Head First PHP & MySQL

If you’re ready to create web pages more complex than those you can build with HTML and CSS, Head First PHP & MySQL is the ultimate learning guide to building dynamic, database-driven websites using PHP and MySQL. Packed with real-world examples, this book teaches you all the essentials of server-side programming, from the fundamentals of PHP and MySQL coding to advanced topics such as form validation, session IDs, cookies, database queries and joins, file I/O operations, content management, and more.

Head First PHP & MySQL offers the same visually rich format that’s turned every title in the Head First series into a bestseller, with plenty of exercises, quizzes, puzzles, and other interactive features to help you retain what you’ve learned.

• Use PHP to transform static HTML pages into dynamic web sites
• Create and populate your own MySQL database tables, and work with data stored in files
• Perform sophisticated MySQL queries with joins, and refine your results with LIMIT and ORDER BY
• Use cookies and sessions to track visitors’ login information and personalize the site for users
• Protect your data from SQL injection attacks
• Use regular expressions to validate information on forms
• Dynamically display text based on session info and create images on the fly
• Pull syndicated data from other sites using PHP and XML

Throughout the book, you’ll build sophisticated examples — including a mailing list, a job board, and an online dating site — to help you learn how to harness the power of PHP and MySQL in a variety of contexts. If you’re ready to build a truly dynamic website, Head First PHP & MySQL is the ideal way to get going.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 add life to your static pages: It’s Alive
Chapter 2 Connecting to MySQL:
Chapter 3 create and populate a database: Creating your own data
Chapter 4 realistic and practical applications: Your Application on the Web
Chapter 5 working with data stored in files: When a database just isn’t enough
Chapter 6 securing your application: Assume they’re all out to get you
Chapter 7 building personalized web apps: Remember me?
Chapter 7 1/2 eliminate duplicate code: Sharing is caring
Chapter 8 control your data, control your world: Harvesting data
Chapter 9 string and custom functions: Better living through functions
Chapter 10 regular expressions: Rules for replacement
Chapter 11 visualizing your data… and more!: Drawing dynamic graphics
Chapter 12 syndication and web services: Interfacing to the world

Appendix I: leftovers: The Top Ten Topics (we didn’t cover)
Appendix II: set up a development environment: A place to play
Appendix III: extend your php: Get even more