I’ve updated the the new functions and also corrected a few oversights, I’ve also removed the old style active record from the menu (ciar +  tab) the function calls are still the same they’re just hidden.  I’ve also updated all active record method names to use the new naming convention as a couple had slipped through the net. The major changes are listed below:

DBForge Library (cidbf):

• Added create_table
• Added drop_table
• Added rename_table

Input Library (ciinput):

• Added get_post
• Added get
• Modified post to set XSS filtering param

ActiveRecord Library (ciar & ciar*):

• Removed old active record library from menu (ciar still works but is now hidden)
• All depreciated functions now use new function names
• Fixed get, get_where snippets
• Added start_cache (ciar & ciarc)
• Added stop_cache (ciar & ciarc)
• Added flush_cache (ciar & ciarc)

And thats about it, the download is on the usual page. If you want to be informed of any new updates drop me an email at luci3n[at]sellersrank.com and I’ll notify you when I release.  E-TextEditor users the download is normally added a few days later because I don’t have windows and if anyone is looking to be a test user I’ll happily send you a copy before I put it on the download list.

Download Textmate / E-TextEditor CodeIgniter Bundle

The main features are:

• Syntax highlighting for all functions up to PHP 4.3
• Code assistance (function, parameter assistance PHP 4.3 only)
• Syntax checking
• Tabbed viewing
• Support for HTML and CSS

The syntax highlighting works but if you’re like me as you can tell from the site I like to work with a black background (otherwise after a while I have very sore eyes) and after changing all the setting there still remained some portions of the code with the default white background. On searching the site this bug has been fixed and will be included for the 1.0 release or can be downloaded via cvs. Another thing working with a black background when selecting text that is white you can’t read it anymore as there is no way to change the hight lighting color.

The PHP code assistance is great and just like the application is displayed very quickly and can be adjusted. The syntax checker is manual and has to be called using the menu or F9 this can be quite annoying and it does not check any functions or parameters within the file.

The search facilities are very basic in that only one file can be searched and the searching only highlights the first occurrence at the top of the file and you must continue through each occurance within the file. This can be quite tedious for large files with many partial matches.

If you’re working on a large project with multiple folders navigation can be quite tedious although on smaller projects where all files are in a small number of folders the handy list of classes with their functions can be displayed on the left of the screen for easy navigation but beware of files that have functions only as they will be listed so a folder containing numerous files of this type can be very difficult to navigate.

Overall, this editor is quick and easy to work with but without some more advanced features it feels a bit naked, the lack of automated indentation and auto syntax checking become more and more frustrating after long term use. Quick folder navigation would be an enormous improvement and these three feature would alone push this application onto the desktop of many more developers. Despite the lack of more advanced features it isn’t a tool I would quickly uninstall. If you’re an Eclipse user for example and you want to quickly open a couple of files to view and perform small edits this is where it excels. In the time that eclipse starts you can open edit and save and be doing something else. This application is reaching version 1.0 and is showing the some good signs that with some further development and added features would be a much more useful application.

The fork was announced initially on the CodeIgniter forums but was not well received by EllisLab for the nature of their announcement and a argument quickly ensued which resulted in a number of posts being deleted and the thread closed as tempers flared and insults were thrown. The main points that EllisLab were aggrieved at where the use of their resources to promote, some copyright issues regarding the documentation and also the manner the fork was announced without any contact to the EllisLab team.

So what was the main reason of the fork?

The principle reason was that the lack of feedback and bug fixing that was present and the time between bugs being identified and an official release incorporating these fixes. Also the amount of influence the community had on further development of the framework. As EllisLab are sole developers of the framework they control the development, this has frustrated a number of developers who want to be able influence the design process and contribute code.

As EllisLab develop another commercial PHP framework ExpressionEngine their time has been spent in further development of this CodeIgniter has been neglected of late, especially with regarding bug fixes.

What does KohanaPHP have to offer that CodeIgniter doesn’t ?

At the moment there isn’t much difference as this is very much early days. KohanaPHP has officially released version 1.0 and has fixed the bugs identified by the CodeIgniter community with the unofficial fixes.  KohanaPHP will be community driven so developers frustrated with development cycles can get involved.

What does this fork effect CodeIgniter and their community?

Well that depends on a number of things but Rick Ellis (CodeIgniter Author) addressed the problems behind the slow release cycle and bug fixing. In summary Rick states that CodeIgniter has been created based on a large portion of ExpressionEngine and the strain in maintaining two separate has put on his small development team so to alleviate this ExpressionEngine 2.0 which is currently under development will be using the CodeIgniter libraries which will help make development more efficient and will enable EllisLab to more rapidly maintain the code and also develop new features, so as ExpressionEngineis developed so is CodeIgniter.

This is good news for CodeIgniter as this will enable a increased development release cycle and will also be good for EllisLab in that they will also benefit from bug identification and fixes from the CodeIgniter community and vice versa. The only negative slant on this that CodeIgniter will continually to not be a community driven project.

KohanaPHP on the other-hand will be completely driven by the community as a number of the more active contributors to the forum will be helping drive KohanaPHP rather than contributing to the CodeIgniter community.

Is KohanaPHP compatible with CodeIgniter?

At present both frameworks are compatible and in the short term KohanaPHP will be maintaining backwards compatibility with CodeIgniter. As both frameworks develop on different paths it will be interesting to see the where they go and what are the benefits of each.

What are the new proposed features to be added for KohanaPHP?

KohanaPHP has announced the new features that are going to be in KohanaPHP 1.1.

• ORM Active Record Models
• Cascading resource loading
• Reintroduce optional init files for libraries
• Greatly improve the validation library
• Replace session library with one more powerful and flexible

What are the new proposed features to be added for CodeIgniter?

EllisLab are far less open about the new features that will be added to CodeIgniter in the future but Rick Ellis has stated that the database support will be improved.

So what does it mean to developers like you and me?

At present there is no real choice to make as KohanaPHP has not added any new functionality or drifted from CodeIgniter compatibility. But it remains to be seen how it develops and if it becomes a real rival to CodeIgniter.