PHP OO Desing Patterns.

[Craige]

Okay, I have had a grasp on PHP OO for quite a while now, but my lack of understanding for good design patterns is driving me crazy. I can write OO PHP code, but I cannot do it in such a way to be able to really work with design patterns. I want to read up on a bunch, and learn why they are good like they are. I feel if I can do that, then maybe I will be able to write better OOP code using concepts learned from the patterns. I always feel that my code is inefficent, and could be a hella lot better. I have not read any good resourses on OO PHP. Just this and that I learned here and there, to gather my knowledge OOP. The book I origonally learned PHP from had a shitty section on OO PHP (and it was PHP 4, I have learned parts of PHP 5 OOP since the release).

Anyway, you get what I am asking. Links, Book refrences (that go over several patterns), ect.

[Dennis Pallett]

Join the club! I've been struggling with Design Patterns for quite a while now, and I'm finally slowly understanding them. It's not easy

Anyway, one of the best sources for OOP and Design Patterns in PHP is definitely the PHP Application Design forums at SitePointForums. Some of the greatest PHP gurus hang out there, discussing almost any aspect of PHP, including a lot of talk about design patterns.

If you're looking for books, I've heard many positive comments about Patterns of Enterprise Application Architecture by Martin Fowler. I haven't read it myself, so I can't really offer any insight on it.

Hopefully in the neat-future (I'm hoping in the coming month) I'll be reviewing a PHP book called "PHP 5 Objects, Patterns, and Practice", and the review will be posted on PHPit. Sounds like it contains a bit on design patterns as well

I also suggest you check out phpPatterns and maybe "Introduction to Design Patterns Using PHP"

[Matthijs]

Awaiting the review of Dennis about PHP 5 objects patterns and practice: I just started reading it and from reading the first couple of chapters and browsing the others, I find it an excellent book. I haven't arrived at the chapters on patterns yet, but the first chapters are promising. Especially his writing style is very pleasant. Something which is very important (for me at least), as it helps a lot in digesting the content. Also, a clear and pleasant writing style makes reading more enjoyable.

[Dennis Pallett]

Hopefully I'll receive the book next week, so I can have a review up shortly after. The title sounds pretty exciting, and I can't wait to dig in.

[Jared White]

I've read Patterns of Enterprise Application Architecture by Martin Fowler, and I thought it was really excellent. The only drawback is that all the examples are Java or C#, so you have to be at an intermediate level in programming at least to be able to translate the concepts to PHP. Thankfully, PHP 5 is a bit more Java-like than 4, so it's not quite so hard now.

My personal opinion about patterns are that, while they're very useful, their real purpose is to describe how excellent apps are built, not to dictate how to build excellent apps. In other words, as you're building an app, you might use certain existing patterns and might create some new patterns or variations on existing patterns yourself. It's almost like art -- you learn the rules, then you start breaking a few. But you definitely need to learn the rules first. PoEAA is a great place to start and considered a "reference manual" of sorts for Web development architecture. (When you hear people raving about how cool Ruby on Rail's ActiveRecord component is, just remember Martin Fowler described that pattern first!)

[Dennis Pallett]

Originally Posted by Jared White

My personal opinion about patterns are that, while they're very useful, their real purpose is to describe how excellent apps are built, not to dictate how to build excellent apps. In other words, as you're building an app, you might use certain existing patterns and might create some new patterns or variations on existing patterns yourself. It's almost like art -- you learn the rules, then you start breaking a few. But you definitely need to learn the rules first. PoEAA is a great place to start and considered a "reference manual" of sorts for Web development architecture. (When you hear people raving about how cool Ruby on Rail's ActiveRecord component is, just remember Martin Fowler described that pattern first!)

I definitely agree with that, and I've often found myself using a certain design pattern, without even using it on purpose. It just "happened", and I only noticed afterwards.

[Craige]

Okay. I will check out the site point forums, and those other two links you gave me. However I would profer a book that describes the patterns in PHP. I really don't want to have to go through reading a java book to convert the code over. Not that I can't do it, I just prefer not to. Any other book recomendations that are in PHP?

[Matthijs]

One other excellent book is PHP Architects Guide to PHP Design Patterns from Jason Sweat. It will take a basic level of php knowledge to be able to understand everything, but as I understand you have enough experience programming php. Jason takes a test-driven approach in the book, it is well written and he discusses clearly why or when each pattern is used.

[Dennis Pallett]

I haven't read any PHP design patterns books (yet), so I can't really offer any suggestions, but I've also heard some positive comments on PHP Design Patterns which Matthijs recommended, so give that a try.

Hopefully I'll get PHP 5 Objects, Patterns, and Practice soon so I can give a review on that.

[kingleo]

I took a glance on several excerptions of "Guide to PHP Design Patterns" online, and found the book is valuable to help building up a sense of patterns...of course patterns exist in every logic-required situation.