dynamic Web pages work, troubleshoot errors, and customize scripts
* Collect and manipulate user-entered data, performing calculations on the fly
* Use SQL to pass information between your pages and the database
* Validate forms using client-side and server-side scripts

Tag clouds are everywhere on the web these days. First popularized by the web sites Flickr, Technorati, and del.icio.us, these amorphous clumps of words now appear on a slew of web sites as visual evidence of their membership in the elite corps of “Web 2.0.” This PDF analyzes what is and isn’t a tag cloud, offers design tips for using them effectively, and then goes on to show how to collect tags and display them in the tag cloud format. Scripts are provided in Perl and PHP.

Yes, some have said tag clouds are a fad. But as you will see, tag clouds, when used properly, have real merits. More importantly, the skills you learn in making your own tag clouds enable you to make other interesting kinds of interfaces that will outlast the mercurial fads of this year or the next.

Security is a hot topic these days, with new exploits and patches released on a daily basis for all sorts of operating systems and applications.Recently, the security bubble has expanded to touch the PHP world, and several well-known applications have been the target of a great number of attacks.

Despite all the negative publicity, however, PHP is and remains a very stable–and very secure–programming environment. php|architect’s Guide to PHP Security, written by security expert (and frequent php|architect contributor) Ilia Alshanetsky, provides you with a guide that covers everything you need to secure existing PHP applications and write new ones with security in mind.

* Provides techniques for both PHP 4 and PHP 5
* Includes a step-by-step guide to securing your applications
* Provides comprehensive coverage of security design
* Teaches you how to defend yourself from hackers
* Shows you how to distract hackers with a “tar pit” to help you fend off potential attacks

Rather than drowning you in overlong explanations, this book focuses on providing you with accurate information on proper security techniques, and showing you a step-by-step approach to writing applications that are stable, secure and reliable.

This new release in the popular How to Do Everything series explains how to build open source web applications with MySQL and PHP 5. Using these two tools, you’ll be able to create highly functional, interactive web sites easily. Follow along with a step-by-step sample application and, as a bonus, download three full-length case studies complete with code trees.

Pro PHP Security is one of the first books devoted solely to PHP security. It will serve as your complete guide for taking defensive and proactive security measures within your PHP applications. (And the methods discussed are compatible with PHP versions 3, 4, and 5.)

The knowledge you’ll gain from this comprehensive guide will help you prevent attackers from potentially disrupting site operation or destroying data. And you’ll learn about various security measures, for example, creating and deploying “captchas,” validating e-mail, fending off SQL injection attacks, and preventing cross-site scripting attempts.

Content management, blogs, and online forums are among the most significant online trends today, and Drupal, phpBB, and WordPress are three of the most popular open source applications facilitating these trends.

Drupal is a full content management system that allows you to create any type of website you desire, from an e-commerce to a community-based site. phpBB enables you to set up a bulletin board or forum. And WordPress is the software of choice for the exploding blog community. All three technologies are based on PHP and MySQL.

Building Online Communities with Drupal, phpBB, and Wordpress is authored by a team of experts. Robert T. Douglass recently created the Drupal-powered blog site NowPublic.com. Mike Little is a founder and contributing developer of the WordPress project. And Jared W. Smith has been a longtime support team member of phpBBHacks.com and has been building sites with phpBB since the first beta releases.

Over 12 million Internet domains worldwide use the PHP language to power their websites. If you are a programmer included in this group, or would like to be one, you should pick up a copy of PHP Unleashed. The definitive guide in PHP programming, PHP Unleashed thoroughly and authoritatively covers the release of PHP 5, as well as advanced topics not found in other books. It begins with a detailed summary of the basics and then quickly moves on to more advanced topics such as working with data, outputting graphical data and building complete applications. Whether you’re an experienced programmer and new to PHP, or an experienced PHP programmer but new to PHP 5, this is the one PHP book you need in your library.

This is a comprehensive, practical guide for programmers who want to develop production-quality, database-enabled web applications with PHP and MySQL. Long-time developer Marc Wandschneider systematically addresses the entire process: not only coding, but also upfront application, user interface and database design, PLUS security, testing, and more.

Youâ„¢ll walk through building three applications from start to finish: a calendaring system, a weblog engine, and an e-commerce store. Along the way, youâ„¢ll master essential strategies for creating robust web database applications and learn how to avoid the common pitfalls that trip up many developers moving to PHP and MySQL.

• Starts with a complete primer on PHP for developers”including coverage of code organization, reuse, and object-oriented PHP
• Contains detailed treatments of data access, including transactions, foreign keys, and indexes
• Presents powerful data validation techniques utilizing PHP regular expressions
• Walks through planning web applications, including user interfaces and user management
• Offers systematic guidance on securing web applications from end to end
• Covers a wide range of implementation issues”including internationalization, error handling, data validation, debugging, session management, and deployment
• Includes detailed chapters on XML, XML-based web services, and the PEAR framework for reusable PHP components
• Shows how to work with the Oracle and PostgreSQL databases