please explain this line of code

[sean_paul]

echo "<a href=\"show_book.php?isbn=".$isbn."\">.$book[$title].</a>;"

what is the "php?" in the code for.

I am finding this "php?" dispersed throghuot the sample code I have and I can not figure it out.
And I have researched this.

Also,

is there a printed version of the PHP manual I could purchase?

Thanks in advance

Sean Paul

[packland]

php is the extension for php files. This extension enables a web server to recognise that the file is a php file and to process it accordingly. Other extensions like .asp(vbscript) .jsp(java) do basically the same thing for other languages and platforms.

In your example there needs to be a file
show_book.php?

the ?isbn is a variable that you are sending to this page and hopefully one which it expects to recieve.

Apache (the worlds favorite web server) recognises that the php file needs to be processed by a php daemon(process) on the server and the output is sent to the client (web surfer).

I have two beginners books :

PHP: fast and easy web development (4 stars)
SAMS Teach Yourself PHP 4 (3.5 stars)

[packland]

correction:
file with name showbook.php needs to be on the server.

note also in the example it needs to be in the same directory as the page that the redirect is made from as there is no full address. an absolute path would be

[url]http://www.current_site.com/current_path/showbook.php[/url]