Building RIA with Zend Framework and PHP John Coggeshall Automotive Computer Services

Who am I: John Coggeshall Chief Technology Officer, Automotive Computer Services PHP Core Contributor Former Sr. member of Zend Technologies Global Services Author, geek, etc. Welcome Jun 4, 2009 | |

Who am I: John Coggeshall

Chief Technology Officer, Automotive Computer Services

PHP Core Contributor

Former Sr. member of Zend Technologies Global Services

Author, geek, etc.

Agenda today Today we’re going to talk about building RIA applications in PHP Specifically using Adobe Flex / AIR and PHP / Zend Framework Discuss everything about creating the application Development Environment and Tooling Client-side Architecture Server-side Architecture Pulling it together Demos Jun 4, 2009 | |

Today we’re going to talk about building RIA applications in PHP

Specifically using Adobe Flex / AIR and PHP / Zend Framework

Discuss everything about creating the application

Development Environment and Tooling

Client-side Architecture

Server-side Architecture

Pulling it together

Demos

Our Challenge ACS has an existing system for managing car dealerships nationwide Pure Client-side Really old (written in Visual FoxPro!) Current goal: Complete re-implementation of product as a thin-client application Need to retain desktop-like functionality Adobe AIR / Flex was selected as our GUI Jun 4, 2009 | |

ACS has an existing system for managing car dealerships nationwide

Pure Client-side

Really old (written in Visual FoxPro!)

Current goal: Complete re-implementation of product as a thin-client application

Need to retain desktop-like functionality

Adobe AIR / Flex was selected as our GUI

Why Flex? Why AIR? Originally numerous options were considered for the front-end HTML/JS using FireFox 3 XUL / JS Flex offered the most reasonable rich-client solution Extremely Rapid UI Development when compared to HTML / JS Much more extendable / customizable then XUL / JS AIR gave us more client-side flexibility Access to Local file system Access to local Hardware (or at least, we had options) Jun 4, 2009 | |

Originally numerous options were considered for the front-end

HTML/JS using FireFox 3

XUL / JS

Flex offered the most reasonable rich-client solution

Extremely Rapid UI Development when compared to HTML / JS

Much more extendable / customizable then XUL / JS

AIR gave us more client-side flexibility

Access to Local file system

Access to local Hardware (or at least, we had options)

Our Technology Stack Our Development Environment: Zend Studio for Eclipse with numerous plug-ins Flex Builder 3 Pro Plug-in LogWatcher (GUI tail –f) VMWare Virtual Machine for server CentOS powered running Zend Core MySQL 5.x database Our Development Stack Server: PHP 5.2 w/ Zend Framework 1.6 Client: Adobe Actionscript 3 / Flex w/PureMVC Jun 4, 2009 | |

Our Development Environment: Zend Studio for Eclipse with numerous plug-ins

Flex Builder 3 Pro Plug-in

LogWatcher (GUI tail –f)

VMWare Virtual Machine for server

CentOS powered running Zend Core

MySQL 5.x database

Our Development Stack

Server: PHP 5.2 w/ Zend Framework 1.6

Client: Adobe Actionscript 3 / Flex w/PureMVC

Client-Side Architecture Based on PureMVC ( http://www.puremvc.org ) Singleton Controller, Model, View Views are managed by Mediators Models are implemented by Proxies Controller actions are implemented through Commands Jun 4, 2009 | |

Based on PureMVC

( http://www.puremvc.org )

Singleton Controller, Model, View

Views are managed by Mediators

Models are implemented by Proxies

Controller actions are implemented through Commands

Client-side Architecture Primary communication via Notify/Observer pattern (Proxies cannot observe) Mediators bridge between Flex’s event model and the application Proxies communicate with data sources Jun 4, 2009 | |

Primary communication via Notify/Observer pattern

(Proxies cannot observe)

Mediators bridge between Flex’s event model and the application

Proxies communicate with data sources

Server-Side Architecture RESTful services (currently) using e4x as its data transport e4x is well supported in Flex, very easy to work with Looking into AMF support in the near future (Zend_Amf) MVC pattern with one controller Action specifies the version Controller Maps the request URI to a class implementing the Command pattern Uses Zend Framework’s Plugin Architecture Jun 4, 2009 | |

