Almost all careers in website development begin with a lesson in PHP. It is a simple yet powerful scripting language that adds much-needed dynamicity to website designs. Currently, almost 83% of websites use PHP. Even popular and everyday names like Tumblr, Wikipedia, and Facebook, rely on this programming language for backend services. Its simplicity brings forth an obvious challenge. Most websites require extensive labor and time during the initial development stages when they rely on flat PHP.
To complement the simplicity of this scripting language, the developers of this open source language have come up with several pre-defined general applications. Frameworks have been around for quite some time now, helping programmers save money and time. They are ideal for all kinds of Ithaca Web Design. Entrepreneurs prefer the use of PHP frameworks due to the variation of standard architectures of their e-commerce websites.
Why do website developers prefer using PHP?
Whether it is flat PHP or frameworks, developers like this scripting language for several reasons –
- It can generate conditional content. It enables drawing relevant data from the website database using several variables as per user requirement.
- It is easier than HTML and CSS to master and use. It creates web pages easily.
- Leading CMS engines like WordPress use PHP extensively on the template/theme backend and e-commerce plug-ins like WooCommerce.
- It eliminates the need to edit the HTML code of the templates directly.
Why do you need to try a PHP framework?
These frameworks can be quite diverse in architecture and function. The average PHP framework is a varied set of code architecture that helps in the construction of website applications or the development of new PHP frameworks (like Symfony) for various types of business websites. Since they have standard coding practices, using any PHP framework during the website development process saves the e-commerce website development team a lot of time.
Inversion of control or IoC enables your code to follow the instructions at the framework level. The Hooks enable the addition of code for the extension of features and functionalities of e-commerce sites. They reduce the potential mistakes at the core level, and this further contributes to the speed of the development process. A lot of developers and programmers believe that codes are not ideal for beginners. However, beginners are more likely to make mistakes during the use of flat PHP codes, and this can decrease the throughput of the development process. Using verified and standard PHP frameworks always improve code quality, increases security and improves UX.
What qualities should your PHP framework possess?
Finding a reliable PHP framework is not difficult. Choosing one among the many that modern community of open source PHP developers have to offer is. Almost all standard and popular PHP frameworks that exist today are highly competent and comparable. Therefore, picking just one can be next to impossible even for the veteran PHP coders.
Here are a few traits that your framework of choice should always possess, irrespective of their age.
- Popularity – we know we have told numerously before to not judge a book by its cover, but for choosing the correct Framework, you need to pick a name that is popular. This has two advantages – firstly, it will have a dedicated user community that will contribute to the development and debug of the framework. Secondly, the user interface of the framework will be familiar, and it will be much easier for a bigger team to coordinate the e-commerce development process.
- Support – PHP is an open source language, and these frameworks enjoy liberal contributions from programmers from all around the world. Many of the leading frameworks are also free. Bigger frameworks come with larger user communities, and that is one of the norms of PHP frameworks like Symfony and Laravel. This will bring endless round-the-clock support to your e-commerce site development project.
- Extensive code libraries – most e-commerce websites need to keep up with customer demands and competitor technologies. Therefore, most of them rely on extensive code sets to include new features and perfect existing ones. Even a simple app requires the help of extensive code libraries to be able to function smoothly.
- Use and learning – all the existing PHP frameworks are very easy to master and implement. Without learning the basics of PHP, you will find it impossible to leverage them advantageously, but these frameworks make work a lot easier for beginners and veterans alike. While developing an e-commerce website, you will enjoy the distinct simplicity that comes with the use of PHP frameworks.
- Specificity –the best PHP Frameworks include Yii, Zend, Symfony, CakePHP, CodeIgniter, and Laravel. They have been leading in UX and performance for the last few months, and they will likely lead the team of PHP frameworks for upcoming months as well. They are quite inexpensive, even for the new programmers, who have not yet monetized their development skills optimally. Some of these frameworks lend a hand to the development of frameworks, while others simply help in the development of highly dedicated web applications. They come with highly specific purposes. Developers should always learn about the functionalities of the platform before choosing one.
Picking the right PHP framework can streamline your entire e-commerce development process or derail the project. Although these six names are the most popular among all frameworks, all six may not be ideal for your skills or your team requirements. Your choice of PHP framework should be able to enhance control. Most website developers prefer these frameworks and even flat PHP over CMS because the latter fails to offer the extent of creative freedom that comes with PHP. For example – a number of these frameworks bring with them features and functionalities like code validator, translation, config, BrowserKit, Routing, Central Console and Processing on XML config files.  Therefore, always remember to choose a framework that can conserve your creativity and control during the website development process. You can always seek the help of third-party developers and programmers to find a framework that works best for your site.
