Forem: Jonathan Lamim

10 differences between CodeIgniter 3 and 4

Jonathan Lamim — Wed, 04 Mar 2020 12:21:38 +0000

Before we talk about the differences, we need to know a little bit about what happened in the time between the release of version 3 and the version.

Between the launch of the first stable version of CodeIgniter 3 and that of CodeIgniter 4, it took almost 5 years, 1767 days to be more precise.

In that time much has changed on the internet, 8 versions of PHP were launched, several other PHP frameworks appeared and those that were already on the market were being updated.

Meanwhile CodeIgniter was lagging behind, going from being one of the main PHP frameworks to becoming one of the most outdated. But all was not lost, EllisLab who was primarily responsible for the development of CodeIgniter passed the baton to BCIT and then thanks to the work of Jim Perry (in memorian) and an incredibly dedicated community, CodeIgniter started to come to life and the version 4 won its first alpha on September 28, 2018.

On February 24, 2020, which would be Jim Perry's birthday, CodeIgniter 4 was launched, in honor of the professional who he devoted a good part of his time in bringing the framework back to the market, with conditions to compete with the other existing frameworks and more updated in relation to resources and PHP itself.

Differences between versions

CodeIgniter 4 is very different from 3 and below you will see a little about the main differences between them.

#1 - Support for PHP versions

To use CodeIgniter 4 the minimum PHP version required is 7.2, while with CodeIgniter 3 it is possible to use from version 5.6 (which has already been completely discontinued).

#2 - Directory organization

The file structure is completely different. CodeIgniter 4 has its structure organized in 5 directories: /app,/system,/public,/writable,/tests. While CodeIgniter 3 is organized in 2 directories:/applicationand/system`.

#3 - Use of namespaces

CodeIgniter 4 is written entirely in PHP 7 and makes use of namespaces, while CodeIgniter 3 does not use namespaces.

#4 - Autoloading

CodeIgniter 4 has a much more efficient autoload process, and one of the factors that help is the use of namespaces. While in CodeIgniter 3 it is necessary to manually configure most of the files to be loaded.

#5 - Use of entities

CodeIgniter 4 has native support for the use of Entities (entities) that help in structuring the database part of an application, representing the existing columns in the tables. CodeIgniter 3 did not have this feature and anyone who needed to use it needed to use third-party libraries and make adjustments to the file upload to support it.

#6 - Performance

CodeIgniter 4, for using PHP 7 in writing and as a minimum configuration on the server, and other aspects, has a better performance than CodeIgniter 3.

#7 - Monolithic Libraries

Unlike CodeIgniter 3, in this new version the use of monolithic libraries in the PEAR style is almost zero.

#8 - Settings

With CodeIgniter 4, the initial settings for your application to start running are minimal, while in CodeIgniter 3 it was necessary to perform a good number of configurations.

#9 - Native support for .env files

CodeIgniter 4 has native support for .env files, allowing an optimization of the settings of the different environments where it may be running (production, tests, development). This feature did not exist natively in CodeIgniter 3.

#10 - Migration between versions

CodeIgniter 4 is not backward compatible, so the process of updating applications from version 3 to version 4 will require a little more work, but it is not at all complicated.

While the migration from version 2.x to 3.x, and between the different versions 3.x was just overwriting the files in the /system directory and updating the name of some files, from version 3 to four a new structure is needed for the application and a rewrite of all the classes used in it to adapt to the new standard.

These are some of the main differences between versions 3 and 4 of CodeIgniter. Stay tuned here that has a lot of content about CodeIgniter 4 being produced.

The life cycle of PHP versions

Jonathan Lamim — Tue, 03 Mar 2020 09:58:21 +0000

PHP is currently in version 7.4, which was officially launched in November 2019, and in addition to this version, versions 7.2 and 7.3 are still active.

Each version of PHP has a life cycle of 2 years from its official release (stable version), this means that over that time bugs and security problems that are reported by users and the developer community will be fixed and made available at regular point versions.

After this period of 2 years in which active support takes place, each version starts to receive 1 year of additional support where only critical security problems will be corrected and releases of these updates made as needed, depending on the volume of corrections.

At the end of these 3 years the version loses support, entering EOL (End of Life). It is at this point that hosting companies update the versions available in their settings and developers and companies must (or at least should) update their applications.

Active versions

We currently have 3 active versions: 7.2, 7.3 and 7.4. Since version 7.2 is already in the period of additional support, receiving only security updates, and that support ends on November 30, 2020.

Below is a table with information related to the active versions and their respective release and end support dates.

The importance of keeping the server and applications up to date

By updating the PHP version you gain both security and performance, as well as new features that are implemented with each version.

For example, version 7.3 brought as news:

Heredoc and Nowdoc syntax flexibility;
Allow comma to the right in function and method calls;
Option to make json_encode and json_decode throw exceptions on errors;
Referral assignments in list();
Is_countable() function.

