Welcome back PHP fans.
If you're in need of a URL shortener for your site we have a list of 8 of the best, highlighting their features to make your search easier.
Also this week, in Part 2 of the Optimising Laravel series you will learn how to improve query performance using database indexes.
Bulgaria PHP has been announced for November this year, consisting of a training day followed by two conference days including an unConf. The Call for Papers is open now.
Plus last month WordPress reached a significant milestone. Read all about it in the monthly report.
And finally, in this weeks Voices of the ElePHPant interview, Cal Evans talks to Amrita Jain.
Have a great weekend!
Cheers
Katie and Ade |
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Articles
8 Best PHP URL Shortener Scripts
Need a URL shortener for your site, but aren't sure which PHP solution is best for you? We've gathered some of the best PHP URL shortening scripts and tools out there, and highlighted their features to make your search easier. Whatever you're looking for in a shortener, there's likely to be something for you on this list.
Minimum PHP Version Update
WordPress 5.2 is targeted for release at the end of this month, and with it comes an update to the minimum required version of PHP. WordPress will now require a minimum of PHP 5.6.20. Beginning in WordPress 5.1, users running PHP versions below 5.6 have had a notification in their dashboard that includes information to help them update PHP. Since then, the WordPress stats have shown an increase in users on more recent versions of PHP.
PHP GR8
Unless you have been living under a rock, or are from the past (in which case, welcome) you will be aware that a JIT is coming to PHP 8. The vote ended, quietly, today with a vast majority in favour of merging into PHP 8, so, it's official.
20 Un-known Gems of Laravel
Laravel is full of hidden gems that I have discovered during working on different tasks. Some of these gems were less-known or un-documented features, functions parameters and hacks. In this blog post I will share those hidden gems with you, let’s get started. |
Tutorials and Talks
Array Function in PHP [Part 2]
In the first part of this series, you saw some of the most used array functions that the PHP language makes available. Fortunately, after years and years of evolution and the publication of new versions of the language this list of array functions is still long, it almost seems that it never ends. Let's take a look at other array functions, those in the list below are a little less common but here is where you become an expert in the PHP language.
Optimising Laravel Part 2: Improving Query Performance with Database Indexing
In my last article we looked at some simple commands and some basic code tweaks we could use to optimise the performance of a Laravel application. In this article, we’re going to look at how to use database indexes to improve the performance of queries so that your Laravel app doesn’t become sluggish when you start to query lots of data. I was able to improve my performance by 100% in the example in this post but your mileage will almost certainly vary.
Remove Dead Public Methods from Your Code
We already have sniffs and rectors to remove unused private methods. But what about public methods? If you're creating open-source packages, public methods might be used by anyone. But what if you're creating an application - you can remove unused with peace in mind. There is only one problem to resolve - find public unused methods.
Use a Drag-and-Drop Form Builder for WordPress
FormCraft is a GDPR-ready, premium WordPress plugin you can use to create beautiful forms for your website in a matter of minutes. Through add-ons, it offers additional functionality such as integration with MailChimp and reCAPTCHA. In this tutorial, I'll show you how to install the plugin and use some of its most important features.
Serverless WordPress Blog
This blog is completely serverless and in this post I will go through the steps, pros and cons to hosting and setting up a serverless blog yourself at a cost of $0 per month.
Create a Composer Package and List on Packagist
In software engineering and development, things change very quickly. We need to move forward and keep ourselves and our code up to date. In the PHP ecosystem, the composer is the most widely used dependency manager. Assuming that we know how the composer works, we want to explore how we can share our code or libraries that can be used by others in their projects. Let us get started.
PSR-14: All About Events
In the last installment we discussed the overall structure of PSR-14. Today I'd like to dive into the key aspect of any event system: The Events themselves.
Using Loops Instead of Higher Order Functions
I came across a great article from Kirstian Poslek, titled “One reduce() to rule them all”. It explains the reduce() function quite well. The article ends with an example of a function that takes an array, and returns the maximum, minimum and average values. Curious if I could improve on that, I wrote my own version.
