WEL COME...Tamilnet Live...தமிழ்நெட் லைவ் ..வருக வருக ...

Select Your Language

Some useful tips for PHP Developers


1.This will also work

$var = $var + 1;

Is the same as:
$var++;

This method also works for subtraction:
$var--;

This can also be used in concatination of strings. So instead of:
$text = 'This is my text and it is done';
$text = "$text And I mean Done!"; // $text = 'This is my text and it is done And I mean Done!';

Use this shorthand method of adding another string of text onto the end of the first string:
$text = 'This is my text and it is done';
$text .= ' And I mean Done!';

2.Single Quotes versus Double Quotes

At any time if you are putting something in "double" quotes, you are asking PHP to check that content for a variable. So even though the following lines do not contain variables within the double quotes, PHP will still waste precious computing time scanning them anyway.

$text = "John";
if($text == "John")
{
echo "hi";
}

Those same three lines of code could be executed much faster if 'single' quotes were used in place of "double" quotes.

$text = 'John';
if ($text == 'John')
{
echo 'hi';
}

Now that may not seem like much, but having PHP check for variables where it doesn't need to over the course of a larger script, can certainly impede run-time. Just to clarify my point, PHP will not read a variable if it is within 'single' quotes.

echo '$text, And I mean Done.';
// Will output: $text, And I mean Done.
echo "$text, And I mean Done.";
// Will output: This is my text and it is done, And I mean Done.

Avoid double quotes at all costs. Even if you are working with a variable and think you need double quotes, it is more efficient for PHP to execute this:

echo $text . 'And I mean Done.';

3.One control structure to rule them all, One constant to find them, One set of conditional brackets to bring them all and in the darkness bind them

Not anymore! If you have a single expression following a control structure, you do not need to waste your time with brackets { }.

if($gollum == 'halfling')
{
$height --;
}

Is the same as:
if ($gollum == 'halfling') $height --;

This can be applied to any control structure statement. For example:
if ($gollum == 'halfling') $height --;
else $height ++;

if ($frodo != 'dead')
echo 'Gosh darnit, roll again Sauron';

foreach ($kill as $count)
echo 'Legolas strikes again, that makes' . $count . 'for me!';

The fewer brackets you have cluttering up your code, the easier it may be to read.


4.Boolean

If all you are trying to test for is a boolean (true/false) of a variable or function then instead of laying down a bunch of code like this:

if ($blackbeard == true) echo 'Arr, this chair be high, says I.';
elseif ($seacaptain == false) echo 'Yar, I'm not attractive.';

You can omit == and != with:

if ($blackbeard) echo 'Arr, this chair be high, says I.';
elseif (!$seacaptain) echo 'Yar, I'm not attractive.';

This same format can apply to functions and multiple conditions. For example:

if ($benedict_arnold != true && strpos($photo,'map') == true)
echo 'You fool, you can't read!';

if (high_chair($blackbeard) == false)
echo 'Aye, 'tis true. My debauchery was my way of compensating.';

The following is the same exact statement (except with less code):
if (!$benedict_arnold && strpos($photo,'map'))
echo 'You fool, you can't read!';

if (!high_chair($blackbeard))
echo 'Aye, 'tis true. My debauchery was my way of compensating.';

5.Don't use spaces to format your code, use tabs. Every space takes up 1 byte, every tab takes up 1 byte too. So if you are using 4 spaces to make 1 tab, you will have added unnecessary bulk (and CPU time) to your code.
===========================================================================

No comments: