From the very first page, the author of this book lets us know exactly its purpose - to act as an off-line reference to the hundred or so domestic PHP functions one might use in the course of writing software, and a couple of their lesser-used variants.

One of my favorite parts was the list of related functions below each description: this allows you to hyperlink your way around the book in a more semantic way than simply reading it front-to-back.

This is certainly not a book just for beginners, because I wouldn't consider output buffer functions to be used by beginners (if you don't know what I mean when I say ob_start() or ob_flush(), then you should probably pick up a copy).

This is the kind of book you should throw in your laptop bag as you get started on a new project, or keep on the shelf of your cubicle. Think about which is faster - tabbing back and forth between your browser window with the current page you're testing, and your text editor, AND the php.net site, or just having a small reference book next to your keyboard.

Also consider your ability to make notes next to functions about your own personal tricks and experiences - I always find myself digging back into my own code as a reference, but if you just had this paper version to carry with you everywhere, you could save yourself a lot of time by not having to grep through your code.

Completely worth your time and money.

The examples are clear for beginners and easy to follow. Even functions I've never tried to understand before when looking on php.net. As I've started looking into object-orientated programming, I wish this book covered that as well, but I guess that would be more advanced.

I kept getting stuck forgetting little things when coding and I like to get away from my desk a lot, so carrying a 500 page all inclusive book didn't work for me, but this fit the bill. It doesn't have everything in PHP in it, and that's a good thing, because it makes it more portable and fits 95% of my needs. Incredibly handy.