Microsonic Development » Software Reviews

PHP & Pagination

admin — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 01:23:34 +0000

Very often I see people asking questions about this on forums such as DP and NP. I have probably posted my code snippet on how to efficiently create a simple pagination document more times than I can count (which whether you believe it or not is pretty high ). So I decided I’d go through it here.

First off, we’ll explain what pagination is. You may be reading this article not even certain if pagination is what you need. However, if you have multiple MySQL results you wish to organize and display “x” results per page, you’re on looking at the right thing. It is as simple as that. Pagination is really just web jargin used to shorten up “return results only displaying ‘x’ per page.”

So, I’m going to post the snippet and I’ll go into it a little bit, but I do believe that the comments explain pretty thoroughly. First the database structure we’re going to use

CREATE TABLE `pagination` ( `id` BIGINT( 10 ) NOT NULL , `name` VARCHAR( 32 ) NOT NULL , `content` TEXT NOT NULL , PRIMARY KEY ( `id` ) ) ENGINE = MYISAM ;

And now.. The moment we’ve been waiting for… The actual pagination script!

/** * Pagination Script by Dennis M. * (C) 2009 Dennis M. All Rights Reserved. * * Primary purpose of this script is to teach * people the art and concept of pagination * and how to effectively create/use it. * Please give credit to Dennis M. if you * take anything directly from this script. * */
// Connect to DB mysql_connect("localhost","USER","PASS"); mysql_select_db("USER_DATABASE"); // Define results per page $perPage = 1; // Define page number in URL $num = $_GET['no']; // Define link starting point. $linkno = 1; // If no number given, default it. if(!isset($num) OR !is_numeric($num)){ $num = 1; } // Multiply to see where we're at to show results $currentLimit = $perPage*($num-1); // Get how many pages we'll have total (for links) $numPages = mysql_num_rows(mysql_query("SELECT * FROM pagination"))/$perPage; $query = mysql_query("SELECT * FROM pagination ORDER BY id ASC LIMIT ".mysql_escape_string($currentLimit).",".mysql_escape_string($perPage).";"); // Fetch all the info while($row = mysql_fetch_array($query)){ $title = stripslashes($row['name']); $article = stripslashes($row['content']); ?> Pagination Test } print ""; if($perPage <= 2){ while($links < round($numPages)){ ?> $links++; $linkno++; } } else { while($links <= round($numPages)){ ?> $links++; $linkno++; } } ?>

Now that’s all there really is to it. Basically how it works is it updates the SQL query depending on the page number (received from $_GET['no']). If none is defined, it reverts to the default and all goes accordingly!

Pagination Tutorial

The download link is above as usual! Enjoy

Regards,
Dennis M.

PHP vs Ruby on Rails (RoR)

admin — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 23:00:39 +0000

Well people have been asking me lately about this Ruby on Rails (RoR). I often receive questions such as “What is RoR?” or “Is it better than PHP?”. Well, Ruby on Rails is another web programming language, but is not widely compatible across all web servers, but is increasingly becoming so. Personally, I am more of an advocate to PHP, but we’ll try to get the facts straightened out.

To begin, I’m going to assume everyone knows the basics of PHP. It’s fast, efficient, integrated with the webserver, etc. But for those of you completely unfamiliar with Ruby on Rails it is made by the “Ruby Core Team” (of the Ruby Programming Language). The format of the language is similar to Python if any are familiar with that. Ruby generally runs on its own server, separate from the general webserver-to my experience anyway.

So now that we have the basics down about each let’s go over the weak points in each and strong points. We will begin with the weak points to Ruby on Rails. Since it runs on it’s own server, it makes it more difficult to readily integrate with a site: obviously. Also, for those of us who prefer the nice C/C++ style programming, you can forget it with RoR. You will definitely end up using “end” much more than you would care to admit with this language. Compatibility across servers is more or less low. Most servers do not provide the RoR service, so that is also a downfall of RoR.

Likewise, PHP also has its faults. Since the language is so widely used and installed on practically every serer on the web, it allows for more holes to be more easily and quickly found. This means more frequent updates (which could be good if it does not become a nuisance) and since it is integrated with the web server, that also means long patch times. Depending on how you have setup PHP, you may even have to recompile the webserver. Normally it doesn’t cause a great problem for most servers because the old version doesn’t remove until the new version is finished compiling, but it greatly increases server load. For webhosts, this could cause a problem because this means that they have to go down for more server maintenance time. Also, unfortunately for PHP, every time one wants to add a new feature (example add ziplink support or something) they would have to recompile PHP.

Although both have their faults, both also have very strong points. Again, we’ll begin with RoR. RoR, again, since it’s not integrated means little downtime if it needs to be updated. Also, it is similar to Perl in the respect that it can download modules quickly and easily. Ruby, growing more popular, also is easier for users who are entering programming. It definitely scores an A+ on the entry level programming language level and pretty powerful with simple code.

PHP, on the otherhand, though a little more complex has its key aspects. There is mass compatibility with PHP. As mentioned earlier, pretty much every server on the web is PHP enabled. It has become the web standard over the years. Another benefit, since most open source software is programmed in PHP, is one who knows it can make their own program modifications and customizations to most open source programs. Above all, the support over the web is great because users all over the web have a deep understanding and knowledge of the language and are willing to offer free help on forums all over the web.

