Setting up debugging in an IDE with a local PHP development environment has gotten so easy it can be done in a couple automated steps. In this post I will demonstrate how to get step debugging functioning with Zend Studio and Zend Debugger when the server is set up on a local environment. To begin with, I had the following: Local installation of Zend Server 8.5.+ (basic LAMP stack, but with Zend Debugger included in the Zend Server installation). Alternatively I could have had a vanilla LAMP environment with Xdebug. Ensure that Z-Ray is active in the Zend Server settings. A local pr ..read more

Setting up PHP debugging in an IDE with a local development environment has gotten so easy it can be done in a few automated steps. In this post I will demonstrate how to get step debugging functioning with PhpStorm and Zend Debugger when the server is set up on a local environment. To begin with, I had the following: Local installation of Zend Server 8.5.+ (basic LAMP stack, but with Zend Debugger included in the Zend Server installation). Alternatively I could have had a vanilla LAMP environment with Xdebug. Ensure that Z-Ray is active in the Zend Server settings. A local project set u ..read more

I’ve had some ask how my office is set up, and what equipment I use for my various recordings. Since I do podcasts (RunGeekRadio), live streams (Beachcasts on Twitch), and video recording (Beachcasts on YouTube), I needed a versatile setup that facilitated all of these various activities. So, below I will share each aspect of my office/studio, and how I have it set up. NOTE: I will return to this post from time to time and update it as I update equipment, so it will serve as a good resource to point folks at. First, here is what takes up 6-feet wide by 5-feet deep. I often hear folks say ..read more

Imagine living in a 500 square-foot store, in a strip mall. The back half of the business was as expected, with a bathroom, 2 small offices, and work area. The front was a bedroom barely large enough to hold a bed, and a living room barely able to contain a couch and TV. The only thing separating the living room from the sidewalk, and the busy main street, was paper taped onto the floor to ceiling windows. And behind that, some vertical blinds to make it more home-like. In 1996, that was my life. I was broke, and could no longer afford an apartment, so I moved into the front half of my fail ..read more

It was 6 years ago when I was last looking for a change after being a freelancer for a very long time. The idea was simple. I was tired of being the accountant, salesperson, consultant, developer, collections, sysadmin, and more. As a freelance “developer” I had to be all these things to support my family and live in a manner I was accustomed. But I was growing tired of it all, and wanted to have a little more fun by doing the parts I enjoyed most…consulting. A good friend had been working at a well-known company for about a year and was very happy doing it. He also had grown tired of being ..read more

In this video I share 10 good reasons to start a consulting business or become a consultant. Before you start looking into how to become a consultant, Adam Culp of Beachcasts PHP videos shares points from his experience to help you figure out if being a PHP consultant is the right job for you. As you look into how to become a consultant, and before you become a consultant, consider these things carefully. Or you can view this video on YouTube at: https://youtu.be/J7gpMYAKmDM Items: #10 Multiple Hats #9 Constant New Problems (to solve) #8 Always Learning #7 Helping (mentoring) People #6 ..read more

Today it was announced that Zend Framework is being rebranded as Laminas project. (drawn from the meaning “a thin layer”) Along with the rebrand comes some other important changes as well. Yes, this includes Expressive and Apigility, so continue reading. Some History Zend Framework is one of the largest and oldest PHP frameworks and has become a staple for enterprise development around the world. As of April 2019, it has over 400 million lifetime downloads of all packages associated with the project, which has seen a 4-fold increase in just the last 2 years alone. Despite this amazi ..read more

In this video I share 10 bad things about being a consultant, and why a consulting job might not be a good fit for you. Adam Culp of Beachcasts shares points from his experience to help you figure out if being a PHP consultant is the right job for you. Or you can view this video on YouTube at: https://youtu.be/ELE0G3e7h3c Timeline: #10 Travel #9 No set schedule #8 No upward mobility #7 Not for the introverted #6 Communication, communication, communication #5 Swallowing pride #4 Always be selling #3 Problems! #2 Expected to “know it all” #1 No “new” projects BONUS considerations for ..read more

This video shows how to get the lines of code in a PHP application by using PHPLoc from the command line or using Docker. PHPLoc is a command line application to generate a small but useful report. Adam Culp will show how to use it from a Docker Container using a Docker Image he created. PHPLoc demonstrated on the Concrete5 CMS codebase. Key Topics: Why find the lines of code PHPLoc is an application to find the lines of code in PHP Different methods to use PHPLoc How to use a Docker image to run PHPLoc Comments as a code smell Associated Links: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code_smell ..read more