4 Useful tips for PHP Developers

Opt for OOP

Object Oriented Programming (OOP) makes use of Objects (classes) that classifies similar tasks together which avoids the repetition of codes and enables basic tasks to be performed quickly without having to rewrite functions and procedures each time something needs to be done. This is different from Procedural Programming which follows a thorough routine that goes from the top to the bottom of each page as the server parses every file. OOP is fast and simple. It is also easier to debug and requires less server resources, provided best practices are followed.

Avoid Ending With “_once()”

“include()” would give you a warning in the event that it fails. “require()” would kill the script by giving rise to a fatal error in case of failure. “include_once()” and “require_once()” however, are very detrimental to server resources. Avoid “_once()” especially on huge frameworks or better yet, a proper planning of your code would not even require that.

Use “POST” instead of “GET”

In cases when it is possible, use POST instead of GET. The reason for this is that GET is easy to emulate and can make your project prone to hacking. POST is safer, especially for form submissions.

Know your project and practice

Get to know the particular requirements of your project. You cannot start coding until you have a clear picture in your mind of the functionalities you want to achieve. To help you get a great plan, you might scribble down your actions or make drawings. Another thing to bear in mind is that practice makes perfect and so you would never know how to handle an error, unless you really get to tackle it.