Practical Web 2.0 Applications with PHP
- Media: Book (Paperback, 569 pages)
- ISBN: 1590599063
- Publisher: Apress
- Release Date: Dec 20, 2007
Product Description
Want to assert yourself as a cutting-edge PHP web developer? Take a practical approach, learning by example from author Quentin Zervaas, and discover how to bring together the many technologies needed to create a successful, modern web application.
In Practical Web 2.0 Applications with PHP, PHP, MySQL, CSS, XHTML, and JavaScript/Ajax development techniques are brought together to show you how to create the hottest PHP web applications, from planning and design up to final implementation, without going over unnecessary basics that will hold you back. This book includes must-have application features such as search functionality, maps, blogs, dynamic image galleries, and personalized user areas. The Zend Framework is used extensively to build the application, allowing you to focus on developing the application rather than on reinventing the wheel.
Topics covered include application planning and design; setting up the application framework; using CSS for easier styling; adding dynamic effects the easy way using JavaScript libraries such as Prototype and script.aculo.us; and implementing several must-have web application features such as user login, blogs, dynamic image galleries, search functionality, mapping with Google Maps, and much more. Zervaas covers everything in a practical, tutorial style so you can start working on your own projects as quickly as possible.
- Create cutting-edge PHP/MySQL web applications.
- Implement must-have functionality such as blogs, maps, search functionality, and dynamic image galleries.
- Master styling with CSS and dynamic effects using Ajax/JavaScript libraries.
- How to set up the perfect PHP/MySQL application development environment
- How to implement basic user management functionality
- How to use many of the components from the Zend Framework
- How to effectively make use of the Prototype and script.aculo.us JavaScript libraries, including many examples of developing custom JavaScript classes
- How to create standards-compliant and accessible HTML code and effectively style it using CSS
- How to create a basic blog system and enhance it with Ajax
- How to add personalized user areas to your web application
- How to create a dynamic image gallery
- How to add search functionality to your application
- How to use the Google Maps API to add maps to your application
- How to implement popular Web 2.0 features, such as microformats, tags, and web feeds
This book is for any PHP developer who wants to stay ahead of the curve, with practical, high-level web application development techniques.
About the Apress Practical SeriesThe Practical series from Apress is your best choice for getting the job done, period. From professional to expert, this series lets you apply project-motivated templates (or frameworks) step by step in a very direct, practical, and efficient manner toward current real-world projects that may be sitting on your desk. So whatever your career goal, Apress can be your trusted guide to take you where you want to go on your IT career empowerment path.
Defiitely NEEDS an update!
I got so much use from the code in this book.
I particularly liked the intro to the Zend Framework and Prototype/Scriptaculous. I was very, very impressed.
Needs an update
That said, I can't give this book a higher score. One show stopper in 2009 is that the Zend Framework is quite different today than it was when this book was published. So, as early as chapter 2, you'll find deprecated methods (like Zend_Loader::registerAutoload()). In fact, because of ZF 1.8 and Zend_Application, I would not recommend implementing any of the bootstrap approach employed in the book. It is so much simpler now. I really hope that Mr. Zervaas publishes an updated edition that takes some of these updates into consideration.
I also agree with other reviews here that question the choice of the custom DatabaseObject class. There are a number of problems with this class, even after refactoring in some Zend_Db functionality. I won't repeat the arguments, but here is another opportunity for an update.
Excellent Book on PHP using Zend Framework, and Web 2.0 Technologies
First, the guy who gave it 2 stars doesn't understand that the whole point of the Zend Framework is that you don't have to abide by a strict set of rules. It's a glue framework.
The author uses some custom abstract classes for interacting with the database and handling forms. He doesn't explain how they work but the whole point of OOP is encapsulation. Your using those classes (extending them) but you don't necessarily understand how they work completely. I mean do you understand how everything in the Zend Framework works? NO and thats the point of using a frame work because you extend from it. All his custom code has been unit tested as well too.
I understand that Zend Framework has classes for interacting with the database and form processing and eventually will look into them.
That being said, I have had the time to work through this book ( I'm half way into it) and the authors writing style is great and very consise. There are a few typos (errata) which can be found on the Apress web site to fix as you go along. People have posted solutions to a minor few bugs because of newer code being used like Prototype as well.
You will learn a great deal from this book. I have a background in front end web development and some Jquery. I studied Java, Ruby so I had some knowledge of OOP and most recently before I started this book I studied a lot of procedural PHP. That helped before diving in OOP PHP and the Zend Framework.
So, I guess I'm trying to say that this book is very approachable and satisfying because you are building something that you can use as a library of code for your own projects.
Although, you should prepare yourself with knowedge of OOP PHP, maybe do a Zend Framework Tutotial which can be found at the official site. Also, having some knowledge of a Javascript library and CSS as well as investigating what Smarty templates are would be beneficial if you are totally new to how modern web applications are built.
Definitely by this book. You want be disappointed!!!
Bad use of zend framework
And with more than 20 php books readed, i think i cant tell that this book, is not good for learning, neither zend framework, or oop