PHP Hacks: Tips & Tools For Creating Dynamic Websites (Paperback)

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

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 Fa蓷de  

      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