Even after it's already been plugged once in this thread (first post), that is shameless :p
PHP Books
25 days later
I didn't know template() existed! I just did a search for it in the manual and it doesn't exist aparently.
PHP is a combination of programmign theory and web design. I learned both at a pretty young age and had lots of time playign around with different code.
So...a good book for people like me that understand the grammar and theory of programming either needs a nice big reference book or the existing manual translated into Joe's English with disections and further talk 
I've learnt first hand how rubbish SAMS Teach Yourself books are! Just try picking up thier Javascript book. It starts throwing programs at you before it's even told u what javascript actually IS. It then proceeds to explain how programs use loops before explaining variables o_O
But then I sposed it's down to the individual author.
Does anybody know a good book based on what I think is a good book explained above?
I have found a O'Rielly book ISBN 0-596-00402-8 I'll write further details in a moment with EDITs.
EDIT: So that book you guys keep plugging. I',m guessing some people on here wrote it? Michael K Glass? Nice one...I'm member of the same forum as a pro 
Anyway talking about books that we would recommend... I found this one by Oreilly.
PHP Pocket Reference, 2nd Edition
By Rasmus Lerdorf
2nd Edition November 2002
Series: Pocket References
ISBN: 0-596-00402-8
138 pages, $9.95 US, $14.95 CA (roughly £7)
About that Cookbook by Oreilly
I was just looking at a PDF chapter preview of chapter 8 and the first thing I notice which is extremely helpful is the layout.
using headers: problem solution discussion, it starts by stating the problem scenario that we may come accross. Then it lists the ways in which we can tackle it followed by the description of how it is done. One example:
Problem
You want to set a cookie
Solution
Use [font=courier new]setcookie('flavor','chocolate chip');[/font]
Discussion
Cookies are sent with the HTTP headwer [...]
Has anybody seen anything of that reference pocket guide by Oreilly I mentioned up there? Sounds good. Anybody knwo of an extended version of the manual that I also mention up there^ ?
I've not read that specific book however I do have a couple of things to say about it.
It's published by O'Reilly which I have found to produce consistently well layed out and well written books.
It's written by Rasmus Lerdorf and he 'aint no chump!
It's about PHP!
It's already on the internet, is it not? It seems to be providing what is already available on php.net, in the manual. There may be a few extras and it may go into a little more detail here and there but I imagine it's going to be mainly used as a reference to check out syntax and usage for the vast range of functions available to the PHP programmer. I personally find the PHP manual to be insurmountable as a quick reference (but then, of course, I haven't got this book
). I would prehapse sway further towards a book which provides a wide range of clever tips and tricks like Oreilly's PHP Cookbook or more in-depth case studies showing how different aspects tie together in real world situations like Wrox's Professional PHP4, which is unfortunately no longer in print (there is another book by Wrox which is supposed to be pretty damned good but I haven't read it so I'm afraid I can't really have an opinion).
This said, however, in the imortal words of a guy I met late one night, while proping up the bar in a race course lounge after blowing all my grandparents life savings on a 300-1 shot ... "Horses for courses"
I will be for definate be purchasing these 2 Oreilly books!
But the thing is...I just found the eBook cookbook in KaZaA which leaves me wonderin if that is a good thing (I spend nothing!) or a bad thing (not supporting all his hard work working on the book)
I'd always go with buying a book, but then I loooooove books (I've had to budjet myself to £50/month to stop things getting out of hand )so I may be a little biased.
On a side note, I notice you're in London. Would you be up for PHPConUK2004-2 in October?
Originally posted by bubblenut
in-depth case studies showing how different aspects tie together in real world situations like Wrox's Professional PHP4, which is unfortunately no longer in print
Guess what else I found in KaZaA 
Having just thrown myself into php,MySql and apache and having late nights over the computer..................feet deep in empty pizza boxes and pot noodles, i have realised I am not going to master this in a week, I should have learnt my lesson when I bought "learn dreamweaver & HTML in 7 days" the book was that thick and expensive I acquired it over many instalments and several years later I keep saying that I must finish it off but it would mean reading chapter one and two all over again............and the fact that it had a total of fifty two chapters became very daunting.
