9/3     Can anyone recommend a good introductory PHP book?
        \_ The API on http://php.net is superb if you know perl.
        \_ On a related note, do people really like embedding code in HTML via
           PHP?  It seems incredibly hackish and error-prone to me.
           \_ I worked at a place during .ASP.  It become a nightmare when
           \_ I worked at a place doing .ASP.  It become a nightmare when
              trying to do site updates because of the fuzzy line between
              code and content.  We wanted content updates to be fast and
              easy but code updates to be heavily QA'd but when your code and
              content blur lines like this, yes it does become incredibly
              hackish, error-prone, and hard to deal with in a professional
              software shop.
           \_ How is it more error prone that using non-embedded code?
              Yes, some people like emdedding code in HTML as ASP, PHP,
              mod_perl/Masson, and similar technologies are extremely
              popular on the web.
              \_ With code fragments here and there, I see the potential for
                 (1) reuse via copy and paste and
                 (2) "losing" the flow of the code in the html
                 (3) if some page elements are conditional, it has the
                     potential to be very confusing.
                 \_ HTML sucks too! Use all text/plain.
                    \_ My non-trivial HTML experience was with Perl and MySQL,
                       using a template library for rendering the HTML.  I
                       liked the separation of code and content.
                       \_ What is your point?
                    \_ My only non-trivial HTML experience was with Perl and
                       MySQL, using a template library for rendering the HTML.
                       I liked the separation of code and content.  PHP looks
                       like a mess by comparison.
           \_ These are process issues, not language issues.  When I write PHP,
              I put all of the code possible in functions that go in (usually
              auto-)included lib files.  Then all my web-accessible PHP (HTML)
              files have in them are ifs, foreachs, etc.  (All the same stuff
              you'd use in any templating language; why use another language?)
              --dbushong
        \_ ORA's new "Web Database Applications with PHP and MySQL" just
           came out a few months ago. It covers PHP 5 and whichever
           MySQL version was current at the time of publishing. Yes, you
           might learn it on the web too, though, I still prefer reading
           books myself..