So all in all, both languages have their ups and downs. Ultimately, it is your choice to decide which you would rather learn/install on your server. Peronsally, I would go with PHP simply because it’s more available and there is a greater user base to help you. If you are looking for custom projects to be made, it may also be much easier to find a programmer to do work for you if you’re looking for PHP. But if you have never looked at programming before and cannot seem to grasp the concepts of PHP, Ruby may be a good alternative to start learning how programming should look and feel.

Regards,
Dennis M.

Knowing What to Use (or make) for Your Site

admin — Tue, 26 May 2009 19:36:38 +0000

So it seems quite often new webmasters are at their wit’s end when the question arises: what features does my site need? Well, this common question can be quickly turned into a daunting test of thought to new and experienced webmasters alike. So how can one even begin to approach this question? Well, why am I asking you? That’s what you’re reading this for .

Alright, so you are creating a new site and are not sure what features you should start packing it with. Well, the most important thing to keep in mind is that the site should always be updated. So if at first you forget some features, don’t rush to get them finished right away; save them for future updates. By keeping sites updated, as I’ve mentioned in previous posts, you keep users coming back to your site. Once you have that out of the way, you can move on to deciding site essentials.

Deciding site essential features is an absolutely necessary step to creating a successful site. Consider your site’s purpose, function, and most importantly, what makes it unique. Whatever makes it unique should be the most important feature you first include. Followed by what it does and its purpose. For example, I have created a blog here. So I would not make this site a giant forum and expect people to simply read my blog posts, but rather I setup the blog and add an RSS feed so people can subscribe and stay updated.

So more or less, when a user is trying to figure out what is necessary, those functions that make your site worth viewing are what you need to include. Then, if you feel you’ve forgotten something, add them in for later additions so people have yet another reason to keep coming back to your site! Remember, with the web changing literally every second, one needs to keep their content and sites updated frequently (hmm maybe I should follow my own advice, eh? :p).

Regards,
Dennis M.

PHP Link Directory (phpLD)

admin — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 10:30:48 +0000

Hey there guys. So my most recent project has been working with the PHP Link Directory, commonly known as phpLD. I’m working with versions v2.2.0 (free) and v3.3.0 (paid). I am creating various mods (unfortunately I cannot post them here, private project so the mods are to the buyer only) for the buyer and have looked through most of the script’s structure. So I’m giving a review.

It is natural for a programmer to look through source code of an open source program and decide for him or herself whether the program is efficient. For the most part, I must admit, phpLD is a great script. I will proceed by version in the next few paragraphs explaining the things I found.

In version v2.2.0 the script is very small. Simply the “barebone” basics of what you could call a program. Even though it gets the job done, there are very few modifications for this free version of phpLD and it makes it difficult to learn a lot about the version without looking through the source yourself. Now for people such as myself, we look through the source code anyway, but someone just taking a quick look to make a few changes, it could be quite difficult and cumbersome if they are unfamiliar with general programming. Normally this would not be the case because modding generally implies that you have a thorough understanding of how the code works in the first place, but sometimes I feel the file names could have been chosen better to describe their function—but then again, every developer has his or her preference. Other than that, there seem to be some minor security holes (haven’t spent too much time looking for large exploits as I’m just simply working on the mods) but this version is outdated, thus the reason it is free.

In version 3.4.0 I must say I’m highly impressed. At a glance, there are no apparent security holes or problems with this feature rich software. I think it actually makes shelling out the extra few bucks for this worth it. The already feature-rich link directory script also has many mods available for it. People who are “on the fence” so to speak about making their final purchase for this software, I recommend purchasing this version. If you’re looking to be a serious link directory and have the cash, this is the way to go. Now that is not to say you cannot have a successful link directory with v2.2.0, but this version is much easier to use and is much more admin friendly. It seems they crafted this version to be more geared toward the average use rather than the webmaster.

Some down falls in all of this is compatibility. I understand how versions work (x.x.x) major, minor, etc. on builds/releases, however, moving from v2.2.0 to v3.4.0 it looks like an entirely different program. Much of the source code from v2.2.0 has been completely outdated. If they are providing a free version, I personally think it should at least use a similar structure and not the primitive structure they use for it. Also, since the program is so widely used, it looks very generic if you do not theme it. Even then, with a custom theme the registration forms are identical on almost every site using it. So beware of losing a sense of “directory uniqueness” to this software.

So overall, the program, in either version, is a worthwhile program to at least take a look at. If you’re serious about creating a link directory and don’t want to, can’t, or don’t have time to create your own, phpLD is the way to go. Again, it may cause a problem that the directory script is so largely used that your site may lose any originality that it could have had otherwise. Also, the compatibility factor (if you start using the free v2.2.0) is horrendous. If you have a modded v2.2.0 and decide later you wish to upgrade to v3.4.0, you may find great difficulty in transferring these mods over to the newer version. Other than those slumps, either version should suit most purposes well.

Regards,
Dennis M.