Foreword

When I wrote the foreword for the second edition of this book back in 2006, I wrote that there were “more than 1,500” certified engineers. Today (according to Wikipedia!) there are over 10,000!

PHP has come a long way in the last 8 years, but doubly so in the last 4. PHP 5.3 raised the bar for the language, and has been rapidly followed by great releases in 2012 (5.4), and 2013 (5.5).

More recently, PHP 5.6 has been released, and brings less changes than it’s 3 pre-decessors, yet still adds some fantastic new functionality.

Despite what some might have you think, PHP—as a language, a tool, a job market, and most importantly: as a community—is still very much alive and kicking.

Alongside these releases, Zend had released a PHP 5.3 certification, and more recently, a PHP 5.5 certification. This books was long overdue for an update!

When writing this book originally, we were determined that it should outlive it’s somewhat short-lived lifespan of just being a study aid, and that hopefully it would become your go-to desk reference. With this in mind, the book has been fully updated not just to 5.5 to keep pace with the current certifications, but right up to PHP 5.6.

I hope that this update has been worth the wait, I have been humbled by the number of people who have thanked me over the years for helping them pass the certifications, and urging me to update. Well: now it’s here, and I hope it’s everything you want it to be!

Davey Shafik

Wesley Chapel, Florida