Since its introduction in 1998, XML has become an indispensable technology for exchanging data and operating across heterogeneous systems. Whether you're sharing calendar events, importing syndication feeds, or querying an external API, XML is usually one of the formats available for consumption. Early versions of PHP provided extensions for working with XML, but it wasn't until the introduction of SimpleXML, DOM, XMLReader, and XMLWriter in PHP 5 that working with XML was streamlined. XML Parsing with PHP, edited and produced by php architect], provides a comprehensive survey of the classes...

Zend Framework 1 was one of the first major frameworks for PHP 5 and, for many, introduced object-oriented programming principles for writing PHP applications. Many developers looking to embrace a well-architected and supported framework chose to use it as the foundation for their applications. However, the first version was not without its faults. Zend Framework 2 is a significant improvement over its predecessor. It re-designed key components, promotes the re-use of code through modules, and takes advantage of features introduced in PHP 5.3 such as namespaces. The first release of ZF1 was...