The true power of PHP lies in its strength to create dynamic web content. Developers have moved on from using the newbie style of PHP books, to making PHP work for them by using the theoretical offerings to create small to medium websites. This transition has created a definite information void, and through the Professional PHP4 Web Development Solutions book we hope to exactly fill that space - by helping you create a variety of real world, interactive web sites using PHP4 along with HTML, a DBMS system (MySQL), PEAR::DB, and XML or WML wherever applicable.

This book assumes that the reader has read Beginning PHP 4 and he does not have much of a clue about databases (almost Zero Database Quotient). So this book should be able to teach the reader how to build robust database driven PHP web applications. Further, this book is kind of a 'getting-the reader-ready' for PHP5 which will have strong OO and PEAR DB focus. So we teach the Beginning PHP DB developer the best practices to be adopted when getting into active development. After reading the book, developers will be fluent in database systems and how to take advantage of them in PHP applications.

This book is a tutorial, a resource and a reference for PHP programmers who need to process XML data or interface different systems using XML. Non PHP programmers who need to construct a web based frontend for an application using XML can learn how to do it using PHP, since the book also covers the basic foundations of PHP programming. Advanced PHP programmers experienced in XML will obtain a reference as well as a very deep coverage on advanced topics.

Build Your Own Database Driven Website Using PHP & MySQL is a hands-on guide to learning all the tools, principles and techniques needed to build a fully functional database-driven Website using PHP & MySQL. This book covers everything from installing PHP & MySQL under Windows, Mac or Linux, through to building a live Web-based content management system. This book not only provides easy access to all the code samples demonstrated, but, more importantly, it leaves you with the confidence and know-how to adapt the principles and techniques to your own Web design projects.

PHP Programming for Windows covers new ground including the use of PHP with Windows databases such as Access and SQL Server plus other topics such as the Microsoft SOAP SDK and using PHP with the Active Directory. This book covers PHP from installation all the way up to developing PHP applications with the Active Directory and .NET and teaches developers how to optimize PHP for the Windows platform and how to work with PHP and Windows Enterprise technologies.

XML and PHP is a clear, concise guide to the synergies between XML and PHP, many of which are not immediately visible to intermediate developers. XML and PHP demonstrates how PHP and XML can be combined to build cutting-edge Web applications. It includes detailed explanations of PHP's XML extensions, together with illustrations of using PHP to parse, validate and transform XML markup, traverse XML data trees, exchange data between Web applications, overlay remote procedure calls over HTTP, and use free open-source tools to add new capabilities to your PHP/XML applications.

This book provides you with everything you need to know about PHP, MySQL and how to create dynamic webpages. You don't need prior knowledge of programming. You learn by example from the many practical examples throughout the book. The accompanying CD-Rom includes apache, Netscape, PHP, and MySQL source code, plus all the scripts from the book. Topics covered: How to install and configure the Linux server; PHP--handling form processing, saving state, loops and arrays, strings and pattern matching, web server variables plus many other features; MySQL--connecting MySQL with PHP, Guest book application, Gotcha application, and Internal shopping cart application; How to secure Apache using authentication--web authentication, using PHP to control Access, using a database to store users and passwords, using htaccess files.

Professional PHP4 will show you exactly how to create state of the art web applications that scale well, utilize databases optimally, and connect to a back-end network using a multi-tiered approach. This book also aims at teaching PHP by coding FTP clients, e-mail clients, some advanced data structures, session management, and secure programming. Topics covered: The whys and wherefores of PHP4; PHP installation on *nix, Windows, and MacOS X; Sessions and cookies, coding FTP clients, network-related function calls, and directory services; PHP support for LDAP; Multi-tiered development using PHP; PHP's interaction with XML; PHP with MySQL; PHP with PostgreSQL and ODBC; Securing, optimizing, and internationalizing PHP applications; PHP extension libraries; A real world employee directory, an online library application, and a GTK interface to the application; Case studies on a user privilege system and a multi-tiered WML-based shopping cart.

Design and write effective solutions for any Web-based project with help from this thorough resource on PHP--the server-side, cross-platform, HTML-embedded scripting language. Learn to develop a variety of useful solutions, from network management and Web development, to database and system administration. Each chapter of Instant PHP 4 features projects and examples crafted to illustrate a broad span of topics and design considerations--plus in-depth instruction on all phases of development necessary to complete the projects. Increase your knowledge of PHP with the comprehensive explanations and precooked applications and solutions in this robust technical resource. The CD-ROM includes ready-to-use Web development solutions, and all source code used throughout the book.

If you're a programmer looking for the most effective uses of PHP, this book will provide you with: A clear guide to common function usage and pitfalls; Easy to find, detailed information on the most important PHP functions; Practical examples of each function's use; Overview's that discuss how and why to use a particular group of functions; Practical, complete documentation on powerful but obscure functions such as pack and unpack. The web site for PHP Functions Essential Reference contains materials to support and expand on the book. Over 700 additional function writeups are available, along with updates, errata, and a few surprises.