Carsten Lucke & Stephan Schmidt 
PHP Programming with PEAR 
XML, Data, Dates, Web Services, and Web APIs

In Detail PEAR is the PHP Extension and Application Repository, and is a framework and distribution system for reusable, high-quality PHP components, available in the form of "packages". In this book, you will learn how to use a number of the most powerful PEAR packages available to boost your PHP development productivity. By focusing on these packages for key development activities, this book is an in-depth guide to getting the most from these powerful coding resources.You will become a master of various PEAR packages that help you with the essential tasks of PHP development such as: Accessing databases with MDB2Displaying data in a range of formats (HTML, Excel spreadsheet, PDF)Creating and parsing XML documents Serializing PHP objects into XML, and unserializing XML documents to PHP objects Consuming and offering web services Accessing Web APIs including Google, Yahoo, Amazon, and Technorati This book explains many powerful PEAR packages for maximizing your PHP development productivity for accessing and displaying data, handling dates, working with XML and Web Services, and accessing Web APIs.Approach Packed with code examples, every topic is explained in a clear, practical way.Who this book is for This book is for PHP developers who want to maximize their productivity through the use of proven, high-quality, reusable PEAR components. Some experience of working with PEAR classes will prove helpful, and developers who’ve used PEAR before can find something new to delight them.