Over the past few months I have been working hard on a new classifieds script named iClassEngine. The reason this is a new script and not 68 Classifieds v5 is because we decided to take a huge step and change everything and I mean everything.

The core is now running on the CodeIgniter framework and has been setup to be as extensible as possible.  Not only has the core changed but so have the theme files, db structure, add-ons system, and everything in between. The themes are now straight php files instead of using Smarty.  Although I feel it will have a little more learning curve it should be better in the long run because more editors support php syntax out of the box.

We decided on the CodeIgniter framework for various reasons and probably the biggest was the ease of use.  It is a very straight forward MVC framework and I felt it would be the easiest for beginners as well as seasoned php developers to use.  Plus CodeIgniter has a lot of excellent resources on the web and tons of helpers and libraries freely available.

By going this route we have made iClassEngine as extensible as possible. In fact the core with the blog add-on is what is running this site.  The biggest reason for creating advanced add-ons like this is so you can plug in anything and keep the same design, same users, and same code base. 

The downside to being so extensible is that you will need to know basic html and read the instructions to get the most out of the script.  The base theme is very simple and includes just enough to get a site going.  The real beauty of this system is allowing you to go wild and change it to suit your needs. 

Another difference between iClassEngine and 68 Classifieds is the pricing structure. With iClassEngine we are going to a more à la carte style. You purchase the base product ($49 Introductory Beta Pricing) and then pick and choose any add-ons you want.  Right now we only have a few available for the beta but have loads of others that will be added in the coming weeks.

Even though iClassEngine and 68 Classifieds are built for the same purpose (selling classified ads), each script is very different in structure. 68 Classifieds is a mature script with a lot of users running successful sites. It’s also a script that’s near and dear to us.  As a result, we are keeping both products and will continue supporting, developing and improving each.

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CodeIgniter has been my php framework of choice over the past few years and I have grown to love the simplicity and reduced time it takes to develop php applications with it. Since finding CodeIgniter I have developed one open source script, numerous internal applications, and several libraries and helpers. Because of my involvement in working with CodeIgniter I have been offered the opportunity to review Packt’s new book named “CodeIgniter 1.7 Professional Development” by Adam Griffiths. The book aims to take you from a novice user all the way to a CodeIgniter expert.

About the Book

CodeIgniter 1.7 Professional Development promises to help you become a CodeIgniter expert with professional tools, techniques, and extended libraries.  This book is targeted to php users just learning CodeIgniter and want to get the most of it in the shortest amount of time.

The book starts out with the basics of installing and setting up a new CodeIgniter project and then goes into the logic of the framework and how everything pieces together. Farther into the book Adam covers creating a secure authorization system, creating your own Twitter oAth library, and a Facebook connect library.

After reading the book I believe it achieved its promise of giving you the tools and resources to be a CodeIgniter 1.7 expert. The part I liked most about this book was the later chapters that deal with Authentication, custom libraries, Application Security, Building a large scale application, and custom web services. I feel the knowledge in these chapters are what really stands out and makes you a CodeIgniter expert.

My only complaint with the book is the portion on coding standards.  I feel every developer should try and use the coding standards outlined by the framework but I felt it didn’t need so many pages in the book about it when the user guide covers it.

Conclusion

I can honestly say that I highly recommend this book to folks wanting to learning CodeIgniter and even experienced CodeIgniter users.  The book covers all the aspects of creating a CodeIgniter application and I can guarantee you will learn something from reading this book. I picked up a few tips that I didn’t know previously.

If you are interested in purchasing CodeIgniter 1.7 Professional Development you can do so from Packt’s website.  They also have a few sample chapters from the book you can read online:

• Database Interaction with CodeIgniter 1.7
• Form Validation with CodeIgniter 1.7

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This is just a quick update to let everyone know this site is now running fully on CodeIgniter.  Previously I was using Wordpress and decided I wanted to give a crack at building my own blog system.

For this site I am using the following CodeIgniter resources:

• Cache Library
• Template Library
• Modular Separation
• Pagination automated

I am also using Disqus for the comments and they are in the process of importing all the old ones which they claim takes a few days.  So full commenting should be up after that is finished.

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I am proud to announce the birth of our second child.  On January 20th 2010 @ 4:11pm Langston Hope Barnes was born and weighed in at 7 lbs 14 oz and 21 inches long.

Our first was born just 13 months ago so we have our hands full now.  :) 

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