Essential Algorithms, Syntax, and Control Structures Using PHP, HTML, and MariaDB/MySQL, Fifth Edition

Here's what students say ...

"I found the text concise and to the point. The incremental nature of the exercises worked great for me. There were chapters where I was not sure if I had the material right, but as I progressed through the exercises the material became crystal clear. … the best text book that I had ever used. I think that sums it up."

"The examples with the algorithms, coding and explanations of how the code works are very helpful, I can either read it all or skip parts based on how well I've understood the concept. Using the same files with greater expectations through the chapters is a great idea because I don't have to become familiar with different files each time. Congrats on such a well designed text that makes this online class fun and challenging."

"I have to say that as far as a textbook goes, this one is the best I have ever worked from ... my interest has been sparked in a big way. I love this course and definitely will be looking into others of this nature. I was a little hesitant about taking an online course in something that I had no previous knowledge about, but the book is clearly written with plenty of examples. It's a great reference …. There is enough time to be able to read the lesson, work through the exercises, and gain an understanding of the material between each lesson. I am definitely challenged, which I prefer, but not to the point of frustration. "

"I am enjoying the class very much. I have picked up a couple books on php before. However, I never made it past the introduction because they don't cover the importance of algorithms. The books I looked through focused on examples of code, but not how and why. I feel as though this class is the missing link! "

"I really like this stuff. I can't wait to start working with databases in future classes. Using skills learned in this class recently wrote some Actionscript code for a Flash project with little problems. This class is coming in handy already."

"I literally knew nothing about programming before this class. "HTML, PHP - what's that?";-) .. I am amazed with how much I learned! Your book was wonderful in explaining the (sometimes tricky) concepts. .."

"I loved the way the assignments were done in steps....starting with finding errors in programs, modifying programs and then writing our own. It enabled me to see what was needed and understand the concepts easily."

"The class has been fun so far. the book is well written and easy to follow. "

"I thought the book was very well set up and easy to follow for an on-line class. For me there was ample time to complete each assignment. "

"The content is really interesting. It's challenging, but the logical presentation makes it understandable. The textbook is good, well organized and set up in a logical fashion. I like that the skills that I learn the week before carry over into the next weeks lesson. "

"The exercises involving actually writing out the code and using it were most helpful to me in learning the material."

"The text is thorough and written in clear language. The chapter quizzes serve as useful study guides. .."

".. one of the most easy to read computer programming books... No chapter is too lengthy or too complex based on what we've learned before. .. in the past, when I have tried to teach myself HTML or some VisualBasic, I hated trying to tease out the most important things from these huge books that are really more like encyclopedias than texts. "

" I really love the way the book is written. It is easy to understand and finally makes programming and logic make sense."

"I enjoyed working through your course on Introduction to Programming and Logic supported by your book entitled A Web-Based Introduction to Programming. The way you introduced concepts and walked through examples was very effective. I took this as an on-line (hybrid) class and had no problem in picking up the concepts and applying them. I felt the chapters were broken up into manageable size chunks of information and each built on the previous concepts learned. Even though I don't like quizzes and tests I thought the questions were a good evaluation of my understanding and reinforced my learning. Since this is a "hands on" course my favorite part was going through the coding exercises. They were fun and again effectively reinforced concepts. The way you used XHTML, PHP and CSS programming was a beneficial vehicle to learn these introductory concepts. To be exposed to those at this level, I consider an added bonus."

"… Specifically I like how the coursework is focused on web-based apps. HTML, CSS and PHP are all things I wanted to know more about before enrolling in the course. I think the textbook is highly readable .. Overall, I have already learned a lot about programming and am having a good time doing it."

"I find the textbook extremely easy to follow… Your step by step approach, and layman terms are helpful in learning programming, something that I would otherwise have a lot of trouble with. .. Everything is explained clearly and sectioned off. I am enjoying this class. I haven't run into anything that I haven't been able to find the answers right on your site. "

"First of all I had intended to tell you thank you so much for this textbook! My boyfriend gave me his programming book and I tried to get ahead but the book was...well. Horrible ... As far as the exercises go they are very good. I have actually enjoyed doing them… "

"The textbook is good, it's really easy to follow. ... The exercises have been good so far. They aren't like easy but they aren't difficult..."

"… great job on the text. It reads exceptionally well and is very easy to understand. I've really enjoyed all the exercises thus far. I was even a little disappointed when I was finished and there was no more to do. I can't wait to learn more …"

"The text is very explanatory, and I like that it's tailored specifically for this class. The powerpoints are very helpful, more so than I thought they would be, and the exercises are fun and challenging. As for the difficulty level, I think it's just about spot on, with a few simple exercises and a few harder ones. … I'm taking this class as part of an Information Systems degree, but it's already made me think more about programming. "

"… The textbook is very helpful and so are the PowerPoint's. The material seems to be easy to understand to a point. I have to read it several times to get certain points."

"I have already taken this course and have had a 5 year time out which requires me to retake it. I already feel that I am getting more out of this class than the one before. We seem to have done only flow charts. I don't remember writing very much code at all. But so far I am really enjoying the course."

"… the textbook was a great tool in learning the basics of HTML and PHP. There are great examples and it uses an approach that builds until more complex ideas are presented. … I would definitely recommend this course to anyone who wants to learn the basics of programming!"

"Other than a couple of minor typographical errors, there is nothing wrong with the book. … It is very straight forward and easy to comprehend. As a beginner in the whole realm of Web design, I thought it might be intimidating. The structure of lessons makes it easy to follow. "

"I took this course several years ago and struggled through it and therefore have not used the information since then. The book that was used at that time had some examples but you were not using any program to do any real hands on, which for me is the best way to learn. I really love the way the book is written. It is easy to understand and finally makes programming and logic make sense."

"I love how the chapters build on each other."

"Part of what makes this course so enjoyable and fun is your textbook. I like the layout and how it goes from simple to more complex in each chapter of your book. The three levels of exercises make it challenging, yet scaffolds learning as I try out what I've read in each chapter. The flow and pacing is just right. The language used is readable and pulls me along without bogging me down in too much tech-speak. It's easy to skim after I've read the chapter and need a quick brush up, which I usually do if I've read the chapter one day and waited to do the exercises another day."

"The book covers exactly the right amount of material: it gives time to absorb a lot of complex material in just the right amount per chapter; the pacing is perfect -- enough material and challenge but enough time to work with it and absorb it. "

"The book does an excellent job of explaining the material which is so important for an online class."

"The text book … was an excellent resource. This is not a subject I was familiar with before, but the way the text and the course were presented laid the subject out in a logical sequence that made the subject easier to learn. This is definitely a book that I will not be selling at the end of the semester."

"It was helpful having the sample code to follow, test and experiment with while reading the chapters. Because all the topics were transparently & unambiguously presented in the book, it was easy to understand the material."

"The questions in the back of each chapter that allow working on it as you absorb and go along all week long: often I found that my initial notes on those questions were wrong at first but as I continued to absorb, study and do the exercises, reread and come back to it the material 'jelled'."

"The coding exercises for each chapter: just the right amount of challenge; it is important to be challenged but not be so frustrated that you don't even know where to start and I felt these exercises achieved that balance; I like the way you give just enough code to help get us started because it allowed us to concentrate on generating the most important code for that chapter's concepts without spending more time and possibly getting bogged down on writing the code from scratch each time"

"The samples given are very helpful."

"The fact that the course is based around PHP and XHTML: very practical! I feel that I now have a head start on the PHP techniques and concepts for my PHP class(es) I'll take -- that is great!"

"It was great that this course touched on arrays, sessions and include files."