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Hi. I’m a student of computer science. I “speak” PHP well but want to learn MVC concept. I chosed CodeIgniter and I have few questions:

1) What does CI learning-curve look like? How long does it take to learn it well?
2) Is it possible to get any free e-book talking about CI?
3) What IDE do you preffer? I’m looking for IDE with auto-complete for CI and so on..

1) What does CI learning-curve look like? How long does it take to learn it well?

If you are already well versed in PHP, then the learning-curve will depend upon whether or not you’ve ever worked heavily in object oriented programming.  If you understand the object oriented parts well, then MVC should not be too difficult to pick up.

I taught myself PHP and started making good money as a PHP programmer within 30 days of my picking up PHP for the first time.  I learned it quickly, because I already had several other languages under my belt and had been a programmer for over 30 years before I decided to learn PHP.  I picked up CI, with only the documentation that came with CI, and was using it to make my life easier on my job in just 2 days.  I thought the learning curve was quite easy coming from my perspective. 

2) Is it possible to get any free e-book talking about CI?

Personally, I found that the help files that came with CI were already so complete, that I didn’t really need any outside sources.  These forums help fill in the blanks for most people, but I never really came here to get help, because I could already either figure out how it was done or find it in the help files.

3) What IDE do you preffer? I’m looking for IDE with auto-complete for CI and so on..

I preferred to stick with the IDE that I was already using before I got into PHP, because I used an IDE that handled code completion / auto-complete for every language I had ever worked with, and I found that as long as I included the CI System folder in the project path, that my IDE would handle the auto-complete for me as well as give me IntelliTips about CI specifics, such as function tips that would make it easy for me to know what parameters need to be filled in for a function (pulled straight from the function definition).  Keeps me from having to look at the manual as a reference in day-to-day work.

I use UEStudio, simply because nothing else comes close, and I’ve tried them all.  Many people here will tell you to go with Eclipse or something that is based off Eclipse. 

If you are in computer science, and are researching IDEs, then consider that PHP will not be the only language you will be working with during your coursework over the next few years.  You’ll want to pick one that you can use for all the languages that you’ll need, and one that will handle compiling to binary those languages that require compiling (C++, C#, Pascal, Assembly, and others), and will also handle running in script mode those that do not compile but are interpreted (PHP, Ruby, Python, JavaScript, and others). 

You will find that many IDEs are written in Java, and are very slow when it comes to large projects.  Get an IDE written in C, C++, C#, or Object Pascal, as they will deliver the best performance. (UEStudio is written in C#.)

The platform you use (Linux, Windows, OS/X) will dictate what IDEs are available to you.  If you’re thinking, “I want a free one” then don’t expect one that will be an exceptionally good one.

If you’re using OS/X, I would recommend using TextMate, as nothing else has the power of TextMate on OS/X platform.  If you’re using Windows, then I recommend using UEStudio, as not even TextMate on the mac can compare to UEStudio.  If you’re using Linux, then there are many sub-par free IDEs on the market for you to choose from.  One is just about as bad natured as the next.

I know there are a lot of people that disagree with me on some of these points, especially when I state that don’t expect a free one to be an exceptionally good one.  People who have never shelled out money for an exceptional IDE such as UEStudio because they think their free edition of something else is all that and a bag of chips are people who really don’t realize what they are missing.

I speak from experience on that.  I’ve been a programmer since the early 1970’s, and have since retired.  I have reviewed and evaluated many editors and IDEs over the years for employers, and have kept up with this tradition to determine the best out there.  The primary reason I stay with Windows is because the best IDE is on Windows, and I still do coding for a hobby in my spare time.

Many of the best editors will allow you to try them before you buy them. I’d suggest taking time to try a few.  If your budget now does not allow for purchase of an IDE, and you want a free option, those are available as well.  However, if you plan to make this a career, consider this: You’re paying a lot of money for your schooling to equip you to be a productive computer programmer.  Should you not also properly equip yourself with the proper tools?

Best of luck on your decision.

Thanks for quick and extensive answer!

I think I will chose Aptana Studio, becouse it’s simple, eclipse based and FREE 😛

My choice is Codelobster
This free IDE has very useful special plug-in for CodeIgniter development.

how do you mean free? i see only blank php editor free, codeigniter plugin only for professional version.

btw i’m using Aptana for ~1 month and i’ve already found some really annoying things 😛

how do you mean free? i see only blank php editor free, codeigniter plugin only for professional version.

btw i’m using Aptana for ~1 month and i’ve already found some really annoying things 😛

Yeah, if you want CodeLobster to do CI, then you’ve got to shell out the bucks.  You may as well use Notepad++.

As far as Aptana goes (same goes for all Eclipse based editors, and all the Java based editors I’ve seen), editors like this always look great on first glance.  When you’re doing the daily grind, however, you’ll always find things that will annoy you.  But hey, it was free, so you got what you paid for, right?  (When I say “daily grind”, I mean doing real, hard core computer programming work, not just hacking and hobbying and “oh, look, I learned PHP over the weekend so now I’m a web designer!”)

That’s why I always came back to UEStudio, and why I finally, after years of upgrading it, decided it was worth taking the plunge and buying a lifetime license so I never have to pay for another upgrade.  Sure, the lifetime license cost good money up front (3x the cost of the standard product), but I earned approximately 25 times that amount the first month using it, and now I don’t have to ever worry about paying for it again.  After the first month of using it, I became even more proficient making use of more advanced features, and was able to turn out work even faster.  My first year of using this product I was able to earn over 15000 times the cost of a single year of upgrades for that product.  When you look at it that way, it is a very good investment. 

When a product saves you time, makes you more productive, and doesn’t irritate you daily, then it is worth the investment when it is what you make your money from.

You need to learn MVC, it helps develops websites quicker with better structuring and cleaner URL’s, many functions have already been written to speed up development, so you can spend more time on more advanced functionalities.

You can basically learn CI in an hour depending how quickly you can learn, especially once you know what MVC is it basically very straightforward.

The books i would recommend are as follow:
PHP MVC by Chris Pitt
Understanding MVC in PHP by Tim Orielly
Professional Codeigniter by Thomas Myer

And for the best IDE to use, i would say Aptana Studio, it has auto-complete and also has descriptions of functions, automatically detect errors in the structuring of your codes.

Once you know the MVC pattern its very easy to learn. You will mostly be using controllers/models/views folders to build your application in PHP.

I like using Netbeans.

Once you know the MVC pattern its very easy to learn. You will mostly be using controllers/models/views folders to build your application in PHP.

I like using Netbeans.

I also like using Netbeans as it is very easy to use, very powerful and its free;-)