The IBM developerWorks website has a new article/tutorial posted today about the new features and functionality that's included with the latest release of the Zend Framework, version 1.5.

The popular open source Zend Framework just got some slick enhancements. Learn what's new in V1.5 and how upgrades, including Zend_Form, Zend_Layout, and Zend_View, enhanced support for GData Web services, and improved Ajax support can help PHP developers easily roll out cutting-edge Web applications.

They walk through each of the new components (or features in them) like Zend_Form and Zend_Layout/Zend_View with examples included. There's also mention of other miscellaneous updates like the addition of OpenID and InfoCard support, a LDAP authentication module and an interface with Google's GData service.

In this new blog post today, Lars Strojny talks about a new magic constant that will be joining its brothers in the upcoming PHP 5.3 release - __DIR__.

In PHP 5.3 there will be another magic constant __DIR__. [...] To allow this, the internal function php_dirname() has been moved in the Zend Engine and is now called zend_dirname(). Nevertheless an alias still exists.

__DIR__ will join the other constants (like __LINE__ and __FUNCTION__) to help give the currently running script a little introspection for things like its filename, what class it's currently in and now, what directory the file currently lives in.