Don't know if this is too late to suggest

**tickle** · 10-12-2006, 05:51 AM

I briefly look into some codes, and thought those "copy/paste" can be avoided. We didn't use the better part of php -- the inheritance.

For each Pligg page, we need to load "header" and "footer", and may be sidebar too, we can avoid the copy/paste by creating a base class to handle the common loading and initialization. In this way, when we need to make any change in header, footer, or sidebar, there is only one place to go...

<?php
if ( !defined( 'LIBS_PliggPage' ) )
define( 'LIBS_PliggPage', true );

class PliggPage {

public function PliggPage( ... ) { // whatever arguments are needed

// php has no destructor, register_shutdown_function is to get around with the
// missing function. "cleanup" will be called when the script exits, either normal,
// or due to error
register_shutdown_function( array( $this, "closure" ) );

$this->init();
$this->loadPageHeader();

$this->draw(); // this must be implemented by derived class
}

private function init() { // all kinds of initialization go here
$this->initDBConnection();
....

}

private function loadPageHeader() {
// load the header
}

public function closure() {
// load the footer, cleanup, etc.
}

protect function draw() {
// no implementation in the base
}

}

?>

Now you get easy with the real page, say the index page:

<?php

if !defined(....)
define(...)

class FrontPage extends PliggPage {

public function FrontPage( ... ) {
parent::PliggPage( ... ); // php doesn't call parent's ctor automatically
}

protected function draw() {
// implement your real meat here for the front page
}

}

?>

Now, write the index.php like this:

<?php

include( 'FrontPage.php' );

new FrontPage( ... ); // that is it!!

?>

The worst computer features to have when writing software is the "copy" and "paste" buttons. They should be completely disabled when writing codes!

phpBB is out of control as I look at the codes some time ago. The code can be reduced by 90% if there is a design! I hope Pligg is not too late to have the inheritance in mind.

**jitgos** · 10-12-2006, 06:14 AM

Tickle,

First, thanks for helping. Second, nothing is too late ever with pligg. In fact there's FAR FAR FAR more going on with the pligg code to make it better, faster, cleaner, simpler, and easier to mod than you might believe. Nothing is out of the question when it comes to improving pligg.

Jitgos