• Registered: 2006-10-05
  • Posts: 4

Topic: A couple questions (and thanks)

I recently got back into PunBB and I love it.  I'm working on a large project and I want to integrate parts of the forum with my site (logging in, registering, etc) and I found PunBB would be much better than vBulletin for this task because it's not as complicated or bloated (with vB you basically have to integrate your site into the forums, not the other way around!).  In general I don't like "spaghetti" PHP code (html mixed in with php and so forth), but I can't argue with how simple it is to mod.  My first question to the developer is this:  why didn't you use a mature DB abstraction layer like ADOdb? Besides having to write fewer (if any?) conditional queries, you get a lot of things for free like automatic data sanitization, caching, database session handling (better than relying on cookies alone which PunBB seems to, though I could be wrong here), different connection types, etc.  Secondly, I couldn't find any information on this so I figured I'd ask here:  Does PunBB make use of any native caching?  It looks like the config file is cached, but that seems to be about it. 

I think PunBB is great for both PHP veterans and newbies alike.  It's ridiculously easy to mod for veterans and is a great start for newbies to learn the scripting language.  Just as claimed, it's fast and not bloated with every feature you can possibly imagine.  Oh, and it actually supports PostgreSQL natively! *bow*

Thanks for making such a simple yet awesome basic forum system! I'm going to have a lot of fun hacking my PunBB to hell and back wink

2 Reply by zaher

  • zaher
  • Senior Member
  • Offline
  • From: Syria, Damascus
  • Registered: 2004-02-16
  • Posts: 773

Re: A couple questions (and thanks)

- You can not expect what ADOdb emulate a feature not support in a database, and that emulate will make more slow to your query and more count of queries.
The best idea to make project support Standard SQL, and use databases support a Standard SQL,

- What you mean "native caching"

I think PunBB is great for both PHP veterans and newbies alike.  It's ridiculously easy to mod for veterans and is a great start for newbies to learn the scripting language.

That is right, I started with PunBB when i learned PHP, so Rickard is my teacher here without he know about that smile (without hypocrisy).

If your people come crazy, you will not need to your mind any more.
  • From: Ottawa, Canada
  • Registered: 2006-09-05
  • Posts: 308

Re: A couple questions (and thanks)

zaher wrote:

- You can not expect what ADOdb emulate a feature not support in a database, and that emulate will make more slow to your query and more count of queries.
The best idea to make project support Standard SQL, and use databases support a Standard SQL

What 'bout us lazy admins who use SQLite? I don't think it's terribly close to supporting all of Standard SQL ~.~

The DBLayer is perfect though zaher, for making another dblayer. That's what I did first, had to write support for SQLite3 (only v2 is supported nativly with punbb). If anything, a second layer of abstraction could be used to "translate" from Standard SQL to <insert database type>, but that would add a fair amount of bloat. The only downside to the DBlayer is the fact that most modders only run and test thier mods for one DB type, so to support a different type another php/sql vete has to come along and add the support and then let the mod dev know.

I think PunBB is great for both PHP veterans and newbies alike.  It's ridiculously easy to mod for veterans and is a great start for newbies to learn the scripting language.

That is right, I started with PunBB when i learned PHP, so Rickard is my teacher here without he know about that smile (without hypocrisy).

hehe, my first php experiance was coding that dblayer, only took 7 days 5 websites 2 manuals and 27 coffees roll

echo "deadram"; echo; fortune;

4 Reply by zaher

  • zaher
  • Senior Member
  • Offline
  • From: Syria, Damascus
  • Registered: 2004-02-16
  • Posts: 773

Re: A couple questions (and thanks)

I maked DBLayer for firebird 2 not 1.5, the problem in 1.5 have no LOWER function,  so i wait about a year for Firebird 2 and use it's features.

That mean not all databases support all SQL standard. and we will make some hacks and runtime modified before run the sql statment, Here you are right.
The best samples is LIMIT, Auto Increment fields, and reserved words.
DBLayer is more simple than ADOdb or others that make stupid query to retrive information not need to it, but just for make compatiple with all databases.

Before make a perfect DBLayer we must define what kind of sql we make it as start point, PunBB define a MySQL, and that put as to hack the sql statment of MySQL statment not hack the Standard SQL, and that the bad point in DBLayer.

About the coffee

When i ask my wife to make a cup of Tea, she make a Milk with Banana cocktail, just cocktail with PHP code smile

If your people come crazy, you will not need to your mind any more.
  • Smartys
  • Former PunBB Developer
  • Offline
  • Registered: 2004-04-30
  • Posts: 7,844

Re: A couple questions (and thanks)

A previous discussion on the issue of ADOdb
http://punbb.org/forums/viewtopic.php?id=4799