Like many developers my age, I was predominantly self-taught. I went to art school to learn how to make things pretty, and I learned the code I needed mostly on my own. For quite some time, I had been given the impression that how you code PHP is irrelevant. As long as the code works, its just as valid as any other code that runs without critical error. But lately I’ve been digging a little deeper in to that well and have since realized that there is in fact a scale and a standard for syntax-related best practices. continue reading »
Like many developers my age, I was predominantly self-taught. I went to art school to learn how to make things pretty, and I learned the code I needed mostly on my own. For quite some time, I had been given the impression that how you code PHP is irrelevant. As long as the code works, its just as valid as any other code that runs without critical error. But lately I’ve been digging a little deeper in to that well and have since realized that there is in fact a scale and a standard for syntax-related best practices. 
Well, maybe not the history of everything, but this is a small compilation of the tutorials I’ve discovered over the past year or so that have really helped me rethink the way I do things. This small collection represents certain coding practices that I value in my development process. continue reading »
Well, maybe not the history of everything, but this is a small compilation of the tutorials I’ve discovered over the past year or so that have really helped me rethink the way I do things. This small collection represents certain coding practices that I value in my development process. 
I’m a relatively young programmer by most people’s standards. Ever since I got started about 10 years ago, I’ve been coding in Notepad. Now I use Dreamweaver, which is essentially the same except that it color-codes my work for me and has a built-in FTP function. I’ve tried several IDEs, numerous PHP editors, and “make your life easier” tools in every color of the rainbow, but they inevitably frustrate me. Why do I find it so difficult to give up the familiar? continue reading »