Book description
This valuable guide offers both practical and fun PHP programming techniques. Learn to develop more robust PHP applications by improving your database design, automating application testing, and employing design patterns in your PHP scripts and classes. Image and application hacks explain how to create custom MP3 broadcasts, integrate with iTunes, and generate PDFs. Designed for all PHP programmers, from newcomers to experts.
Full Description Programmers love its flexibility and speed; designers love its accessibility and convenience. When it comes to creating web sites, the PHP scripting language is truly a red-hot property. In fact, PHP is currently used on more than 19 million web sites, surpassing Microsoft's ASP .NET technology in popularity. Not surprisingly, this surge in usage has resulted in a number of PHP books hitting the market. Only one, though, takes the language beyond traditional Web programming and into mapping, graphing, multimedia, and beyond: PHP Hacks.
In PHP Hacks, author Jack Herrington wrings out his 20 years of code generation experience to deliver hands-on tools ranging from basic PHP and PEAR installation and scripting to advanced multimedia and database optimizing tricks.
On the practical side of things, PHP Hacks helps you develop more robust PHP applications by explaining how to improve your database design, automate application testing, and employ design patterns in your PHP scripts and classes. In the category of 'cool,' Herrington explains how to upgrade your Web interface through the creation of tabs, stickies, popups, and calendars. He even examines how to leverage maps and graphics in PHP. There's also a bounty of image and application hacks, including those that show you how to:
Integrate web sites with Google maps and satellite imaging
Dynamically display iPhoto libraries online
Add IRC, SMS, and Instant Messaging capabilities to your Web applications
Drop the latest Wikipedia dictionary onto your Sony PSP
Render graphics and user interfaces with SVG, DHTML, and Ajax
Whether you're a newcomer or an expert, you'll find great value in PHP Hacks, the only PHP guide that offers something useful and fun for everyone.
Table of Contents
Credits
Preface
Chapter 1. Installation and Basics
1. Install PHP
2. Install PEAR Modules
Chapter 2. Web Design
3. Create a Skinnable Interface
4. Build a Breadcrumb Trail
5. Create HTML Boxes
6. Add Tabs to Your Web Interface
7. Give Your Customers Formatting Control with XSL
8. Build Lightweight HTML Graphs
9. Properly Size Image Tags
10. Send HTML Email
Chapter 3. DHTML
11. Put an Interactive Spreadsheet on Your Page
12. Create Pop-Up Hints
13. Create Drag-and-Drop Lists
14. Build Dynamic HTML Graphs
15. Section Your Content with Spinners
16. Create Drop-Down Stickies
17. Create Dynamic Navigation Menus
18. Obscure JavaScript Dynamically
19. Build a DHTML Binary Clock
20. Tame Ajax with JSON
21. Make a DHTML Slideshow
22. Add Vector Graphics with PHP
23. Build a Color Selector
24. Create Link Graphs
25. Create an Interactive Calendar
26. Create the Google Maps Scrolling Effect
Chapter 4. Graphics
27. Create Thumbnail Images
28. Create Beautiful Graphics with SVG
29. Simplify Your Graphics with Objects
30. Split One Image into Multiple Images
31. Create Graphs with PHP
32. Create Image Overlays
33. Access Your iPhoto Pictures with PHP
Chapter 5. Databases and XML
34. Design Better SQL Schemas
35. Create Bulletproof Database Access
36. Create Dynamic Database Access Objects
37. Generate CRUD Database Code
38. Read XML on the Cheap with Regular Expressions
39. Export Database Schema as XML
40. Create a Simple XML Query Handler for Database Access
41. Generate Database SQL
42. Generate Database Select Code
43. Convert CSV to PHP
44. Scrape Web Pages for Data
45. Suck Data from Excel Uploads
46. Load Your Database from Excel
47. Search Microsoft Word Documents
48. Create RTF Documents Dynamically
49. Create Excel Spreadsheets Dynamically
50. Create a Message Queue
Chapter 6. Application Design
51. Create Modular Interfaces
52. Support Wiki Text
53. Turn Any Object into an Array
54. Create XML the Right Way
55. Fix the Double Submit Problem
56. Create User-Customizable Reports
57. Create a Login System
58. Apply Security by Role
59. Migrate to MD5 Passwords
60. Make Usable URLs with mod--rewrite
61. Build an Ad Redirector
62. Add a Buy Now Button
63. Find Out Where Your Guests Are Coming From
64. Import Information from vCards
65. Create vCard Files from Your Application's Data
66. Create a Shopping Cart
Chapter 7. Patterns
67. Observe Your Objects
68. Create Objects with Abstract Factories
69. Flexible Object Creation with Factory Methods
70. Abstract Construction Code with a Builder
71. Separate What from How with Strategies
72. Link Up Two Modules with an Adapter
73. Write Portable Code with Bridges
74. Build Extensible Processing with Chains
75. Break Up Big Classes with Composites
76. Simplify APIs Using a Façade
77. Create Constant Objects with Singletons
78. Ease Data Manipulation with Visitors
Chapter 8. Testing
79. Test Your Code with Unit Tests
80. Generate Your Unit Tests
81. Check for Broken Links
82. Test Your Application with Simulated Users
83. Test Your Application with Robots
84. Spider Your Site
85. Generate Documentation Automatically
Chapter 9. Alternative UIs
86. Create Custom Maps with MapServer
87. Build GUI Interfaces with GTk
88. Send RSS Feeds to Your IM Application Using Jabber
89. IRC Your Web Application
90. Read RSS Feeds on Your PSP
91. Search Google by Link Graph
92. Create a New Interface for Amazon.com
93. Send SMS Messages from Your IM Client
94. Generate Flash Movies on the Fly
Chapter 10. Fun Stuff
95. Create Custom Google Maps
96. Create Dynamic Playlists
97. Create a Media Upload/Download Center
98. Check Your Network Game with PHP
99. Put Wikipedia on Your PSP
100. Create a Weather Showdown
Index
