Some of you may know that I have started writing a e-book about CakePHP. I’m planning on publishing it myself for the low, low price of $7. I thought I’d let people take a sneak peek at how it looks so far by publishing the first two chapters in very rough form.
Preview of “Refactoring Legacy Applications Using CakePHP
As always, give me your feedback on what you see and I will try and make it the best little book on using CakePHP that I can.
Hey Chris,
i’ve read it and i only have to say this about it: Switch comments and code.
1) description/intro
2) code-snippet
3) additional info
It is more natural that way, going top to bottom.
On a programming book i would want to read what i am about to see. If i didn’t understand the reasoning the first time, i always can go back and read the description. How it is now i always have to go back and look at the code, which is quiet distracting. It implies that the reader always memorize the code he doesn’t understand yet in order to connect it properly to your writings. Just a thought..
PS: Small typo at Page 2: “In my opinion, the job of a framework shoudl be to give your application a structure [...]“
Hey Chris,
In chapter two you have a spelling mistake
“Its natural that I would start hte”
Other than that its starting to become a really great book.
Welcome to the club of self publishing maniacs
. Looking forward to the book since I still have legacy applications in need of a move to a framework so I can mangle them further.
Can you put together an email list so that we can be notified when it’s published?
A worthy cause indeed.
I wish you all the best and look forward to its release.
I did find several more typos than the ones mentioned by others.
If you want me to email them to you (or to your editor) then email me.
Good luck.
MM
Looks like an interesting start, I would love to see the planned outline for the book (just out of curiosity) I think there are other reasons for picking a framework for a refactor, but I think you hit the ones that are up there. I would think spending time about finding a framework whose conventions have alignment with yours (and the app) is an important step. So much time is wasted on the CakePHP list with people who just plain refuse to accept the conventions and so spend an inordinate amount of time fighting them. I think talking about the ways that the AppModel’s flexibility can help you to bend it to legacy databases (even given the fact that you already have fairly good agreement with the expected conventions would be good.
Can’t wait for more…
Old Fart