Packfire Framework for PHP

Packfire Framework for PHP is a clean and well thought web framework for developers of all walks to scaffold and bring up websites quickly and hassle-free.

[mozillawebmaker-blog]

Help Mozilla set the Standard for Web Literacy

The Mozilla Foundation has a vision of a web literate planet. We’ve built some tools to help with this and now we’re asking the question: What are the skills, competencies and literacies necessary to read, write and participate on the Web - now and in the future?

Since February, we’ve been meeting to discuss, both on our weekly calls and on the Mozilla Webmaker list, what to include and, more recently, how to present the whole thing.

This is our first draft.

We’ll be launching a Beta version in June and we’re looking for your feedback. Let us know what you think by:

commenting on this overview post

using this feedback form

joining the weekly community calls

[decodering]

As promised, this version leaves behind the older Internet Explorer 6, 7, and 8 browsers. In return it is smaller, faster, and can be used in JavaScript environments where the code needed for old-IE compatibility often causes problems of its own.

[packfire-blog]

v2.1 update plans

Packfire Framework came a long way to be where we are today. The framework now empowers research projects as back end data servers and controllers, such as the Travel Assistant for the Visually Impaired (TAVI).

With the will for continuous progress, Packfire will be releasing a version 2.1 on 15 April 2013 sporting the following new upgrades, improvements and new features:

Better IoC dependency distribution using Packfire FuelBlade

Config and Flash message view filters

Security Analysis page

Backend Administration Webpages

Improved Composer package loading and integration

several minor bug fixes and greater code testing coverage

minor code speed up and improvements

[packfire-blog]

Sam-Mauris Yong, CEO & Co-Founder of [HeartCode](http://heartcode.sg/) development team and developer of Packfire, shares on how developers can improve Git project flows to manage complexity better through branches, tags and Github pull requests. Read more at https://speakerdeck.com/mauris/github-project-flow

[aaronbonner-deactivated20170207]

[packfire-blog]

Some functions (fgetcsv, fputcsv for example) require a stream handle to work with. Similarly you have methods within zend_pdf to expect to read and write image data from a stream.

This can be inconvenient at times when you already have the data sitting in a variable. A way of getting around the...

[dkalab-blog]

Happy New Year 2013

[packfire-blog]

Happy 2013 everyone!

[packfire-blog]

Upcoming Projects and Updates

First of all, Merry Christmas to all (: More code, less talking. That's what happened for the past few weeks. Nevertheless, we came up with great projects that we are sharing open source on Github. These projects were created to solve many challenges that web developers or software engineers face commonly. Here are some of the projects: `[CLI]` means that the project runs as a command-line interface application in the form of a PHAR binary. `[Composer]` represents that the project can be installed and used by others through Packagist and Composer installation. - [PDC for PHP](https://github.com/packfire/pdc): [CLI] a smart little worker that helps you to check for missing class dependencies by analyzing your source code and checking against PSR-0 namespace and autoloading. Makes you code faster as you spend less time trying to fix a misspelled namespace. - [Packfire Torch](https://github.com/packfire/torch): [CLI] a web asset management tool for you to keep images and JavaScript libraries out of your version control. Torch installs web assets from any source just like how Composer install components. - [Packfire Options](https://github.com/packfire/options): [Composer] A PHP-implementation of NDesk.Options (C#) using Closures and callbacks to help you effectively parse CLI arguments across platforms. - [Packfire Concrete](https://github.com/packfire/concrete): [Composer] A small library that provides toolset for PHAR compilation similar to how Composer does it. Used by PDC and Torch to compile themselves into PHAR binaries. CLI version coming soon.

[nevver]

[packfire-blog]

Merry Christmas everyone. Feliz Navidad!

[packfire-blog]

Setting Exit Code in PHP without exiting immediately

We all know that in a PHP script, you can return an exit code CLI-style using the `exit` language construct: `exit(2);` Exit codes have been very widely used in CLI tools such as Git or `apt-get` to tell the calling script that there may be an error of sort and the operation was not successful. This makes a great experience for an end-user. However, the `exit` call assigns the exit code and immediately terminates the script. Sometimes you just want to set the exit code, do some work then terminate the script and that can't happen. The solution is to use [shutdown hooks](http://stackoverflow.com/questions/12324980/set-java-exit-code-without-exiting-yet) (the question was about Java, but thanks to Packfire Framework's ShutdownTaskManager you can quickly do the same). $this->service('shutdown')->add('exitCode', function(){ exit(3); }); doMoreWorkAfterSettingExitCode(); This allows you to do more work after setting the exit code to your PHP script. Sweet and simple!

[wired]

For everyone who enjoyed the very adorable “Dumb Ways to Die” viral video, here’s a wonderful little spoof about all the things Curiosity could find on Mars. 

Facehuggers, anyone? 

