Book Review – jQuery 1.3 with PHP

When I first heard that PACKT were publishing a book on jQuery 1.3 and PHP, I was interested to know what it could offer web developers. Having had a chance to read this book for myself it has proven to be a valuable resource into unlocking the true potential of the jQuery framework, and how jQuery can be integrated into PHP applications to create faster, cleaner and more usable experiences.

Author: Kae Verens

Rating:

Verdict: A worthwhile investment for any aspiring PHP developer!

Target audience

This book is intended for PHP developers who want to expand their knowledge of web application languages. The book assumes you are a middleweight PHP developer, but it does not require you to have a lot of background in javascript, or any former knowledge of the jQuery framework.

The book’s format

Broken down into easy to read sections the book introduces the concept of front and back end development and how the two can be used to best effect, whilst gradually breaking you into scenarios where jQuery techniques could be implemented. The book also provides a wide variety of practical examples which you can try out to better understand and apply the techniques.

The good

Packed with great examples that you can try for yourself, this book is a very effective learning tool. The book is also a great reference, even after you have read it. The author does a great job of introducing complicated theories and breaking them down into manageable steps, whilst always taking very thorough considerations for applying jQuery knowledge into CMS ‘s and web applications.

The bad

The only real weakness to the book in my personal opinion was the over use of JSON and AJAX in some of the examples, this could lead to developers over using certain techniques, when it is sometimes unnecessary. Aside from this there are a lot of very handy hints, tips and tricks you can learn from the book.

To sum it up

I would recommend this book as a worth while investment for any aspiring PHP web developer. This resource will help you better understand the relationship between front and back-end coding, whilst enabling you to learn how to make better PHP applications, which respond quicker and require less code.