Foundation PHP for Flash 5.0

by Webster, Steve

• ISBN13: 9781903450161
• ISBN10: 1903450160
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 2001-09-24
• Publisher: Springer-Verlag New York Inc

Summary

PHP is a rapidly growing open source web scripting language - the most popular Apache web server module, used in over 7,000,000 domains. There is a huge demand to integrate dynamic content into Flash sites and, as a competitor with ASP, JSP and ColdFusion, PHP has the advantages of being free, easy to learn and capable of running on just about any platform.When used in conjunction with Flash, PHP can process, store and create new data. PHP can also work as a bridge between the Flash movie and external data sources, enabling web designers to build dynamic, interactive web applications, incorporating information from a host of databases, and including features such as e-mail integration and dynamically-generated images. As an ingredient to a website, PHP can help a designer develop the functional potential of their work and set them above the growing multitude of motion graphics artists.Written completely with the designer in mind, this easy-to-follow Foundation book offers a thorough tutorial which will build your PHP skills from nothing to the point where processing, storing and creating new data is like second nature.Who is this book for?Any professional working designer who is interested in learning a new scripting language. Although the book uses Flash examples, it also serves as a designer-centric introduction to PHP and MySQL for those who want to use it outwith or beyond Flash.Flash users at any level who want to get starting with dynamic data integration, adding a new edge to their Flash projects with a minimum of fuss.What does this book cover?Foundation PHP for Flash will take you through the basics of using dynamic information with Flash, from loading and sending data from Flash, through the essentials of PHP, into the world of database integration and then digging in with three huge in-depth case studies, building three major applications from scratch!Summary of Contents1: Dynamic Data for Flash; Sample Application: A User Registration FLA2: Getting Started with PHP; Sample Application: A User Login FLA3: Making PHP Work for You; Sample Application: A Tell-a-Friend Site Recommendation FLA4: PHP and Information Handling; Sample Application: A simple search and replace Text Highlighter5: Looking for Patterns; Sample Application: A Fully-searchable News Archive6: Remembering Visitor Information; Sample Application: A Flash Cookie Cutter to fetch and store cookies7: Tapping into External Files; Sample Application: A Flash Mailing List8: Introducing the Database9: Integrating PHP with MySQL; Sample Application: A Flash Content Management System10: Case Study 1 e- User Poll11: Case Study 2 e- Event Planner / Calendar12: Case Study 3 e- Flash ForumAppendix A e- Installing PHP, MySQL and Apache on Windows, Mac OS X and UNIXAppendix B e- PHP and Object Oriented Programming (for advanced users)Sample Application e- A Flash Shopping BasketAppendix C - ResourcesReviewswww.edevcafe.comReview by Matthew Kosoy 01.02.2002"Foundation PHP for Flash is one of the best books a web developer can own. It is a guide that will help you use Flash to spruce up your forums, news pages, content management systems, shopping carts, or any other type of dynamic web app with a little bit of vector based pizzazz. For those of you who don''t know, PHP is the open source alternative to ASP or Cold Fusion. This versatile programming language can help you create dynamic database driven web applications without hefty licensing fees. Yes, it''s what open source is all about: being FREE! WHEE! That rhymes!Written by Steve Webster with help from content architect Alan McCann, Foundation PHP for Flash has been helpful in my PHP learning process. This was the first book on the subject of PHP that I used in my learning experience. It is both very descriptive and helpful. It includes an appendix section on how to install PHP, Apache, and mySQL on a variety of platforms. Chapters are dedicated to learning databases, learning PHP, and, obviously, integrating the all-powerful Flash. Provided are three case studies, which are actual real world examples, of how a user can incorporate PHP and mySQL with a Flash front end.I recommend this book for someone who is dedicated. Knowledge does not come overnight and many attempts later it still might not come. Developing database driven content can be time consuming and very frustrating. Fear not. Do not tread lightly. You will succeed in your quest for knowledge. Just so long as it begins with friends of ED." www.pixelsurgeon.comReview by Andy Barefoot.8 out of 10."Before I start, I ought to mention that I am a developer rather than a designer and I still consider myself a Flash beginner having jumped on board at version 5 when it became possible to do something interesting with the Actionscript. I had also recently started dabbling in PHP and had done some work combining the two already. However, having read Friends of Ed books before whilst getting to grasp with Flash 5 I was looking forward to seeing the problems approached from a designer''s perspective.PHP is a server-side scripting language meaning that code is interpreted on the server before the finished document is sent back to the client''s browser. Joyously, it is open source, as is MySQL, a database solution which interacts nicely with PHP. PHP for Flash does contain all the details you''ll need for installing these programs in a sizeable Appendix, but I can''t vouch for the clarity of these instructions as my ISP provides me with PHP and MySQL as part of my hosting bundle. (Most good ones do so you should be able to avoid installing them yourself unless you want them on your local machine). Instead I ploughed straight on into Chapter 1.Once you are ready to start having a go the book breaks you in nice and easy. Chapter One covers getting data into and out of Flash and I was reassured to see that two of the biggest headaches I had when first trying to integrate PHP and Flash were pointed out straight away. Firstly, having requested data from the server, you have to make sure you''ve received it before continuing the movie. Secondly, Flash caches the results of a request, so if you send the same request again Flash will assume the results will be the same and you will ''receive'' the same data. These two stumbling blocks alone had me puzzled for hours on my first Flash/PHP project before resorting to a plea for help on the flashkit.com bulletin boards. The fact that the book identifies them as pitfalls and addresses them immediately made me confident the author knew what he was on about.Chapters Two to Five start the PHP scripting. Subjects covered include creating variables, statements, arrays, functions, manipulating strings, and pattern matching. Not the most exciting subject matter and Chapter Two in particular is a hefty 50 pages and seems quite daunting. However the casual style of the author and the simple approach makes a dry subject palatable. I was impressed by the general grounding in programming the book provides. It aims to teach good programming practice as well as the specifics of PHP. This means that once you have completed the book you should be able to produce robust code without having to resort to hacking at snippets contained in the examples. I was surprised by the amount of material that was new to me, as I had tried to plough through a couple of other PHP books when I first became interested in its possibilities. I wasn''t expecting to find a better explanation of coding principals in a book aimed at designers than I had in books aimed at programmers, but not only was the information more thorough but the explanations seemed to make more sense than they had before.Chapter Six explains how to set cookies so you can recall information about visitors when they next enter your site. Again, the author doesn''t stop at just the basics of creating and deleting cookies but also takes you through the security issues surrounding them and y

Table of Contents

Dynamic Data for Flash

Getting Started with PHP

Making PHP Work for You

PHP and Information Handling

Looking for Patterns

Remembering Visitor Information

Tapping Into External Files

Introducing the Database

Integrating PHP with MySQL

Case Study 1 - User Poll

Case Study 2 - Event Planner

Case Study 3 - Forum

Appendix A. Installing PHP and MySQL

Appendix B. PHP and Object-Oriented Programming

Appendix C. Resources