1.3     What you will get out of this book

NOTE: This is NOT the latest copy of this book; click here for the latest version.

Irrespective of what programming level you have before you start reading this book, there are a number of key things you should be able to take away once you are done reading:

• You will have a thorough mastery of the ins and outs of PHP programming and development-related tasks, with particularly strong knowledge of forms, databases, and multimedia.

• You'll be able to design, develop, and deploy complex web-based solutions across several platforms

• You'll have a good understanding of the uses PHP can be put to above and beyond handling forms

• Finally, I really hope you will share some of the passion I feel for PHP - it is an exciting, challenging, and ever-expanding language and it is my wish that you will have lots of fun working with it.

That said, I'm under no disillusions that this is the "ultimate" book on PHP or programming in general. I've provided reading recommendations at the end of each chapter where I feel other books will contribute to your learning.