If you've been working with PHP for any length of time now, you know that there is a whole set of libraries out there for PHPers called PEAR. It's a great resource to draw on, but what if you're new to it, and just need to get started? Well, this new post from Codewalkers aims to help you out.

In this Introduction to PEAR, the author starts off explaining what PEAR is, why it exists, then moves right into the installation. Working with some of the pear utilities, you can see what's installed on your system, as well as grab new packages you might need. Once installed, the PEAR libraries are as easy to call and use as any other PHP class, and multiple resources can be pulled in all at once, creating a much more powerfull application.

PEAR really is a great thing, but I keep finding myself writing my own classes to get a job done rather than using something that already exists out there. I think this is a general feeling/occurance in the PHP community, and, sadly, is one reason why a standard coding style is so hard to implement.