the book is not a guide to learn PHP from scrath, but it is very good for new & old programmers.
it's chapters includes all major aspects of the language & a lot of common problems, & that is very useful.

I liked this book because of its simplicity. Well written, easy to follow, and with a lot of practical examples.

I was surprised when I received because I found it 'thin' (~400 pages but font is relatively big), but, as everything is explained to the point, It has the right number of pages for the right content.

The book is focused in how to make objects work for you, it does not explore unnecessarily in detail how the objects presented get the work done. You can download the code, so you can take a look inside by yourself.

Also, this book cover the basics of PHP PEAR.

I use a lot of includes in php and wondered if I could more fruitfully use OOP. My conclusion was that includes can do just about everything OOP can do. The book's page-appearance is poor, huge blank rectangles with just a couple of tiny words on them take up two thirds of a page, there's gray tint over just the part of the code you most want to read, the type's too big, the code is clumsily commented so active code lines are hard to pick out. Altogether not a pleasant reading experience. And the instruction is not inspired. I never did get the point of OOP in PHP.

I use a lot of includes in php and wondered if I could more fruitfully use OOP. My conclusion was that includes can do just about everything OOP can do. The book's page-appearance is poor, huge blank rectangles with just a couple of tiny words on them take up two thirds of a page, there's gray tint over just the part of the code you most want to read, the type's too big, the code is clumsily commented so active code lines are hard to pick out. Altogether not a pleasant reading experience. And the instruction is not inspired. I never did get the point of OOP in PHP.

Having built Object Oriented solutions for over nine years in C++ and Delphi, PHP had me confused by the nature of its object system. I was unable to find suitable information on the web on such issues as the PHP object lifecycle, applicability of patterns (entire section on patterns), how to handle the looser typing mechanism (automated tests), and how to optimize for performance. This book solved ALL of my problems!!!

The text is simple and exceedingly practical but far from boring! In fact, I was so excited by how clearly the information was conveyed that I did in fact read both volumes I and II cover to cover - TWICE (though you can use them as reference works). Not only that but the texts significantly increased my respect for PHP; from gruding acceptance of its use to having some genuine affection for the language and appreciation for its power.

If you are completely new to development these books (I and II) are for. If you are an advanced developer with years of OO experience and are just getting started in PHP then you will be relieved by what you find here.

All of that aside, I will say that there were a few instances where the author kludged the definition of an OO concept to make it fit within the PHP framework. There are some substantial ways in which PHP 4 just does not hold up as an OO language (PHP 5 fixes them). However, the author really had no choice in the matter because if he had tried to explain the formal OO concept, then PHP 4's interpretation of that concept and how to implement he would have lost 90% of his audience. So even this one complaint ends with praise - the author skillfully sacrifices detail only where necessary to increase the palatibility of the materal.

Great job! Great book!

Once again, regardless of your skill level if you are going to be doing any halfway serious PHP work you NEED this series.

I have been reading alot of books on PHP 5's new object features. I picked up this book hoping it would meet somewhere between "Object-Oriented PHP" by Peter Lavin and "PHP Objects, Patterns, and Practices". The next day I ended up giving the book to my co-worker. I started reading it on the train and was completely disappointed! The entire object oriented chapter is written for PHP 4 besides one blurb that mentions refrences won't be needed in PHP 5. This book is in serious need of a new edition!

If you are beginning PHP programming this book is just one of the hundreds of books that cover the same common issues. If you are looking for the latest PHP has to offer, this isn't your book.

I recently bought both volumes and am currently reading them. They both provide very good examples in an easy to read and understand format. I am a little disappointed in the coverage of php5, however. The cover proudly displays a "PHP 5 Ready" label, but it seems like this constitutes just a couple paragraphs added here and there to the old version. Also there is much talk about MySQL, but again it's not version 5.

Overall it is a very good resource aimed at the beginning or next level programmer, but probably best to wait for the next addition truly devoted to php5. In the meantime I would recommend "PHP and MySQL Web Development" by Luke Welling and Laura Thomson.

I would also recommend checking out Harry Fuecks' (the author of this book) articles on sitepoint.com. Very good.

There were so many details in this book that I attempted to find on-line, but had no luck. This book is worth ten times its price. Great job! Thanks.

This is a great book!
I bought about 10 PHP books to help me with a web project involving MySQL/PHP. I am a professional Java developer, therefore the principles of PHP are not hard to grasp. Still, everything is different in PHP, and before I saw this book I had the impression that the majority of PHP developers are hacking, cutting and pasting examples into procedural code at random.

After getting started using "PHP and MySQL Web Develpment" by Luke Wellling and Laura Thompson (highly recommended) this book brought me to a level that I can now clain to be a professional PHP programmer too.

This book clearly shows that it is possible to develop PHP in an organized way, using proper design, good object-oriented principles and design patterns (in vol.II). Besides that, there are many practical tips about things I found really difficult as Java programmer: magical quotes, .ini file settings, & references, file downloads, paging result tables, etc. etc. The book is clearly written and answers every question from the standpoint of how to do something using good design and how to write code that is maintainable, extensible and reusable.

With so many books on the market instructing users on dummy approaches to just about everything, it is good to see that Sitepoint has raised the bar, once again, in the technical instruction arena. In continuing the legacy established with "Build Your Own Website Using PHP & MySQL" and "HTML Utopia:Designing Without Tables Using CSS", they have taken a
complex and oft misunderstood approach to coding and presented PHP in a dymystified way that is easy to understand, exciting to conceptualize and practical in application. Harry Fuecks brings a great deal of experience and leadership to Sitepoint, giving the users a way to take linear procedural code and turn it into reusable objects for easier coding. These books will sit on my "favorites" shelf within arms reach of my computer for a long time to come. Kudos, Sitepoint, on yet another stellar release.
~Aaron Brazell, Emmense Technologies

Having bought a few beginner's books on PHP and written a basic CMS for my Website, I was ready to move to the step. What I didn't want is a reference book or a 800 page theory & fluff book that I would never finish reading -- much less use.

Being a previous customer of this publisher, I got an offer to pre-order the book. Since it sounded like it fit the bill and I got a discount for buying both Volume I & II, I decided to go ahead with it.

Having read through half of the first volume, and skimmed through the second volume, I can definitely say that this title has met my expectations. There's quite a few ideas that I can put to use right away, plus I found quite a few things that I now want to offer to my site visitors that this book will make possible.

Because of the way the book is written, I don't have to read through it front to back. I can flip to specific sections, and in a few pages, learn to accomplish a specific task. This is one PHP book - or I should say books - that gets my thumbs up. It's definitely going to get put to good use over the next few weeks.

Having bought a few beginner's books on PHP and written a basic CMS for my Website, I was ready to move to the step. What I didn't want is a reference book or a 800 page theory & fluff book that I would never finish reading -- much less use.

Being a previous customer of this publisher, I got an offer to pre-order the book. Since it sounded like it fit the bill and I got a discount for buying both Volume I & II, I decided to go ahead with it.

Having read through half of the first volume, and skimmed through the second volume, I can definitely say that this title has met my expectations. There's quite a few ideas that I can put to use right away, plus I found quite a few things that I now want to offer to my site visitors that this book will make possible.

Because of the way the book is written, I don't have to read through it front to back. I can flip to specific sections, and in a few pages, learn to accomplish a specific task. This is one PHP book - or I should say books - that gets my thumbs up. It's definitely going to get put to good use over the next few weeks.