Is the new Delphi for PHP from CodeGear a good IDE ?

CodeGear, the spin off of Borland released a new RAD development tool for PHP this year. Is it any good for professional PHP development ?

PHP for Delphi looks ok, it’s a neat tool, but Dreamweaver already offers a similar Code Writing feature, its much more standard, is much better supported by Macromedia (Adobe) and is probably as close as industry standard PHP code writing as your going to get.

The BIG problem with using a tool like Delphi for PHP is…
- the code it generates, is very difficult to read, you need a bunch includes and classes just to bring in all the functionality
- Dreamweaver does it better and the code it generates is much more readable. It’s much more compact code and is easier to read and hand code if needed.
- You will most likley be tied to using Delphi for PHP should you need to make major changes , (because of the code generation)
- Its a non-standard (its new not too many people are using it) coding framework. You will find little support for it.
- Incoporating templates and web designs into a RAD application is very difficult. Since the RAD tool doesn’t render the page (like dreamweaver does), its very hard to control your layout

I’m a long time’s delphi programmer, but have been coding in PHP last 5 years, there’s a HUGE difference between PHP develoment and Delphi development is that in PHP the application design has to be really built around the browser interface, Delphi for PHP and Delphi are really traditional applicaton RAD tools , even they they try to incoprorate Dektop like features (ajax data grids) , its breaks the way most people interact with web based applications. That is most people expect to click and see a page refresh. While a web application and standard Desktop application may want to accomplish the same thing, the user interface (minus the common widgets) is very different.

Learn Dreamweaver instead.. .

eclipse pdt demo – PHP Development Tools – part 2

Extending and Embedding PHP $31.95 In just a few years PHP has rapidly evolved from a small niche language to a powerful web development tool. Now in use on over 14 million Web sites, PHP is more stable and extensible than ever. However, there is no documentation on how to extend PHP; developers seeking to build PHP extensions and increase the performance and functionality of their PHP applications are left to word of mouth and muddling through PHP internals without systematic, helpful guidance. Although the basics of extension writing are fairly easy to grasp, the more advanced features have a tougher learning curve that can be very difficult to overcome. This is common at any moderate to high traffic site, forcing the company hire talented, and high priced, developers to increase performance. With Extending and Embedding PHP, Sara Golemon makes writing extensions within the grasp of every PHP developer, while guiding the reader through the tricky internals of PHP. Author: Sara Golemon Published: June 2006 ISBN: 067232704X 456 Pages

FileMaker 9 & PHP Foundations (Training CD) $64.95 The most popular web scripting language PHP is now distributed and supported by the most efficient desktop database software company FileMaker Inc. If you know FileMaker and you want to use your data on the web this tutorial shows you the “How To” from a leading industry expert. The tutorial curriculum is developed as an A to Z package. You will be introduced to Custom Web Publishing using FileMaker Server 9, taught the essentials of PHP, and then discover the powerful methods of FileMaker’s new API for PHP. Learn the solid foundations of custom web development with PHP and FileMaker Pro. FileMaker distributes PHP 5.x Requires a copy of FileMaker Server 9 Requires a copy of FileMaker Pro 9

Web Database Applications with PHP and MySQL, 2nd Edition $34.95 By Hugh E. Williams, David Lane 2nd Edition May 2004 ISBN: 0 596 00543 1 816 pages There are many reasons for serving up dynamic content from a web site:to offer an online shopping site, create customized information pages for users, or just manage a large volume of content through a database. Anyone with a modest knowledge of HTML and web site management can learn to create dynamic content through the PHP programming language and the MySQL database. This book gives you the background and tools to do the job safely and reliably. Web Database Applications with PHP and MySQL, Second Edition thoroughly reflects the needs of real world applications. It goes into detail on such practical issues as validating input (do you know what a proper credit card number looks like?), logging in users, and using templates to give your dynamic web pages a standard look. But this book goes even further. It shows how JavaScript and PHP can be used in tandem to make a user’s experience faster and more pleasant. It shows the correct way to handle errors in user input so that a site looks professional. It introduces the vast collection of powerful tools available in the PEAR repository and shows how to use some of the most popular tools. Even while it serves as an introduction to new programmers, the book does not omit critical tasks that web sites require. For instance, every site that allows updates must handle the possibility of multiple users accessing data at the same time. This book explains how to solve the problem in detail with locking. Through a sophisticated sample application Hugh and Dave’s Wine Store all the important techniques of dynamic content are introduced. Good design is emphasized, such as dividing logic from presentation. The book introduces PHP 5 and MySQL 4.1 features, while providing techniques that can be used on older versions of the software that are still in widespread use. This new edition has been redesigned around the rich offerings of PEAR. Several of these, including the Template package and the database independent query API, are fully integrated into examples and thorougly described in the text.