Version 7.4 brought new features:

Typed Properties
Arrow Functions
Spread Operator on Arrays
Null coalescing assignment operator
FFI (foreign function interface)
Preloading

For PHP 8 it is promising the implementation of JIT compilation (Just In Time), which is a way to optimize the execution code.

If you keep your applications running always under the latest stable version of PHP, you can take advantage of all these features and still have a better quality of security.

Be sure to update the version of PHP on the server where your application is running and also update the application itself.

Working with databases in CodeIgniter 4

Jonathan Lamim — Fri, 28 Feb 2020 18:44:07 +0000

Most web applications make use of databases and knowing how to use the resources of a framework to manipulate the data is fundamental for the creation of quality applications.

In this book you will learn in practice how to use CodeIgniter 4's native features to work with databases.

Some of the contents that will be covered in the book:

Database settings
Query Builder
Transactions
Pagination of results in the database
Custom Functions
Database events
Metadata
Error handling

To access the book page, click on the link bellow.

https://leanpub.com/working-with-databases-in-codeigniter4/

VS Code extensions for developers

Jonathan Lamim — Fri, 28 Feb 2020 14:31:07 +0000

VS Code is a code editor that is gaining more and more space among programmers, regardless of the language used, as it is versatile, lightweight, with many useful native features and that provide agility in application development, and above all it is open source and has a community very involved with its development and evolution.

I've already used PHPStorm, NetBeans, Sublime and some others that I don't remember the name, but with VS Code I reached another level of productivity. With it I was able to optimize the work through shortcuts (I hardly use the mouse when I'm programming) and extensions.

So I decided to share with you some of the extensions that I use that make my work more productive and agile. See the list below:

Bracket Pair Colorizer 2

This extension helps to identify key pairs ({...}) throughout the code by coloring each pair of a color. In addition to working with standard colors, it allows configuring the set of colors to be used.

Link in the marketplace: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=CoenraadS.bracket-pair-colorizer-2

Dracula Official

Dracula is a dark theme for VS Code with a combination of colors that leaves the code with a lighter and smoother reading (at least for me) and already has over 1 million users.

Link in the marketplace: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=dracula-theme.theme-dracula

ESLint

The ESLint extension will help you programmer to improve the standardization of your JavaScript code, since it is able to identify throughout the code everything that is outside the configured standard. It allows several configurations so that you can adapt it to your way of working.

Link in the marketplace: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=dbaeumer.vscode-eslint

PHP Debug

The PHP Debug extension is amazing because it allows debugging PHP code using XDebug within VS Code itself. Its integration with XDebug and VS Code is incredible and makes writing and debugging work more productive.

Link in the marketplace: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=felixfbecker.php-debug

PHP IntelliSense

This is an extension that, from my point of view, no PHP programmer can fail to have installed in the VS Code, as it helps in many things, for example in building the code with autocomplete and references, searching for codes within the application based on namespaces and class names, information about classes, methods and variables when placing the mouse over the code.

Link in the marketplace: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=felixfbecker.php-intellisense

ApiDoc Snippets

For those who need to document the code, this extension is indispensable because it provides snippets of APiDoc capable of optimizing the writing of the documentation and keeping everything standardized.

Link in the marketplace: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=myax.appidocsnippets

Bookmarks

Just as readers mark up their books, whether with post-its or highlighter pens, programmers often need to create markup in the code but don't want to use too many comments to keep it polluted.
With this extension it is possible to mark the desired points in the code and return to them later with just one or two clicks.

Link in the marketplace: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=alefragnani.Bookmarks

JavaScript (ES6) Code Snippets

This extension brings snippets of code for JavaScript and TypeScript that are used through shortcuts and autocomplete, optimizing the code writing process and making programmers' work more and more productive, not to mention reducing problems due to typos.

Link in the marketplace: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=xabikos.JavaScriptSnippets

Bootstrap 4, Font awesome 4, Font Awesome 5 Free & Pro snippets

This is the indispensable extension for frontend programmers who use Bootstrap and Font Awesome in their projects. It includes a series of snippets capable of assisting the work of writing code and even inserting the necessary css and javascript files from these libraries.

Link in the marketplace: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=thekalinga.bootstrap4-vscode

If you use any other extension that I didn't list here and it makes your work more productive, share it in the comments, I would love to meet you and it will help readers even more.

Extensões do VS Code para programadores

Jonathan Lamim — Fri, 28 Feb 2020 12:11:39 +0000

O VS Code é um editor de código que vem ganhando cada vez mais espaço entre os programadores, independente da linguagem utilizada, pois ele é versátil, leve, com muitas funcionalidades nativas úteis e que propiciam a agilidade no desenvolvimento de aplicações, e além de tudo é open source e possui uma comunidade bastante envolvida com seu desenvolvimento e evolução.

Eu já utilizei PHPStorm, NetBeans, Sublime e alguns outros que não lembro o nome, mas com o VS Code eu alcancei um outro nível de produtividade. Com ele pude otimizar o trabalho através de atalhos (quase não utilizo o mouse quando estou programando) e de extensões.

