For those who are looking to take their programming to the next level in both maintainability and elegance. No prior knowlege of Object Oriented programming required, (though it never hurts :p)

The review

Part 1: Introduction

The first part of the book explains a little bit about the origins of Object Oriented design and how PHP evolved from a strictly procedural language to being one of the most robust (and popular) Object Oriented languages in use today. He emphasizes the collaborative nature of Object Oriented programming and makes a convincing argument for its use in almost all projects.

Part 2: Objects

This chapter is perfect for those coming from a procedural background and want to start working with the Object Oriented side of PHP. Zandstra gives us a brief history of PHP and then quickly introduces us to the basics of OOP.

Zandstra then talks about some of the underutilized tools available in the PHP arsenal. I’m really glad he did this because he reveals some very useful tools that make it much easier to do some complex tasks.

Some tools include:

• Namespaces
• Autoloading
• Class and Object Functions
• The Reflecton API

He introduces some fundamental OOP concepts such as inheritance, composition, as well as some of the higher concepts such as polymorphism and encapsulation. I’m pleased he introduced these early because these are the building blocks of object oriented design.

Finally, he introduces us to the UML (unified markup language), a system of visually representing object oriented systems.

Part 3: Patterns

This is easily the hardest part of the book to wrap your brain around. At no fault of the author however, it’s simply the nature of the content that is being presented.

He follows the same format as the famous “Gang of Four” but his selection is not as comprehensive as theirs (which is a good thing). Instead, he takes some of the more common and useful patterns and organizes them into simple, digestible sections. He also breaks down the patterns by chapter based on their context which made it really easy and useful. For example, if you’re looking for patterns for databases, no problem he wrote a chapter about it!

Some of the more useful patterns he explained include

• Abstract factory pattern
• Composite pattern
• Observer pattern
• Domain Model pattern

In this chapter though, you can’t learn just by reading. You’re going to have to try out the examples and see if you can come with your own implementations.

Part 4: Practice

In the long term this is probably the most useful part of the book. Zanstra basically tells us what a good programmer should know and what tools they should use in their work flow. If you could only read one part I would recommend you read this one.

Some of the good practices he encourages are:

• Versioning
• Unit tests
• Automated building
• Libraries
• Documentation

Just knowing how to do all of these well will make you a better programmer and a stronger asset to your team

My Consensus?

This book is already a winner with its useful collection of patterns and clear explanations of concepts. The final section however, seals the deal with its fantastic overview of good professional practices.

In conclusion, PHP Objects, Patterns and Practice should be required reading for all aspiring PHP developers.

Many beginners are so excited about HTML that they completely neglect the design phase and go straight to their text editor. DON’T DO THIS! At least grab a paper and pencil and jot down some rough sketches! If you go straight to HTML you will lose sight of the bigger picture and the overall design will suffer as a result.

I’ll just export it from Photoshop

Photoshop is a great tool for designing interfaces but you should NEVER rely on it to generate your HTML. I don’t care what version of Photoshop you own, it simply can’t create the lean, standards based code that you can by hand.

The only time I would recommend using Photoshop’s HTML feature is if you want to create a semi-usable website for your client as a prototype.

I don’t know how to code, I’ll just use the design view

No no no no no!

There’s no way around it, if you want to produce quality HTML designs you’re going to have to use the code view. In fact, I would just recommend turning off design view entirely because they are notoriously unreliable. Do yourself a favor, code it by hand and use the browser to see your changes.

Tables are great for layouts!

There is no excuse for using tables for your layouts. Let me say that again, there is no excuse for using tables for your layouts!

Tables were the norm about 10 to 12 years ago and even then they were on their way out! I can’t tell you how much it irks me to see “modern” websites using that old method, there’s absolutely no reason for it. Instead, use DIVS and CSS to make your layouts, they download faster and are more accessible.

It looks fine, I don’t need to close that tag.

Sometimes I see people using just one <li> or <p> tag. Though it might look “OK” in your development browser it can cause unpredictable behavior in your website that would be hard to fix if you didn’t know what to look for. Just do yourself a favor and close that damn tag!

Tag attributes are handy!

Tag attributes such as <font> and <center> used to be the only way to handle fonts and alignment but there are much better ways now and there’s no reason to use those anymore.

DOCTYPE?

Gone are the days where all you had to do was put <html> in the text editor. New browsers are more complicated and can handle more types of information. As a result you need to tell it how you want to display your content. Is it HTML 4? XHTML? strict? transitional? The browser can’t guess for you!

Character what?

