Monday, December 29, 2008

Effective Use Of PHP Comments In Web Development

By Chris Channing

Web development students that are just starting out often overlook the usage of comments in PHP. It's rather unfortunate, since using comments actually saves more time in the long run, although new students only see the short-term benefits and thus don't make use of them. Such students should take heed to this advice, since it's often even required my employers.

The reason comments are so handy is because they are only viewed by those looking at the source code of the original file- not the viewer of the website. Best yet, they aren't even visible to those who try to view the source code of the website, since PHP code is hidden from the browser when being properly used.

It's often a better idea to use PHP comments in place of others such as HTML comments, since PHP comments will never be seen by the end user if the script is running correctly. This simple fact will help safeguard against others stealing source code, ideas, or principles from an application.

Comments are created with three different calls. For comments that span two or more lines, we have to use "/*" and "*/" - and "#" or "//" for single line comments. Comments in PHP can actually be placed directly after real PHP code, above it, or below it. This leaves a lot of creativity in how developers document their code according to their style and tastes.

Unbeknown to most, PHP comments can also be used for more practical scenarios, such as troubleshooting. Expert programmers will find they have a problem with their application, and comment out different blocks of code to see what is causing the error. While it is usually in new code blocks, this method will indeed show that sometimes the problem is due to program code interacting wrong, which can in effect mean the problem is anywhere in the application.

Commenting in PHP is also great to use in selection structures, since PHP has long been known as a hard to scale language. Once files start getting big, it can be dizzying to try and remember which loops and selection structures go where, and what they do. By commenting out every closing bracket, and what it is in relation to, the problem is easily fixed. This is often mandatory for programmers who work for employers.

In Conclusion

The Internet is full of many examples of how to creatively use PHP comments. Try scouting out some websites for more information on the usage, concept, and execution of comments to get better experience with this blessing. As developers find, an early history with commenting in programming is always the best route. - 16955

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