10 ‘Must-Know’ Advantages of PHP

As an open source server side scripting language, Hypertext Preprocessor (PHP) is widely used by web application developers across the globe. Many developers love using the scripting language to develop powerful, dynamic and interactive web applications within a short span of time. The huge popularity of the language can be estimated from its use in developing some of the renowned business and social networking websites. If you are planning to switch to the innovative and powerful language, it is time to understand some of its key advantages.

10 Features that Make PHP Score over Other Scripting Languages

• Easy to Learn and Use: Many novice web application developers find it easier to learn PHP without putting much effort. As the PHP syntax has similarities to the C and Java, the developers, who have prior experience in writing programs in these languages, can easily migrate to the powerful scripting language. At the same time, a developer without having any prior programming experience can also learn the language after knowing HTML. The clear and easy-to-understand nature of the language makes it popular among all types of developers.

• Easy to Embed in HTML: In comparison to conventional scripting languages, PHP can be embedded into HTML in an easier and hassle-free way. Many developers even prefer learning PHP after being familiar with HTML. The easy to embed feature also help developers to use the scripting language to convert the static websites into more dynamic and engaging websites without putting any extra effort.

• Open Source and Cross Platform: PHP is also popular as an open source and cross-platform scripting language. As it is open source, a developer can use the language without paying any fees. Further, a company can hire a developer having experience in writing C and Java program to start working on its PHP project. Also, as a cross-platform scripting language, PHP works perfectly on various operating systems including Windows, Mac, Linux and UNIX.

• Superior Level of Freedom: As PHP is not operating system specific, the developers enjoy a huge amount of freedom to write code using any of the commonly used text editor. Based on your choice, you can write the code using just Notepad, or some other editors Emacs, jEdit, Bluefish and Notebook++. The no restriction on coding allows developers to develop applications at their own pace and convenience.

• Several Frameworks: Each programmer looks for options to build powerful application without writing longer lines of code. The PHP developers can develop robust application within a very short timeframe using a variety of frameworks like Symfony, Slim, Silex, Zend and Aiki. You can choose any PHP framework based on the requirements of your application. Also, each framework allows you to avail a set of benefits including code reuse, better session management, and database access libraries.

• Smooth Integration with Systems: PHP is used widely by programmers to develop a variety of web applications and websites. According to a number of reports, over 30% of the web is powered by this powerful scripting language. There are also several systems like Memcache, Pusher and MongoDB that are integrated seamlessly with PHP. So you can use the language to develop powerful and dynamic web application for clients belonging to different regions and industries.

• Instant Support: Most developers need help, answers, or tips while writing codes. As PHP is open source, a developer has option to avail the assistance of a large community of developers. You can simply initiate a web search to access the online documentation and resources for PHP. At the same time, you also have option to avail specific solutions through online forums, blogs, social media and PDF. The support makes it easier for you to get instant assistance whenever you are stuck.

• High Scalability: Along with being interactive and dynamic, most web applications also need to be scalable. After deploying a website, the organization has to enhance hosting, databases and coding to boost its performance. The flexible and easy to understand feature of PHP, makes it more scalable. You can use the scripting language to add more servers and feature to increase your cluster size.

• Convenient Access to Third-Party Tools: Most web applications try to improve user experience by using popular tools and applications developed by third-party vendors. For instance, some business applications use Google maps to help users in identifying a location. Similarly, most ecommerce websites use a variety of third-party application like shopping cart software and payment processing gateways. You can use PHP to easily access all types of third-party tools in a fast and hassle-free way.

• PHP Hosting Services: An organization can further avail several advantages by hosting a PHP application through PHP hosting. Along with being inexpensive, the PHP hosting service further effective in boosting the efficiency and performance of application developed using the scripting language.

These features help immensely in PHP application development. In addition to these features, PHP also scores over other scripting language due to its user-friendly nature. Also, the PHP community constantly works on projects to keep the language updated and dynamic enough to meet the latest trends in web application development.

If you would like to outsource php development and would like to hire a php programmer for your needs, please contact us at Mindfire Solutions.

Who is an Ideal PHP Developer?

The frequent changes in the choices and demands of users have made web application development process both complex and complicated. Most companies, nowadays, look for innovative ways to design websites that can attract, impress and captivate the visitors. As a server side scripting language, PHP is hugely popular among developers to provide a distinct look and feel to a variety of websites.

A php development company planning to hire a PHP web developer can easily receive CVs from a large number of jobseekers. But each organization finds it a daunting challenge to find an ideal PHP developer. When you are looking for a professional PHP developer, the applicant is surely expected to be theoretically and practically sound in PHP development. Also, he must understand the key features of different versions of PHP, and be able to differentiate between PHP 4 and PHP 5.

However, most of the websites, nowadays, are being designed using multiple languages. So a professional, who has minimum knowledge on other languages, can easily integrate the codes in PHP. For instance, if the PHP developer knows HTML, CSS and Flash, he can optimize the look and feel of all web applications. At the same time, he must possess some additional qualities that make the PHP developer ideal and more efficient.