Upgrading to PHP 5 $20.95 If you’re using PHP 4, then chances are good that an upgrade to PHP 5 is in your future. The more you’ve heard about the exciting new features in PHP 5, the sooner that upgrade is probably going to be. Although an in depth, soup to nuts reference guide to the language is good to have on hand, it’s not the book an experienced PHP programmer needs to get started with the latest release. What you need is a lean and focused guide that answers your most pressing questions: what’s new with the technology, what’s different, and how do I make the best use of it? In other words, you need a copy of Upgrading to PHP 5. This new book is targeted toward PHP developers who are already familiar with PHP 4. Rather than serve as a definitive guide to the entire language, the book zeroes in on PHP 5′s new features, and covers these features definitively. You’ll find a concise appraisal of the differences between PHP 4 and PHP 5, a detailed look at what’s new in this latest version, and you’ll see how PHP 5 improves on PHP 4 code. See PHP 4 and PHP 5 code side by side, to learn how the new features make it easier to solve common PHP problems. Each new feature is shown in code, helping you understand why it’s there, when to use it, and how it’s better than PHP 4. Short, sample programs are included throughout the book. Topics covered in Upgrading to PHP 5 include: The new set of robust object oriented programming features An improved MySQL extension, supporting MySQL 4.1, prepared statements, and bound parameters Completely rewritten support for XML: DOM, XSLT, SAX, and SimpleXML Easy web services with SOAP SQLite, an embedded database library bundled with PHP 5 Cleaner error handling with exceptions Other new language features, such as iterators, streams, and more. Upgrading to PHP 5 won’t make you wade through information you’ve covered before. Written by Adam Trachtenberg, coauthor of the popular PHP Cookbook, this book will take you straight into the heart of all that’s new in PHP 5. By the time you’ve finished, you’ll know PHP 5 in practice as well as in theory. By Adam Trachtenberg July 2004 ISBN: 0 596 00636 5 304 pages

PHP 5 in Practice $27.95 With the release of PHP 5 web developers need a guide to developing with PHP 5 to both learn its complex new features and more fully implement the long standing features on which PHP’s success is built. PHP 5 in Practice is a reference guide that provides developers with easy to use and easily extensible code to solve common PHP problems. It focuses on providing real code solutions to problems, allowing the reader to learn by seeing exactly what is happening behind the scenes to get your solution. Because a real life situation will rarely match the book’s example problems precisely, PHP 5 in Practice explains the solution well enough that you will understand it and can learn how to truly solve your own problem. Authors: Jonathan D. Eisenhamer and Elliott White Published: July 2006 ISBN: 0672328887 576 Pages

Dreamweaver 8 Dynamic Development $109.95 Are you ready to develop your website into something more than a collection of static pages? In Dreamweaver 8 Dynamic Development, instructor Dan Short teaches you how to use Dreamweaver to build a robust and dynamic site. This video tutorial delves into the possibilities offered by Dreamweaver 8, including the integration of a back end database, SQL queries, customized blogs with filtered content, and search forms. Dan breaks down the skills that will help turn you from designer into developer: understanding data types, creating a database, and inserting and updating database records. He also walks you through the construction of both the front and back ends of an interactive blog. While this title uses ColdFusion to demonstrate dynamic development in Dreamweaver, the same procedures and concepts also apply to ASP, PHP, .NET, or any other server side language. Exercise files accompany the training videos, allowing you to follow along and learn at your own pace. Approximate Running Time: 7 Hours Topics covered include: Setting Up Your Development Environment Working with Databases Building the Database Site Preperation Admin Area User Authentication Creating User Admin Pages SQL Syntax Creating Product Admin Pages Creating Front End Product Pages Reviewing Products Creating Review Admin Pages Creating a Product Search Handling Image Uploads

Dreamweaver CS3 Dynamic Development $99.95 In Dreamweaver CS3 Dynamic Development, instructor David Gassner demonstrates how to use Dreamweaver CS3 to create professional, data driven websites that are interactive and seamlessly integrated. From choosing servers and databases to installing MySQL to designing and building web based data entry systems and displays, this training provides in depth, hands on guidance through the process of building strong dynamic sites. Exercise files accompany the tutorials. Topics Include: Understanding dynamic applications Working with databases Installing MySQL on Windows and Mac OSX Setting up an application server Creating a dynamic application Displaying data on dynamic pages Building data entry systems Authenticating users Using Dreamweaver CS3 with ASP.NET and PHP Creating interfaces and validating forms with Spry

PHP with MySQL Essential Training $99.95 Website and database assimilation is a necessity for many of today’s businesses, and learning to work with PHP is key to integration success. The objective of PHP with MySQL Essential Training is to teach both new and experienced web developers the comprehensive steps for building dynamic, data driven, interactive websites. Instructor Kevin Skoglund demonstrates the entire process of building a content management system. He starts with the basics of the PHP language (variables, arrays, loops, functions, etc.) and works up to building dynamic web pages with a MySQL back end. Kevin also covers blueprinting applications; structuring and interacting with databases; building, validating, and processing forms; and regulating user access with passwords. In addition, he provides practical advice, offers examples of best practices, and demonstrates refactoring techniques for improving existing code. Exercise files accompany the tutorials. ISBN: 1 59671 364 X Duration: 10.75 hours on 2 CDs

Dreamweaver CS4 Dynamic Development for Mac,Win $69.95 Dreamweaver CS4 Dynamic Development takes users to the next level in their understanding of the application. David Gassner demonstrates the installation of Apache, MySQL, and PHP for Mac OS X and Windows. He also shows how to define sites, integrate ColdFusion and PHP, implement AJAX style pages with the Spry framework, add visual effects, and present XML formatted data. David explores Dreamweaver’s new features, Live View and Live Code, showing how they can be used to build and test web pages before they go live. Exercise files accompany the course. System Requirements: Windows 1024×768 or higher screen resolution Windows XP or Windows 2000 Broadband Internet connection (ISDN/DSL/CABLE) QuickTime : QuickTime 6.0 or better plug in QuickTime 7.0.4 or better To view movies with closed captioning, QuickTime 7.0.4 is required. One of the following browsers: Internet Explorer 6 or better Firefox 1.0 or better Macintosh 1024×768 or higher screen resolution Mac OS X or higher Broadband Internet connection (ISDN/DSL/CABLE) QuickTime : QuickTime 6.0 to 6.5.2 QuickTime 7.0.4 or better To view movies with closed captioning, QuickTime 7.0.4 is required. One of the following browsers: Safari 1.0 or better (part of the Mac OS X system) Firefox 1.0 or better

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