Beginning PHP5, Apache, and MySQL Web Development

This update to a Wrox bestseller dives in and guides the reader through the entire process of creating dynamic, data-driven sites using the open source "AMP" model: Apache Web server, the MySQL database system, and the PHP scripting language. The team of expert authors covers PHP scripting, database management, security, integration, and e-commerce functions and comes complete with a useful syntax reference.

• Showcases three fully functional Web site examples, with implementations for both Windows and Linux, that readers can incorporate into their own projects
• Updates include a new chapter on PHP5 features and functions, a new example Web site application, and updates to PHP5 throughout the text

PHP, Apache, and MySQL are the three key open source technologies that form the basis for most active Web servers. This new edition guides you through the entire process of setting up your own site and walks you through every step, from the installation of PHP, Apache, and MySQL to database management, security, and integration with other technologies.

Featuring new information on the features and functions of the latest upgrades-MySQL 4.0.X, PHP5, and Apache 2.0-this book boasts a working Web site application and numerous updates throughout the text. The multi-platform approach addresses installation and usage on both Linux^® and Windows^®, and two common-themed, reusable Web sites are examined. Upon completion of this book, you''ll be able to create well designed, dynamic Web sites using open source tools.

What you will learn from this book

• Syntax, functions, and commands of PHP, Apache, and MySQL and how they can be used together in Web development
• The ins and outs of data manipulation
• The object-oriented programming advantages of PHP5
• Ways of using PHP for connecting HTML-based Web pages to a backend database for dynamic content
• How MySQL easily stores, updates, and accesses information

Who this book is for

This book is for beginners who are new to PHP and who need to learn quickly how to create Web sites using open source tools. Some basic HTML knowledge is helpful but not essential.

Elizabeth Naramore graduated from Miami University (Ohio) with a degree in Organizational Behavior and has been a Web developer since 1997. Her main focus is in e-commerce, but she develops sites across numerous industries. She is currently a moderator at PHPBuilder.com, an online help center for PHP. She lives in Cincinnati, Ohio with her husband and two children, and looks forward to someday returning to Miami to get her Masters in Computer Science.

Jason "goldbug" Gerner currently spends his days working as a Web developer in Cincinnati and burns free time complaining about lack of support for Web standards and abusing XML. He can often be found lurking in the PHPBuilder.com discussion forums, waiting to chime in with nagging comments about CSS or code efficiency.

Yann "Bunkermaster" Le Scouarnec is the senior developer for Jolt Online Gaming, a British gaming company. He is a moderator at PHPBuilder.com and a developer of open source PHP software for the gaming community. He has also worked for major software corporations as a software quality expert.

Jeremy "stolzyboy" Stolz is a Web Developer at J&M Companies, Inc. (www.jmcompanies.com), a print company in Fargo, North Dakota. Jeremy is primarily a PHP/MySQL developer, but he has also worked with many other languages. When not working, he frequents the Internet and tries to keep his programming skills sharp and up to date. He is a contributor to and moderator at PHPBuilder.com.

Michael "BuzzLY" Glass has been a gladiator in the software/Web site development arena for more than eight years. He has more than ten years of commercial programming experience with a wide variety of technologies, including PHP, Java, Lotus Domino, and Vignette StoryServer. He divides his time between computer programming, playing pool in the APA, and running his Web site at www.ultimatespin.com. You can usually find him slinking around on the PHPBuilder.com forums, where he is a moderator with the nickname BuzzLY.