Chapter 4. Working with Databases
Modern web sites are incredibly powerful, and much of this power derives from their ability to store information. Storing information allows developers to create highly customizable interactions between their software and its users, ranging from entry-based blogs and commenting systems to high-powered banking applications that handle sensitive transactions securely.
In this chapter, I'll cover the basics of MySQL, a powerful, open-source database. Subjects I'll cover include:
Manipulating data in MySQL tables
Your options in PHP for interacting with MySQL databases
Table structure, usage, and a crash-course in planning
This is the last chapter that covers the theory of building PHP applications; in Chapter 5, I'll begin covering the practical aspects of building a blog!