Best PHP Coding Practices to Follow to get Outstanding Results

PHP is the most popular programming language out there, and it is a favorite with developers worldwide. However, despite its popularity, many developers don’t follow best coding practices while working with the language – because they don’t have the time to learn them because it’s too much hassle, or because some don’t know they exist. By following best practices, though, you can build code that is easy to parse, debug, and modify – even by third party developers that are being brought in later to work on the project.

Here are some best practices that let you build outstanding software and save a lot of time in the long run:

Come up with a coding standard

When multiple team members are working on a project, a coding standard must be followed to make the program understandable for other team members. Don’t write code only you would understand.

Use adequate indentations, white spaces, and line lengths

When you write words on a page, you make sure they are legible and evenly spaced. You also break up words with paragraphs. When it comes to PHP coding, many developers fail to use adequate indentations, white spaces, and line lengths to make the code legible and stand out.

Never use functions inside loops

Using a function inside a loop may save you some coding time, but it slows down the performance of the app or website you’re making. Fast performance is crucial to today’s audiences, so never use functions inside loops.

Turn on error reporting

If you can spot errors while coding, you won’t have a lot of trouble when you test and debug your program later. Always turn on error_reporting() to spot errors as they happen.

Don’t Repeat Yourself (DRY)

Duplicate code is unnecessary, and redundancy decreases the quality of the final product. Follow the DRY best practice wherever possible.

Refer to the PHP manual

Always refer to the official PHP manual if you’re stuck somewhere or don’t know what a function does. The official resource is vast and chock full of information on how to build a great product.

If you are just starting out with learning PHP, it’s highly recommended that you follow these guidelines from the very beginning if you want to be an excellent developer.