Five Best Tips for the Ideal PHP Developer

The best code snippets should come in handy
Most of the developers are required to code a lot of the same things through most of the PHP development process and hence one should keep code snippets handy. Keeping them will always help you save a lot of time. One would find several apps which can help in syncing one’s code snippet collection, so that they are accessible wherever one is. Some of the apps which help in safeguarding your code collection are Snippet, Code Collector, and Snipplr.

Most integrated development environments (IDEs) have built-in features for storing code snippets like Dreamweaver and Eclipse. An organized directory of snippets which contain varied PHP scripts should be kept in the cloud so that they are accessible when you are accessing multiple computers for coding.

A Good Source Editor Saves Time
The source editor is where a PHP Programmer spends most of his or her time so use an editor which can save time for you. Some source editors include the feature of syntax highlighting which is a must for an editor and can help in pointing out syntax errors. Features such as code hinting and code navigation also go a long way to build code. One of the better source code editors is phpDesigner which is used by many PHP developers.

Get familiar with the source code editor and its features by first browsing through the documentation and tutorials which you would invariably find online. Investing time in reading tips is essential for good code development.

Use an efficient MySQL Administration Tool 
Some developers like working with MySQL via command line which is quite inefficient for several uses. One should administer the MySQL database using different commands like mysqladmin. But it is necessary to use an efficient graphical user interface like phpMyAdmin to rev up database administration.

phpMyAdmin is a fantastic open source database viewer which allows one to view MySQL databases in a graphical format. One shouldn’t waste time by using the command line. With a good administration tool and graphical interface, one can build databases and their tables, export databases into SQL files, optimize tables, create MySQL database users and attach privileges quickly. Many web hosts have phpMyAdmin installed, and if they do not, it takes only some minutes to install.

Use of a PHP Framework
Use of a web application development framework can help developers out. One needs to do a lot of reading and learning to know the functions of the API of the framework but once done, there are many productivity benefits later. One might be then using better web development patterns which one has never used.

A PHP framework helps when one has to share code with others who are working on the same project and hence gives a standard platform to work on.
Some of the most popular PHP frameworks include CakePHP, CodeIgniter, and Zend.

Connect and Learn from other PHP Developers
One can never know it all. Hence one should share and learn from the thousands of other PHP developer who might know how to do something better than how you do. By participating in a PHP community, one can learn better ways of performing PHP development.

PHP Development Benefits and CMS Solutions

PHP Web Development saves a lot of money and hence offers the best options for creating a website for startups.

PHP or Hypertext Preprocessor is popular as a scripting programming language also boasting of highly dynamic web pages. The PHP is open source which is one of the main reasons for its popularity. It offers multiple benefits as a web development tool.

There are various offshore software development projects which are outsourced to India since the costs incurred are low and the overall quality is good too. There are many software packages based on PHP which consist of Joomla, Drupal, Magento and the like.

More than 20 million domains house PHP and that list includes Wikipedia and Facebook which are some of the most popular sites in the world! Here are some tips for PHP developers for making optimum utility of PHP applications

1. Use PHP Core Functions - Never create functions that are already there so creating them from the base will be useless effort. One can make use of the existing functions and classes and then incorporate snippets in the main code.

2. Create Configuration Files - The database connection settings should be set and organized and should include settings so that they can be used in PHP scripts. If multiple constants and functions are used, this approach would help lowering the complexity throughout the script.

3. Sanitize Data - SQL injections should be used in more places than one so that database inputs are sanitized for code protection from unwarranted compromises. By being aware of SQL injection attacks, the code will be secured and there are functions which can protect your site from any cross-site scripting attacks.

4. Error Reporting Should Always be Turned On - Turn on error reporting so that run time errors can be better sorted out during the development stage itself

5. Don’t Over-Comment - Proper documentation of codes with comments is good but never over-comment or it would appear cluttered and messy. Coding should be self-explanatory and should have sensible naming convention so that comments are not required at all.

