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Question regarding a PHP Book on E-Commerce

Posted: Tue Nov 23, 2004 9:54 pm
by jason
Quick question

What would you want to see in a book on using PHP to build e-commerce websites? What topics would you be most interested in that you feel are not covered well enough on the Internet or in other books already?

Thanks

Posted: Wed Nov 24, 2004 2:44 pm
by josh
I would want it to cover security, advanced database techniques, "update-ability", etc...

Most users can already create a simple shopping cart system or something like that so I wouldn't spend too much of the book talking about how to build a website, I would make it talk about makeing a good website.

Posted: Wed Nov 24, 2004 3:20 pm
by kral_majales
I recently read "php and mysql for dynamic websites" by larry ullman. i'd been learning php for a while, but this book really solidified what i knew. that book has a number of examples that are walked through, so i think the kind of book you propose would really need some examples of what could be a real, working site.

also... stuff about secure connections would be helpful, as well as organising payment gateways and so on (I'm trying to learn about these at the moment, lol).

i'd say as well that such a book would be best going in to some detail on some more advanced topics. when you teach someone only the easy stuff, to them it seems complicated.

but, when you teach them really complicated stuff, the easy and routine stuff becomes easy to them as well... if that makes sense! :lol:

K

Posted: Wed Nov 24, 2004 4:23 pm
by jason
The idea was to have the book cover building a site from A to Z. It would focus on building an e-commerce site. It would obviously focus on accepting payments either through a gateway service, or via something like PayPal. The idea is NOT to teach someone PHP. Rather, it would be focused on teaching someone how to build an e-commerce site using PHP, and cover the different aspects of it. It wouldn't just be a shopping cart, but rather building an entire website.

Keep the ideas coming, guys. =)

Posted: Wed Nov 24, 2004 6:21 pm
by kral_majales
that sounds like a good plan. if you wrote a book like that, i would probably buy it :D

it may also be a good idea to cover some of the already-available ecommerce software solutions that are available, open source ones (I particularly like osCommerce), and not-so-open-source ones (like the beastly Actinic).

K

Posted: Wed Nov 24, 2004 6:25 pm
by John Cartwright
Good idea jason, I would particularly like to see the payment processing and several different ways to do it, as you have mentioned.
. if you wrote a book like that, i would probably buy it
If jason wrote that book, first I would ask for a free copy, then if denied buy it.. :lol: :lol:

Posted: Wed Nov 24, 2004 6:27 pm
by kral_majales
how about, if denied, you would DEMAND it?

then beg.

then perhaps buy it :lol:

P

Posted: Wed Nov 24, 2004 7:30 pm
by myleow
Remember to put in Code Examples. I love code examples where i can learn something from and not copy the code.

Posted: Wed Nov 24, 2004 7:32 pm
by myleow
I am espeacially interested in integrating Payment Processor....

Posted: Wed Nov 24, 2004 11:14 pm
by jason
Again, still in the planning phase. The payment processing integration portion would cover two aspects: integrating with a gateway service provider (something where you have your own SSL certificate, and you have your own merchant account); and integrating with an IPSP like service (something like PayPal).

Their might be a small chapter on existing solutions; this all depends on the size of the other content. Space constraints, my friends. =)

Posted: Thu Nov 25, 2004 11:41 am
by John Cartwright
Just keep us up to date when "jasons book on php" is hitting stores :P

Posted: Fri Nov 26, 2004 10:56 am
by patrikG
What I would find most useful in a book about PHP and eCommerce would be a comparison of PHP's integrated encryption commands/extensions with a pro and con list.

Also, a section on security (as has been suggested), session-security, SQL-injection prevention. Things to consider when buying an SSL-certificate (server-wide on a reseller-account? huh?).

From a client's perspective: building blocks of a userfriendly and secure login system, statements for clients on the security of the site.

A section dealing with laws regarding storing credit card information (in the UK you're allowed to store everything, but the three-digit CSN - go figure), the implications when having to do that, the eternal question of where to store private keys if you're on a shared host.

That's the technical bit off the top of my head.

Posted: Mon Nov 29, 2004 8:58 am
by Draco_03
- Why build an E-commerce
- Why E-commerce would be good for your compagny
- How to evaluate a client need (for E-commerce)
- E-commerce usually means currency converter (like oanda.com) so a section on currency converter.
- Okay this could be discussed, but E-commerce is a way to make money over the internet, so to be "able" to do so, you have to be well placed in search engine, and linked with other good sites. So I think that maybe a section on positioning you site in search engine could be good.

I'll add some other stuff later :)
good idea jason

Posted: Mon Nov 29, 2004 9:25 am
by phpScott
the topic I would be most interested in is SECUIRITY. I fill most books/articles gloss over this or just say to use a certificate or https.

A few other topics I think would be usefull would be database backend for simple shopping carts, to a small scale order processing/inventory management system.
Cover both sides of the e-commerce site, frontend/backend to give readers an idea of the life cycle of and inventory / order system..

Another possibility would be to maybe talk about integrating the website into a lan for store front use of transactions as well, maybe barcode readers etc...

Don't worry too much about the accounting side of things as that could always be covered in another book or just a small section on what a business might need to cover basic accounting principles.