Getting Good with PHP: New Rockable eBook

PHP is a big language. I mean, really big. Big in more than one way. This makes it somewhat challenging to learn, especially if your skills lie on the front end of the web. But it doesn’t have to be so hard anymore. Today, I’m going to introduce you to a project I’ve been working on for a while: Getting Good with PHP.

You’ll Get Good at PHP

Getting Good with PHP is the latest book in my Getting Good with … series; and just like the others, it’s designed to take you from ground zero—knowing nothing at all about PHP—to what I like to call the “advanced beginner” skill level.

My goal was to write a book you could read in a couple of hours, or work through in a weekend, so I can’t cover everything there is to know about PHP. However, if you’ve never written a line of PHP before (or at least, not very many lines), this book should get you to a place where you know enough to be comfortable with basic PHP scripts, and are ready (and able!) to learn more.

Should I Learn PHP?

Learning at least a little PHP is essential for the web developer of 2012.

With some of the recent articles about whether PHP is a good language or not, you might be on the fence about learning it. Here’s my thought: with PHP being the most commonly used server-side language, you can’t really be a web developer these days without knowing at least a little PHP. But it’s more than that: there are large, friendly web communities based solely on PHP libraries and frameworks, like WordPress or Laravel. And even outside of these communities, there are tons of helpful resources and tutorials for upping your PHP knowledge. To me, there’s no doubt that learning at least a little PHP is essential for the web developer of 2012.

What You’re Getting

Five chapters there are, in this book:

• Chapter 1: Getting Up and Running
• Chapter 2: The Nuts and Bolts of PHP
• Chapter 3: PHP’s Control Structures and Built-in Functions
• Chapter 4: PHP Forms and Persistence (Cookies, Sessions, and Databases)
• Chapter 5: Security and Problem Solving

Want a Sample?

Of course you do! Here’s the first 15 pages, for your perusal.

Don’t Buy the Book If …

I want to make one thing clear, though. This book really is for the absolute beginner. If you’ve already read a PHP book, or worked through a series of tutorials or screencasts introducing you to PHP, you’ll probably find my book a waste of time and money. But, if you’re new to this world, this is the book for you!