one man army’s blog

"To be frank, how many times in your life as a PHP developer have you had to deal with XML documents? Probably dozens of times, particularly if you use it to develop PHP applications that implement some kind of web service, or possibly when creating RSS feeds and template files for different web sites. And, surely, the list goes on and on.But wait a minute! Of course, I�??m not saying that XML is the evil player of this game, because you�??d be completely misunderstanding my point. XML is great for different reasons, which are definitely out of the scope of this article. But when you need to build large XML documents from scratch or even parse them in some way, you can be faced with a quite challenging and time-consuming process that might cause hair loss! However, as you know, PHP 5 comes equipped with a number of extensions that will make your life much easier when it comes to building and parsing things like XML data. For example, there�??s the �??SimpleXML�?� library, which permits you to perform some useful tasks, such as reading XML data from files and strings, iterating over XML documents, parsing individual nodes, and so forth. PHP 5 has yet another extension that can be really helpful for handling XML data in all sorts of clever ways. In this case, I�??m talking about the one called �??XML DOM.�?� If you�??ve already worked with it during the development of your PHP 5 applications, then you should be well aware of its strong capabilities when it comes to dealing with XML data. Of course, there�??s the possibility that aside from being a PHP programmer, you�??re also a professional diver, who spends most of your time exploring the beauty of the oceans and, in consequence, you've never heard about this PHP extension. In that case, let me tell you a couple of interesting things that you can do with it. Simply put, the DOM XML extension, as its name suggests, will permit you to work on XML documents by way of the DOM API. In this way, it allows you to read from and write to XML files, build XML data from scratch and parse specific nodes, extract them as an array, and even process HTML markup in different ways by using a handful of intuitive methods that closely resemble the ones used with JavaScript. " Full story here

"Welcome to the final part of the series �??Using Yahoo! Web Services with PHP 5.�?� As the title claims, this series walks you through the basic concepts surrounding the correct utilization of the most relevant web search services provided by Yahoo! and puts the corresponding theory into practice by utilizing both procedural and object-oriented approaches.As you possibly know, Yahoo! has recently released a thorough set of Web Service APIs that can be easily consumed by using some popular server-side programming languages, including my favorite one, PHP. If you're interested in learning how to implement these useful services directly from your own PHP 5 applications, then look no further, because you've come to the right place. Provided that you already went through all of the previous articles of the series, I could say that at this point you should have a pretty solid background in consuming the Yahoo! Web Search Services by way of some procedural PHP functions and a few straightforward classes as well. As you saw for yourself in the course of the preceding articles, implementing a particular Yahoo! Web Search Service with PHP 5 is a relatively straightforward process, since it only requires an intermediate background in fetching file contents and processing multidimensional arrays using a few common PHP functions. However, there's one particular thing that you'll certainly recall from the last tutorial: on that occasion I showed you how to utilize the respective Yahoo! traditional and video search services via two modular PHP 5 classes, which implemented some basic methods for performing the searches. Of course, it's fair to mention here that the signatures corresponding to all these classes were very similar to each other. This naturally implies that it's possible to use inheritance to create one base class, and then derive some sub classes according to the web service that needs to be implemented in a specific case. Sounds pretty logical, right? So, this last installment of the series will be entirely focused on demonstrating how Inheritance can be used in a helpful way to build a set of child classes that will come in handy for consuming a specific Yahoo! Search Service. Now that you know the subject of this tutorial, it's time to learn how these web searching classes will be created with PHP 5. Ready to start? Let's go!" Full story here

" We touched on how numbers work in Python a while back in the beginning of our series on Python. In the past few tutorials we discussed strings and how to manipulate them and some of the string methods. Here, in this article, we will go over some of the math modules and discuss different uses for numbers in Python.Intergalactic Integers Intentionally Invaded Iraq Intent on Infiltrating Its Islamic Oil

Yeah you heard me. Try saying that headline three times fast. Or even slow. Although I am sure there is a way we could do just that with our Python integers, it won't be the focus of today's article. Instead we will cover more fascinating subjects, like explaining why our buddy Python has two types of integers. Shocking, I know.

As you know, integers are whole numbers, both positive and negative, that do not have a value to the right of the decimal point. There are two kinds of integers in Python: regular and long." Full story here

"Class Inheritance with PHP There are many benefits of inheritance with PHP, the most common is simplifying and reducing instances of redundant code. Class inheritance may sound complicated, but think of it this way. Consider a tree. A tree is made up of many parts, such as the roots that reside in the ground, the trunk, bark, branches, leaves, etc. Essentially inheritance is a connection between a child and its parent. " Full story here

"Welcome to the final chapter of the series Understanding Destructors in PHP 5. In consonance with this article s title this series walks you through the basics of utilizing class destructors in object-based applications and also provides you with a decent number of hands-on examples so you can start incorporating these useful methods into your PHP 5 classes with minor efforts...." Full story here

"If you re a PHP developer who wants to take the first steps toward building web applications that interact with specific web services in this article series you ll find an approachable guide to implementing some of the most useful search services provided by Yahoo by using a few simple PHP scripts...." Full story here

"This week you'll learn how to create a Joomla template that uses Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) to produce a layout. This makes the template code easier to validate. It also tends to load faster and is easier to maintain.`By Barrie North. 0211" Full story here

"As the students used to say to Mr. Kotter Welcome back welcome back welcome back. In our previous article we talked some more about how to manipulate strings in Python leaving off with indexing and slicing. Here we will pick up again with slicing using it to change the contents of a string...." Full story here

