As a PHP developer, there are a number of things that can increase your value as one, and how you approach coding as a whole.
Given that each language has its own peculiarities, it should be obvious that tips for might not work for another.
Having said that, here are 4 specific PHP tips for developers:
#1: Opt for OOP
Learning how to use objects is ideal given that this is how the world of programming is changing. Procedural programming is not ideal anymore. One big advantage is with OOP, there will be no repetition of code while debugging is simpler, uses less system resources while being faster and requiring lesser lines of code.
#2: Avoid Anything that Ends with _once()
Both include_once() and require_once() can be very hard on server resources especially on a large framework. It’s wise to avoid these two statements as much as possible. Unfortunately, this is how PHP has been set up and there’s nothing we will be able to do about it.
#3: Turn Error Reporting to E_ALL
Before you start a new software project, ensure you turn error reporting to E_ALL and only turn it off a few seconds before you go into production mode. This is for the simple reason that when running it in that mode, you probably won’t get even one error. Apart from that, when turning error reporting on, you can catch even the smallest of errors that amount to a lot later on.
#4: Use PHP’s Inbuilt Functions
While there are lengthy ways to perform certain tasks in PHP (let’s say, counting the number of items in an array), using in-built functions can make it simpler. In the case mentioned above, you can use the function count() to perform the same task quite easily. There are number of other functions, so check the manual for simpler ways to carry out a task.