coding standard

[Jake Arkinstall]

*has a fit when code doesn't match my style, and goes on a rampage to reformat it -.-*

lol - same here. I'm always getting emails asking to fix overly-complicated code, and that's the first thing I do - turn it to my style.

Luckily, though, my style is faster and uses up less lines. lol again.

[bokehman]

If you prefer to mix code/presentation, go ahead.

There are times when separating code just makes life more compicated.

That's like recommending not using stylesheets and embeding all the style in the HTML elements.

[Hammer65]

That's like recommending not using stylesheets and embeding all the style in the HTML elements.

Not really, there is a lot of ground in-between there, and we aren't talking about style sheets, but about markup and server side code.

[earl-grey]

Mixing is fine, but only for small and simple scripts.

[bokehman]

Not really, there is a lot of ground in-between there, and we aren't talking about style sheets, but about markup and server side code.

My comments were related to saving mark-up (rather than data) in the database. Is that what you are saying is OK?

[Hammer65]

My comments were related to saving mark-up (rather than data) in the database. Is that what you are saying is OK?

No I would agree with you there. There are some CMS systems that do storage in the database, but I try to keep database activity to a minimum. Getting markup from the db along with everything else you want to do with it, just increases the load. I would vote no on that idea, unless it's a CMS and your getting bits and pieces.

[mr.mstyle]

Exactly - which is why I store output HTML in files.

In fact, a maybe better approach would be to store all the HTML modules you use in a database, which would completely save the need for any HTML in business logic. (I think).

For example, if you had a simple shopping cart, you could have the following rows in the table to show it:
CartHeader

<table>
<tr><th>Product Code</th><th>Item Description</th><th>Price</th></tr>

CartRow

<tr><td>%1$s</td><td>%2$s</td><td>£%3$s</td></tr>

CartFooter

</table>

(Maybe that's a bit of a long-winded approach - it's an example )

Then you could use the following:

<?
$getHtml_Top = mysql_query("SELECT html_output FROM html WHERE name='CartHeader'");
$getHtml_Row = mysql_query("SELECT html_output FROM html WHERE name='CartRow'");
$getHtml_Bottom = mysql_query("SELECT html_output FROM html WHERE name='CartFooter'");
$top = mysql_result($getHtml_Top, 0);
$row = mysql_result($getHtml_Row, 0);
$bottom = mysql_result($getHtml_Bottom);
echo $top;
foreach($_SESSION['cart'] AS $item){
   printf($row, $item, getDescription($item), getPrice($item));
}
echo $bottom;

it was a bad example, but if your that desperate to separate logic from HTML, it works.

Nice approach. In an framework based approch, people tend to have the seperation so people with little or moderate knowledge of PHP can still edit a template file.

Question, is there any way to replace the %1, etc with a var-name?

[sk89q]

Talk about bumping. :S

Separation isn't just so that other people can edit your layout. Even if you're the only one working on the project, if you feel like changing your layout by moving things around later and you didn't separate your presentation and logic, you'll be crying because of all the work you need to do.

Personally I wouldn't store templates in a DB, but if you want to and you want to use variable names, you would do the same thing as you do with regular template files. Either parse a templating language or use eval().

[GeorgeB.]

My style is to put business logic at the top of the PHP file. Either by using include/require statements or by using code directly. Then the bottom of the file is presentation logic. In most cases, this is HTML which escapes to PHP when needed. This allows me to read the HTML source code and get a better feel of the page layout. Another advantage is that I can see the page layout in a WYSIWYG editor (should I want to do that).

Just my $0.02...
mikem

Cosigned.

[Jake Arkinstall]

Wow this thread is old!

Take everything I said above, and forget it! Firstly, HereDoc is great . Secondly, getting templates out of the database isn't a great way of going about things and thirdly using an MVC approach is much better.

For example, a template file like the following would be better:

<ul class="Cart">
    <?php
        foreach($Sender->Items as $Item){
            printf('
                <li>
                    <h3>%1$s</h3>
                    <p class="Price">%2$s</p>
                    <p class="Description">%3$s</p>
                </li>
            ', $Item->GetName(), $Item->GetPrice(GetUser()->GetCurrency()), $Item->GetDescription());
    ?>
</ul>

Splitting into files creates an annoyance when editing, even though organisation may be a bit better.

Of course, the example above isn't perfect. However, it just so happens that 'perfect code' really doesn't exist - programming is a constant journey, you always learn new things and your methods can change. This is why this thread wasn't a great one, because it's such an ambiguous topic. Some people have certain ways of doing things, others have others. In the end it comes down to what suits you and what suits the situation.