Open source CMS and other software packages are the best tools for building websites at low costs. They are free yet extremely effective. Here are some of the effective PHP solutions available:

• WordPress CMS is a highly effective open source blog publishing application which is popular and user-friendly since it is easy and simple to use. The template system is advanced too.
• Joomla is a perfect open source system and honored with various awards. You can build and customize fantastic apps and dynamic websites easily.  Joomla is a user-friendly CMS that has a content management system which is easy to manage and can be handled by a non-techie too.
• Drupal is a popular open source content management system which has good admin console and modules for theme and appearance customization. Routine tasks can be set easily one can easily get access to source code of any website when one wants to check how the final result is done.
• Magento is a superb ecommerce development platform based on PHP Web Application Development which provides online merchants with superb flexibility and control in online dealings and transactions. The look, content and functionality of the e-store is flexible to change and one can have all types of payment gateways as needed.

Magento with PHP development is perfect for e-commerce systems

There are several e-commerce solutions in the industry but it is Magento which is perfect for creating e-commerce systems and because of its various features.

Among various eCommerce solutions, Magento is well-known in the development arena and online businesses. It boasts of great features related to the management of different activities and serves well for the admin as well as the user. Magento is a popular open source eCommerce solution and available for developers under the General Public License.

Magento is said to provide a perfect professional environment to online businessmen and boasts of high performance ability for the corporate world. There are many experienced Magento developers who are experts in the field and willing to innovate and provide revolutionary enhancements to their clients. Partly, credit goes to Magento as it inspires innovation!

With Magento, one gets an easy-to-use admin system and a single page check out feature. There are several other features which are helpful to an e-commerce system including shipping to multiple addresses, SEO, standard and equal price change check and simultaneous administration of multiple sites. There are many web development companies especially in offshore locations which provide Magento services including custom design templates development, shopping cart design and development and payment module development.

There are several business benefits associated with Magento development since the PHP Web Development package can help you to create an online store easily and also set up organized merchandising & business promotion options. Magento boasts of great online store functionalities, beautiful themes and incredible multi-store retailing functionality.

Professional Magento store development is required to make the most of the features offered by the PHP package. One can apply script language or code while implementing a website and it works out well most of the times. Here are some of the benefits of Magento for e-commerce site development

• Magento can help you develop a site or web page that is superbly organized and can help you create an ecommerce page which is easy to navigate
• The structure and layout of Magento site is easy to use
• The e-commerce pages are easy to access and use by end-users and that increases the chances of users buying the products from the site. The custom features can be implemented easily too.
• Discount codes can be used for end users which can bring in traffic easily
• One can save time by adding multiple products to the shopping cart at a time thus helping the users to complete the shopping quick and easy.

There are several features offered by Magento which makes it easy or developers to create effective ecommerce sites. Visitors find it easy to find and search products of their search due to the simple but attractive catalog of products that is laid out. One need not go through all items before landing on a particular product. The search functionality stands out compared to other PHP Software Development features that other packages offer.

 In an ecommerce site, the number of orders always changes and even the price might go up and down based on the demand and supply. One can make the necessary changes in a jiffy. One can handle customers easily with Magento and with inbuilt search engine optimization features; it is easy to bring in web traffic to the site.

Use of Open Source Development Tools and Technologies

Open Source Development Tools have swamped up the IT world with adept options which don’t require licensing or any upfront fee. What are the trends here, let’s have a look.

Every business needs different types of software applications for running their business. One might have a word processing solution or accounting software or even an ERP/CRM solution, according to the demands of the business. Now with the advent of the open source tools and technologies, many companies who are facing financial crunch and a reduction in budgets, find it extremely handy to use any of the open source tools. One of the best repositories of open source applications is SourceForge.

