First, I should point out that the title of this post is a bit of an intentional misnomer. There’s really no such thing as “module-specific” anything in ZF2, so what we’re really talking about is the topmost namespace of the controller being dispatched. So in the case of MyModule\Controller\SomeController, the topmost namespace would be MyModle. In most cases, this will be the name of a given module.

Here’s how you can easily switch the layout (or perform any other arbitrary logic) for a specific module in Zend Framework 2.0 (as of d0b1dbc92)

He shows how easy it is to register an event that is only triggered when an action belonging to the namespace of the current module is dispatched. If you need to change the layout for a given module, this is the best way to do it as of today.

His point that a Module is merely the namespace of the dispatch controller is very important to understand too!

With the new modular infrastructure in Zend Framework 2, one of the most common questions will indoubitably be how to share a database connection across modules. Here’s a quick explanation of how to share your database connection across multiple modules in a way that can even allow you to use a single connection between Zend\Db, Doctrine2, and possibly even other database libraries / ORMs.

If you're using ZF2, this is a must-read.

If your knowledge of constructors ends with “the place where I put my object initialization code,” read on. While this is mostly what a constructor is, the way a developer crafts their class constructor greatly impacts the initial API of a particular class/object; which ultimately affects usability and extensibility. After all, the constructor is the first impression a particular class can make.

In case you missed this last Friday, this is an in-depth look at how to construct an object in PHP whilst adhering to SOLID principles. If you missed this last week, read it now! Get a coffee first.

Always set the third parameter to htmlspecialchars(), set it correctly, and make sure your document is never served with a mismatched or invalid character encoding! Don’t expect some theoretically perfect world to magically appear - browsers are filthily efficient at doing weird things you don’t expect.

With a nod to the anniversary of Douglas Adams' death on Sunday, Pádraic Brady has written possibly the definitive guide to the htmlspecialchars() function.

Read it. Then read it again.

Late last week, the Zend Framework community 2.0.0beta3, the latest iteration of the v2 framework. What have we been busy doing the last couple months? In a nutshell, getting dirty with view layers, database abstraction, and configuration.

This is a must read article if you want to know what's new in Zend\View, Zend\Db and Zend\Config!

He uses my tutorial as the starting point which enables him to concentrate on the Doctrine integration rather than the irrelevant details about setting a ZF2 application which is excellent.

He walks through 6 steps in order to do the integration:

This article shows how to set up and use Doctrine 2 in Zend Framework 2, by extending Rob’s Getting Started tutorial to use Doctrine instead of Zend_Db.

• Start with Akrabat’s tutorial
• Install Doctrine modules
• Configure the Album module to use Doctrine
• Create the Album entity
• Update the Album controller to use Doctrine instead of Zend_Db
• That’s it!

I highly recommend having a read if you're at all interested in using Doctrine 2 with Zend Framework 2.

He asked me for some advice and I provided some information on the sorts of things he need to learn about and some ideas on where to find communities that will help.

I had recently read Cal Evans' PHP and Community post, which contains this gem:

Until all 4.6 million PHP developers are active in the community, there is always a seat at the table. If you are a PHP developer - junior level, architect level or just a weekend warrior - I urge you to get involved.

Start a blog and write about what you have learned. Trust me, if you put up something that isn’t accurate, someone will come along and correct you. That’s a win for everyone.

As a result, I also advised him to start a blog so that he can document what he now knows to the benefit of us all and also allow potential employers the opportunity to understand his skills much better than a mere CV can show.

He's taken this advice and http://jibbles.co.uk/ has been born. It turns out that Chris is a very good writer - much better than I was when I started (and probably better than I am now too)! If you are interested in watching a new coder develop into a better coder, then it may be worth keeping an eye on his blog. You could also comment periodically when he needs a pointer to something that he's probably never heard of before :)

Martin Fowler has summed up pretty much how I feel about it:

The nub is that whatever the presenter may think, people were offended - both in the talk and those who saw the slides later. It doesn't matter whether or not you think the slides were pornographic. The question is does the presenter, and the wider community, care that women feel disturbed, uncomfortable, marginalized and a little scared.

I find it discouraging that we need to ask this question in this day and age, but I'm assured by women I know in the IT industry, that they deal with prejudice because of their sex day in day out in their working lives.

Martin goes on to say:

I have a different vision - one that sticks it to the suits so hard it will make their eyes water. How about a community where women are valued for their ability to program and not by the thickness of their skin? How about a community that edgily pushes new boundaries without reinforcing long running evils? Perhaps even a community where women reach equal numbers? Such a community would hand the suits the defeat in the long battle women have been fighting for centuries. I'd love to be part of that.

Hear hear! That's what I want to be part of too.

I recommend that you read all of Martin Fowler's article as it provides a good grounding in a lot of the issues involved, especially if you read the other articles he links to.

It turns out that they've put up a sample of the book on Scribed! Check out the book, then order it, remembering to use the coupon code scribd25...

Obviously, never one to miss an opportunity to win free swag, I've entered with an article on recursion.

Now it's your turn. Write a article on a best practice when coding PHP, but don't make it too good as I want to win!