FileMaker for PHP Developers

FileMaker is a popular and powerful desktop databaseapplication toolkit. Recently, FileMaker, Inc. released a betaversion of the FileMaker API for PHP, which allows PHP to moreeasily talk to the FileMaker Server Advanced product. Join authorJonathan Stark in learning how to leverage FileMaker’sstrengths to deliver complex Web applications in a fraction of thetime it would take using a typical SQL database.—by Jonathan Stark

Cleaning up with SOAP and the NDNC Registry

The National Do Not Call Registry has been growing in size aswell as popularity among both the United States Government and theindividual state powers in America. What does this mean for you?Author Chad R. Smith shows you how to make your system NDNCcompliant and avoid costly fines andpenalties–automatically.—by Chad Smith

The Elephant and the Snake

Programming languages are tools for solvingproblems—and often they solve some problems better thanothers. However, development doesn’t happen in a vacuum, eventhough programmers often tend to live in their own little world andbecome so focused on one language that they tend to ignore theothers. php|architect publisher Marco Tabini has recently had achance to look into Python—and found out that there is a lotto like for a PHP developer.—by Marco Tabini

Addressing Web Application Security with Cryptography

While developing PHP applications, you’ve probably alreadyfaced some situations where it would be good to increase the levelof security of your application. For instance, consider thescenario of two PHP applications exchanging data, when each needsto be sure that the other is authenticated and that the dataexchanged is only known between them. This can only be achievedthrough strong cryptographic processes. In this piece, authorCarlos Serrão in discovering how to implement a secure,cryptography-based system.—by

A Custom Markup Parser with PCRE

You don’t want your site users uploading a wide range of HTMLtags to format their contributions, but XML is overkill for yourneeds, and str_replace() just isn’t sophisticated enough to copewith them. In this piece, Jolyon Ralph introduces a genericsolution he came up with for his own special-interest site, usingpreg_replace_callback().—by Jolyon Ralph

Test Pattern: Object Serialization

Serialization is a means of transferring data values betweenaddress spaces. In this month’s Test Pattern, Jeff Moore exploressome of the fundamental issues with serialization across severaldifferent serialization formats in PHP.—by Jeff Moore

Security Corner: CSRF

In this month’s edition of Security Corner, security expertChris Shiflett discusses cross-site request forgeries (CSRF,pronounced “sea surf”), an attack that we’vediscussed here before,and one that continues to hover just below the radar of manydevelopers. In a recent poll among Web application securityprofessionals, CSRF was ranked as one of the greatest concerns forthe upcoming year. CSRF also recently made the OWASP Top Ten, awell-recognized list of the current security problems in Webapplications. This article explains CSRF, provides a few examples,and discusses some strong safeguards you can use to protect yourapplications.—by Chris Shiflett