Are there any good books on PHP 5 and MVC

PHP
1

Hey everyone,

I want to learn more about php 5 and the MVC framework. I currently code in PHP 4 so can anybody suggest good books i can look at or buy?

Thanks

2

MVC isn’t a framework, it’s a methodology - so it’s more of a ‘concept’ than any actual code.

Regarding book options, I’m not so sure regarding MVC sorry.

3

Do you have any experience in object oriented program in PHP or some other language? If you lack experience in that area than your going to have a difficult time grasping MVC and customizing such architecture to your needs. So rather than looking for a book about the MVC PHP architecture it would be best to look into object-oriented programming books instead.

4

To be honest, i dont have any OOP experience at all. I have developed websites in PHP and ASP.NET but i have used procedural programming. However i realize it is important to separate and minimize the use of PHP on a page, and have been researching ways to become better in what i do.

A few other developers advised me to go with OOP and try to get to grips with the MVC methodology.

Currently i code using PHP 4, so i would need to understand PHP 5. I was thinking it may be better to learn how to OO code in PHP 5.

So are there any books which would help me do this?

Forget the MVC stuff, i can pick this up as i go along :slight_smile:

Thanks for your help

5

Or would it be better to learn php5 first and then object oriented programming?

6

I say pick up an OO framework (Symfony is my preference) and start building an app in it. Just by working through the tutorials and building something you’ll get a practical understanding of how classes and MVC can be helpful. Reading books will tell ya lots about what OOP is and give you some generic examples, but you’ll still be stumped on when it helps you to use them in a web application.

7

Well i want to build an e-commerce website, but i would prefer to hard code most of it myself. I’m not trying to reinvent the wheel but i want to understand how it all works :slight_smile:

I have just been looking at Symphony, would i be able to build an e-commerce web application using this framework?

Thanks

8

Matt Zandstra’s PHP Objects, Patterns and Practice is excellent. As is Dagfinn Reiersol’s [URL=“http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1932394753”]PHP in Action: Objects, Design, Agility. IMO, if you want to learn things like MVC, OOP, Design Patterns etc, don’t use a Framework - at least not to build anything.

Build the objects, learn the patterns, create a framework. Only then will you know why these frameworks exist and why they are built the way they are. It’s one thing becoming proficient in say, Zend, Symfony, CI, Kohana or Cake - anyone can read the documentation and build an application. The real developers, the ones you want to hire, are the ones who know why they have view helpers, event notifiers, etc… If you know why they have them, you know when to use them to solve a particular problem, because that’s what we do. Developers solve problems.

:wink:

9

Thanks Anthony,

I am actually taking a course on PHP, and was thinking of looking at Zend, taking it all apart and changing stuff :slight_smile:

Lets see how i get on…

Thanks for the books, do these look at PHP 5 and OOP?

10

You’re most welcome, they do indeed. :cool:

Good luck with the course!

11

Sorry i missed something,

IMO, if you want to learn things like MVC, OOP, Design Patterns etc, don’t use a Framework - at least not to build anything.

Did you mean build my own framework? I am not really keen on using an existing framework as i know i wont understand how certain aspects work. Instead i think it would be better to build something that I understand.

Would these books help me do this? Bdw, this book http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/143022925X hasn’t been printed yet :frowning:

Thanks

12

Yeah, sure they would. If memory serves, Matt Zandstra’s book walks you through the creation of one.

That link is to the 3rd edition, the 2nd edition is just fine.

13

I study lots of ebooks.
There are lots of books and videos on PHP5 and MVC
To start
Apress PHP AND MYSQL does use MVC.
Creating practical web 2.0 application
There are around 2 books on Cakephp from apress and 1 from packt
There are around 3 books on zend framework(read till now)
There are numerous videos of mvc(one on phptutorials.com i guess,but not free)
Packt book on Object Oriented PHP has last MVC chapter that makes blog in MVC framework

so lots of book i guess…if you are looking for any specific…i think i can remember that as well

14

Thanks for all the great tips

I just finished reading “Build Your Own Database Driven Web Site Using PHP & MySQL, 4th Edition”, and it did a really good job of getting me ramped up in a few weeks on the basics.

Whats a good next step for me? As I look at CakePhp or Rails or anything thats going to take me closer to developing my own webapps, they all seem to require an understanding of object oriented programming?

Any more suggestions on where to from the sitepoint book I just finished?

15

I agree, this is a good one. I also agree with the poster that suggested building an app in a framework such as CodeIgniter and [URL=“http://framework.zend.com/”]Zend.

Recess Framework doesn’t have as much features as the previously mentioned but is fun to use, very recommended.

16

if you really planning in the sequence,
then go for lynda php beyond the basic video tutorials…
then get either cakephp or codeigniter book
then move to zend
symfony at last…

17

Thirding this, great book.

18

I am in the same boat - programming with php4 and looking to advance to learning php5.3, OOP and the MVC structure.

This book covers ALL those topics very well, and is geared towards people at our level. The MVC structure is explained from the very beginning in a simple, clear, uncomplicated way, and all the apps you build in the book are built with the MVC structure.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1890774561/ref=oss_product

19

I have a question, and please ignore my ignorance, but how is that you’re programming in ASP.NET and still have no OOP knowledge? AFAIK in ASP.net you can use different languages supported by the .NET FRAMEWORK which will make you know OOP even if you don’t want to, so how do you only use procedural programming in ASP.NET? (no offense, I’m just curious about that)

here, http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&rh=n%3A283155%2Ck%3Amvc%20php&page=1 you can have a god list of books that will teach you OOP, PHP, Design Patterns, etc…

20

Sorry for late posting but one of the best books on OOP :

Head First Design Patterns for beginners it is something you must read!!