Step by step guide for Zend

Sorry for inconvenience; article is in raw state not yet finalized.

   
 

Introduction (Work in progress no to be published)

Using any framework is easy but applying that to real world application can be hard and time consuming task. People do get bits and pieces of the framework from google and other search engines but will not be able to find a concrete example that can help them lay out the ground they need for their start-up in practical application of that framework.

Background

When I started working in Zend framework I find the documentation is more inclined towards getting familiarity with different classes and other aspect of the framework but not a single concrete development example was presented that can bridge the gap between hello world example and real practical example. So I started to work on this article that will not only help you get familiar with Zend framework but will also help you create a web application from scratch to end.

Some good reference    

There are some worth mentioning reference that people can look into, to enhance their knowledge and understanding

• Download ZFC_Study_Guide_v1.pdf – 2.56 MB  
• Download ZendFramework1.6.pdf – 4.4 MB
• http://akrabat.com/zend-framework-tutorial-18/
• http://www.amazon.com/Zend-Framework-Action-Rob-Allen/dp/1933988320 (Highly recommended)

http://www.zend.com/en/webinar/Framework/webinar-ZF-Layout-20080319.flv

Some Nice working examples:-

• http://centurion-project.org/zend-cms-demo        

Pr-requisites

  Off-course you should have some familiarity with PHP. I am going to use ZendFramework-1.11.10 so I have uploaded the source as well to avoid any conflicts with future releases. You can also download the latest version here at http://www.zend.com/en/downloads/. You can also download Zend server and Studio for ease of use. Setting up Zend framework is easy so i am letting it up to you. In case I receive any queries related to setup I will surely add some clarification. I also consider that you are familiar with MVC model as well.

So what you have set up till now 

You have Zend studio + Zend server and able to create a new project using Zend studio.  Now I will discuss the directory structure.

 

1. application.ini purpose of this file is to contain all information related to configurations
   
   1. (Explained line by line

[production] //// All setting will related to production

phpSettings.display_startup_errors = 0 //// Startup error :setting it to 1 will display errors

phpSettings.display_errors = 0 //// display error :setting it to 1 will display errors

includePaths.library = APPLICATION_PATH “/../library” // Path for library

bootstrap.path = APPLICATION_PATH “/Bootstrap.php” // path for bootstrap file

bootstrap.class = “Bootstrap” // Class name for boot strap

appnamespace = “Application” // name space for application

resources.frontController.controllerDirectory = APPLICATION_PATH “/controllers” // directory for controllers

resources.frontController.params.displayExceptions = 0 // front controller is among one of the core things that a person need to understand

 
 

[staging : production] // having a colon “:” mean all the above configurations are inherited so you don’t need to explicitly set it here too.

 
 

[testing : production]

phpSettings.display_startup_errors = 1

phpSettings.display_errors = 1

 
 

[development : production]

phpSettings.display_startup_errors = 1

phpSettings.display_errors = 1

resources.frontController.params.displayExceptions = 1

 
 

1. Controllers http://framework.zend.com/manual/en/zend.controller.html
   

   Controller act as a bridge between Model and view. Zend claim that a “Zend_Controller_Front ” act as a main controller that calls other controller on different request.
   

   Note:- I am still unable to find this zend controller front so it vague for me as of now.
   

   1. Model:-

      Will help you create some model classed to perform CRUD (Create Read update delete) options. We will look into details as we proceed.
      

   2. View

      Section contains different view that can be rendered on demand. I always wonder how different views can be merged together to create a full fledge web page.
      

   3. BootStrap.php

      Will help you put any boot time setting here.
      

   4. Index.php

      Index.php is the main file that will server all the request. Application environment is setup here and different paths are setup. Then a new “Zend_Application” object is created
      

      <?php
      

       
       

      // Define path to application directory
      

      defined(‘APPLICATION_PATH’)
      

      || define(‘APPLICATION_PATH’, realpath(dirname(__FILE__) . ‘/../application’));
      

       
       

      // Define application environment
      

      defined(‘APPLICATION_ENV’)
      

      || define(‘APPLICATION_ENV’, (getenv(‘APPLICATION_ENV’) ? getenv(‘APPLICATION_ENV’) : ‘production’)); // Production here will tell to use production section in application.ini
      

       
       

      // Ensure library/ is on include_path
      

      set_include_path(implode(PATH_SEPARATOR, array(
      

      realpath(APPLICATION_PATH . ‘/../library’),
      

      get_include_path(),
      

      )));
      

       
       

      /** Zend_Application */
      

      require_once ‘Zend/Application.php’;
      

       
       

      // Create application, bootstrap, and run
      

      $application = new Zend_Application(
      

      APPLICATION_ENV,
      

      APPLICATION_PATH . ‘/configs/application.ini’
      

      );
      

      $application->bootstrap()->run();
      

      Ok if you run the following url http://localhost/ZendStepByStep/public/index.php you will be able to use the application.
      

       
       

   Real work start now:-l
   

       It seem really cool that now the app is running an you are able to access the URL but now you have accommodate it as per you needs and this is where you have to mold the things as per you need.
   

   Let have a database configuration now:-
   

   db.adapter = PDO_MYSQL (Php data objects)
   

   db.config.host = localhost
   

   db.config.username = root
   

   db.config.password =
   

   db.config.dbname = zsbs