Welcome to My Forum!

[davidgolding]

Last year, after releasing some of my first open source PHP projects, I realized that an online forum was effective for discussing the software with users and addressing problems. For a time, I considered setting up a trac system, but none of these projects were really all that big. But, the forum software I used at the first didn't have all the features I wanted that would help me communicate better with users. Now that my book, "Beginning CakePHP: From Novice to Professional" is out, I wanted to start a new forum that had everything I needed to keep in close contact with readers.

Here are the goals of this forum, and how I hope you can help in making this one a success.

First, and foremost, a candid discussion of anything related to CakePHP, my book, or CakePHP software is welcome and encouraged in this forum.

Second, remember that it is good to receive; better to give. So if you post any questions on this forum, please consider coming back and contributing to someone else's questions. By helping each other out, we only make the CakePHP community better.

Third, let's give the benefit of the doubt to others. What I mean by this is just to not take offense at people's comments. The best example I can think of is Digg.com. I've become disenchanted with this site only because the comments sections have become so angry and offensive. You say something that ten or more people disagree with, and your comment gets blasted by everyone. I, for one, hope that this forum can be a refuge from discussions of this nature. Hey, if you want to vent your anger at some bug in Cake, please do! But at the same time, let's be careful not to offend or to take offense. Fair enough?

Last, if you have any ideas for starting open source projects, I think this ought to be a good place to make suggestions, brainstorm, and get feedback.

Anyhow, thanks for visiting CakePHP Projects Forum, and I look forward to discussing CakePHP with you.

[Paul Redmond]

David-
My colleagues and I have been anticipating the release of a 3rd party CakePHP book for some time and I could not be happier that it came through apress. After flipping through your book, this is a godsend for people jumping into a MVC world.

So far, your writing has been clear and easy to understand. Many things that I understood from the API have been clarified and reaffirmed in your book, which I feel will be much easier for people to dive into cake with than for someone like me who was "baptized by fire" with only the Cake API.

For such a young framework with evolving documentation, this book in my opinion is the best way to get started with CakePHP. I was pleased to find some advanced material which helped move the reader along quickly. I was especially pleased with the emphasis to keep model-related code out of the controller which, in my opinion, is the biggest violation of programmers transitioning into MVC.

Great job on the book!

[davidgolding]

Paul,

Thanks for your feedback! You know, it was a challenge writing for a beginner but at the same time knowing that there would be readers who wanted more than a beginner's introduction to Cake. And the last thing anyone wants is just a glossary of what's available in Cake. So, writing for both groups was tricky, but I'm glad to hear that for you it's been better than a "baptism of fire" experience with the API. The thing that was a must, that I believed had to be present in the book from the outset, was to move the reader along quickly. The last thing I wanted was to get bogged down in technical details when the reader could actually be building something and seeing firsthand how easy and efficient Cake is. Again, glad to hear that you're enjoying the book. (Any chance you might include your review on sites like Amazon or Barnes & Noble? ;)