Posted by Erwin Moller on 05/08/07 11:57

Tyno Gendo wrote:

> Hi everyone
>
> I wondered what if any methods people here use to speed up their PHP
> code (ie. speed at which you produce your code).
>
> Things like 'code templates', 'base objects' for this and that?
>
> I thought it would be interesting to find out if I'm missing out any
> anything cool that could aid in speeding up development.
>
> Thanks.

Hi,

speeding up the executiontime of code is of course a different matter than
speeding up your developmenttime.

Speed up execution: A lot can be said about this. I just want to say that
most scripts that that are slow use stupid/repetitive databasequeries.
Solution: Learn better SQL and fix it. :-)

Speed up developmenttime: This is a difficult matter and very personal to
most programmers I suspect.
My opinion: Whenever you start with a project that is modarate complex: be
sure you design your database in advance, before coding PHP.
A good databasedesign is the start. Understand concepts like normalization,
foreign keys, indexes, etc.
In the real world, you always must change your database during development.
The better your original design, the less pain.

As templates and third party objects go: I never use them, only PEAR
packages, and 'famous/proven' third party code like ADODB (not the VB
thing) and htmlmailers.

I have trouble folding my mind into other people's 'programming flowcharts'
or patterns, so I tend to write everything myself. That way I am sure I
know what I am doing.

If that is wise, I cannot say.
It saves time when you reuse other people's code.
It costs tremendously when the code fails and you can start debugging other
people's code.
In the end it is a matter of trust. Do I trust that X or Y wrote good code
that I dare to use in my software I develop?

I have (and many more coders too) a lib with functions I wrote and reuse in
different projects. I know how they work, and what they can or cannot do.
That saves time too.

If you are relatively new to PHP (I don't know your expertice), my advise
would be to first learn everything yourself, learn pitfalls, and write your
own code without templates/patterns/thirdparty addons/etc.
When you are comfortable with your skills, you can judge what packages you
trust enough to incorporate into your software.

It won't hurt to ask in here what people think about a certain framework or
package. If you receive a lot of complaints, don't use it of course! ;-)

Just my 2 cent.

Regards,
Erwin Moller

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