CodeIgniter for Rapid PHP Application Development

Table of Contents

• Preface

• Chapter 1: Introduction to CodeIgniter
  • What can CodeIgniter Do for You?
    • Save Time
    • Make Your Site More Robust
      • Keep Your Links Up-To-Date Automatically
      • Save Database Crashes: 'prep' Your Data Entry Forms
    • Make Your Code Bolder
      • Send Email Attachments without Hassles
      • Save Bandwidth by Zipping Files That Users Need to Download
  • Yes, But…What is CodeIgniter? What are Frameworks?
  • And Who is That Man?
  • The 'Open Source' Business Model
  • What CI Doesn't Do
  • License
  • Summary

• Chapter 2: Two Minutes' Work: Setting up a CodeIgniter Site
  • Prerequisites
  • Installing CodeIgniter
  • Exploring the File Structure
  • The Configuration File
  • Does it Work?
  • Summary

• Chapter 3: Navigating Your Site
  • MVC—Just Another Acronym?
  • The Structure of a CI Site: Controllers and Views
    • The Welcome Controller
    • Working with Views
    • The Default Controller
  • CodeIgniter Syntax Rules
    • Controller
    • View
  • Types of Files or Classes on a CI Site
  • What are All Those Folders For?
  • Designing a Better View
  • Designing a Better Controller
    • Getting Parameters to a Function
    • Passing Data to a View
  • How CI Classes Pass Information and Control to Each Other
    • Calling Views
    • Calling Functions Directly
    • Interacting with Controllers
    • It's Just Like an Egg-Cup
    • An Example of a CI Helper: the URL Helper
    • A Simple Library Example: Creating a Menu
  • Summary

• Chapter 4: Using CI to Simplify Databases
  • Configuration Settings
  • Designing the Database for Our Site
  • Active Record
    • Advantages of Using the Active Record Class
      • Saving Time
      • Automatic Functionality
    • Read Queries
    • Displaying Query Results
    • Create and Update Queries
    • Delete Queries
    • Mixing Active Record and 'Classic' Styles
  • Summary
  • Chapter Appendix: MYSQL Query to Set Up 'websites' Database

• Chapter 5: Simplifying HTML Pages and Forms
  • Writing a View
  • Long and Short PHP Syntax
  • Nesting Views
  • Practical Issues of Site Architecture
  • CI's Form Helper: Entering Data
    • Form Helper Advantage One: Clarity
    • Form Helper Advantage Two: Automation
  • My 'Display' Model
  • CI's Validation Class: Checking Data Easily
    • Set Up Validation
    • Set Up the Controller
    • Set Up the Forms
  • Summary

• Chapter 6: Simplifying Sessions and Security
  • Starting to Design a Practical Site with CI
  • Moving Around the Site
  • Security/Sessions: Using Another CI Library Class
    • Turning Sessions into Security
  • Security
  • Summary

• Chapter 7: CodeIgniter and Objects
  • Object-Oriented Programming
    • Working of the CI 'Super-Object'
    • Copying by Reference
  • Adding Your own Code to the CI 'Super-Object'
  • Problems with the CI 'Super-Object'
  • Summary

• Chapter 8: Using CI to Test Code
  • Why Test, and What For?
  • CI's Error Handling Class
  • CI's Unit Test Class
    • When to Use Unit Tests
    • Example of a Unit Test
  • CI's Benchmarking Class
  • CI's Profiler Class
  • Testing with Mock Databases
  • Control and Timing
  • Summary

• Chapter 9: Using CI to Communicate
  • Using the FTP Class to Test Remote Files
  • Machines Talking to Machines Again—XML-RPC
    • Getting the XML-RPC Server and Client in Touch with Each Other
    • Formatting XML-RPC Exchanges
    • Debugging
    • Issues with XML-RPC?

• Talking to Humans for a Change: the Email Class
• Summary

• Chapter 10: How CI Helps to Provide Dynamic Information
  • The Date Helper: Converting and Localizing Dates
  • Working with Text: the Text Helper and Inflector Helper
  • Going International: the Language Class
  • Making HTML Tables the Easy Way: the Table Class
  • Caching Pages
  • Summary

• Chapter 11: Using CI to Handle Files and Images
  • The File Helper
  • The Download Helper
  • The File Upload Class
  • CI's Image Class
  • Easy File Compression with the CI Zip Class
  • Summary

• Chapter 12: Production Versions, Updates, and Big Decisions
  • Connections: Check the Config Files
    • URLs
    • Databases
    • Other config Files
  • Look Out for PHP 4/5 and Operating System Differences
    • Diagnostic Tools
  • Coping with Changes in New CI Versions
    • How to Load Models, and What to Call Them
    • How to Initialize Your Own 'library' Classes
  • So Should I Update If a New CI Version Comes Out?
  • How to Add On to CI's Basic Classes
  • Summary

• Chapter 13: Instant CRUD—or Putting it All Together
  • The CRUD Model: Design Philosophy
  • The Standard Controller Format
  • The Database Tables
  • The Heart of the Model: the Array
  • Function by Function: the CRUD Model
    • Showall
      • Reading the Data
      • Delete and Trydelete
    • Insert
    • Insert2
    • The Test Suite
  • Summary

• Chapter 14: The Verdict on CI
  • Some Code: the 'do_test' Model
  • A Balance Sheet
    • Where CI Helped: Structure
    • Where CI Helped: Simplicity
    • Where CI Helped: Extra Functionality
  • Problems with CI
    • Completeness
    • Ease of Use
  • Summary

• Chapter 15: Resources and Extensions
  • CI's User Forums
  • Video Tutorials
    • Available Plug-ins and Libraries
    • AJAX/Javascript
    • Authentication
    • External Sites
    • Comparisons: Which Charting Library to Use?
    • CRUD: the Final Frontier
  • Resources for Other Programmes, e.g. Xampplite, MySQL, PHP
  • Summary

• Index

David Upton

Sample chapters

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