PHP Application Development With ADODB (part 1) (
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PHP comes with a different API for different database types -
whcih usually means a code rewrite every time your database
administrator decides to experiment with something new. But fear not -
help is at hand, in the unlikely form of ADODB, a powerful database
abstraction library for PHP applications.As a developer, one of the most important things to consider when developing a
Web application is portability. Given the rapid pace of change in the Web world,
it doesn't do to bind your code too tightly to a specific operating system,
RDBMS or programming language; if you do, you'll find yourself reinventing the
wheel every time things change on you (and they will - take my word for it).
That's where this article comes in.
Over the course of this
two-part tutorial, I'm going to be showing you how to make your code a little
more portable, by using a database abstraction layer for all your RDBMS
connectivity. This database abstraction layer allows you to easily switch
between one RDBMS and another, without requiring either a code rewrite or a
long, tortuous retest cycle. In the long run, this will save you time, save your
customers money, and maybe make your life a little simpler.
Before we get
started, one caveat: while portability is something you should strive for
regardless of which language or platform you work on, it's impossible to cover
every single possibility in this article...and I don't plan to. Instead, I'll be
restricting myself to my favourite Web programming language, PHP, and the ADODB
database abstraction library, also written in PHP. Similar libraries exist for
most other programming languages, and you should have no trouble adapting the
techniques in this article to other platforms.
Let's get
started!
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