Re: [Phrame-devel] MVC sample application

[Tony B. <to...@to...>]

On Sat, 22 Mar 2003, Jason Sweat wrote:
> require_once('config.php');
> require is a directive, not a function, so
> require_once 'config.php'; 
> is better form, mentioned in the PEAR coding conventions as acceptable either
> way, but I have been dinged in professional writing elsewhere for including the
> parens.

I made this change, thanks for pointing it out.

> 
> $_CONF is a bad name for a variable.  It looks like a superglobal, but clearly
> is note.  It also ad-hears to the PEAR coding conventions definititions of a
> define, not a global variable.

Actually PEAR says globals should start with underscore, followed by 
package name followed by variable name.  Since the use of $_CONF was not 
specific to the MVC package, rather, for use in the app itself, I renamed 
it to $gConf for now.

> 
> If you have these constants defined:
> // General configuration settings
> define('_BASE_URL', 'baseurl');
> define('_MVC_BASE', 'dirbase');

Per PEAR coding standards all _<varname> constants are now named 
MVC_<varname>

> in Controller::Controller()
>        $_SESSION['MVC_message'] = '';
> Should 'MVC_message' also be a define?  I tend to like to use defines for all
> "magic" indexes, that way there is less risk of me mis-typing an assignment
> index.

Good point, I have added MVC_MESSAGE and MVC_ERRORS as constants

> 
> I would move the $configData initialization into the config.php script.  This
> makes the "bootstrap" (index.php) file more understandable, and it is after
> all, configuration, which seems like it belongs in the "config" script. 

Ok, what I have done is I have moved all the config data to mvcconfig.php.  
In preparation for XML support I have also created a mvcconfig.xml.  
Individual apps can name these file what ever they want.  Point here is 
you are right, the config data should be pulled.  I also refactored a few 
things so that the ArrayLoader and XMLLoader work the same.  The way I had 
before required unique logic in the LoaderFactory which , obviously, 
doesn't make much sense.

> The discussion of the $var[foo][bar] vs $var = array('foo'=>array('bar'=>...));
> came up on the Phrame list earlier.  I said I was ambivilent then, but looking
> at it:

I too am ambivilent. I think in the end the XML configuration will be the 
default as it is easier to read and easier for developers to learn.

I will repost the updated code here as soon as the XML configuration is 
working.

-- 
Tony Bibbs          "I guess you have to remember that those who don't
to...@to...  hunt or fish often see those of us who do as      
                    harmlessly strange and sort of amusing. When you  
                    think about it, that might be a fair assessment." 
                    --Unknown