Help – I am doing it wrong… I need a Christmas miracle!

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squeaky
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Joined: Thu Dec 23, 2010 11:51 am

Help – I am doing it wrong… I need a Christmas miracle!

Post by squeaky »

It is very hard for me to ask for help, and I am learning that this hindrance is causing many problems in my work life. I am here to ask for help with a work project that I have made a mess of. I need guidance.

Long story short, I have been developing websites for more than 15 years. I started out in classic ASP. I have developed many e-commerce sites from the ground up, complete customization. In the past few years we have moved away from doing classic asp websites. I have tried to convert my old asp way of thinking and developing to PHP. Bad idea…

My current project is fraught with issues, the more I work on it the more I realize that I am doing it wrong, there has to be a better solution. My foundation is rocky and the code is a mess. I am usually an efficient programmer (or try to be), but this experience is destroying any confidence I may have had in the past.

I’m somewhat deep into this project, and I basically had to tell the boss this morning that I <span style='color:blue' title='I&#39;m naughty, are you naughty?'>smurf</span> up, that I am just making a mess out of this situation, I am overwhelmed and I do not know what to do. We are in a bind.

I have seen the MVC framework in action having used an open source s/w called OpenCart to build a few carts. I think this might be the way to go, or at least something similar to this approach to fixing this ‘sinking ship’.

The project I need help with, in short, is a cart were users can purchase personalized documents. There are several levels of authorization: purchasers who need to log-in, data entry people who need to ‘create’ the documents by completing a 46 question form, people who will need to approve the documents, etc. There is some workflow going back and forth between the creator of the document, and the approver. This is just a sampling of what needs to happen.

I have come to realize my way of doing things is the wrong way.
I need to find the right way – I don’t have a lot of time.
I don’t know if this project is salvageable in the condition it is in, or if it needs to be reworked into an MVC framework. If so, which one? I am overwhelmed with my choices.

I also am looking for someone to help me work on this project, willing to teach me, or at the very least allow me to help with the development.

I need advice, I need help, it’s 2 days from Christmas and I need a miracle.

I am looking for some guidance on how to proceed, how to find the right framework (or salvage what we have) and then locate someone who can help with the development in a timely manner and won’t break the bank.


Thank you for your time, and happy holidays.
alex.barylski
DevNet Evangelist
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Joined: Tue Dec 21, 2004 5:00 pm
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Re: Help – I am doing it wrong… I need a Christmas miracle!

Post by alex.barylski »

I’m somewhat deep into this project, and I basically had to tell the boss this morning that I smurf up, that I am just making a mess out of this situation, I am overwhelmed and I do not know what to do. We are in a bind.
First thing you need to do is calm down, collect your thoughts and rebuild composure. :)

It's only software, refactoring is a very likely possibility.
I don’t know if this project is salvageable in the condition it is in, or if it needs to be reworked into an MVC framework. If so, which one? I am overwhelmed with my choices.
I normally would suggest going with Zend because of it's greater flexibility and more focus on OO principles/practices but in a bind if you had to use a MVC framework I would go with CodeIgnitor, it's easier and community and docs are a little better, IMO. That being said, MVC does not promise success in a project, you can easily break the rules of good design even using Zend, CodeIgnitor, CakePHP, etc. Understanding MVC is more important than using a framework.
I also am looking for someone to help me work on this project, willing to teach me, or at the very least allow me to help with the development.
I'm alwyas willing to help, it further strengthens my own understanding of problems we face as developers. If you are expecting any kind of serious commitment, you need to show me (or other professionals) serious cash. I will help you all I can in PM through the forums or maybe email but again, it's free time. :)
I am looking for some guidance on how to proceed, how to find the right framework (or salvage what we have) and then locate someone who can help with the development in a timely manner and won’t break the bank.
Define timely manner? PM me details. :)

Cheers,
Alex
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