Do you know about character encoding? Have you heard of UTF-8 and ISO-8859-1? Do you know what they do?

Tags can go anywhere inside the body tag

Don’t confuse an inline element with a block element! EVER! No that <div> tag won’t fit nicely in your <span> tag. And don’t cheat by declaring all your span tags a block element in your CSS either.

CSS is a great video game!

There is something wrong (and scary) about this statement. Please please please, don’t confuse Counter Strike Source with Cascading Style Sheets! If you don’t know what CSS is go out and get a book or give up entirely!

Modx is a content management system (CMS) as well as a full blown framework. Right now there are two versions available, the mature 1.02 and a 2.0 beta. I’ve tried them both out and they both have their own strengths and weaknesses. I like version 1 for its compactness but I like version 2 for it elegant code (which in my book wins every time).

You can find Modx at modxcms.com

Why Modx?

Recently I’ve been trying to find ways to make myself more efficient and deliver a high quality product. I’m a programmer at heart and I find myself obsessing over good coding practices, sometimes at the expense of time. For small projects this was costing me a lot of money so I decided that I should use a pre-built content management system to handle all of their content.

I searched around the web for a while and considered using the classics such as joomla!, Drupal and Wordpress. While these were all solid solutions each of them had something that I didn’t really like. Joomla! was really bloated, I didn’t like Drupal’s user interface and Wordpress was more of a blogging platform which wouldn’t always work. Then I heard about Modx and it was getting a lot of buzz on the net so I thought I’d check it out.

What I like about it so far

Everything is centralized in the program

It takes a very interesting approach to building websites, you pretty much add all the HTML and PHP that you’re going to use for your site right into the CMS. That way you can make global changes to the interface right from the program and don’t have to log into the ftp server.

Fantastic interface

The interface in both versions is very slick, especially in version two. I especially like that it uses AJAX in all its menus so it makes it very fast to find what you’re looking for.

Modx 2

A strong community

It already has an archive of useful modules and components that you can install right into the system. Saving you lots of time and money. I’m looking forward to adding some of my own components to their library.

What I don’t like about it so far

It’s very heavy on the database

The fact that you add all your HTML and PHP code right into the CMS means it all gets stored in the database. Which can cause some serious security and performance issues. I read somewhere that you can choose to have your HTML files stored on the server instead of the database but I haven’t tried that yet.

Version 2 is still in beta!

Modx 2 hasn’t been released yet! Right now it’s still in beta and there are some features that haven’t been built yet. It’s a fine CMS though and you can still create websites with it.

The documentation could be better

I’ve been having a hard time using their documentation. The articles could be easier to find and a little more thorough. I would really like to see some in-depth tutorials because I think that would be the easiest way to learn how to use it.

Maybe I’m just impatient. . .

My consensus?

Modx is perfect for those who are looking for a solid CMS for small to medium websites. The learning curve isn’t too steep compared to some other systems. It only took me about 3 to 4 hours to build a working website.

There’s more to come

I’ve actually only just started working with Modx so there’s still a lot of learning to do. I’ll keep writing some articles about this system in the future and maybe even a tutorial or two so stay tuned .

What are your thoughts?

Have you used Modx? What do you think? Is there another CMS that you would recommend?

Further Reading

Modx Homepage
Goodbye Joomla, Hello Modx…

How to show your appreciation

Just doing a few small things that go above an beyond your normal work can do wonders for customer satisfaction. Here are a few ideas that only take a few minutes to implement

Send them coupons

Coupons and rebates are a great way to show your appreciation. It gives them something tangible to hold onto as well as are easy for you duplicate because once you make one you can duplicate it in any number of different ways. Coupons are great gifts especially for the holidays or birthdays.

Refer people to their businesses

Is your client in the business of childcare? Refer some of your friends who are looking for a good daycare provider. Also make sure that you tell your friends or aquaintences to tell your client that you referred them just so that your client knows that you are more than just a web designer, your interested in making their business succeed. On top of that, this will create a kind of mutual appreciation between you and your client.

Send them cards

This is probably the easiest thing you can do to show your appreciation. Just a little card during the holidays or after you finish a major project.

Do them a favor

We all go through some tough times in our life, if your client is having some difficulty, perhaps sales are down, or there was a death in their family, show a little appreciation and compassion by going out of your way to make their life a little easier. Maybe set up a payment plan for your bill or do a small task for free while they get through the tough time.

Here are a few good times to reward your loyal clients

• Holidays
• Birthdays
• After they send you a successful referral
• Randomly

What are your thoughts?

What do you do to reward loyal clients and increase customer satisfaction?

