PHP Gets A Bad Rap
I am beginning to think that PHP is getting a bad rap. Personally, I do not like looking at someone elses PHP code, especially code that jumps in and out of PHP and markupup language. I also hate it when a page is broken up into so many small files that is hard to follow the flow. It takes me back to the bad old days of ASP.
Having said that, this says more about PHP programmers than it does about PHP. Your code does not have to be that bad. I use the Smart Template Engine. Using this engine helps you separate presentation from application code.
But, that is just the start! You can use frameworks, design patterns and approaches to produce code of a higher quality than the usual PHP. One of the things that bothers me the most about PHP is the lack of support for namaspaces, but they say that is coming.
Here are some links to some sites to get you thinking. You can and should do a better job. There is even a way to compensate a little for the lack of name spaces by including a namespace in a function name.
- Best practices for PHP developers slideshow (PDF).
- Tips for more advantages PHP.
- DevShed Design Patterns Galore.