getQuery()

getQuery() is a method of Zend_Db_Profiler and seems, along with getLastQueryProfile(), to be the standard advice for retrieving SQL of a recent query:

query = $profiler->getLastQueryProfile();
echo $query->getQuery();

Yes, getQuery() works, but what if I’m not using the profiler, or I need to retrieve SQL before a query has run?

__toString()

The “magic method” __toString() is simple and can be used either before or after the query is run. When applied to a Zend_Db_Select object, it generates an SQL string.

From the Zend_Db_Select documentation:

$select = $db->select()->from('products');
$sql = $select->__toString();
echo "$sql\n";

// The output is the string:
// SELECT * FROM "products"

__toString() is simple to use, yet is often forgotten when discussing how to retrieve SQL from Zend_Db_Select. I recommend it.

Note: This tip was written for IBM i but could be adapted for other platforms as well.

Benefits of Zend Server

If you have upgraded from Zend Core to Zend Server for IBM i, you have already received several performance improvements: bytecode acceleration (Zend Optimizer+), the elimination of Zend Core’s proxy web server, and configurable Data Caching. If you upgraded from Community Edition (CE) to full Zend Server, you also get monitoring, Page Caching, and Job Queue functionality.

Compression adds even more speed

IBM’s Apache web server provides an additional way to speed up your Zend Server for IBM i pages. You can compress PHP output, javascript, style sheets, and other text-based content. The compressed output will automatically be decompressed and interpreted properly by all modern web browsers. My tests show a speed improvement of 10-50% from this easy technique.

How to enable compression in 3 steps

1. Edit ZENDSVR’s Apache configuration file, located at /www/zendsvr/conf/httpd.conf. This is a simple text file, so you may choose from several editors: IBM’s HTTP Server Admin GUI at port 2001 (if *ADMIN is started), the WRKLNK/EDTF command, or your favorite text editor (I use EditPad Pro).

2. Add the following two directives to the httpd.conf’s main section:

# Load IBM i's module that performs compression
LoadModule deflate_module /QSYS.LIB/QHTTPSVR.LIB/QZSRCORE.SRVPGM

# Specify what to compress (example: php, json, css, javascript, static html)
AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE application/x-httpd-php application/json text/css
application/x-javascript application/javascript text/html

3. Restart Zend Server using the handy button or STRTCPSVR SERVER(*HTTP) RESTART(*HTTP) HTTPSVR(ZENDSVR)

Measure the improvement

I ran before-and-after tests using a sample script included with Zend Server for IBM i: http://your-server:10088/Samples/SQL_access/DB2_SQL_example.php.

Before compression: 31kb, loaded in 250ms (milliseconds). See the Firebug report below (Firebug is an optional add-on for Firefox and is not required.)

Without compression, this page was 31kb and loaded in 250ms

After compression: 4.4kb; loaded in 109ms. That’s only 14% of the size and 50% of the time! See the screen shot below.

after compression: only 4.4kb and loaded in 109ms

I highly recommend that you give output compression a try. Your Zend Server for IBM i pages will fly!

For more information on browser output compression, see: http://httpd.apache.org/docs/2.0/mod/mod_deflate.html

The principles are the same no matter what type of servers you use.

Event details: http://www.listnet.org/eventDetails.cfm?eventID=1263

There will be plenty of time for questions and discussion.

Hope to see you there!

P.S. To see the slides from my past presentations, go to  http://www.alanseiden.com/presentations/.

Fatal error: Class ‘Zend_Db_Table’ not found.

The answer: he needs to “require” the file containing the Zend_Db_Table class, like so:

require_once 'Zend/Db/Table.php';

or (my preference) use the autoloader:

// ZF 1.8 or later: add these lines to your bootstrap file:
require_once 'Zend/Loader/Autoloader.php';
$loader = Zend_Loader_Autoloader::getInstance()->setFallbackAutoloader(true);

ZF isn’t complicated if you know the few things you MUST use. The autoloader is one of them.

If you need help getting started with Zend Framework, contact me about Zend Framework mentoring, training, or troubleshooting.

Come hear me speak about “Zend Framework for Enterprise PHP on IBM i” on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2009, at 4pm.

For details, go to http://www.zendcon.com.

At IBM’s 2009 COMMON conference, IBM awarded the Power Systems Innovation Award for Best Web Solution for eBiz@ABG. The site, developed with my colleagues at  Strategic Business Systems, Inc., was created for New Jersey’s largest wine and spirits wholesaler, Allied Beverage Group.

The system offers product ordering, live inventory levels and pricing, and a full-text search of Allied’s large product catalog. The application was built with Zend Framework (the leading PHP framework) and runs entirely on Allied’s IBM i, leveraging Allied’s db2 database and time-tested RPG logic.

The site is password-protected, so unfortunately I can’t link to it here.

eBiz@ABG is one of the first sites to be built with Zend Framework on IBM i (System i, i5, iSeries, AS/400). It was a true collaboration with Allied, made easier because we all spoke the language of “i.” What’s more, by using large chunks of Allied’s existing RPG code that already handled the complex business logic, we saved time and avoided reinventing the wheel.

Zend Framework worked so well that I committed to mastering it and teaching the community about it. (ZF has a learning curve, but after that curve is mastered, ZF speeds development and offers easy maintenance and growth.) I earned my Zend Framework certification in August 2008, becoming one of the first 50 worldwide to do so and the first ZF-certified “i” professional. Since then, I’ve gone on to be a ZF/i mentor for other development teams, and have become a public speaker, sharing my PHP/ZF/i roadmap at conferences.

Thanks to Allied for the opportunity to collaborate on a great project; thanks to Strategic Business Systems for the support; and thanks to IBM for the award.

• First—and I hope this goes without saying—you should already be fairly skilled in developing with Zend Framework, or least with some of its components. Then you’ll have internalized the ZF “style” and will be ready to study the components you haven’t used yet. (To get started with ZF, try the “quick start” tutorial or consider formal training.)
  
  
• Then download the free ZF Certification study guide. It’s just a guide, so don’t expect it to explain Zend Framework in its entirety, or even in the clearest way. The guide will, however, indicate which topics to study and what sorts of questions will be asked. Given that knowledge, you can use other resources to answer your questions as they arise.
  
  
• Each component is explained in the Zend Framework Programmer’s Reference Guide. It’s well written and is organized by component, such as Zend_Acl, Zend_Auth, and Zend_Form. Also included are Zend’s coding standards and a performance guide.
  
  
• Whenever I got confused, I went right to the Zend Framework source code. As a developer, I can digest code faster than I can read a manual. So I recommend reading the code in your favorite IDE whenever you have doubts. You’ll also learn how the developers structured their code, which will help when you need to understand or extend ZF’s functionality for your future projects.
  
  

In addition to these resources, Zend now offers training for Zend Framework certification. If you prefer a structured approach, this might be for you.

No matter how you study, the certification process will make you a better ZF developer. In my case, I learned about unfamiliar components and deepened my understanding of the familiar ones. I also got really comfortable delving into the ZF code.

Good luck to everyone!