I’m on a much needed vacation from blogging for a few weeks. But don’t worry I’ve got something cooking for the next post! I will see you soon!

In essence, the about page needs to accomplish two things

1. Provide a context
2. Reinforce your brand

The ways you go about doing this can be varied but it doesn’t just mean slap in a mission statement and a photo. You can’t gain someone’s trust just by promising something.

Provide a context

What do you do?

If the home page doesn’t make it completely clear about what is it is that you do then this is your last chance to get it right. If it’s still not clear to them after having visited your about page then they will leave without thinking twice.

Be sure to explain what you as clear and as visible as possible. Preferably near the top with some supporting graphics.

Who is involved?

Users want to know who is behind the site that they are visiting. They want to know if they are dealing with a large organization or a single individual because then they can begin to form a mental picture of your company. What is another word for the mental picture of your company? Oh yeah! The BRAND!

Put a face to the company, use portraits of some of the of the key players as well as some background information about them.

Provide some background

Provide some background about your company or organization. A little bit of history about the roots of your company will a long way to humanizing your website.

Reinforce your brand

Establish trust

Users will want to know that they can trust you, especially if they’re going to be making their first transaction. If your site lacks credibility they aren’t going to share their precious credit card number with you.

Give examples that demonstrate strong qualities. Favor using concrete examples such as statistics or awards, these will go a lot further than your word alone.

Also provide quotes or testimonials. Ideally, these should be by recognizable companies or brands and at the very least be sure to have a link that goes to their site.

Explain why you’re different from others

You will need to give them compelling reasons to do what you want them to do. It’s quite a commitment for someone to sign up with your site and then place an order. Especially if it’s for the first time. You need to explain why they should sign up by demonstrating that you’re different and that what they get from you is not only different from your competition but superior.

Also give them concrete examples of why you’re different. For example, at Staples, the retail store. They offer 10% back to rewards members who purchase ink, they will also give $3 in rewards for each ink cartridge recycled. Sure, Wal-mart might sell them a little cheaper but Staples will reward customers each time they buy ink plus their ink recycling program shows that they care about the environment. It’s not surprising that they are the leading ink retailer in the United States.

Write it with users in mind

The web is a conversation between you and the user. Avoid using technical terms or legal mumbo jumbo. Save that for the terms of use and privacy policy!

When you speak to your users it should be in a semi-formal tone of voice, as if you’re having an intelligent conversation with another person.

Further Reading

Your about page is a robot
Best Practices For Effective Design Of “About me”-Pages
The Essence Of About Us Page With 12 Captivating Showcases

In a nutshell, frameworks provide a layer of abstraction that sits on top of the native php code. This layer of abstraction comes in the forms of classes and methods that the developer can use to build their applications.

The advantages of frameworks

Decreases development time

A framework packages common functions into convenient classes and methods that make it easy for the developer to perform common functions quickly. For example, let’s say the developer needs to parse out XML. They can use an XML parsing class that then gets stored in a library. From now on, they can use that XML class on all their other projects and won’t need to rewrite any code.

Increased Security

A good PHP framework will have security features built in that are implemented transparently (without the input of the developer). For example, a framework can check input values from a form field before it gets inserted into the database.

Easier to maintain

It’s much easier to maintain a framework because all of the elements are organized into separate parts that are arranged by context. You won’t have to hunt throughout your code to find out why your dates aren’t being parsed correctly, you simply go to your date classes and find the bug.

Multiple developers benefit from a framework because they each share an identical picture of the entire system in their head. They automatically follow a set of rules and regulations that are enforced by the system itself. So that if either of them deviate from the system, the program simply won’t work.

Highly extensible

Good frameworks break up each feature into independent parts which can be inserted and removed at a whim, this makes it easy for developers to expand the system through plug ins and modules.

Large community behind it

Mature frameworks usually have a large community of enthusiastic and passionate developers who are ready to answer and ask questions. This is invaluable for resolving bugs and addressing specific problems.

The disadvantages of frameworks

Increased overhead

The more files you include the more work the server has to do in order to run the system. Some frameworks can be pretty large and it’s not uncommon to see it using hundreds if not thousands of files.

Fortunately, most frameworks come with a caching system that dramatically reduces the impact on the server.

For most small to medium size sites frameworks typically do a good job at keeping a low footprint.

Large learning curve

Frameworks can take a long time to learn. Especially for those who are unfamiliar with object oriented programming. It can take from a few days to a few weeks to learn a framework enough to be considered competant.

