Writing Custom Session Handlers

One of the greatest features of the PHP language is theability to override many of its internal subsystems. As adeveloper, this provides the freedom and flexibility to make PHPperform in ways specific to your application’s needs. Being able todo so can save time (and, therefore, money), whether customizingerror handling, shutdown functionality/triggers, or sessionmanagement. In this article, Sean Coates covers the last ofthese—that is, the customization of session handling.—by Sean Coates

Exploring the Google API with SOAP

Google is the powerhouse of search engines. It has become soubiquitous as to enter the informal everyday dictionary as a wordof its own. Incidentally, it also provides an excellent practicaltesting ground for experimenting with SOAP. Join AlessandroSfondrini and learn how you can do this with PHP.—by Alessandro Sfondrini

Testing Made Easy with Mock Objects

Testing is good. Unit testing is better. Mock testingenhances unit testing by providing a mechanism that simulatesreality without requiring complex testing scenarios that involvedatabases or other external systems. Marcus Baker shares hisinsight in this exciting top-level development technique.—by Marcus Baker

Writing PHP Extensions

Sooner or later, you’re going to hit a limitation in PHP thatyou just can’t solve from “userland” by writing more PHP code. WezFurlong guides you through the ins and outs of writing extendingPHP in C by writing specialized libraries that can be called fromyour scripts.—by Wez Furlong

The XPHP Filter Chain

For years, we’ve heard that separating the logic from thepresentation layer is essential to the success of any softwareproject. Naturally, saying it and doing it are two different thingsnot always compatible with each other. Daniel Martin introduces usto XPHP, a simple platform that brings together the power of PHPand XML/XSLT to provide a truly layered approach to softwaredevelopment.—by Daniel Martin

Do Not Disturb

Yes, we know not everybody who reads php|a is a Canuck. Yet,the recent legislation introduced by the Canadian government toprotect the privacy of its citizens closely match those enacted byother countries, such as the European Union members. PIPEDA posesnew challenges to website owners and to developers, for whomcustomer privacy becomes no longer just a matter of public image,but a matter of legal liability as well. As in most things, it’salways best to walk into a new reality with open eyes no matterwhere you hail from. Join privacy consultant Blake Medulan as heshows you what PIPEDA means for Canadian website owners and how itreflect the status of privacy issues throughout the world.—by Blake Medulan