418 I'm A Teapot
The IETF has a tradition to publish one or more april-fools RFC documents every year. Among the most famous are IP over Avian Carriers with Quality of Service, and of course Hyper Text Coffee Pot Control Protocol, which introduced the 418 I'm a teapot HTTP status.
Migrating Legacy Web Applications to Laravel
Thanks to Taylor Otwell’s Laravel framework, PHP is reclaiming its rightful place as the go-to language for web application development. For those of us maintaining and developing applications using legacy frameworks, the grass certainly looks greener on Laravel’s side. In this article, I show how to do an in-place migration from a legacy framework to Laravel.
How to Connect MySQL Database with PHP Websites
In the first installment of this MySQL series, I introduced databases and database management system. I also presented a brief overview of a popular DBMS, MySQL. In continuation from the previous post, I will be telling you how you can connect MySQL Database with PHP file. |
News and Announcements
DrupalCon - April 8-12th 2019, Seattle
DrupalCon gathers a range of citizens of the Drupal ecosystem to learn, share and collaborate together. The value of the conference is in the perspectives, energy and diversity of experiences participants share. No matter who you are or where you’re from, you’re invited to participate in DrupalCon. Tickets are on sale now.
Longhorn PHP Conference - 18-20th April 2019, Austin Texas
Longhorn PHP is a 3-day conference in Austin, Texas to help PHP developers level up their craft and connect with the larger PHP community. Our main goal as a conference is to equip attendees to be better developers. If you work with developers or alongside developers, we'll showcase tools and techniques to level up your ability to solve the problems you face every day. Tickets are on sale now.
PHPKonf - May 4th 2019, Istanbul
PHPKonf should be one of the best PHP conferences where community members from around the world come together to learn and share information about the latest trends and technologies in professional PHP development. For the 6th year, we'll host some of the best speakers, awesome talk topics, latest technologies and up to date news in PHP. Tickets are on sale now.
WordCamp Europe - June 20th-22nd 2019, Berlin
Two days of exciting talks, workshops and memorable workshops. Tickets are on sale now.
Web Summer Camp - August 28-30th 2019, Croatia
Spend the last days of summer immersed in engaging hands-on web workshops on the radiant Croatian coast giving you practical experience and broadening your knowledge. Hang out with fellow web professionals in an informal between- and after-workshops setting with fine food and drinks involved. Early Bird Tickets are on sale now and the Call for Papers is open.
Bulgaria PHP Conference November 8-10th 2019, Sofia
We are proud to announce the return of Bulgaria PHP Conference! The 2019 edition will take place from the 8th to the 10th of November in the emblematic National Palace of Culture in the heart of Sofia, Bulgaria. The conference will consist of a training day and two conference days with two tracks, an unConf, a great theme, an awesome party, exquisite food and lots of beer (we take fun really seriously on the Balkans). The Call for Papers is open now.
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Podcasts and Vlogs
Three Devs and a Maybe Podcast - Exploring Bitcoin with Mattias Geniar
Discussion on the latest developments in Bitcoin and the Cryptocurrency space.
Voices of the ElePHPant - Interview with Amrita Jain
This week Cal Evans interviewed webservices and cloud infrastructures architect Amrita Jain.
PHP Ugly Podcast #145: Breakfast with a Listener
This week Eric, Thomas and John discuss various topics including the Laravel 5.8.update.
Full Stack Radio Podcast Episode 111: Jeffrey Way - Building the New Laracasts with Tailwind CSS
In this episode, Adam talks to Jeffrey Way about the process of building the brand new Laracasts.com with Tailwind CSS.
PHP Internals News: Episode 3: Abolish Narrow Margins and Weak References
In this third episode of "PHP Internals News" we talk to Joe Watkins (Twitter, Patreon, Website, GitHub) about his Abolish Narrow Margins and Weak References RFCs, and we also talk a little bit more the FFI RFC.
Laravel News Podcast LN80 - Laravel Live, Editor Releases and Packages Galore
Jake and Michael discuss all the latest Laravel releases, tutorials and happenings in the community.
