PHP Programming with MySQL, by Don Gosselin is the first true academic textbook in the market to combine PHP with MySQL. This book covers one of the fastest growing technology combinations for developing interactive Web sites. With growth attributed to its open-source nature and usability amongst non-programmers, this text is accessible to users with little programming or database experience and suits personal Web development projects, as well as small to medium business Web development needs.

As the first true academic textbook in the market to combine PHP with MySQL, PHP Programming with MySQL, by Don Gosselin covers one of the fastest growing technology combinations for developing interactive Web sites.

OK, Used For A Class, Finding Errors
In the quest to learn PhP/MySQL, this book was the book used for a class. So far it seems ok but I just spent a few hours trying to figure out why I was getting errors only to realize the code in the book had typos in it.

Page 172 in "Functions and Control Structures", the ScoreQuiz.php if statements have no closing brackets } in the code in the book. The same file is used for more exercises in the book so unless you spot this, subsequent exercises will give you errors too.

To someone who has done a lot of programming, these may seem like no big deal, but when trying to learn this stuff for the first time it is quite frustrating.

If I come across more errors/typos that result in code that doesn’t function, I’ll post the issue and solution.

If there is an errata section posted anywhere? If so I haven’t found it.

Sorry excuse for a textbook
I have spent $12.95 on better programming books than this one. We used this book in a class that I just finished up. The instructor had to retype many of the code examples so she could correct the code errors. The book is nothing more than a recipe book of php scripts without properly explaining the materials. I would love to see colleges move away from companies like Thomson and look elsewhere for teaching materials.

The worst beginner’s book ever!
Very sloppy book with numerous typos (and inconsistencies!!) in code and elsewhere, about the worst offense committed by a beginner’s book. Stay away at all cost.

Avoid this book, seriously
I’m almost through my introductory PHP class, and the bottom line is that I would absolutely avoid this book.


A few caveats about online reviews: They are skewed b/c most people don’t bother to write unless they are really mad or really happy about a given product. I’m obviously in the later category. Separate out my tone and emotion if you can. But here are the facts:

1. The book is riddled with typos and straight up errors.
2. The author never bothers to correct them. I still haven’t found where errata are on his website.
3. Gosselin uses terms that he never bothers to define first. Who’s Gosselin? The author of the book. My point exactly.
4. Some of the examples of the code just don’t work. Because of the number of errors in the book, I can’t be sure if it’s just Gosselin’s problem or my own. This can not be overstated b/c the last thing a student wants is to work for hours on a problem only to realize that it wasn’t his/her problem to begin with.
5. The writing style is extremely dry, dense, and ambiguous. Make no mistake, this is not a user-friendly book.
6. The index is poor and there are no tables of commonly used functions/methods/ and other syntax that most textbooks have. It’s hard to find anything.
7. Price: too expensive, but that’s par for the course with Thompson Technology books.

Good book for programmers
This was one of the assigned books for a class of mine, but I quite liked it. As a teacher and a programmer of ~25 yrs, I like a book that I can not only read from front to back, but one in which I can easily ’look things up’, since I often know how to do something in another language but want to see how it is done with this tool.

This book is clear and concise and fills both needs. I liked the fact that it talks not only about the languages PHP and MySQL, but also how to get started with them (installation, configuration, and use with HTML). This book, along with the XAMPP/PHP/MySQL toolset made learning very easy and immediate.

One suggestion I’d make, however, would be for the book to include the XAMPP/PDT-all-in-one eclipse/Zend Debugger toolchain. Particularly on Windows, this allows the student to do open-source-package command-line debugging that is painless and accurate. Once I figured out how to use these tools, creating and debugging the book examples was ’a breeze’. It could have saved a lot of time for DG to include this industry-standard toolset. Kudos to Gosselin, though, for a great book... jps

Extremely poor textbook
I would give this book zero stars if it were allowed as it has made my semester unbearable. Not only did the author totally confuse me, but the editor of the book did a HORRIBLE job. This is my first class in programming and it almost makes me want to say forget it. If you are not required to purchase this book as I was, stay far away from it. There was one instance in the book when I spent over an hour working on a problem only to find out that the code that was provided was incorrect. While working through the chapters, the author would build on one project throughout each chapter. This caused you to have to make changes to the earlier solutions of the project. Therefore, if you ever got to a point where you wanted or needed to go back and look at it when you knew it was correct or just go over it again, you were not able to do so. The supplemental teaching materials that provided answers to the review questions at the end of the chapters had incorrect info. Imagine that...even the answers were wrong. In the beginning, I expected to be able to go to the author’s website to find errata information, but there were no links provided from the publisher’s site and I could not find the author’s website even after searching for him on Google. I am sad to say that I have learned absolutely nothing from this book, so I still know nothing about PHP and MySQL. I have wasted my time and effort, not to mention money for tuition and this horrible textbook. I’ve been directed to other books and have found them to be much more helpful for a beginning programmer. Try PHP 5 / MySQL Programming for the Absolute Beginner (For the Absolute Beginner), PHP For Teens or Foundation PHP for Dreamweaver 8. But whatever you do, steer clear of this book unless you want to be totally confused. Now, you have been properly warned.

Good Book but for beginners
This is a good book but only if you are new to PHP and programming. Looking for something better then beginners level... try something else.

Poor quality coursework
This book is aimed towards instructors and students. It is written in the style of a typical textbook. While the format is useful, the content is lacking clear direction especially when it mixes up how different usage is expected in Unix and Windows environments (or IIS and Apache). For beginners the text will be confusing as it jumbles together concepts. Additionally all the "Hands On Projects" are entirely spelled out. There is no creativity towards implementing the projects. The Case Projects generally are just the same ideas as the Hands on Projects and can be replicated easily.

As for the installation and configuration chapters on php and mysql, it would be useful to actually include pitfalls as many beginners would not know where to look for help if they were to get confused.

For ~$61, this book is overpriced, confusing, with incorrect information. PHP Solutions: Dynamic Web Design Made Easy from Friends of Ed may be a better option for professors looking for a book to use in the classroom.