In object-oriented PHP, inheritance is the ability to create a class that extends another class and takes on some or all of its features. This is one of the most useful functions of object orient programming in PHP (OOP PHP). I’ve skimmed over it in several of my recent articles on OOP in PHP, but in this article, I want to take a deeper look at class inheritance, how to use it, and why it’s important. Class Inheritance The first time I tried to write a really big WordPress plugin, I had four main classes that dealt with four different […]

I’ve been writing a lot recently about principles of object-oriented programming (OOP) in PHP, including magic methods. OOP is great in that it promotes encapsulation of code: separated functions, classes, and methods — each with their own scopes and purposes. The rules of how we access properties, variables, and methods from different encapsulated scopes are determined by visibility. In this article, I will explain how visibility is defined, how it works, and why it is important in OOP PHP. Keep in mind that this article refers to how these principles work in PHP 5.4 or later. PHP 5.3 and below […]

In a recent Torque article, I gave a basic introduction to AngularJS using the WordPress REST API. I also had the privilege of presenting on this topic at WordCamp Miami and will be covering AngularJS with WordPress at an upcoming webinar for WP Engine. This topic is important to me because I think that embracing API-driven JavaScript interfaces will help us bring the experience of WordPress forward and ensure that WordPress continues to be known for the quality of its interface. My personal choice in a JavaScript MVC framework is Angular. You may prefer a different one, but for my work, […]