Organization of This Book
The chapters in this book are written in a specific order, first introducing all of the core
technologies it covers and then walking you through their installation on a web devel-
opment server, so that you will be ready to work through the examples.
In the following section, you will gain a grounding in the PHP programming language,
covering the basics of syntax, arrays, functions, and object-oriented programming.
Then, with PHP under your belt, you will move on to an introduction to the MySQL
database system, where you will learn everything from how MySQL databases are
structured up to how to generate complex queries.
After that, you will learn how you can combine PHP and MySQL to start creating your
own dynamic web pages by integrating forms and other HTML features. You will then
spend some time looking at ways to speed up your web development using Smarty
templates.
In the next three chapters you will get down to the nitty-gritty practical aspects of PHP
and MySQL development, learning about a variety of useful functions, how to manage
cookies and sessions, and how to maintain a high level of security.
In the following four chapters you will gain a thorough grounding in JavaScript, from
simple functions and event handling to accessing the Document Object Model and in-
browser validation and error handling.
With an understanding of all three of these core technologies, you will then learn how
to make behind-the-scenes Ajax calls and turn your websites into highly dynamic
environments.
Finally, you’ll spend two chapters learning all about using CSS to style and lay out your
web pages, and then you’ll put together everything you’ve learned in a complete set of
programs that together constitute a fully working social networking website.
Along the way, you’ll also find plenty of pointers and advice on good programming
practices and tips that could help you find and solve hard-to-detect programming er-
rors. There are also plenty of links to websites containing further details on the topics
covered.
Supporting Books
Once you have learned to develop using PHP, MySQL, and JavaScript you will be ready
to take your skills to the next level using the following reference books:
• Dynamic HTML: The Definitive Reference (http://oreil.ly/dynamic_html ) by Danny
Goodman (O’Reilly)
• PHP in a Nutshell (http://oreil.ly/PHP_nutshell) by Paul Hudson (O’Reilly)
• MySQL in a Nutshell (http://oreil.ly/MySQL_nutshell) by Russell Dyer (O’Reilly)
xviii | Preface