PHP: The Complete Reference

Your One-Stop Guide to Web Development with PHP--Covers PHP 5.2

Build dynamic, cross-browser Web applications with PHP--the server-side programming language that's taken the Internet by storm. Through detailed explanations and downloadable code examples, this comprehensive guide shows you, step-by-step, how to configure PHP, create PHP-enabled Web pages, and put every advanced development tool to work.

PHP: The Complete Referenceexplains how to personalize the PHP work space, define operators and variables, manipulate strings and arrays, deploy HTML forms and buttons, and process user input. You'll learn how to access database information, track client-side preferences using cookies, execute FTP and e-mail transactions, and publish your applications to the Web. You'll also get in-depth coverage of PHP's next-generation Web 2.0 design features, including AJAX, XML, and RSS.Install PHP and set up a customized development environmentWork with variables, operators, loops, strings, arrays, and functionsIntegrate HTML controls, text fields, forms, radio buttons, and checkboxesAccept and validate user-entered data from Web pagesSimplify programming using PHP's object-oriented tools Build blogs, guest books, and feedback pages with server-side file storageWrite MySQL scripts that retrieve, modify, and update database informationSet cookies, perform FTP transactions, and send e-mails from PHP sessionsBuild AJAX-enabled Web pagesDraw graphics on the serverCreate XML components and add RSS feeds

Steven Holzner is the award-winning author of more than 100 computer books, including a number of bestsellers on PHP. He's been a contributing editor for PC Magazine, teaches programming classes at Fortune 500 companies, and has been on the faculty at Cornell University and MIT.