[packfire-blog]

Parsing CLI Arguments effectively

Command Line Interface (CLI) applications are commonly used by us developers to produce work effectively and quickly without GUI. We all know that command line arguments are colourful: different standards, different formats, different arguments, etc. Reading CLI arguments in PHP isn't easy at all. Try normalizing and letting your application understanding these: `update`, `--force`, `-qf`, `--env=/usr/bin/env`. It's tedious and even worse when requirements changes. Packfire Framework makes it easy for you. With a similar implementation to NDesk's `NDesk.Option` parser, Packfire offers a set of classes in the `Packfire\Command` package for you to parse command lines easily using closures. public function run(){ // create an OptionSet parser $option = new \Packfire\Command\OptionSet(); // initialize variables to take in and be used later $command = null; $quiet = false; $force = false; $linker = false; $file = ''; // set the options // we add an index checker to check for the first argument $option->addIndex(0, function($value) use(&$command) { $command = $value; }); // now we add a 'q' checker // "q|quiet|silent" matches '/q', '-q', '--quiet', '--silent', '/quiet' and '/silent' $option->add('q|quiet|silent', function()use(&$quiet) { $quiet = true; }); $option->add('l|linker', function()use(&$linker) { $linker = true; }); $option->add('f|force', function()use(&$force) { $force = true; }); // '=' at the end defines that this flag requires a value // the value can be after a '=' in the argument or // be the next value $option->add('file=', function($value)use(&$file) { $file = $value; }); // parse the arguments $option->parse(array('update', '-qf', '/file=test.log')); // you can use "$_SERVER['argv']" instead too like this: // $option->parse($_SERVER['argv']); } Sweet and easy isn't it?

[packfire-blog]

[Anchor for Windows](http://github.com/thephpdeveloper/anchor-app) - A marvellously lightweight app for managing local websites. Releasing on 12 Nov 2012.

[ngeeannpoly-deactivated20191111]

Meet the “IT” boy!

Sam Yong Information Technology Graduate, Class of 2012

Being a geek is trendy again and even the cool kids are getting on board the tech bandwagon. But Sam, who has participated and excelled in numerous IT-related competitions in and outside of school, is definitely the real deal. For this 20 year-old, IT isn’t just a course of study. It is a passion and an obsession, declares Sam, who is now working as a researcher at NP’s School of InfoComm Technology while waiting to start his National Service. Make no mistake though; this self-professed nerd is no wallflower. Sam bagged the prestigious Chairman’s Excellence Award at the recent NP Awards Night 2012 for having been an outstanding all-rounded student and a competitive archer. 

So what sparked this love for anything IT? When I was 10, a friend wanted to sell his old computer for $10. I saved up the money and bought it from him. It was my first computer so I was crazy about it even though it wasn’t working too well. But that turned out to be a good thing because I had to tinker with the hardware with whatever I had learnt from books. That started it all!

What has been your proudest involvement in the field of IT so far?

I am most proud of representing Singapore in WorldSkills London 2011 last October. It is reputed to be the world’s largest skills competition and careers event with competitors from 51 countries competing in 46 skill areas from bricklaying to hairdressing! I participated in the Web Design category. The process was quite gruelling as there were several rounds to go through to get to the finals. The local qualifying stage held in Singapore was eight hours long, like an extended examination! Eventually, nine of us from various polytechnics and ITEs emerged as winners to represent Singapore at the finals, where I achieved the Medallion for Excellence. It was such an amazing and fulfilling experience!

You’re also adept with the bow and arrow quite like Katniss, from The Hunger Games — but the macho version of course! So the geek is also a jock? 

Yes, I love archery. I’ve always liked projectiles — objects that are fired, flung, pitched or thrown to a specific target. While on a Youth Expedition Project to Sichuan, China, I met a friend on the team who happened to be an archer. And that was when I found out about the CCA. I enjoy the requisite silence when I shoot; it really clears my mind. 

They say geeks rule the world. Share with us your plans for world domination?

My strategy is to keep doing what I love because so far, I have no regrets at all about following my heart. After NS, I’ll be going to the National University of Singapore on a scholarship to study Computer Science. There, I also hope to continue with archery and work towards my goal of becoming a national archer for Singapore.

[packfire-blog]

[packfire-blog]

Anchor for Windows - a marvellously lightweight app for managing local websites Development by Sam-Mauris Yong is ongoing on [Github](https://github.com/thephpdeveloper/anchor-app), but this is the conceptual design for the real application.

[packfire-blog]

Version Control before you start

Before you start working on your software from blank, try: $ git init A simple command like `git init` can help greatly before you start your software development. No matter how big or small your project or simple application can be, it helps just to initialize your folder for version control. As your proceed to develop your application from scratch, practise version controlling best practices and you will find the process to be short, sweet and easy.

[packfire-blog]

Shutdown Task Manager - run code after HTTP response

In normal task execution, web applications process time-consuming tasks before sending a respond to the HTTP request. However, these tasks makes your web application look slow, sluggish and inefficient. Nobody likes using a slow and frustrating website. Since Packfire Framework 2.0.3, it is possible for you to attach tasks with the `ShutdownTaskManager` IoC service to make your website faster and elegant. By attaching time-consuming tasks, such as mass sending emails and performing cache garbage collection, to the `ShutdownTaskManager` service, your application loads faster to the user. To attach tasks, simply run the code in your BucketUser classes (i.e. Controller and View): $this->service('shutdown')->add('mail', function($to, subject, $message){ $ok = mail($to, $subject, $message); });