Web Database Applications with PHP and MySQL (2^nd Ed.) Building Effective Database-Driven Web Sites

There are many reasons for serving up dynamic content from a web site: to offer an online shopping site, create customized information pages for users, or just manage a large volume of content through a database. Anyone with a modest knowledge of HTML and web site management can learn to create dynamic content through the PHP programming language and the MySQL database. This book gives you the background and tools to do the job safely and reliably. Web Database Applications with PHP and MySQL, Second Edition thoroughly reflects the needs of real-world applications. It goes into detail on such practical issues as validating input (do you know what a proper credit card number looks like?), logging in users, and using templates to give your dynamic web pages a standard look. But this book goes even further. It shows how JavaScript and PHP can be used in tandem to make a user's experience faster and more pleasant.
It shows the correct way to handle errors in user input so that a site looks professional.
It introduces the vast collection of powerful tools available in the PEAR repository and shows how to use some of the most popular tools. Even while it serves as an introduction to new programmers, the book does not omit critical tasks that web sites require. For instance, every site that allows updates must handle the possibility of multiple users accessing data at the same time.
This book explains how to solve the problem in detail with locking. Through a sophisticated sample application--Hugh and Dave's Wine Store--all the important techniques of dynamic content are introduced. Good design is emphasized, such as dividing logic from presentation. The book introduces PHP 5 and MySQL 4.1 features, while providing techniques that can be used on older versions of the software that are still in widespread use. This new edition has been redesigned around the rich offerings of PEAR. Several of these, including the Template package and the database-independent query API, are fully integrated into examples and thoroughly described in the text.
Topics include:
- Installation and configuration of Apache, MySQL, and PHP on Unix®, Windows®, and Mac OS® X systems
- Introductions to PHP, SQL, and MySQL administration
- Session management, including the use of a custom database for improved efficiency
- User input validation, security, and authentication
- The PEAR repository, plus details on the use of PEAR DB and Template classes
- Production of PDF reports

Chapter 1 Database Applications and the Web
The Web
Three-Tier Architectures

Chapter 2 The PHP Scripting Language
Introducing PHP
Conditions and Branches
Loops
Functions
Working with Types
User-Defined Functions
A Working Example

Chapter 3 Arrays, Strings, and Advanced Data Manipulation in PHP
Arrays
Strings
Regular Expressions
Dates and Times
Integers and Floats

Chapter 4 Introduction to Object-Oriented Programming with PHP 5
Classes and Objects
Inheritance
Throwing and Catching Exceptions

Chapter 5 SQL and MySQL
Database Basics
MySQL Command Interpreter
Managing Databases and Tables
Inserting, Updating, and Deleting Data
Querying with SQL SELECT
Join Queries
Case Study: Adding a New Wine

Chapter 6 Querying Web Databases
Querying a MySQL Database Using PHP
Processing User Input
MySQL Function Reference

Chapter 7 PEAR
Overview
Core Components
Packages

Chapter 8 Writing to Web Databases
Database Inserts, Updates, and Deletes
Issues in Writing Data to Databases
Chapter 9 Validation with PHP and JavaScript
Validation and Error Reporting Principles
Server-Side Validation with PHP
JavaScript and Client-Side Validation

Chapter 10 Sessions
Introducing Session Management
PHP Session Management
Case Study: Using Sessions in Validation
When to Use Sessions
PHP Session API and Configuration

Chapter 11 Authentication and Security
HTTP Authentication
HTTP Authentication with PHP
Form-Based Authentication
Protecting Data on the Web

Chapter 12 Errors, Debugging, and Deployment
Errors
Common Programming Errors
Custom Error Handlers

Chapter 13 Reporting
Creating a Report
Producing PDF
PDF-PHP Reference

Chapter 14 Advanced Features of Object-Oriented Programming in PHP 5
Working with Class Hierarchies
Class Type Hints
Abstract Classes and Interfaces
Freight Calculator Example

Chapter 15 Advanced SQL
Exploring with SHOW
Advanced Querying
Manipulating Data and Databases
Functions
Automating Querying
Table Types
Backup and Recovery
Managing Users and Privileges
Tuning MySQL

Chapter 16 Hugh and Dave's Online Wines:A Case Study
Functional and System Requirements
Application Overview
Common Components

Chapter 17 Managing Customers
Code Overview
Customer Validation
The Customer Form

Chapter 18 The Shopping Cart
Code Overview
The Winestore Home Page
The Shopping Cart Implementation
Chapter 19 Ordering and Shipping at the Online Winestore
Code Overview
Credit Card and Shipping Instructions
Finalizing Orders
HTML and Email Receipts

Chapter 20 Searching and Authentication in the Online Winestore
Code Overview
Searching and Browsing
Authentication
Appendix A Linux Installation Guide
Finding Out What's Installed
Installation Overview
Installing MySQL
Installing Apache
Installing PHP
What's Needed for This Book
Appendix B Microsoft Windows Installation Guide
Installation Overview
Installing with EasyPHP
What's Needed for This Book
Appendix C Mac OS X Installation Guide
Getting Started
Installing MySQL
Setting Up Apache and PHP
What's Needed for This Book
Appendix D Web Protocols
Network Basics
Hypertext Transfer Protocol
Appendix E Modeling and Designing Relational Databases
The Relational Model
Entity-Relationship Modeling
Appendix F Managing Sessions in theDatabase Tier
Using a Database to Keep State
PHP Session Management
MySQL Session Store
Appendix G Resources
Client Tier Resources
Middle-Tier Resources
Database Tier Resources
Security and Cryptography Resources
Appendix H The Improved MySQL Library
New Features
Getting Started
Using the New Features
Colophon

Since the mid 1990s David Lane has worked as a software engineer and IT manager with the Multimedia Database Systems group at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia. In that group he has helped to develop and commercialize the Structured Information Manager, a large-scale SGML/XML document repository and a high performance Web server. David has also worked with Australia's largest telecommunications company, Telstra, in areas as diverse as Satellite Communications, Human Factors Research, and Electronic Document Interchange (EDI). David has a Bachelor's degree in Applied Science (majoring in mathematics and computer science) from Swinburne University.

Hugh E. Williams is a software design engineer at Microsoft's Windows Live Search in Redmond, WA. Previously, he was the Associate Professor in Information Retrieval at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia. He's published over 70 research papers and holds around 10 patents, mostly in the search engine area. When not at work Hugh likes to hang out with his family, exercise, watch Richmond play footy, and learn about baseball. Hugh has a PhD from RMIT University. His home page is http://hughwilliams.com.