The quality of all software differs what is available may vary. It's a good idea to look for software with a lot of users, as there'll be a large community who can provide help and support. Popular software also makes it likely that there will be commercial support and training services. See the page in this guide on training and support options for open source software.

There are many different types of open source tools and software available to different consumers. Different platforms are used for different programs useful for writing text, for designing, video editing and even networking. The tools are designed for clients and are usually tailored according to their needs. Alternatively some organizations create open source tools which can be customized by non-developers.

The licensing of the products is a major influential factor for creating open source programs. Some of the versions are completely free to the public with basic features while some give out full-fledged programs for free, by making money out of advertisements and tailored add-ons or voluntary donations. Some of the tools are trademarked and controlled by the root source while some are used as a form of service which is on a temporary basis. The open source software is not a cheap version of a commercially available program but always a low-cost alternative for those who cannot afford to house paid products.

One equates people behind open source software to be selfless in their work and working for the greater good of the people rather than after financial goals. Even if there are commercial interests behind many of the projects, the results have been fantastic for many. Though some of them do not even advanced functionalities in their domain, they are serviceable.

There are Open Source Web Development operating systems including mobile platforms like Google’s own Android platform which is free and open for all mobile app programmers. The operating systems mostly consist of the Unix file system structure. Users design some platforms for niche domains while there are platforms like the Solaris platform which are available for workstations. These platforms are great replacements for general operating systems which are sold upfront or licensed including Microsoft Windows.

PHP-based content management systems

Content management systems are extremely popular today because most of the CMS features make it easy for any company in the internet world to showcase his or her services. PHP-based CMS are the most popular of the whole lot of open source systems.

A typical Content Management System helps its users to publish, edit and delete content from the admin system which can be easily done. Knowledge of HTML makes it even easier for anybody to make changes to the whole content layout and its look and feel.

Here are some of the PHP-based content management systems which are extremely popular in the world today

WordPress

WordPress is an extremely powerful CMS which was first designed as a blogging platform. But after a period of time, using some tricks and plugins, WordPress has become a complete CMS solution. It is preferred by many individuals and corporate companies for their use.

Drupal

Drupal is a modular framework in terms of a Content Management System and one of the most popular PHP systems in the world. It is a useful back-end system for a number of websites worldwide, and can control sites including blogs and even dynamic websites. Currently, even the most popular websites are based on Drupal.

Joomla

Joomla has won a lot of awards related to content management system (CMS) for its innovative features which helps developers to create powerful online applications. Joomla is easy to use and extensible making it the most popular website software. It is freely available too!

Mambo

Mambo is a full-featured CMS that can be used for creating simple to complex websites. Mambo has lot on popularity to Joomla but some sites still run on this CMS solution today.

Concrete5

Concrete5 is a fantastic open source content management system with a not-so-complex admin interface. The CMS solution has a unique facility in which you can edit a web page live by using the editing option as an administrator. This feature is quite rare in a CMS solution.

Textpattern

PHP developers utilize Textpattern which requires PHP 4 to run. The CMS solution was well known for its plugins and could be customized and tailored according to specific needs.

Symphony is a popular CMS solution that uses XML/XSLT for its language. The solution is easy to customize anything including the URL structure and add it to the publishing environment. It is difficult for a non-programmer to use the solution though.

MODx

MODx is one of the interesting PHP application frameworks which is used as a content management system and was one of the earlier PHP systems to offer an API that could support AJAX. What’s more, MODx is SEO friendly to the core and allows SEO engineers to edit the meta content of a webpage.

Habari Project

Habari was a popular blogging platform based on PHP framework. It is perfectly written for the web hosting environment and supports modern OOP techniques.

CMS Made Simple

CMS Made Simple is a custom PHP framework and consists of a lot of modules. The CMS is completely easy to implement, even for a newbie.

Jojo CMS

Jojo is a SEO-friendly CMS based on PHP which helps its developers to extend its functionalities. It helps the user to add incredible number of product databases, blogs, galleries or any other widget.