Então eu decidi compartilhar com você algumas das extensões que eu utilizo e que tornam meu trabalho mais produtivo e ágil. Veja a lista a seguir:

Bracket Pair Colorizer 2

Essa extensão ajuda a identificar pares de chaves ({...}) ao longo do código colorindo cada par de uma cor. Além de trabalhar com cores padrões, ela permite a configuração do conjunto de cores a serem utilizadas.

Link no marketplace: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=CoenraadS.bracket-pair-colorizer-2

Dracula Official

O Dracula é um dark theme para o VS Code com uma combinação de cores que deixa o código com uma leitura mais leve e suave (ao menos para mim) e já possui mais de 1 milhão de usuários.

Link no marketplace: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=dracula-theme.theme-dracula

ESLint

A extensão ESLint vai ajudar você programador a melhorar a padronização do seu código JavaScript, uma vez que ela é capaz de identificar ao longo do código tudo o que está fora do padrão configurado. Ela permite diversas configurações para que você possa adequá-la à sua forma de trabalho.

Link no marketplace: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=dbaeumer.vscode-eslint

PHP Debug

A extensão PHP Debug é incrível pois ela permite realizar o debug de código PHP usando o XDebug dentro do próprio VS Code. A integração dela com o XDebug e o VS Code é incrível e torna o trabalho de escrita de código e debug mais produtivo.

Link no marketplace: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=felixfbecker.php-debug

PHP IntelliSense

Essa é uma extensão que, do meu ponto de vista, nenhum programador PHP pode deixar de ter instalada no VS Code, pois ela ajuda em muitas coisas como por exemplo na construção do código com autocomplete e referências, busca por códigos dentro da aplicação baseados em namespaces e nomes de classes, informações sobre classes, métodos e variáveis ao colocar o mouse sobre o código.

Link no marketplace: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=felixfbecker.php-intellisense

ApiDoc Snippets

Para que precisa documentar o código, essa extensão é indispensável por ela fornece snippets do APiDoc capazes de otimizar a escrita da documentação e manter tudo padronizado.

Link no marketplace: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=myax.appidocsnippets

Bookmarks

Assim como os leitores fazem marcações em seus livros, seja com post-its ou com canetas marca-texto, programadores muitas vezes precisam criar marcações no código mas não querem utilizar muitos comentários para não deixa-lo poluído.
Com essa extensão é possível marcar os pontos desejados no código e voltar a eles posteriormente com apenas um ou dois cliques.

Link no marketplace: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=alefragnani.Bookmarks

JavaScript (ES6) Code Snippets

Essa extensão traz snippets de código para JavaScript e TypeScript que são utilizados através de atalhos e autocomplete, otimizando o processo de escrita de código e tornando o trabalho dos programadores cada vez mais produtivo, sem falar na redução de problemas por erros de digitação.

Link no marketplace: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=xabikos.JavaScriptSnippets

Bootstrap 4, Font awesome 4, Font Awesome 5 Free & Pro snippets

Essa é a extensão indispensável a programadores frontend que fazem uso do Bootstrap e do Font Awesome em seus projetos. Ela traz uma série de snippets capazes de auxiliar o trabalho de escrita de código e até mesmo inserção dos arquivos css e javascript necessários dessas bibliotecas.

Link no marketplace: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=thekalinga.bootstrap4-vscode

Se você utiliza alguma outra extensão que eu não listei aqui e ela torna o seu trabalho mais produtivo, compartilhe nos comentários, vou adorar conhecê-la e isso ajudará ainda mais os leitores.

CodeIgniter 4 has been released: What's new?

Jonathan Lamim — Mon, 24 Feb 2020 13:46:59 +0000

Today, February 24, CodeIgniter 4 was officially launched. The long-awaited update, which is actually a new framework, was launched today in honor of James Perry, who was responsible for conducting this new project and who died a few weeks ago victim lung cancer.

Version 4 has been completely rewritten and has no backwards compatibility, it brings PHP's minimum version to run at 7.2, while Version 3 brings PHP 5.6 (discontinued).

Completely written in PHP 7, the new version has a leaner coding than the previous ones, besides being more performative and giving developers more productivity and performance in the web application development process.

With a more organized and current code structure in relation to other frameworks on the market, such as Laravel, the use of new features in PHP 7 and other libraries is possible, sometimes requiring minimal configurations.

The migration process from version 3 to 4 is very easy to do, as long as the application to be migrated is within the standard architecture model of CodeIgniter 3.

One of the great novelties of the new version, and which had been highly demanded over the years, is the possibility of creating Rest APIs without the need to use third party libraries to complement the nonexistent functionalities until version 3.

Now that the stable version has been officially launched it is time to start creating the projects and take advantage of all that CodeIgniter 4 can offer in terms of performance and productivity in the web application development process.

And remember, if you encounter problems or bugs, report through issues on GitHub and if you have questions about the use and operation, share on the Forum.

Official Documentation: https://codeigniter4.github.io/userguide
Official Site: https://codeigniter.com (
in the process of updating to the new version)