Too many developers write scripts these days that come with a long list of "you must have this to run my scripts" and "this software required to even think about using these scripts". More and more, the scripts I see were written to only run on one kind of machine - especially the really cool ones. Well, DevShed.com has a new article that aims to help you out of this situation and into a more portable lifestyle. PHP Application Development With ADODB (part 1) gets you started on the path to portability. For those that don't know, ADODB is a database abstraction layer that allows you to make your script work with any database out there that supports the SQL queries that you feed it (ANSI SQL, usually). This article really gives you a good idea of how to use these scripts - everything from a little lessong on DB abstraction to the sample code that shows you how to use it all and bend ADODB to your will.
Tune in next week for the advanced course, when I'll be exploring things like transactions, cached queries, data typing and dynamic menus. Until then...be good!