The Laracasts Snippets Episode 93: A Tricky Topic to Discuss
Representation in the tech community is a tricky topic to discuss. Like a minefield, be careful where you step on this issue. But let's see if we can trace a safe path through.
php[podcast] Editor’s Desk: PHP 7.4 RFCs, Symfony Speaker Workshop, Call for Writers
Editor-in-Chief Oscar Merida records a mini-episode. In this first one, he looks at some RFCs submitted for PHP 7.4 and 8.0, and a new tool for detecting memory leaks with PHP Unit. Also, don’t forget to register to attend and support Symfony’s speaker workshop which starts soon. Details are in the episode and links are in the show notes below.
Beachcast Tech Videos 011 - Make an Update Handler Middleware in an Expressive REST API PHP Project
We make an Update handler in a Zend Expressive application for a REST API PHP project. (see shortcuts below to key points). |
The Month in WordPress: March 2019
WordPress reached a significant milestone this month. With some exciting developments in Core, an interesting new proposal, and the return of a valuable global event, March was certainly an interesting time.
A Week of Symfony #639 (25-31 March 2019)
This week, Symfony development activity focused on finishing and polishing some features, mostly about the Messenger, HttpClient and Mailer components. Meanwhile, the full Symfony Mailer component was finally unveiled during the SymfonyLive Paris 2019 conference.
Best WordPress Q&A Plugins to Stir Up Conversations
Q&A sites like Yahoo! Answers, Quora, Reddit and Stack Exchange are great for asking questions or browsing for answers that people around the world come up with. In addition, Q&A websites incorporate other features like voting, profiles, and badges to ensure the users have an enjoyable time and are able to locate the information they need in a reasonable amount of time. If you would like to develop your own community with the question and answer format, all you need is one of the best WordPress Q&A plugin options!
Drupal 8 Module Development: Build Modules and Themes Using The Latest Version of Drupal 8, 2nd Edition
By Daniel Sipos, published 28th March 2019. Drupal 8 comes with a release cycle that allows for new functionality to be added at a much faster pace. However, this also means code deprecations and changing architecture that you need to stay on top of. This book updates the first edition and includes the new functionality introduced in versions up to, and including 8.7.
Slim 4 Cyclomatic Complexity
There’s not much wrong with Slim 3; lots of people are using it very successfully producing APIs and websites of all kinds. For Slim 4 the main goals have been to support PSR-15, make it easier to use your own PSR-7 implementation, improve error handling and remove assumptions that look magical if you don’t know they are there. The latter one is the most important to me, personally! |
Jobs
Do you have a position that you would like to fill? PHP Weekly is ideal for targeting developers and the cost is only $50/week for an advert. Please let me know if you are interested by emailing me at [email protected] |
Interesting Projects, Tools and Libraries
chrono
The easiest way to measure PHP code execution time.
pH2date
Powerful & lightweight PHP Dating Script built with CodeIgniter 2.X and Bootstrap + jQuery, pH2Date allows you to setup a simple dating webapp with Instant Messenger, Matchmaking system (similar to HotOrNot or Tinder's swiping feature).
ide-helper
This package contains IDE help files for Swoole. You may use it in your IDE to provide accurate autocompletion.
laravel-sluggable
This package provides a trait that will generate a unique slug when saving any Eloquent model.
jikan
Unofficial MyAnimeList PHP+REST API which provides functions other than the official API.
eloquent-sortable
This package provides a trait that adds sortable behaviour to an Eloquent model.
security-guard
The Guard component brings many layers of authentication together, making it much easier to create complex authentication systems where you have total control.
shariff-backend-php
Shariff is used to determine how often a page is shared in social media, but without generating requests from the displaying page to the social sites.
wpstarter
Easily bootstrap whole site Composer packages for WordPress.
eris
Eris is a porting of Quickcheck and property-based testing tools to the PHP and PHPUnit ecosystem.
cockpit
Add content management functionality to any site - plug & play / headless / api-first CMS.
phpbrew
Brew & manage PHP versions in pure PHP at HOME. |
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