PHP code interspersed within HTML on the same page. This works very well initially as there is immediate
feedback and for simple scripts this appears to be all that is needed. PHP grew in popularity through versions 3
and 4, and so it was inevitable that larger and larger applications would be written in PHP. It became obvious
very quickly that intermixing PHP code and HTML was not a long term solution for large websites.
The problems are obvious in hindsight: maintainability and extensibility. Whilst PHP intermixed with
HTML allows for extremely rapid results, in the longer term it is hard to continue to update the website. One
of the really cool features of publishing on the web is that it is dynamic with content and site layouts changing.
Large websites change all the time. The look and feel of the site is updated regularly. New content is added
and content is regularly re-categorized as the needs of the users (and advertisers!) change. Something had to
be done!
The Zend Framework was created to help ensure that the production of PHP based websites is easier and
maintainable in the long term. It contains a rich set of reusable components containing everything from a set of
Model-View-Controller application components to PDF generation. Over the course
WHY BUTTONS IN SHIRTS VARY !