"Welcome to the fourth part of the series Understanding Destructors in PHP 5. Made up of five comprehensive tutorials this series brings to you the foundations of how to declare and implement destructors in PHP 5-driven classes. And it tackles this process from a practical point of view since you ll be able to learn these methods by using copious examples...." Full story here

"Last week we looked at an in-depth explanation of the JavaScript code. This week, we conclude the series with a line-by-line walkthrough of the JavaScript code and describe the server-side classic ASP script code. By Rob Gravelle. 0206" Full story here

"This week we look at how to modify AP element properties with the AP elements panel, design tableless Web pages with AP elements, work with built-in CSS page layouts and more. By Zak Ruvalcaba. 0204" Full story here

"Welcome to the fourth installment of the series Using Yahoo Web Services with PHP 5. Made up of six approachable tutorials this series provides you with the right pointers to start using these useful web services within the context of your PHP 5-driven applications. It complements the corresponding theoretical concepts with a decent variety of hands-on examples...." Full story here

"In our last article we left off discussing ways to manipulate strings in Python like concatenating repeating escape characters and so forth. In this episode we will pick up where we left off and learn some more ways to work with strings starting with the comparison method...." Full story here

"Last week we looked at a brief overview of Ajax, relevant JavaScript 1.3 enhancements, how to run the example and using the script within your own Web page. This week we look at additional functionality that you'd like to add to scripts and an in-depth explanation of the JavaScript code. By Rob Gravelle. 0130" Full story here

"In this conclusion to a six-part series on Apache configuration and installation you will learn how to use chroot to put Apache in jail how to prepare PHP to work in jail and more. This article is excerpted from chapter two of em Apache Security em written by Ivan Ristic O Reilly ISBN 596 7248 . Copyright 2 6 O Reilly Media Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission from the publisher. Available from booksellers or direct from O Reilly Media.... Go beyond knowing technology �? manage it Get your Master of Science in Technology Management online from National University, accredited since 1971. You can enroll anytime and take classes night or day anywhere." Full story here

"Among the improvements that were introduced into the object model of PHP 5 class destructors are quite possibly one of the easiest to learn and implement. As you may have heard a destructor is a special kind of method that is called automatically by the PHP interpreter right before destroying a particular object. So if you re interested in learning how to use them in your own PHP 5-driven applications you should start reading this article series ... $2.50 SVN Hosting $2.50 Subversion Hosting. 1GB, SSL included. No-risk trial. Sign up today." Full story here

"Welcome to the third installment of the series Using Yahoo Web Services with PHP 5. If you re a PHP programmer who wants to learn how to incorporate the useful web services offered by Yahoo then this series of articles might be what you re looking for. You ll find numerous code samples to help you start using these popular web services within your own PHP 5 applications.... See how easy remote support can be. Try WebEx free! Deliver efficient and effective support. Remotely control applications. Leap securely through firewalls." Full story here

"This week you'll learn about AP (or Absolutely Positioned) Elements. These are CSS-driven "content blocks" in Dreamweaver that can contain text, images, media elements and more. Additionally, you can freely position the AP Element anywhere you want on a page. By Zak Ruvalcaba. 0128" Full story here

"If you have ever programmed before or are a ninety-year-old lady or a cat then you know how useful strings are. If you have been reading these articles you will know that a string is a character a sentence a paragraph a book etc. If you haven t been reading these articles then you re missing an important part of your education as a programmer. Don t keep yourself in the dark start reading ... Automate Software Builds with Visual Build Pro Easily create an automated, repeatable process for building and deploying software." Full story here

"Object Oriented Programming in PHP: The Way to Large PHP Projects" Full story here

"This week we look at a brief overview of AJAX, some relevant JavaScript 1.3 enhancements, how to run the example and using the script within your own Web page. By Rob Gravelle. 0123" Full story here

" In this fifth part to a six-part series on installing and configuring Apache you will learn among other things how to put Apache in jail. This article is excerpted from chapter two of em Apache Security em written by Ivan Ristic O Reilly ISBN 596 7248 . Copyright 2 6 O Reilly Media Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission from the publisher. Available from booksellers or direct from O Reilly Media.... Solve more issues on the first call. Try WebEx free! Zap remote support issues. Crush support log jams. Blast through firewalls. Try WebEx Remote Support now!" Full story here

" Welcome to the second installment of the series Understanding Destructors in PHP 5. Whether you re a PHP programmer who s making their first steps in the area of professional PHP development or an experienced developer with a solid background in object-based PHP programming this article series can provide you with an approachable guide for using destructors in PHP 5-controlled development environments.... Software Development at Shopping.com! Find, compare and buy Internet and Communication Applications and other Computer Software products at Shopping.com. Read product reviews and compare prices with tax and shipping." Full story here

"MySQL much beloved among the Open Source community has recently been acquired by Sun Microsystems for the small pittance of insert picture of Dr. Evil here one billion dollars in cash and stock options. How this will affect end users and open source in general is still up in the air but understanding a little bit about the history of open source and the two businesses should help to give us a clearer picture of what is really at stake.... IT Developer Training Begin preparing for your career in Information Technology at ITT Tech." Full story here

"When scripts are written they're used to accomplish a given task, such as creating a rotating picture gallery, or to validate a form. For each task, a separate script is necessary. Often, a script is called using an onload function. By Lee Underwood. 0121" Full story here