Re: [PHP] PHP and XML/XLST/WDDX etc
On Friday, March 29, 2002, at 12:52 PM, Dennis Moore wrote: I am in the process of updating many of my applications to include XML/XLST/ and/or WDDX technologies. Many of my applications read a static configuration file which assigns values to variables and arrays. If we need to change something we manually edit the configuration files. In some instances, we have written web interfaces to manage these configuration files. I am in a dilemma right now between If it ain't broke, don't fix it and Looking over my shoulder. I am trying to determine whether it makes more sense to use XML for maintaining configuration files. As far as content management, we use static include files or MySQL databases to store site content. I am not sure where the advantage of using XML/XLST for this functionality. In my experience, you're going to get a lot of anti-XML responses about this. My limited experience of dealing with XML is that it is very complicated and difficult to actually do, regardless of the promises of simplicity that are usually made when discussing XML. HOWEVER -- once your application is all set up, I imagine that it will actually be somewhat easier to maintain. It's learning how to do all of this, plus the fact that the XML tech is so young right now. For instance, check out the man page on xslt_set_sax_handler() or xslt_set_sax_handlers() -- not very informative. And while xslt_process() has a man page that actually explains how to use it, it really helps to have a more fundamental understanding of XSLT, since it is not explained in the man page why you use the argument syntax that is used. I just discovered this last one last night... so you might have seen the thread. I think it's interesting, and I'm trying to incorporate it into my app even though it DEFINITELY doesn't need this kind of functionality, because I want to learn more about it. In fact, if performance or high volume are issues to you, then you should probably hold off for now, as most of these functions require quite a bit of processing -- XML was never intended to be lean or mean. Probably the hardest thing is finding resources on this -- there are quite a few tutorials on DevShed or SitePoint or PHPBuilder that do a good job of introducing a topic, and there are some books on XML itself, and its related technologies, but I haven't found much that goes in-depth into using PHP with XML. There is far more about Java and XML than PHP. I finally found a mailing list devoted to PHP/XML issues, but it's on Yahoo! Groups and I'm having a bitch of a time getting subscribed (who ever thought that a web-based interface for mailing list management was a good idea?) Anyway, best of luck to you -- let me know if you find a community dedicated to this very topic, since I'd like to focus on it a bit more. Erik Erik Price Web Developer Temp Media Lab, H.H. Brown [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- PHP General Mailing List (http://www.php.net/) To unsubscribe, visit: http://www.php.net/unsub.php
RE: [PHP] PHP and XML/XLST/WDDX etc
Just to follow up on some of these thoughts. XML is definitely complicated to move into. Its unclear if you aren't involved in data interchange, if the benefits are really there. If you are just developing in your own way, you may not need it. OTOH, its new, sexy and may sell better to your customers (if you have such). Bear in mind that if you are db backed, you still need to flatten to store in a DB. There aren't many XML stores, most aren't that good, and they aren't that fast. With that said, I am doing XML now but its for data interchange, not anything else. NOTE -- I was doing SGML in 89 and XML ain't all that different. Scott * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * J. Scott Johnson PHP Consulting and Design Work * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Virtual: * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.fuzzygroup.com/ Yahoo IM: fuzzygroup -Original Message- From: Erik Price [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Friday, March 29, 2002 12:54 PM To: Dennis Moore Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [PHP] PHP and XML/XLST/WDDX etc On Friday, March 29, 2002, at 12:52 PM, Dennis Moore wrote: I am in the process of updating many of my applications to include XML/XLST/ and/or WDDX technologies. Many of my applications read a static configuration file which assigns values to variables and arrays. If we need to change something we manually edit the configuration files. In some instances, we have written web interfaces to manage these configuration files. I am in a dilemma right now between If it ain't broke, don't fix it and Looking over my shoulder. I am trying to determine whether it makes more sense to use XML for maintaining configuration files. As far as content management, we use static include files or MySQL databases to store site content. I am not sure where the advantage of using XML/XLST for this functionality. In my experience, you're going to get a lot of anti-XML responses about this. My limited experience of dealing with XML is that it is very complicated and difficult to actually do, regardless of the promises of simplicity that are usually made when discussing XML. HOWEVER -- once your application is all set up, I imagine that it will actually be somewhat easier to maintain. It's learning how to do all of this, plus the fact that the XML tech is so young right now. For instance, check out the man page on xslt_set_sax_handler() or xslt_set_sax_handlers() -- not very informative. And while xslt_process() has a man page that actually explains how to use it, it really helps to have a more fundamental understanding of XSLT, since it is not explained in the man page why you use the argument syntax that is used. I just discovered this last one last night... so you might have seen the thread. I think it's interesting, and I'm trying to incorporate it into my app even though it DEFINITELY doesn't need this kind of functionality, because I want to learn more about it. In fact, if performance or high volume are issues to you, then you should probably hold off for now, as most of these functions require quite a bit of processing -- XML was never intended to be lean or mean. Probably the hardest thing is finding resources on this -- there are quite a few tutorials on DevShed or SitePoint or PHPBuilder that do a good job of introducing a topic, and there are some books on XML itself, and its related technologies, but I haven't found much that goes in-depth into using PHP with XML. There is far more about Java and XML than PHP. I finally found a mailing list devoted to PHP/XML issues, but it's on Yahoo! Groups and I'm having a bitch of a time getting subscribed (who ever thought that a web-based interface for mailing list management was a good idea?) Anyway, best of luck to you -- let me know if you find a community dedicated to this very topic, since I'd like to focus on it a bit more. Erik Erik Price Web Developer Temp Media Lab, H.H. Brown [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- PHP General Mailing List (http://www.php.net/) To unsubscribe, visit: http://www.php.net/unsub.php -- PHP General Mailing List (http://www.php.net/) To unsubscribe, visit: http://www.php.net/unsub.php
Re: [PHP] PHP and XML/XLST/WDDX etc
I am in a dilemma right now between If it ain't broke, don't fix it and Looking over my shoulder. I am trying to determine whether it makes more sense to use ML for maintaining configuration files. Compiled program == ML configuration file Interpreted program (i.e PHP) == included configuration file with variables set For most interpreted programs I can't see any advantage in adding extra code and processing time just to store the config file in a ML. As far as content management, we use static include files or MySQL databases to store site content. I am not sure where the advantage of using XML/XLST for this functionality. I'm currently working on a class library/application framework for PHP (similar to Delphi's VCL) in which I'm using XML/XSLT for the templates. It's working great with development not taking very long at all. The two main advantages of using XML/XSLT for content management that I can see are: 1. It's easier to enforce a common look and feel on a site. 2. It's easier to re-target content (different transformations for different browsers). . Rich -- PHP General Mailing List (http://www.php.net/) To unsubscribe, visit: http://www.php.net/unsub.php