RESTful services (currently) using e4x as its data transport

e4x is well supported in Flex, very easy to work with

Looking into AMF support in the near future (Zend_Amf)

MVC pattern with one controller

Action specifies the version

Controller Maps the request URI to a class implementing the Command pattern

Uses Zend Framework’s Plugin Architecture

Server-Side Architecture http://host/service/v1/command/auth.login Maps to the ACS_Command_Auth_Login class The execute() method is called Located in ACS/Command/Auth/Login.php Commands are given a reference to Zend_Controller as well to provide context Full access to request, etc. Views are also then mapped to command name I.e. auth-login.xml.phtml Jun 4, 2009 | |

http://host/service/v1/command/auth.login

Maps to the ACS_Command_Auth_Login class

The execute() method is called

Located in ACS/Command/Auth/Login.php

Commands are given a reference to Zend_Controller as well to provide context

Full access to request, etc.

Views are also then mapped to command name

I.e. auth-login.xml.phtml

Server-Side Architecture Wanted to have the ability to allow front-end engineers to work without needing real services Solution: Implement a dummy-xml ability into our services by including the ?dummy=1 GET parameter in our request Behind the curtain, our ZF architecture will automatically find a dummy .xml file for a response Jun 4, 2009 | |

Wanted to have the ability to allow front-end engineers to work without needing real services

Solution: Implement a dummy-xml ability into our services by including the ?dummy=1 GET parameter in our request

Behind the curtain, our ZF architecture will automatically find a dummy .xml file for a response

Pulling it together Now that we have both sides how can we more cleanly tie them together? Already have a single IDE to do all development in Extending the ActionScript HttpClient class to incorporate more stuff Enhancement #1: No need to specify a URL, just the service name Enhancement #2: Built-in support for “dummy” service requests Enhancement #3: Support for the Zend Studio Debugger Jun 4, 2009 | |

Now that we have both sides how can we more cleanly tie them together?

Already have a single IDE to do all development in

Extending the ActionScript HttpClient class to incorporate more stuff

Enhancement #1: No need to specify a URL, just the service name

Enhancement #2: Built-in support for “dummy” service requests

Enhancement #3: Support for the Zend Studio Debugger

End-to-End Debugging and Profiling Flex has a great Debugger / Profiler for Flex Zend Studio for Eclipse has a great Debugger / Profiler for PHP By extending the HttpClient Class, we can create a seamless end-to-end debug or profiling session using real web service requests Already has saved us once hunting a very nasty bug Jun 4, 2009 | |

Flex has a great Debugger / Profiler for Flex

Zend Studio for Eclipse has a great Debugger / Profiler for PHP

By extending the HttpClient Class, we can create a seamless end-to-end debug or profiling session using real web service requests

Already has saved us once hunting a very nasty bug

What more can we do? Web service developers need to document their services We need to create application usage documentation All documentation is written in DocBook format and stored in the repository Developer guide can be seamlessly integrated into Eclipse using a custom Plugin User Guide can be converted into HTML and shipped with product in chunk format (contextual help) Jun 4, 2009 | |

Web service developers need to document their services

We need to create application usage documentation

All documentation is written in DocBook format and stored in the repository

Developer guide can be seamlessly integrated into Eclipse using a custom Plugin

User Guide can be converted into HTML and shipped with product in chunk format (contextual help)

Demo Let’s see a demo of everything in action! Jun 4, 2009 | |

Let’s see a demo of everything in action!

What do we dislike? As you can tell we’re very happy with AIR/Flex for the most part.. What is bad? Deferred Instantiation can be a real pain Sort of a memory / resource hog Very easy to do write bad code in Flex Lack of a fully-baked Unit Testing facility Jun 4, 2009 | |

As you can tell we’re very happy with AIR/Flex for the most part..

What is bad?

Deferred Instantiation can be a real pain

Sort of a memory / resource hog

Very easy to do write bad code in Flex

Lack of a fully-baked Unit Testing facility

Thank you! Questions?