No matter what language you are familiar with, this book will benefit you. Beginning with a rapid introduction to PHP's syntax and basic functionality, you will swiftly understand PHP. The book then steers you toward advanced issues, like PHP's role in database manipulation, sessions, and user interactivity.

Author W. J. Gilmore also examines how PHP can work with XML, JavaScript, and the Component Object Model (COM). He loads the book with practical examples and several projects that can be immediately incorporated on any website. The invaluable A Programmer's Introduction to PHP 4.0 shows you how to make the most of PHP's powerful capabilities, regardless of your current scope of PHP knowledge.

W. Jason Gilmore is a web developer and business consultant with more than 15 years of experience helping companies large and small build amazing software solutions. He has been teaching developers from around the world about web development for over a decade, having written six books, including the bestselling Beginning PHP and MySQL, Fourth Edition and Easy PHP Websites with the Zend Framework, Second Edition .Over the years Jason has been published more than 300 times within popular publications such as Developer.com, PHPBuilder.com, JSMag, and Linux Magazine, and instructed hundreds of students in the United States and Europe. He s recently led the successful development and deployment of a 10,000+ product e-commerce project, and is currently working on a variety of new e-commerce initiatives. Jason is cofounder of the wildly popular CodeMash Conference, the largest multi-day developer event in the Midwest.

The Basics.- Introduction to PHP.- Variables and Data Types.- Expressions.- Operators and Control Structures.- Functions.- Arrays.- Object Oriented PHP.- Advanced OOP.- File I/O.- Regular Expressions.- Web Application Development.- URL Manipulation.- Forms.- Databasing.- Templates.- Session Tracking and User Personalization.- Advanced Web Development.- Wireless PHP.- Advanced PHP.- XML.- Java and COM Integration.- Security Issues.