A Web-Based Introduction to Programming, 5th Edition

Additional Book Details

A Web-Based Introduction to Programming combines basic HTML and CSS with PHP and MySQL to introduce essential programming syntax, operations, and control structures. The hands-on Web-based approach engages students and offers a suitable first course for a range of disciplines, including computer science, digital media, database management, technical writing, and Web development. Students use a freely available lamp distribution that can be installed in minutes and allows them to work locally on any Windows, Macintosh or Linux computer with no need to access a remote Web server.

Chapters include: Introduction to Programming; Getting Started with Client/Server Applications; Basics of Markup; Basics of PHP; Working with Text Files; Selection Structures; Multiple Selection; Count-Controlled Loops; Event-Controlled Loops; Arrays; Associative Arrays and Web Sessions; Functions; MySQL (MariaDB); Introduction to Object-Oriented Programming; and Where to Go From Here. The Appendices provide additional references and topics: Data Representation; File Addressing Schemes; Working from the Command Line; Debugging Help; Security and Validation; FTP; Version Control with Git and GitHub; and PHPMyAdmin. Most appendix topics and tutorials are also available as handouts on the textbook Web site.

Learning outcomes are identified at the start of each chapter, and these are tested by end-of-chapter quizzes and short, targeted code exercises designed to help beginners gain understanding and confidence: fixit exercises challenge students to identify syntax and logical errors; modify exercises require changes to existing code based on material learned in the chapter; "complete code" exercises build on work that was completed in previous chapters. All the textbook examples and coursework files are provided on the textbook Web site and, once copied to the standalone Web server, these provide a complete work and study environment. Note that the approach works just as well if students have access to accounts on an online Web server.

This fifth edition has been significantly updated to include: revisions and improvements to most chapters; more about file navigation (Windows, OSX, and Linux); updated HTML and CSS examples (including use of the label element and CSS layout for form input); greater focus on the use of selection structures for input validation and security; two new chapters to provide more comprehensive coverage of PHP and HTML tools and elements; new options to incorporate Git and GitHub for version control, FTP for file transfer, and PHPMyAdmin for database management; new appendices and hands-on tutorials.

The Web site https://www.mikeokane.com/textbooks/wbip/ provides support for software installation, student Hints and Help pages for each chapter, handouts and tutorials for most of the appendices, and instructor resources (including test banks, presentation materials, and solutions).

"This is the best logic book I have ever had in over 25 years of teaching!"
Bob Husson, Craven Community College

"I teach intro to programming and algorithms and I have used this book for three terms. It is excellent. The book's content leads students through the examples in a natural way that makes learning traditional programming concepts easy, and students retain the concepts. The coding exercises build upon each other from algorithms all the way through small PHP programs. As a teacher I highly recommend this book for students and instructors alike."
Charlie Wallin, Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College

"The textbook, A Web-Based Introduction to Programming, was my first exposure to PHP. I could not have asked for a better introduction. The explanations, examples, and order of topics covered, made teaching and learning the basics of PHP a simple process. My students found the exercises and assignments at the end of each chapter fun but challenging. My only regret is that I did not discover this book sooner."
Joe Sherrill, Martin Community College (retired)

One attractive feature of the text is the rapidity with which it moves from the very basic to more advanced concepts: before the reader knows, it is discussing databases and the basics of MySQL, and the subjects are presented in a smoothly-flowing way that is a pedagogic marvel. Plenty of code examples and exercises and several appendices with more in-depth discussions of some important subjects make this a recommended text for both classroom and self-study.
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