Kevin Schroeder has a recent post to his blog about a handy trick Zend Framework developers can use to have Zend_Log write out to multiple sources at once pretty easily.

If you were not aware, Zend_Log provides facilities for writing to multiple logs through the same log instance. Additionally, you can do this via configuration options when using a Zend_Application resource plugin. Together those make for very powerful logging mechanisms. "How?" you ask? It's really easy.

The trick lies in the application.ini file configuration. He includes an example of how you can set this up showing how to make two different environments log differently - development writes to log/firebug and production just writes to the log. He includes some sample code for a basic controller showing you how to use it.

Derick Rethans, realizing that he wasn't ready to jump back into a full-time position just yet has decided to refocus his efforts on helping make PHP a better place with work on PECL extensions and on internals-related issues.

Instead I will be available to work on (custom) PHP extensions and internals related issues. Extensions are a great way around PHP's limitations and performance issues.

His first project is a QuickHash extension to interface with the popular StumbleUpon and works more efficiently by using more clearly defined data structures. There's no stable release yet, but keep an eye on the subversion repository for the latest enhancements.

According to his latest blog post Brian Jones suggests that if you're writing code, you should share your thoughts with the world with some writing.

Writers often take the exact same course as do programmers. Programmers and writers alike are often given assignments. Assignments take the form of a problem that needs solving. For a programmer it's a function or method or class that needs implementing to perform a certain task. For a writer it's an article or column or speech that covers a particular topic.

He talks about some of the concepts around writing as opposed to coding - rough draft versus final version, the process you work through and how you can use writing to help others and yourself.

Maarten Balliauw has posted about the release of a new bit of software to help you read and write from/to Microsoft PowerPoint files - PHPPowerPoint (0.1.0 CTP1).

Just like with PHPExcel, PHPPowerPoint can be used to generate PPTX files from a PHP application. This can be done by creating an in-memory presentation that consists of slides and different shapes, which can then be written to disk using a writer (of which there's currently only one for PowerPoint 2007).

Some example code is included that creates a single-slide slideshow with the PHPPowerpoint logo and the text "Thank you for using PHPPowerpoint". There's plenty of configuration options and you can place things in the slides down to the pixel. You can try out this initial release here.

For anyone out there looking to write a tech-related book, you will want to check out these tips from Matthew Turland over on the Blue Parabola blog. He gives eight (or so) tips to help out the budding authors in their pursuit for published stardom.

In lieu of a topic more focused on technical subject matter or practical application, I decided to take a post and detail some of my experiences in writing a book. [...] It's been quite the long haul, but I think being able to hold a copy of it in my hands will make it all worth it. So, here is the process as I've learned it from my own perspective.

Here's the overview of his list (there's lots more detail under each one):

• Be Serious
• Know Your Reasons
• Have a Concrete Idea
• Put Pen to Paper
• Do Your Homework
• Shop Around
• Find Editors
• Nose to the Grindstone
• Other miscellaneous items related to being an author

And, of course, the most important part - "Go Forth and Write".

Using this article from Johannes Schluter as a starting point Vinu Thomas has worked up his own example of how the technique is used in the example on the Launchpad page.

This article is interesting because of the uses which come up when you can create custom Storage Engines using PHP. An interesting usecase for this is in creating test cases, where you can feed the data for a query from PHP and trap the activities on the database.

The example code defines methods for update, write and delete and the SQL to create the table and insert/manipulate rows is included (for a table created with "ENGINE=PHP").

If you're looking for a way to give back to the PHP community, there's plenty of ways - one of which could be writing for PHPFreaks.com.

We have decided to give people the chance to write tutorials and blog posts for PHP Freaks. [...] You'll be writing about things that are of general interest to PHP developers and you will be writing tutorials for people who are learning about PHP at any level (i.e. from beginner tutorials to advanced topics). We would rather have tutorials that teach programming/coding concepts or theory than specific things, such as a blog.

You'll need to request membership and join the "Authors" group to get started. Check out their list of other criteria you'll need to match too.

The WordPress blog has posted a sneak peek of the upcoming release of the popular blogging tool - WordPress 2.5.

A customizable dashboard, multi-file upload, built-in galleries, one-click plugin upgrades, tag management, built-in Gravatars, full text feeds, and faster load times sound interesting? Then WordPress 2.5 might be the release for you. It's been in the oven for a while, and we're finally ready to open the doors a bit to give you a taste.

They look at each of these - the new Dashboard, updates to the Write page and the changes to the Manage page. If you want to get a jump on the action before the stable release, go grab the latest Release Candidate and get going.

With a comeback from the eight reasons not to write for the PHP manual, Philip Olson has made his own post with a few of his own reasons why you should.

How do we appropriately credit the kind souls who seemingly work anonymously within the php.net CVS repository? Not sure, but here are about 8 reasons why you should write for the official PHP manual.

Among the items on his list (longer than eight reasons) are things like "You'll own a cool @php.net email address", "You'll gain experience using DocBook and the related tools to create documentation", "You'll make new friends" and "You'll help make something better, something you use. It's good to use things that get better, right?"

Check out his full post for the rest of his reasons.

Starting off the week on a light note, Hannes Magnusson has posted a few reasons why *not* to write for the PHP.net manual.

His tongue-in-cheek list includes:

• You get a free pass to conferences by converting your work into presentation
• You get a "trading card" and considered a star
• You can flame the documentations without needing to do anything about it
• You can license your work to forbid any commercial use or further improvements

Hannes also responds in a later comment to the post:

More and more people are thinking about themselves and publish their work on their blog or sell it. There isn't anything wrong with that, but its very annoying that user need to search for information on blogs, commercial websites or magazines rather than the manual.