[mfp] Model-View-Controller

[DavH27]

Originally posted by Belisarius
Well, if it's design insight you're looking for, you might want to read up on MVC

Somebody hit me with this in Joe Bloggish cuz it does not really make sense ot me tbh.

Okay So there are 3 parts to the model, this does this to this part and this does this to this part and it does this to show the result of this etc etc etc but so what? Is it just an explanation of how good projects could be using this model?

Is it not used by default when developing PHP websites connecting with MySQL manipulated by forms.

Maybe not done very well most the time but surely I was going to be using this model idea by default anyway...?

Sorry if I haven't made myself too clear, my head's hurting with the amount of PHP stuff I'm cramming into it.

[Belisarius]

As you move into scripting languages such as PHP or ASP, there is a tendency to mix and match elements of the design patterns.

The goal is total seperation, so you don't worry about database logic in the same page as you're attempting to display a table. You think it's obvious, but way too often you'll see people (especially newbies) including an SQL query in a webpage.

I'm going to go OOP a bit, as that's how I think. Let me know if you don't follow.

I have a website (theoretically). I handle form validation through Javascript, content through HTML, and layout through CSS. I store session data (user, permissions, stats, form information) in an Object for later retrival. I use JSP/ASP/PHP to display different content based on this Object. I use a seperate object to perform background database logic (or e-mail logic or what have you). I keep SQL queries in another object.

By doing this, everything in comparmentalized. You can bring in someone to change the look of your site without the need of them to know Java/VBScript/PHP. You can have a DBA admin your queries with a minimum of programming knowledge. You can get someone who knows programming but not SQL.

It will also make things easier in the long run, as boundaries are clearly defined and hacking is far less frequent. A current project of mine didn't start with that model, but I adopted as I went on later, and the quality of the code has really improved.

[DavH27]

Wow that's really weird as at the moment as I'm progressing up the razor-handled ladder of coding, I'm looking for way I can modulize my apps. I ahve modulated my basic website DH-CV using SSI includes for the nav, body and footer.

This makes everything 1000% easier for maintenance and updating so I was looking at the way of doing it with other stuff. When I was learning JavaScript the other month (I've given it up now - no point in learning what everybody has already coded for me) I was lookin for a way to modulate all the coding and I think I read somewhere about .JS files.

But anyway yeah - thank you for clearing that up

Have you noticed the [mfp] thing at the start of the topic title? Do you understand that? I just wanna make sure people do before I confuse everybody.

[Belisarius]

I didn't understand it until I read your .sig, and remembering what you wrote in the lounge it makes sense.

.js files are just javascript files that are kept seperate and included in HTML files, so you don't repeat the same Javascript function in several different pages. So instead of including a hundred-line function in several different pages, you write one hundred line .js file, and refer it it with one line in your HTML files.

[DavH27]

Yeah I know all about .js files! They can be includes in a modulated structure such as external CSS files, html ssi etc etc ... it just makes coding loads easier! I know I know ...

I won't ask questions to do with modulating a website with individual files that all draw together with PHP because I have to learn basics first.