PHP 5: Power Programming By Andi Gutmans, Stig Saether Bakken, Derick Rethans

I first started using PHP with it was at version 3, used it through version 4 and just recently began using version 4, which is when I got this book, my first PHP reference book.

Although this book touches upon PHP basics, the explaination of methods used are not for programming beginners. A background in other programming languages if very helpful, I wouldn't recommend this book to beginners looking for a place to start.

For intermediate to advanced users, however, this book is a vital tool in secure PHP programming. Security is a serious issue with PHP, and the authors work to cover all known vulnerabilities. The section about image uploads using PHP was 5 pages long, simply to cover and provide solutions for several security problems the PHP programmer should be aware of. The section to "make scripts safe" was helpful in the same way, getting further into authenticating user input before accepting it.

I also have the sections about using PHP with XML and database interaction bookmarked, as they are both things I use PHP with. Chapter 9: Mainstreem Extensions was very good, talking about accessing files and streams, regular expressions, date handling and graphics manipulation.

A very good book for PHP developers looking for secuire development solutions. Bravo!