Flocking to Seagull

Most developers aspire to create sites quickly, byconcentrating on application-specific code and leaving therepetitive tasks to a code library or framework. In this piece (thefirst of a two-part series), authors Werner M. Krauss and WilliamZeller give an introduction Seagull, with a step-by-step guide forsetting up an example website. Two to three years of PHP experienceand familiarity with Object Oriented programming isrecommended.—by Werner Krauss

PHP & News

Publishing news is a very common feature of most websites, as”News” is a very useful tool for keeping viewers up to date on thecontent and subject matter of a given site. This article discussesa simple and effective method of publishing news on awebsite.—by Ruben Avila

SQL Injection

SQL injection is a common vulnerability that is the result oflax input validation. Unlike cross-site scripting vulnerabilitiesthat are ultimately directed at your site’s visitors, SQLin-jection is an attack on the site itself—in particular itsdatabase. In this excerpted chapter from php|architect’s Guide toPHP Security, you will learn how to thwart this type ofattack.—by Ilia Alshanetsky

Optimization with the Alternative PHP Cache

Adding an opcode cache to your PHP configuration is theeasiest way to speed up your PHP applications without changing asingle line of your code. We’re extremely happy to feature thecreator of PHP himself, Rasmus Lerdorf, in a piece on APC, theAlternative PHP Cache.—by Rasmus Lerdorf

Security Corner: HTTP Response Splitting

In this month’s Security Corner, columnist Chris Shiflettdiscusses HTTP response splitting, a relatively new attack that hasbeen used to subvert PHP applications in a variety of ways. He willintroduce you to the topic, demonstrate some of the most commonattacks, and show you how to avoid these types ofvulnerabilities.—by Chris Shiflett

Test Pattern: Can They PHP?

Job interviews are life changers for all concerned.Hopefully, your candidate will have a chance to display a widevariety of hard-earned skills—things such as resurrecting anold suit and tie that haven’t seen daylight for years, forexample. Talking continually about industry news for half an hour,with an authoritative tone of voice (I bet that one was up there).And let’s not forget the astounding feat of memorizing thePHP manual for the PHP trivia test. Did they have a stronghandshake? They did? Obviously a future star performer…—by Marcus Baker

Tips & Tricks: Escape Output

Filter Input. Escape Output. You’re hearing an awful lot ofthis from columnist Ben Ramsey, lately. This month’s Tips& Tricks wraps up the recent focus on security with adiscussion on escaping output, why it’s important, and how todo it.—by Ben Ramsey