5 Important Qualities of an Ideal PHP Web Developer

• Good Understanding of Object Oriented Programming: A developer with good understanding of Object Oriented Programming (OOP) can learn and use other programming languages without putting any extra time and effort. So you must ask certain OOP-related questions to the applicant to test his understanding. For instance, you can ask several questions to the applicant to check his knowledge on important concepts like inheritance, polymorphism, constructors and interfaces. Also, he must be able to clearly differentiate between private, public, protected and static methods and functions.
• Knowledge of Major Databases: A successful web application must be effective in gathering and synchronizing information from several data sources. Also, the choice of databases varies from one organization to another based on the nature and volume of their data. So an ideal PHP developer must have knowledge regarding both SQL and non-SQL databases. Along with a clear understanding of primary and foreign keys, he also needs to know the database design patterns. It is also important for the developer to at least know one commonly used source control system, along with the importance of CVS.
• Must Know Various Aspects of Web Application Testing: Most companies, nowadays, opt for test driven web application design to save time and resources. So you must hire a PHP developer who has a clear understanding of important web application testing concepts and techniques. The professional also need to know what unit testing is, why unit testing is important, how to unit test JavaScript, and how to use Selenium to check the compatibility of the application with major web browsers. You should also determine if he knows appendChild, removeChild, nextSibling, and other methods to manipulate DOM. The additional web application testing knowledge will further contribute towards controlling the overall project cost.
• Interested in Learning Latest Technologies: Despite being a powerful language PHP cannot be used exclusively to build an entire website. Most web application interfaces are designed using HTML and CSS. Similarly, many web pages used client side scripting languages like DOM Programming and JavaScript to reduce the load on web server. Also, most web applications are designed using open source scripts and templates. Often the open source codes are integrated with PHP script to customize the websites. So an ideal PHP developer must know these languages and technologies, in addition to possessing good PHP programming skills.
• Ability to Connect with Other Professionals: Often companies want to impress their customers by offering innovative and distinct features. So the PHP developer has to face constant challenges to boost the look and feel of various web applications. If the develop is good in communication with other developers, he can easily avail their assistance whenever the need arises. The good communication skill will further make it easier for you to handle clients and other stakeholders in the project. Also, the developer will work as part of a team consisting of other developers and project managers. If he can communicate with other professionals smoothly, it will optimize the overall productivity of your web application development team.

We provide php web development services. If you would like to know more about our certified php developers, please get in touch with us at Mindfire Solutions.

PHP Zend: Presenting tools for the Mobile and Cloud

For any offshore industry organization, PHP turns out to be the perfect code base for swift application development and deployment. As technologies are becoming more and more mobile, and content becoming available across cloud facilities, it is highly anticipated that PHP will come up with something easy and effective for this platform too. Zend Studio 10, derived from PHP’s Zend framework, has brought in innovative tools that make room for a suitable drag- and-drop ambience within the mobile app industry. Another Zend development tool from the closet of PHP is Zend Server Gateway which serves as an API with respect to cloud facilities revolving around the Representational State Transfer or REST architecture. Before we explore these tools let us have a brief understanding of the beneficial aspects of the Zend framework.

Reasons for Popularity of the Zend Framework

Loosely coupled: The Zend Framework can be utilized in the form of a component library. This implies that one can opt for working with a single component or a group of components existing in the framework. For instance, if you need to make use of the Zend Pdf, then it is possible to do so without making use of other components available within the framework. In fact, decoupling of components is done to the greatest extent possible.

MVC constituents: MVC (Model View Controller) components are also available within the Zend framework. This enables the separation of user interface from business logic. Mapping of HTTP Requests is done to a specific function within the user land controller set. The front controller structure is also implemented.

CLI and web programming: Zend framework can be used to compose CLI scripts. Argument parsing functionality is provided by the Zend_Console_GetOpt constituent.

Documentation: The documentation of Zend Framework is exhaustive. Documentation is available in 6 languages in more than 500 pages. Along with the reference guide, online access to and downloading facility for API documentation is available.

Support: There are a number of support channels available in Zend, the official one being the mailing list, which involves active participation from Zend developers. Moreover, a plethora of unofficial forums are available online.

Value creation by Zend: Zend Server and Zend Studio constitute the platform and IDE products available from Zend. Both of these come with a community version that can be freely utilized and provide integration across Zend framework. Partnering with organizations such as Sitepen, Adobe and Google enable Zend to leverage the components of these partner companies.

Zend for the Mobile and Cloud

The capabilities of the PhoneGap mobile industry are integrated by Zend Studio ten with respect to JQuery, thereby crafting a remarkable drag-and-drop ambience for swifter development of mobile applications. For a company operating within the PHP application domain, PhoneGap is of immense help as it enables UI prototyping for Android, BlackBerry, RIM, iOS mobile and Windows Phone operating systems. Design expedient back-ends are provided ranging from cultural media to business applications.

The Zend Server Gateway offers integration of cloud facilities within the drag-and-drop ambience of Zend Studio ten facilitating convenient validation and authentication. The Zend server upgrade enables automatic deployment of applications within the cloud and ensures the availability of dashboards for monitoring the operation of the application across manifold cloud scenarios of the application. Auditing and compliance features are synchronized within the upgrade facilitating Root Cause Analysis (RCA) without making any changes to the live code. The partnership between Zend and Red Hat has led to the introduction of the PHP engine to aid the OpenShift platform. Other remarkable cloud tools that come via Zend are Zend Application Fabric and phpcloud.com.

The PHP Zend industry is advancing rapidly, bringing in cutting edge technology for PHP based network apps, thereby ensuring the implementation of the most cherished network applications within the stipulated time at economical rates. PHP application development teams can help you build projects within allocated budgets and time schedules.

If you want to hire a PHP developer for your PHP web development needs, please contact us at Mindfire Solutions.