Codin ‘For the Web by Charles Wyke-Smith – Book Review
The full title of this book is Coding for the Web: A Designer’s Guide to Developing Dynamic Websites and is an accurate description of the content in this book. The author also wrote Stylin ‘with CSS: A Designer’s Guide. With this book complete the cycle. In the first book I had shown you how to make the site look good with stylesheets divorced from code. In the latest books, he walks you through an education on how to use the php scripting language to create full-featured dynamic page websites.
The book is well designed with full screenshots and code lists. The code is available for download. This is always appreciated as it avoids the tedious practice of writing code for a book page during the learning process.
The book begins at the most basic level with an introduction to php and a simple explanation of the syntax of declarations, variables, operators, etc.
Chapter 1 introduces the reader to coding principles. Variable types, functions, control loops, and much more are covered comprehensively. By the end of this chapter, the student has the knowledge and tools to write well-designed php code.
Chapter 2 deals with forms processing. The author covers the input forms and data verification to verify that they are complete, correct and secure. The creation, reading and writing of flat files is covered.
Chapter 3 covers creating a mysql database. The code samples show how to add, modify, delete, select, and retrieve data. This is a good introduction to the power of combining php and mysql.
Chapter 4 continues using the database material to begin designing a content management system with the creation of database tables and the necessary administration section or back-end of the site. Style sheets and editing functions are covered.
Chapter 5 deals with cookies, sessions, and authentication. These are necessary to limit access to areas of the site and to track visitors. The chapter provides sample code for a members-only site.
Chapter 6 extensively covers creating a website with php. The value of including files for effective site maintenance and modification. Best practices for site navigation and creating dynamic page titles have their own sections.
This book is highly recommended as a beginner / intermediate level introduction to creating dynamic websites with php / mysql. No book can provide complete coverage, but this one will get you very far, and the author does a good job of pointing out where to get more information. All of this in a well-designed, eye-pleasing book makes for a book you’ll want to add to your library.