php[architect]

by Robert Richards

PHP 5 introduced a number of ways of working with XML. The only problem, however, was that in order to create XML, you were either required to master the complexities of DOM or fall back to the old standby of manually creating XML using strings. Each of these methods has their drawbacks, which eventually lead to the creation of the XMLWriter extension. Discover how to use this new extension with XML guru Rob Richards.

by Deb Whitten

With a dash of terminology, a pinch of theory and some simple rules, you can learn how to cook up some great database designs. In this article, author Deb Whitten will walk you through the process of data-base design, step-by-step.

by Joseph Kouyoumjian

Now you can build your own highly available, scalable platform for running mission-critical PHP applications on commonly available commodity hardware, using proven open source software. With no software license fees, you can add as many servers as you like to increase performance. This frees you from the need to buy the latest and fastest hardware. In this piece, the first of a series, author Joseph Kouyoumjian shows you exactly how to build and configure just such a platform.

by Tobias Schlitt

The PEAR Installer has been capable of packaging and distributing real applications, as well as the traditional PEAR library components, since version 1.4.0. Read as PEAR contributor and author Tobias Schlitt demonstrates how to use exciting new features–such as post install scripts–when using the Installer to distribute custom applications.

by Ilia Alshanetsky

A person’s identity is a precious thing; it defines who we are and ultimately makes each person unique. In the offline world, the identity of a person is often represented by various documents ranging from social security num-bers, passports, credit cards and so on. The online world is not the same. Security expert Ilia Alshanetsky explains some common session-related pitfalls, and how to avoid them.

by Jeff Moore

The magic methods __get() and __set() are a great way to implement attributes in PHP that can look and act like standard PHP properties. This month, columnist Jeff Moore presents several implementations using __get() and __set(). We'll look at the performance of each and cover some pitfalls with the technique in general.