The internals are hidden from the developer

Frameworks do such a good job at hiding the php behind the framework that it’s easy to bypass learning PHP completely. This can be detrimental if you’re trying to learn php so I wouldn’t advise you to start learning a framework until you already have a firm hand on php and have some knowledge of object oriented programming.

Less flexibility

Your options are reduced substantially when you start using a framework. With a framework you are usually limited to one or two ways of doing something. For example, you may be required to return data as an object instead of an array. This is actually a blessing in disguise. By limiting the way you work you start to create a sense of “sameness” across the system that makes it much easier to know what’s going on at a glance.

Build your own framework

For those who are new to object oriented programming or PHP frameworks I recommend you build your own. It will give you a clearer idea how frameworks and some of the things that you have to take into consideration, such as security, url parsing, file structure etc.

You will learn a lot and be better prepared to start working with some of the mature frameworks that are available on the web.

Download a framework

There are a lot of quality frameworks available on the web but I’ve chosen four of my favorites for your consideration.

CakePHP

This is one of the most popular frameworks and it encourages a rather strict implementation which is great for teams of web developers and beginners. If you’re just getting your feet wet and want to try out a powerful framework with a strong community then I would recommend this one.

http://www.cakephp.org

CodeIgnighter

This is my personal favorite, It is similar to CakePHP but is more flexbile, I based my own framework off of this one (with some of my own changes).

http://codeigniter.com/

Zend Framework

This is developed by the people behind PHP. It is very comprehensive and takes a different approach than PHP Igniter or CakePHP in that it provides the pieces for you to work with but you are responsible for getting them to work together.

http://framework.zend.com/

PEAR

PEAR is more of a repository than a framework but it’s worth adding to the list because all the code adheres to strict rules and can be integrated together.

http://pear.php.net/

What are your thoughts?

Do you use a framework? If so what do you use?

If you’ve used Wordpress then you are probably already very familiar with this plugin. I added this plug in to the list anyway however because it’s so useful at eliminating spam from your comments. And using a system like Wordpress as your blog will undoubtedly attract a lot of spammers. So make sure that this plug in is enabled and configured!

Download Askimet plug in
Home Page

WP Super Cache

WordPress can be quite resource hog, especially if your blog starts to become popular. I use this excellent plugin to lighten the load on the server. It essentially generates static html versions of your posts and saves them to the server and then returns those instead of querying the database and parsing text. This is a must have if you’re going to be displaying code or breaking up your posts into different pages.

Download WP Super Cache plug in
Home Page

Syntax Highlighter Evolved

Speaking of code, this plugin does an amazing job of displaying source code (perfect for programming tutorials). What’s different about this plug in is that it takes the task of parsing the text away from the server and onto the browser itself by using JavaScript instead of PHP. This results in a faster website with less overhead.

Download Syntax Highlighter Evolved plug in
Home Page

Multi-Page Toolkit

On occasion I’ll write an extremely long post. One that simply isn’t econimical to have on one page. Therefore I prefer to break it up into different sections. This makes it really easy to do this. All I need to do is write one line of code and it breaks my content into separate pages. It couldn’t really be any easier if it tried.

Download Multi-Page Toolkit plug in
Home Page

All in One SEO Pack

Wordpress does a decent job of choosing the right keywords and description for the meta tags but if you want more control then this plug in is perfect for you! It allows you to add whatever titile, meta description or keywords that you like, that way you can fine tune your search keywords and get the most out of your keywords.

Download All in One SEO Pack plug in
Home Page

Google XML Sitemaps

If you’re familiar with sitemaps you’ll know that they are a great way to keep google updated about the status of your site. Unfortunately, you typically need to update your XML sitemap and submit it to Google every time your site gets updated. This can be a real pain in the butt so the fine people at arnebrachhold.de have created this elegant solution. Every time you update or submit a new post it will notify Google of your changes and you don’t have to worry about it anymore!

Download Google XML Sitemaps plug in
Home Page

WP No Category Base

I don’t know about you but I don’t like how Wordpress organizes its posts by default. Plus when you want to view by category it adds the “category” word to the URL so it would something like http://www.bolducpress.com/category/design/. This plug in removes the category all together and makes your url look like this http://www.bolducpress.com/design/. Much better if you ask me!

Download WP No Category Base plug in
Home Page

Redirection

This handles any 301 redirects or 404 errors, it’s nice because it will create a log of your 404 errors, it has full regular expression support and doesn’t require .htaccess!

Download Redirection plug in
Home Page

If you have the resources to spare, a professional photographer will yield the best results.

