Do you really read the php manual?

[mmj]

Please don't use goto

That manual page has to be an april fool's joke or something. It even has an xkcd cartoon on it. Please tell me they didn't add goto to PHP!

kthxbye

[darkslayer]

Wow, quite a response to my post. Obviously we read the manual, but I'm hearing a few times that it is not so beginner friendly. I think it would be great to have list some tips on how to use the manual. For instance, I didn't know for a long time that function parameters in square brackets were optional.

Personally I think php.net is one of the most userfriendly docs around. The main reason for this is the ability for users to add comments. In the beginning I often found alternative explanations among the comments, you can find alternative ways to solve problem, etc.

Reading the doc for .net or java is harder. Languages like javascript or html are poorly documented, and are full of browser variations that you wont find documentet in one place.

The only thing I lack, it would be a better description of the language itself. PHP has its weird quircks here and there, but its not a big deal. We'll manage.

I might be wrong, but I think php.net is the best language documentation ever.

[Stormrider]

I have never found the manual to be unfriendly at all, I think it is one of the best around. It has examples, notes, user comments, what more could you want?

[Raju Gautam]

Simply cant stay in front of computers specially for PHP Programming without having a window of PHP Manual opened. It is really a needful sometimes specially when you know the function name but not sure about the arguments of the function and how to use it with other dependent functions.

[nrg_alpha]

Simply cant stay in front of computers specially for PHP Programming without having a window of PHP Manual opened. It is really a needful sometimes specially when you know the function name but not sure about the arguments of the function and how to use it with other dependent functions.

Depending on which IDE you use, you might be able to use some sort of code completion to help with that sort of thing. I use Netbeans 6.5, so when I type in strstr and then hit space bar, I am presented with a dropdown menu that shows the various options available:

strstr($haystack, $needle)
strstr($haystack, $needle, $before_needle)

This saves me from requiring the manual for that sort of thing, as the included dropdown also provides a description of those elements ($haystack, $needle, etc..) So I would look into seeing if your IDE has that kind of functionality.

[Raju Gautam]

Yes of course. I am talking the situation when someone don't have such IDEs. And another thing i am trying to say is AFAIK, the IDEs can't say the dependencies of the function. Like for example mysql_query() takes two parameters (though second is optional but still for instance) and the IDE just shows 'string query;', '[resource link_identifier]'. So to know where the resource identifier can be taken from can only be known from some examples and if you go to PHP Manual there will be an example and also few more lines of descriptions.

But I still agree that using IDEs can save a lot of time.

[lukemeister]

I always find the manual most useful as a reference when working with dates/times, but there's also tons of other useful things of course. Hopefully I get my date/time functions smoothed out enough in my library and I won't need to look at the manual anymore

[darkwater23]

I haven't had a chance to do PHP dev in a while, but I've always liked PHP as a language and I've always liked PHP.net. I like it better than the MSDN site even. I find it is very easy to use as a quick reference guide. When I can't quite remember the function name or the arguments for a function, PHP.net is quick and the user examples have been very helpful to me. I don't recall any trolling or flaming in the notes either.

[skunkbad]

Please don't use goto

That manual page has to be an april fool's joke or something. It even has an xkcd cartoon on it. Please tell me they didn't add goto to PHP!

kthxbye

I hadn't noticed the cartoon before. Very interesting...

[coffee_ninja]

I use the PHP manual constantly when the naming conventions (or lack thereof) of PHP functions get confused in my head : )

[digital-ether]

I hadn't noticed the cartoon before. Very interesting...

That cartoon just made my day. First one I've seen in the PHP manual..

http://php.net/manual/en/control-structures.goto.php

Does goto allow you to jump into a different scope? Cause if it does, that would suck for debugging.

[Stormrider]

That is generally why goto sucks :P

I guess so though, as long as you don't jump inside a loop or switch statement, those are the only exceptions it mentions :/

[NextStar]

I always give a careful consideration to 'Return' type and value. There were few occasions the value returned were different from what I thought.

[Salathe]

Does goto allow you to jump into a different scope? Cause if it does, that would suck for debugging.

As far as I am aware, goto is restricted. To quote yet-to-be-published changes made to the manual (emphasis my own):

This is not a full unrestricted goto. The target label must be within the same context, meaning that you cannot jump out of a function or method, nor can you jump into one. You also cannot jump into any sort of loop or switch structure. You may jump out of these, and a common use is to use a goto in place of a multi-level break.

[ditch182]

I find myself checking the manual at least once a day. Although, I haven't actually sat down and tried to read it straight through.

[lampcms.com]

My mother reads it to me every night before I go to bed

[subhaikav]

Reading manual is always a useful one.. You will come to know about the basic operations which helps you to do further.