So I believe you learn from your mistakes.............I also believe that I want to get from A to B as quick as possible without having too many late nights and reading numerous books..............as Betrand Russell ( Mathematician and philosopher) once said...
"One of the symptoms of an approaching nervous breakdown is the belief that one's work is terribly important"
So after searching carefully for a good read I found "beginning PHP, Apache, MySql web development" by Wiley publishing.
The book comes across with a good structure and is something I can read easy.............the funny thing is when I got home and started reading it most of the writers are / where Moderators with...............you guessed it PHPBuilder.com. (Probably have people moderating for them now they have sold the book in thousands) so if your still moderating "BuzzLY", Yann, "trooper", "stolzboy" or "goldbug" then I hope you have made your success with the book sales...................as long as im not still reading it this time next year.
Oh, and not forgetting Elizabeth ( what a stunner..............worth buying the book just to see her)
The book is a good read and I would recommend.............ask any moderator on here..................will keep you updated on progress.
Mark:eek:
Originally posted by cody44
...still reading it this time next year
I'd be hoping for exactly that. One of the main factors I use in judging the worth of technical books I've read is how late in my learning curve I can come back to it and still find it usefull.
Regarding the book.............on page 13....................confused.
PHP Stands for Hypertext preprocessor...................recursive acronym.
Think I could be reading this again next year.
:glare:
Originally posted by cody44
Regarding the book.............on page 13....................confused.
PHP Stands for Hypertext preprocessor...................recursive acronym.
Think I could be reading this again next year.
:glare:
No: PHP stands for "PHP: Hypertext Processor". See Recursive Acronym
Geek humour.
Originally posted by Weedpacket
No: PHP stands for "PHP: Hypertext Processor". See Recursive Acronym
Geek humour.
Technically, PHP stands for (Personal Home Page) Hypertext Processor
Originally posted by piersk
Technically, PHP stands for (Personal Home Page) Hypertext Processor
Aww come on and admit it.... you know you call it Piers' Home Page : Hypertext Preprocessor around your house.
Originally posted by goldbug
Aww come on and admit it.... you know you call it Piers' Home Page : Hypertext Preprocessor around your house.
Your point? :p
Originally posted by piersk
Technically, PHP stands for (Personal Home Page) Hypertext Processor
I was going by what it says on the PHP home page - it's a backronym.
Okay, I just wanted an excuse to say "backronym".
Originally posted by cody44
...Oh, and not forgetting Elizabeth ( what a stunner..............worth buying the book just to see her)
LOL! Thanks cody, but I think we need to get you out a little more
I picked up that book today! The one you guys wrote! I don't remember many of the names but definately remember 'BunkerMaster' :p in the beginning of the book!!
Well...I didn't technically pick it up / bought it I simply wandered in my local book store (and wandered and wandered and wandered) and headed straight for the 'Internet Programming' shelves of the upstairs department. The first one I picked up was this one!! I forget the name of it for the life of me but we all know what I'm talkin about.
I opened it up, sat myself down, looked at the time at 2:45 and read. I read and read. I closed the book, looked at the time at 5:15. Whoa!! A computer book that can do that must be worth every penny!
It made perfect sense! It even taught me a couple of things about the basics. One that is particularly memorable was the different way of storing information in a variable. Actually it was called a constant and I understood every word!
At one time I just assumed what functions, etc all ment until I had a flick through this book!
One thing that I hadn't been able to work out from the naff Internet tutorials is the way in which one uses the GET form method instead of the POST.
I haven't bought a book since I can remember.
goes to look at small bookshelf
My last book was a fishing book print date 1995 :eek:
Come pay day and this baby is all mine
EDIT: One thing I didn't like about this book was the fact it had so many spelling typos even in the first chapter that I read. Must consider proof reading thoroughly before next edition.
Just slap goldbug. He was so busy playing around on IRC, he just ignored all the spelling errors
Heh heh...
And what was it I read in the book about goldbug always whining about code efficiency?
Lol...
Originally posted by Davy
Heh heh...
And what was it I read in the book about goldbug always whining about code efficiency?
Lol...
I'd just leave off the "about code effeciency"--that'd be more accurate...and effecient
Originally posted by goldbug
I'd just leave off the "about code effeciency"--that'd be more accurate...and effecient
No, I'd agree about the code efficiency bit. Well badly written code anyway.