You can expect a high quality product

Professionals bring more than just their camera to the photo-shoot, they bring their years of experience and education. They also commit themselves in delivering a quality product and may also suggest ideas that you hadn’t thought of.

You can hire someone anywhere

If you need photographs of exotic locales, it’s a simple matter of hiring talented freelancers who live in that area. The added bonus is that if you want someone to take photos of something very specific you can tell them to do that.

It will save you time

You won’t have to go out and take photos yourself. By hiring someone you can have them do the work while you focus on the rest of your business. You also won’t have to sort through the photos and choose the best ones. The photographer will have already done some of the editing for you.

You form a valuable professional relationship

Finding a good photographer is like finding a good mechanic, they are an invaluable asset which you can use over and over again. By working with them you will also be exposed to a wider range of people and have the possibility of expanding your business. If you have a good relationship with the person and work with them long enough they will also start advocating for your business.

It’s expensive

You will have to pay that person for their expertise, and like another other creative medium it’s not cheap. However, if you think about it, you’re not just paying for photographs, you’re also paying for the professional contacts and their years of experience.

It takes time

It takes time to build a relationship with a professional, give it at least six months before you start to build a solid foundation of trust and partnership. It also takes time to arrnage meetings and discuss projects. Not all photographers are the same either, so you might go through a few different photographers before you find one that’s right for you.

Do it yourself

If you have the equipment, time and knack for photography doing it yourself might be the best solution for you.

It’s convenient

It’s definitely convenient to simply go out and take photos for yourself. Especially if the client is in the area.

It’s cheaper

Because you don’t have to pay someone by the hour or by the photo the savings can be substantial.

You own the equipment

You can use the equipment whenever you want and it’ll be a valuable asset to your business.

It can be a lot of fun!

Taking pictures if fun! Especially if you’re the creative type!

You have to buy and learn the equipment

After buying the camera and all it’s equipment you could be in the hole for at least a thousand dollars. So depending on your resources that could be a deal breaker. Also after you get all the equipment you not only have to learn how to use it but also how to be proficient with it. Which can take months if not years of practice.

You are limited to your local area

You’re not going to be able to take exotic photographs without spending a lot of on travel. So largely you’re going to be restricted to your local area, which is fine if you’re taking pictures of people or objects, but some more exotic things such as Asian landscapes or animals will be out of reach.

It takes even more time

This traveling around and maintaining equipment also takes a lot of time, time which you’ll have to take out of working on other projects. Your schedule can fill up pretty quickly if you need to take pictures as well as design and slice up an interface.

Quality isn’t necessarily assured

Photography is an art and takes a lot of practice so you’re not necessarily going to get the kind of pictures that you want. Especially at first. If quality is the top priority or you’re capturing a particularly difficult subject then it might be worthwhile to hire a professional.

Use stock photography

It’s the cheapest

Stock photography is easily the cheapest solution out there. You can buy photographs for a dollar on iStockPhoto.com. They are pretty small sized but usually this is more than enough to get the job done.

It’s fast and easy

It only takes hours versus days to get the right photos. It’s also a simple matter of sitting in your chair and browsing through galleries.

The quality is usually decent

Photos on stock sites are usually done by professionals so the quality is usually very decent.

The selection is limited

Needless to say that the range of possibility dips when you’re looking through a gallery versus the physical world. You should usually try to stick to more generic concepts when using stock photography. Finding something very specific is also usually very hard, unless you’re looking something that’s very cliché.

You run the risk of seeing duplicate photos or models on other sites

This is my primary concern about stock photography. Stock sites also usually sort their galleries by popularity making duplication incredibly easy!

Some models are pretty popular too so it’s not uncommon to see the same person popping up in a variety of unrelated photographs.

Closing thoughts

The best solution in my opinion is to use all of these in a combination. If you have the money and time I would suggest hiring a professional and if you are pressed for time then go do it yourself.

If however, you are pressed for time and budget then I’d suggest using a stock site. But only as a last resort.

Further Reading:

15 Places to sell your photos
A Collection of 30+ Free Stock Photo Sites
9 things I learned about the world according to anonymous stock photo models
(Warning: Some strong language)
Making better use of imagery

The good people over at indiangeek.net have created a great table that describes every expectation for each level of competency. It ranges from beginner to expert and is a great way to help guide yourself if you’re not sure where to begin or where to go next.

There is so much that is involved in being a developer that goes beyond just programming. I like this because it acknowledges this and breaks everything down into five different categories.

Taking a look at this table I realized that I was very strong is some areas and very weak in others. How about you?

Check out the Programmer Competency Matrix!