Beginning PHP 6, Apache, MySQL 6 Web Development

If you are looking for a book that gives you real world applications this is it. However, this book does not go through every little detail and then say make an application. It actually gives you an application then goes into how it works. So if you are a person that likes to learn everything upfront and then tries to make applications from what you have learned then this book might not be for you. But, if you are like me and like to see how these applications are built and learn from "reverse engineering" then this is for you. I have yet to have a problem with the code; however, I do agree with others that it is a must, when learning a new language, to draw from more than one book as a learning tool.

First, I want to say I received this book as a gift so I can't complain too much. Second, I am new to PHP/MYSQL coding and this book has taught me a lot. The only problem I have with the book is that some of the code they use has errors or small imperfections. For example, in chapter 6 the book shows you how to write or edit to a database. The code is all written for you so basically all you have to do is copy/paste the code into your editor of your choice. I use Dreamweaver and I like to type the code myself, so I can understand how it works. After finishing and bringing the page up with Apache I noticed that the drop down lists, that connect to the database and let you choose the lead actors and directors displayed them in doubles. The actors and directors are placed in the same table, which has a total of eight values. The code was reading all the actors but it was counting the director's spots and placing the actor's names in the places again. I have tried everything to figure out how to get the extra names off the list but nothing worked. I checked the code over and over but everything looked good. I even thought they meant to do this on purpose, to show an example. But that wasn't the case either. There are many small examples like this through out the book. In a way, it's a good thing because it forces the reader to debug the code or improve on it. It also can be annoying. Either way, the book gives a lot of information but read additional PHP/MYSQL books because as I found out, everyone codes differently.