Programming stuff

Grim... · **Posted:** Wed Feb 23, 2011 15:34

Hello, geeks!
I'd like a quick discussion about how you do your AJAX (looks pointedly at the topic icon (here it is again, phone people:

)).

I use PHP and jQuery, so I've got the main PHP file, and the JS file is called from that. Any AJAX calls I make go to a file called [mainfilename]_ajax.php (which normally contains a big switch on some passed-through variable to decide what to do), but lately I've been throwing them at the start of the main PHP file itself, and then exciting before the rest of the page is run if it was, indeed, an AJAX call.
Neither of these methods feel quite 'right', though.

What do you do?

devilman · **Posted:** Wed Feb 23, 2011 15:44

I use the former method, but only because that's how I'd seen it done elsewhere so I tweaked the code to suit my needs, hence the external ajax file. To me it seems the neater way of doing it than your other method but I don't know if there's any real difference. :shrug:

Grim... · **Posted:** Wed Feb 23, 2011 15:46

Examples!

Old way:

Code:

<?php
// mainfile.php

require_once ("common.php");

include("page_head.php"); // this calls the JS scripts

//blah blah
?>

Code:

//javascript file
$(document).ready(function() {
$.ajax({
   type: "POST",
   url: "mainfile_ajax.php",
   data: {
      "func": "do_someting",
      "someid": an_id
   },
   success: function(ret) {
      $("#dialog_box").html(ret);
   }
});
});

Code:

<?php
//mainfile_ajax.php

require_once ("common.php");

$func = $_POST['func'];

switch ($func) {
    case 'do_something' :
        $id = $_POST['some_id'];
        print "Something done!";
    break;
}


//blah blah
?>

New way does away with mainfile_ajax.php, and changes mainfile.php to look like this:

Code:

<?php
//mainfile_ajax.php

require_once ("common.php");

$func = $_POST['func'];

switch ($func) {
    case 'do_something' :
        $id = $_POST['some_id'];
        print "Something done!";
    break;
}

if ($func) {
    exit;
}

include("page_head.php"); // this calls the JS scripts

//rest of mainfile.php
?>

Grim... · **Posted:** Wed Feb 23, 2011 15:51

devilman wrote:

I use the former method, but only because that's how I'd seen it done elsewhere so I tweaked the code to suit my needs, hence the external ajax file. To me it seems the neater way of doing it than your other method but I don't know if there's any real difference. :shrug:

It depends on how you term "neat", I guess - the code inside the files is neater but the file layout gets more cluttered. Not so much of a problem with good IDEs but it's something that niggles at me.

GazChap · **Posted:** Wed Feb 23, 2011 16:05

I don't use a separate file for AJAX, I just have it included in the same file as the one I'm working on, and get the AJAX request from jQuery to have an "&ajax=1" parameter in it, where I check for it and run it accordingly, exiting the script before outputting the non-AJAX stuff.

Much neater IMO, less files to copy so if you want to re-use it elsewhere there's less things to remember.

BikNorton · **Joined:** 30th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 10175

I'd probably not just do the first thing, I'd possibly have a separate PHP for each function, pulling in common routines script(s). Depends on function-unique complexity. But then I'm a C++ programmer* who doesn't have to worry about interpretation/JIT compilation and caching, and I haven't written PERL/PHP for ages. Though coincidentally, it looks like I'll be writing some PERL to help with MissN's job this week.

* I like polymorphism and templates and everything.

Grim... · **Posted:** Wed Feb 23, 2011 17:08

BikNorton wrote:

I'd probably not just do the first thing, I'd possibly have a separate PHP for each function, pulling in common routines script(s).

Christ, really?
I guess that would make a small difference to overhead each time there was an AJAX call (unless you cached everything), but organizationally it'd be a bit of a nightmare.

For example, just the "game" bit of my Space Cows game would need 133 separate PHP files for AJAX

BikNorton · **Joined:** 30th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 10175

Without knowing what the functions are/do, I can't say. I might break it down to several related functions in each top-level script. Depends on the project's characteristics, dunnit.

Likewise I might have one massive class, or break out specialised functionality into discrete classes. All down to ease of visualisation and maintenance. :shrug:

devilman · **Posted:** Wed Feb 23, 2011 17:15

Most of my coding work has been very small scale, so I don't really mind having an extra file here and there. Because I'm very much an amateur at this, I do wonder why my code is a fraction of the size of 'proper' stuff and with a fraction of the number of files too. For example, I've just downloaded a 1.6 installation of Joomla and that consists of over 4,000 files. OrangeHRM is about 1,000 files too. I couldn't imagine keeping track of that kind of stuff.

Grim... · **Posted:** Wed Feb 23, 2011 17:16

That's what your IDE is for. What do you do your coding in?

devilman · **Posted:** Wed Feb 23, 2011 17:17

Grim... wrote:

That's what your IDE is for. What do you do your coding in?

Just Notepad++.

Grim... · **Posted:** Wed Feb 23, 2011 17:18

Something like PHPEd (for PHP) would keep track of all that for you.
But some things (like Joomla) do seem rather overkill, I agree.

devilman · **Posted:** Wed Feb 23, 2011 17:31

Grim... wrote:

Something like PHPEd (for PHP) would keep track of all that for you.

I'll have to give that a try as I want to learn more PHP so anything that makes my coding a little less amateurish then all the better.

Although saying that, one of our clients recently renewed but only for the product which I developed - for £1500 + £250 a year maintenance which was a bit

Cavey · **Posted:** Wed Feb 23, 2011 17:52

I always thought AJAX was a bog cleaner.

I'll get my coat.

Grim... · **Posted:** Wed Feb 23, 2011 17:54

devilman wrote:

Grim... wrote:

Something like PHPEd (for PHP) would keep track of all that for you.

I'll have to give that a try as I want to learn more PHP so anything that makes my coding a little less amateurish then all the better.

Although saying that, one of our clients recently renewed but only for the product which I developed - for £1500 + £250 a year maintenance which was a bit

They do a trial version, I think.
And they do a "trial version".

Grim... · **Posted:** Wed Jun 08, 2011 12:15

Grim... wrote:

Something like PHPEd (for PHP) would keep track of all that for you.

Hello, PHP programmers!
You might be interested to know that PHPEd 6 is out, and it finally has intergrated JavaScript support, as well as being generally faster.

Demo-you-do: http://www.nusphere.com/download.php.ide.htm

romanista · **Posted:** Wed Jun 08, 2011 14:41

lalalalalalala ajax amsterdam...

sorry

Grim... · **Posted:** Fri Nov 25, 2011 11:44

This thread'll do.

The new version of Tortoise SVN only stores things in one folder the root of your working copy, rather than every folder. Hurrah!

GazChap · **Posted:** Fri Nov 25, 2011 12:15

Oooh. About bloody time.

Squirt · **Joined:** 31st Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 6614

Use git!

Trooper · **Joined:** 4th Mar, 2010 **Posts:** 22397

Ironically Git is the least gitty out of all of them

Squirt · **Joined:** 31st Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 6614

We used to use CVS on a pretty hefty code base - removing and then creating a tag would takes AGES, and would gum up the server whilst you did it. Git makes branching and tagging sooooo easy and quick. We do it just for fun now!

kalmar · **Posted:** Fri Nov 25, 2011 13:23

I fucking hate git. I want my WinCVS back ;(

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Programming stuff
Was 'AJAX file organisation'

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Be Excellent To Each Other

Programming stuff Was 'AJAX file organisation'

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Programming stuff
Was 'AJAX file organisation'