PHP and MySQL Web Development 4th Ed-tqw-_darksiderg

Prototyping
545
n
phpautodoc, available from http://sourceforge.net/projects/phpautodoc/
Again, phpautodoc produces output similar to javadoc.
A good place to look for more applications of this type (and PHP components in general)
is SourceForge: http://sourceforge.net. SourceForge is primarily used by the
Unix/Linux community, but many projects are available for other platforms.
Prototyping
Prototyping is a development life cycle commonly used for developing web applications.
A prototype is a useful tool for working out customer requirements. Usually, it is a simplified,
partially working version of an application that can be used in discussions with
clients and as the basis of the final system. Often, multiple iterations over a prototype
produce the final application.The advantage of this approach is that it lets you work
closely with clients or end users to produce a system that they will be pleased with and
have some ownership of.
To be able to “knock together” a prototype quickly, you need some particular skills
and tools. A component-based approach works well in such situations. If you have access
to a set of preexisting components, both in-house and publicly available, you will be able
to do this much more quickly. Another useful tool for rapid development of prototypes
is templates.We look at these tools in the next section.
You will encounter two main problems using a prototyping approach.You need to be
aware of what these problems are so that you can avoid them and use this approach to its
maximum potential.
The first problem is that programmers often find it difficult to throw away the code
that they have written for one reason or another. Prototypes are often written quickly,
and with the benefit of hindsight, you can see that you have not built a prototype in the
optimal, or even in a near optimal, way. Clunky sections of code can be fixed, but if the
overall structure is wrong, you are in trouble.The problem is that web applications are
often built under enormous time pressure, and you might not have time to fix it.You are
then stuck with a poorly designed system that is difficult to maintain.
You can avoid this problem by doing a little planning, as we discussed earlier in this
chapter. Remember, too, that sometimes it is easier to scrap something and start again
than to try to fix the problem. Although starting over might seem like something you
don’t have time for, it will often save you a lot of pain later.
The second problem with prototyping is that a system can end up being an eternal
prototype. Every time you think you’re finished, your client suggests some more
improvements or additional functionality or updates to the site.This feature creep can
stop you from ever signing off on a project.