XMLWriter

PHP 5 introduced a number of ways of working with XML. Theonly problem, however, was that in order to create XML, you wereeither required to master the complexities of DOM or fall back tothe old standby of manually creating XML using strings. Each ofthese methods has their drawbacks, which eventually lead to thecreation of the XMLWriter extension. Discover how to use this newextension with XML guru Rob Richards.—by Robert Richards

Database Design Demystified

With a dash of terminology, a pinch of theory and some simplerules, you can learn how to cook up some great database designs. Inthis article, author Deb Whitten will walk you through the processof data-base design, step-by-step.—by Deb Whitten

PHP Clustering on Linux

Now you can build your own highly available, scalableplatform for running mission-critical PHP applications on commonlyavailable commodity hardware, using proven open source software.With no software license fees, you can add as many servers as youlike to increase performance. This frees you from the need to buythe latest and fastest hardware. In this piece, the first of aseries, author Joseph Kouyoumjian shows you exactly how to buildand configure just such a platform.—by Joseph Kouyoumjian

Using the PEAR Installer

The PEAR Installer has been capable of packaging anddistributing real applications, as well as the traditional PEARlibrary components, since version 1.4.0. Read as PEAR contributorand author Tobias Schlitt demonstrates how to use exciting newfeatures–such as post install scripts–when using theInstaller to distribute custom applications.—by Tobias Schlitt

Security Corner: All Your Session Are Belong to Us

A person’s identity is a precious thing; it defines whowe are and ultimately makes each person unique. In the offlineworld, the identity of a person is often represented by variousdocuments ranging from social security num-bers, passports, creditcards and so on. The online world is not the same. Security expertIlia Alshanetsky explains some common session-related pitfalls, andhow to avoid them.—by Ilia Alshanetsky

Test Pattern: The Attributes of Properties

The magic methods __get() and __set() are a great way toimplement attributes in PHP that can look and act like standard PHPproperties. This month, columnist Jeff Moore presents severalimplementations using __get() and __set(). We’ll look at theperformance of each and cover some pitfalls with the technique ingeneral.—by Jeff Moore