Seeking to make PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor) development similar to developing applications with Microsoft's ASP.Net technologies, CodeGear is upgrading its IDE for PHP, bolstering database and framework support as well as performance.
CodeGear's Delphi for PHP 2.0 enables building of interactive Web applications through visual drag-and-drop design capabilities and a PHP component framework, the company said. The goal is to bring to PHP productivity akin to what is offered through Microsoft's ASP.Net platform, said Michael Swindell, CodeGear vice president of products.
PHP, he said, offers benefits such as being open source, having millions of developers, plenty of free code and the ability to be deployed anywhere. "ASP.Net doesn't have a lot of those benefits, but it does have productive, visual development, component-based development, great data access," Swindell said.
Key focus areas in version 2.0 include the use of HTML templates with embedded dynamic PHP, letting developers work visually in Web 2.0 development while collaborating with HTML designers. Also, database support has been extended to Microsoft SQL Server, IBM DB2, Oracle, PostgreSQL, Informix and Sybase. Developers can build data-driven Web applications without having to perform database connectivity coding.
Productivity and performance enhancements include new error insight, source code formatting, expanded code insights, and code folding. Version 2.0 features an expanded VCL (Visual Component Library) with support for popular PHP packages and libraries, including Zend Framework, CodeGear said. VCL features HTML templates that offer code separation.
"What [code separation] allows a developer to do is separate the visual layout of their application from the code that runs the application," said Swindell. Developers and designers can cooperate in building applications.
Also, developers using Delphi for PHP 2.0 can profile applications to find performance bottlenecks and tune applications down to a single line of code, Swindell said.
A user of Delphi for PHP lauded its capabilities. "With Delphi for PHP, we can develop new routines more easily, and with the totally integrated debugger, we can easily test parts of our code," said Ricardo Barros Mendes, CEO of Rbmweb.
CodeGear said the initial version of Delphi for PHP, introduced in February 2007, united PHP and rapid application development for the first time. The company has shipped tens of thousands of units of that product, according to company officials.
Delphi for PHP 2.0 is available for an introductory price of $249 through June. Afterward, it costs $299. Upgrades from version 1.0 cost $179.
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