The Zend Framework has a pretty good OpenID library. I was looking for a library written for PHP5 (strict), and this seemed like a good choice...

He mentions some of both sides of the argument - (the good) the flexibility of the library to work with different backend storage methods and (the bad) the requirements it has for the Zend Framework sessions system for authentication.

Designing a modular and component-based directory structure for your Web applications can seem like an easy task. If your system is small, it may seem logical to go with the simplest design possible, but if there's anything more time consuming and complex than developing a new directory structure design, it's trying to redesign an existing system that wasn't developed with growth in mind.

He breaks it up into a few different topics that can be applied where needed to keep the application in check:

• Consistency
• Scalability and Flexibility
• Single Application
• Multi-application
• Naming Conventions
• Versioning
• Proposed Structure

His list of four is:

• Doc Comments
• Flexible Parameters
• Use method Entry contracts
• Be Stateful and Refactor

The "Doc Comments" is pretty obvious, but some of the others need a bit more explaining. Being flexible with your parameters is more about requiring the least from a developer, "entry contracts" being the restrictions to let the developer know what you're expecting and refactoring commonly used functionality into a easy, single point of contact.

Now, consider the "average" PHP frameworks. They help you handle request data, manage your output, control app flow - essentially, extending PHP's inbuilt functionality. They are, therefore, PHP frameworks on the PHP framework. PHP provides a vast array (pardon the pun) of functionality out of the box. But when you want to do things your way, it gets out of the way, and this is really important when building anything beyond a simple database frontend.

He suggests that PHP is a "half framework" on its own, providing quick an easy methods and functionality to build up applications. He gives an example of Twitter (and really, who isn't picking on them these days) and how it probably could have avoided a lot of the issues it is seeing if it had gone with something a bit more efficient and flexible.

Be sure to check out the comments for some other great opinions from the community.

CakePHP is a rapid development framework for PHP which uses commonly known design patterns like ActiveRecord, Association Data Mapping, Front Controller and MVC. Our primary goal is to provide a structured framework that enables PHP users at all levels to rapidly develop robust web applications, without any loss to flexibility.

Among those on the list of handy tips for using the framework are things like:

• Static pages - Adjusting other data sent to the layout
• Viewing the SQL queries that are running behind the scenes
• Using bake.php
• Complex model validation
• Creating a model for a table that doesn't actually exist in the database
• Inserting multiple rows in succession

There were only four options this time:

• Saves Time and Code for Simple things
• Based on MVC pattern
• Easy to Extend
• Flexibility to create own libraries and helpers

Coming in in a close race for second and first were the "flexibility" and "saves time" options (with the first beating the other by less than 2 percent).

Be sure to check out and cast your vote in their latest poll posted this week that asks "What's the best way to do QA in PHP?"

Of the choices, the "None" option got the most votes (33.3% in fact) followed at a large margin by "Fully customizable output with Smarty-based templates" and "Generates a todo list from @todo tags in source". The users have spoken and they think phpDocumentor is flexible enough to handle everything from outputting in HTML/PDF formats to having a web and command-line interface.

This week's poll question asks about something a little more common - which of the items in the list are your favorite PHP game (and yes, there's "All" and "None" options). Check it out and cast your vote today!

I've been researching the Zend Framework for PHP in relation to a project I'm working on and I have to say I'm now a fan of it. There's lots to like about it, and some to dislike about it too. But to me the best aspect of it is the flexibility it offers.

He also mentions other reasons for liking it, including the simplicity of working his current application/workflow into the Framework's methods. There is one hit he mentions that the Framework team could improve on - the documentation.

He mentions the advantage it has of being Open Source as well as flexible enough to run on just about anything out there. PHP can be more cost-efficient than other solutions and, since it is Open Source, you're not left waiting for a company to release their next patch when they feel like it (fix it yourself!). And, of course, what would an article singing the praises of PHP be without a brief mention of its competitor, ASP.