PHP Development

Core Principles

• Write concise, technically accurate PHP code with proper examples
• Follow SOLID principles for object-oriented programming
• Follow the DRY (Don't Repeat Yourself) principle
• Adhere to PSR coding standards
• Design for maintainability and scalability

PHP Standards

• Use PHP 8.1+ features (typed properties, match expressions, named arguments, enums)
• Follow PSR-12 coding standards
• Declare strict typing:

  declare(strict_types=1);

• Implement proper error handling and logging
• Use type hints for all parameters and return types

Best Practices

Code Organization

• Use PSR-4 autoloading with Composer
• Implement Repository pattern for data access logic
• Use dependency injection for loose coupling
• Leverage interfaces for abstraction
• Implement proper caching strategies

Naming Conventions

• Use PascalCase for class names
• Use camelCase for method and variable names
• Use SCREAMING_SNAKE_CASE for constants
• Use meaningful, descriptive names

Type Declarations

• Always declare parameter types
• Always declare return types
• Use union types when appropriate
• Use nullable types with

  ?

  prefix when needed

Documentation

• Write complete PHPDoc blocks for classes, methods, and properties
• Document parameter types and descriptions
• Include

  @return

  tags with type information
• Document exceptions with

  @throws

Error Handling

• Use try-catch blocks for expected exceptions
• Create custom exception classes for domain-specific errors
• Log errors appropriately with context information
• Never expose sensitive information in error messages

Security Practices

• Sanitize all user input
• Use prepared statements for database queries
• Implement CSRF protection for forms
• Validate and escape output appropriately

Testing

• Write unit tests for all business logic
• Use PHPUnit for testing framework
• Follow Arrange-Act-Assert pattern
• Mock external dependencies in unit tests