Hi Folks

 

I've just discovered the array of frameworks (eg Codeigniter) available for php development, and I would like to know whether you think I should dedicate my time to learning one, and if so, which one, or whether I should just stick with learning php without a framework? I'm still quite new to php, and only just getting to grips with it.

 

I'd be interested to hear your thoughts and experiences.

 

Thanks

i think learning php for now should be best since you can always include a framework when your a bit more advanced with php. learning just a framework would not be usefull in the future when you want to learn something else, if youve learned php its easy to add other languages/frameworks.

Very true! You can always build upon your initial learning of php by adding new frameworks to your area of expertise! It's much easier to learn php itself first!

CodeIgnitor is done by Ellislabs, the same company that brings us ExpressionEngine. But as above, learning php is fundamental.

 

On the next release of EE, Codeignitor will be what EE is built on.

So with a CMS like EE built on CI, I'd learn as much as possible on there...a good way to learn more on php.

Definitely start with just PHP.

 

When you are comfortable with:

 

1. writing the basic necessities like form parsing and database handling

 

2. the concepts of object oriented programming i.e. classes, objects, inheritance etc

 

Then is the time to move on to a framework IF you think you are likely to need to develop large(ish) scale applications or if you plan on working in a dev team.

 

I don't know anything about codeigniter, but I'm currently learning Symfony. I like it because when you look through the base code it makes sense and I can follow it, which with others (*cough* Zend *cough*) I can't.

 

If you are only going to need PHP for the basics, then I wouldn't worry about frameworks... it really depends on what you plan to do!