How to develop better in the Web

Hi! This is the first article wrote in english version of Ciro Feitosa's personal site. It is a translation of the most read article Como desenvolver melhor na Web (written in Portuguese).

It makes time sufficiently that I follow some professionals in this area, and I see to sin in some points. In the University, already it heard to speak of Software Engineering, and in elapsing of my projects I was placing in practical. I all observed a significant improvement in the development process, since the requirements of systems until the final tests, passing for the general documentation.

I won't show the importance of other professionals who can be part of a project, as it is the case of an Analyst of Systems. But it is good that you it knows that, most of the time, will go to work with people of diverse areas and well varied formation.

This article does not contain codes, it is not the general idea. But I intend to create others focando more what all programmer likes: codes.

Which language to choose?

PHP, ASP, JSP, ColdFusion, Perl, Python? Many people still argue or until they defend with nails and teeth the choice of one language. To such choice it goes to depend on some factors. Where the system goes to twirl (infrastructure, architecture, operational system, etc.)? Which the vital necessities? In determined task, which offers to the relation performance and more competitive security?

Already see great products developed under the use of different languages. This can very be good in some aspects, but in if treating to code maintenance, it can generate a problem of the great ones.

Of more than the 10 projects that already I participated, always I made use of the PHP. The PHP is today, the most used server-side language around of the world. It offers speed of very good execution, has supported the diverse types of DBMS's, flexibility of syntax, easiness of learning for using futures that come to work in the project, amongst others.

But my paper is not here to praise the PHP, I am only demonstrating that with a language if it can make much thing (already I made) and more below I will present a classroom that helps very in the development.

Does not exaggerate in the treatments

The use of the Javascript also will be part of a Web project. Who is it controls the side of the customer, very used for example in form treatments. But it attempts against for the writing of a valid code in all the navigators. The Brazilian site JSFromHell (also in english version) brings diverse well written and efficient examples of scripts in what they make, valley the visit.

Very well-taken care of not to create excesses of treatment in the side of the customer for some reasons:

• It overloads the processing of the side of the customer.
• It reduces the compatibility for some devices.
• The customer can disactivate the use of Javascript in browser.

Observing one of these affirmations, you it observes that the total treatment always must be in the side of the server.

Tools that help

Nor of codes a desenvolvedor only lives.

To the times, in projects of small average e transport, the proper professional will be puted in charge to project the data base. It has time sufficiently that I come using the DBDesigner of fabForce. Software leaves to desire in some points, but it supplies many necessities. It possesss integration to the DBMS MySQL, exporting and importing tables and relationships. For example, you can diagramar all the tables and relations direct in the DBDesigner and, in only 1 click, export everything this it MySQL and to start to work. If to prefer, it still exports in SQL to importation in other DBMS's.

In Windows environment, the MySQL-Front helps in the management of the information and tests of integrity. By Web, the celebrity phpMyAdmin breaks a twig in the remote administration.

Improving the productivity

If you not yet it heard to speak in Smarty, I advise to give a chore in this incredible classroom of templates. The Smarty offers diverse resources to you, that after making use, go to be well difficult not to develop (pra not to say "to live") without it (as broad band and TV for signature). Some of them (see the section Why Use Smarty):

• Programming and Layout: as a system of templates, the programming and the final layout are separate. This improvement the relation of the programmer and architect of interface, the two works together, improving the final productivity.
• Cache: to provide cache with templates generated, increasing the execution speed.
• Security: the archives of templates do not contain codes PHP, therefore designer of the application will not have access of the side of the server. Easy to use and to move: templates possesss simple syntax, that will facilitate the use for the architect of interface and later the alteration.
• Ready functions: diverse functions can be used in templates, as for example generation of menus drop-downs to apartir of data of data base for example.

In this article I do not go to enter in details of code of the Smarty, will be for another one post.

Web Standards in the development

The Web Standards could not be out of this. Speaking still of productivity, the separation of the code xHTML of presentation CSS, improves the relation enters the architect of interface and to designer. Going more beyond, a good writing xHTML will also increase the accessibility of the end item.

It imagines that a manager requests a product, passes for all the phases of the development, he is ready, and one month later is needed to develop a version for PDA for example. What to make? If it will have it are of the standards, with certainty it will have that if to create a new and directed version for the device. This demand more time and clearly, more cost.

It is in this point that the Web Standards helps: it reduces cost and it improves accessibility. Why still it has people that she insists on not using?

It registers

One of the objectives for the creation of the documentation is to facilitate posterior maintenances for you or people who come to work in the project. To create a Entity-Relationship Diagram (ERD) for example, already is an example of documentation of the database.