It can be tough to learn the concepts of object-oriented programming with a language like C++. Fortunately, PHP's simple object model makes it an ideal language for learning about object-oriented programming.

For the uninitiated, this guide to the latest version of PHP offers a speedy introduction to object-oriented programming, including a thorough explanation of classes as well as coverage of constructors, destructors, inheritance, polymorphism, and interfaces. In this easy-to-follow, example-filled guide, new concepts are coupled with fully-functional, ready-to-use PHP classes.

You'll learn to:

- Promote code reuse by creating your own classes and using built-in classes

- Customize and improve classes through inheritance

- Simplify database access by developing MySQL database and result set classes

- Incorporate an RSS reader into your site using only four lines of code

- Use XML easily with an object-oriented approach

- Employ PHP to autogenerate documentation for your code

- Make thumbnail images on the fly

- Replace clumsy error trapping with exception handling

- Take full advantage of advanced OO features in PHP

- Incorporate AJAX into your OO PHP code

Object-Oriented PHP will show you how to maximize PHP's features, with much less work than you might think. With Object-Oriented PHP, you can master the basics of object-oriented programming and get up to speed on PHP in one fell swoop.