23 March, 2014

Tips to keep your PHP code well documented

Right now, PHP can be considered as the most popular language in the world of web development. Some sites like Facebook, Wikipedia, etc as well as some of the biggest open source projects of the world, like Drupal and WordPress, use this language. In this language, there are no fixed rules as such; the content can be almost anything but the actual codes as well as tags are most important. Due to its permissive nature, common mistakes may be made, which may pose problems in the behavior of the program. The key here, is to make the codes clean, easy readable as well as well documented. So, here are some tips which will make sure that the ultimate code turns out to be perfectly documented and functional.

php web development
Naming of classes, functions along with variables- The code pieces can be named in whichever way you want. This factor should be used to your full advantage so that the code is kept understandable. Always make sure that clear names are chosen instead of making up strange abbreviations or using names which may be ambiguous. There is no need for you to be scared of making typos when using longer names; as it is you will be warned by your IDE about inconsistencies like unused variables in the code. Proper naming will surely help you figure out whatever goes on in the code.

Method visibility- Method visibility is another concept worth noting. If you want to write an object-oriented code that is high in quality then the class methods should be assigned with proper visibility. This helps show the code representing the part of logic which should be inside the class; this must not be exposed to the other classes that are there in application. It also exposes some class methods for public access, which helps us call from outside the specific class, so that communication with other application parts may be maintained. Codes including properly-set method visibility, aid other developers to quickly find out the working method of the class developed by you. Anybody will be able to figure out the few public methods that can be referred to in the code. The logic that private class methods handle and which should not be touched, is also noticed easily. Again, your IDE interprets such hints. The editor used by you, in all probability, will be able to show you class methods enlisted as well as their visibility.

Type hinting- Interface/ class names or callable/ array keywords may be put next to function parameter. This restricts the making of wrong function call. However, anyone who reads the code will be able to use it as important information. The function body does not have to be examined to know about calling of the function.

Importance of comments- If a complex script is developed but there are no comments, an error might come up when someone wants to reuse it some time after. In this case, it will take a huge amount of time to fix the problem since just trying to understand the code it will turn out to be a time-consuming task. Here comments can help since they are not only extended but almost all developers understand them. All docs can be seen at conclusion but there will be some specific special parameters that will start with @. During this format, a tool may be used so that the documentation may be exported as a html, pdf or another file even from IDE that is been currently used. Comments act as additional explanation which helps people know whatever is going on.

Over-commenting the code- The code should be properly documented through comments in the scripts but there is no need for commenting in each single line. The source code's complicated parts should have comments so that they may be revisited later to remember everything but the simple things like MySQL connection should not have comments. Most times, good codes are self-explanatory.

Apart from these tips, inserting custom text in doc block will also help by serving as function or class documentation. This will be a good option, if documentation for the project has to be made available from outside the code. So, be patient and incorporate these tips which will help you become better developer with time.

You can hire developers from top custom php development companies in India who can help you build products within allocated budgets and time schedules.

We provide php web development services. If you would like hire php developers from our team, please get in touch with us at Mindfire Solutions.

No comments: