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PHP Frameworks... Should I?

Posted: Thu May 04, 2006 7:22 am
by robster
I've been considering a framework to make things happen faster. I'm running php 4.x most of the time on Apache.

I found these, can anyone comment?

http://dmoz.org/Computers/Programming/L ... rameworks/


What do you think of frameworks?



Rob

Posted: Thu May 04, 2006 9:20 am
by Roja
Frameworks aren't generally meant to "make things happen faster".

They are a method for fast, consistent, reliable development. Much like libraries help you by giving you a "known good" implementation of a specific need (adodb for database access, for example), frameworks give you a variety of reliable components to accomplish a variety of tasks.

There are (as you can see from that link) a wide variety of frameworks. All have good points and bad points, and what you choose will largely be based on your needs.

By way of example, I'm looking at the Zend Framework now. I know I want to use their controller functions, because I've never bothered to write one for my use consistently - so it saves me considerable time. I may use their database functions, but I doubt it, because I use adodb very happily - and I use most of its features. I may or may not use the other items in it. If I end up not using most of it, then its probably not a great framework for MY specific needs and preferences. If I do, its probably worthwhile.

You need to define what itch you are looking to scratch. If you want a solid input and output filter, thats one thing. If you want a full-fledged database abstraction layer, thats yet another. Once you have a list of your requirements, then you can evaluate the different frameworks objectively, based on your defined needs.

You can of course evolve your needs based on things you learn during the evaluation, but having a solid list to start with will remove a ton of uncertainty. Until you do so, people really can't give any worthwhile recommendations.

Posted: Thu May 04, 2006 12:13 pm
by Christopher
One of the good things about a framework is that it hopefully gets you to use some best practices.

That list would be helpful if it listed them in historical order because I am not sure how many are relevant any more. Maybe you could go through the list and get the last update for each framework and post it here for us?

Posted: Thu May 04, 2006 3:26 pm
by Maugrim_The_Reaper
On the original requirement - many of the most recent frameworks are PHP5 dependent... You need to research a few of the options available, and check which ones have a high adoption rate, a healthy body of documentation, an accessible bug tracker, etc. The documentation one is ultra important - the most annoying framework is one without it or where its poor, short, and lacking in explanations. Keep in mind all frameworks require an up front investment in learning their API and usage. More rapid development generally follow that investment - assuming it meets your needs and you're happy to stick with it.