Datasheet

Part I: Developing a Web Database Application Using PHP and MySQL

PHP 6 is due to be released soon. Perhaps it has already been released by the

time you’re reading this book. When PHP changes from version 5 to version

6, the following important changes will occur:

✓ The setting for register_globals will no longer exist.

✓ The setting for magic quotes will no longer exist.

✓ The long arrays, such as HTTP_POST_VARS, will no longer exist. These

arrays were commonly used in PHP 4.

If you’re ever converting scripts that ran under PHP 4 or 5 to run under PHP 6,

you may need to make changes to the scripts, based on the preceding changes,

before the scripts will run correctly under PHP 6. I explain these changes

throughout the book where they apply to the techniques and procedures.

MySQL versions

MySQL 5.1 is the current version, as of this writing. MySQL 5.0 is also avail-

able. The examples and scripts in this book run equally well under either ver-

sion. Some of the more advanced features of 5.1 may not be available on sites

running 5.0, but none of those advanced features are discussed in this book.

MySQL 6 is also available for download on the MySQL Web site. However, at

the time of this writing, version 6.0 is an alpha release and not suitable for

working Web sites or for beginning developers.

You may occasionally find a Web site running MySQL 4.3.1. The examples and

scripts in this book can execute properly on these sites as well. It is not wise

to run a Web site using MySQL 4.3.0 or earlier.

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