PHP Primer for the AI Era A PHP Guide for Humans https://icontemp.com/wiki/phpprimer/ 2026-04-17T01:02:45+00:00 PHP Primer for the AI Era https://icontemp.com/wiki/phpprimer/ https://icontemp.com/wiki/phpprimer/lib/exe/fetch.php?media=wiki:dokuwiki.svg text/html 2026-04-16T21:37:31+00:00 editor (editor@undisclosed.example.com) 2. Why This Primer Exists - [How to use this primer] https://icontemp.com/wiki/phpprimer/doku.php?id=introduction:why_this_primer_exists&rev=1776375451&do=diff 2. Why This Primer Exists A quiet place to think clearly about PHP in the age of AI Modern tools can generate PHP instantly — entire classes, controllers, services, even full applications. But the speed of generation has created a new problem: text/html 2026-04-16T21:31:21+00:00 editor (editor@undisclosed.example.com) 1. About This Wiki https://icontemp.com/wiki/phpprimer/doku.php?id=introduction:about_this_wiki&rev=1776375081&do=diff 1. About This Wiki This wiki began as a personal attempt to stay grounded in a changing world. Over time, I realized it was really about hope — the hope that learning can still feel gentle, that clarity is still possible, and that we can remain ourselves while everything around us text/html 2026-04-16T21:30:01+00:00 editor (editor@undisclosed.example.com) PHP Primer for the AI Era - [About This Project] https://icontemp.com/wiki/phpprimer/doku.php?id=start&rev=1776375001&do=diff PHP Primer for the AI Era — a gentle guide for the human part of the collaboration This PHP primer, a work in progress, — is a quiet space to explore how PHP 'thinks' — and a small seed meant to help us work confidently with AI‑generated code. text/html 2026-04-16T15:44:45+00:00 editor (editor@undisclosed.example.com) 1. Modern PHP by Example — A Gentle 101 for the AI Era https://icontemp.com/wiki/phpprimer/doku.php?id=z_appendix_101:a_gentle_php_101_for_the_ai_era&rev=1776354285&do=diff 1. Modern PHP by Example — A Gentle 101 for the AI Era Most people who learn PHP today will not learn it the way earlier generations did. They will not write loops by hand for months. They will not memorize syntax. They will not build entire applications from scratch. text/html 2026-04-16T15:44:18+00:00 editor (editor@undisclosed.example.com) 2. Variables & Types — The Shape of Data https://icontemp.com/wiki/phpprimer/doku.php?id=z_appendix_101:php_variables_and_types&rev=1776354258&do=diff 2. Variables & Types — The Shape of Data A Gentle Orientation for Newcomers: Do not memorize. Just recognize and understand what the syntax does. If a term feels unfamiliar, just stay with it — it will appear again later, in a different context, until it quietly clicks into place. text/html 2026-04-16T15:43:42+00:00 editor (editor@undisclosed.example.com) 3. Arrays — Simple, Flexible, Often Misused https://icontemp.com/wiki/phpprimer/doku.php?id=z_appendix_101:php_arrays_in_the_ai_era&rev=1776354222&do=diff 3. Arrays — Simple, Flexible, Often Misused Arrays are one of PHP's oldest and simplest structures. They can act like lists, maps, dictionaries, or lightweight objects. This flexibility makes them convenient — and easy to misuse. In the AI era, arrays often appear as the default answer to every problem. text/html 2026-04-16T15:38:17+00:00 editor (editor@undisclosed.example.com) 4. Associative Arrays — When Keys Carry Meaning https://icontemp.com/wiki/phpprimer/doku.php?id=z_appendix_101:php_associative_arrays_in_the_ai_era&rev=1776353897&do=diff 4. Associative Arrays — When Keys Carry Meaning Associative arrays are PHP's way of letting us label →values. Instead of relying on numeric positions, we give each value a name — a key. This makes the data easier to read, but it also introduces text/html 2026-04-16T15:36:20+00:00 editor (editor@undisclosed.example.com) 5. Functions — Small Units of Behavior https://icontemp.com/wiki/phpprimer/doku.php?id=z_appendix_101:php_functions_in_the_ai_era&rev=1776353780&do=diff 5. Functions — Small Units of Behavior Functions are the smallest reusable pieces of behavior in PHP. They take input, do something, and return a result. They let us name an idea, give it a shape, and use it anywhere. Where arrays and objects describe data, text/html 2026-04-16T15:34:46+00:00 editor (editor@undisclosed.example.com) 6. Objects — When Data Deserves a Name https://icontemp.com/wiki/phpprimer/doku.php?id=z_appendix_101:php_objects_intro_for_the_ai_era&rev=1776353686&do=diff 6. Objects — When Data Deserves a Name Up to now, we've worked with arrays — simple containers for values. But sometimes the data we're working with is more than a list or a map. It's a “thing” — something with more meaning. When our data starts to feel like a text/html 2026-04-16T15:30:39+00:00 editor (editor@undisclosed.example.com) 7. Two Common Ways We Use Classes in Modern PHP https://icontemp.com/wiki/phpprimer/doku.php?id=z_appendix_101:php_two_common_ways_to_use_classes&rev=1776353439&do=diff 7. Two Common Ways We Use Classes in Modern PHP As our programs grow, we'll notice that not all classes serve the same purpose. Some classes represent ideas from our problem space — the real‑world concepts our application cares about. This “ text/html 2026-04-16T15:29:16+00:00 editor (editor@undisclosed.example.com) 8. Entities & Value Objects — Two Roles, One Model https://icontemp.com/wiki/phpprimer/doku.php?id=z_appendix_101:php_entities_versus_value_objects&rev=1776353356&do=diff 8. Entities & Value Objects — Two Roles, One Model When people first encounter “entities” and “value objects”, the terms often feel mismatched — as if we're comparing two different species. But they're not different species. They're not even opposites. text/html 2026-04-16T15:27:03+00:00 editor (editor@undisclosed.example.com) 9. Value Objects — Small, Immutable Pieces of Meaning https://icontemp.com/wiki/phpprimer/doku.php?id=z_appendix_101:php_value_objects_for_the_ai_era&rev=1776353223&do=diff 9. Value Objects — Small, Immutable Pieces of Meaning Sometimes the data in our system is not a “thing” like a user or a product. Sometimes it's just a small piece of meaning — a value that deserves a name. A value object is exactly that: text/html 2026-04-16T15:24:55+00:00 editor (editor@undisclosed.example.com) 10. Entities — When Identity Matters https://icontemp.com/wiki/phpprimer/doku.php?id=z_appendix_101:php_data_entities_for_the_ai_era&rev=1776353095&do=diff 10. Entities — When Identity Matters Some concepts in our system are more than values. They are not just cards or small pieces of meaning. They are... “things” that continue to exist over time. A user. A ticket. An order. A blog post. These are not text/html 2026-04-16T15:21:52+00:00 editor (editor@undisclosed.example.com) 11. Collections — Groups of Things That Belong Together https://icontemp.com/wiki/phpprimer/doku.php?id=z_appendix_101:php_collections_for_the_ai_era&rev=1776352912&do=diff 11. Collections — Groups of Things That Belong Together Up to now, we've looked at individual concepts: * a single user * a single price * a single ticket But real programs rarely deal with just one thing. They deal with many. * Many users. text/html 2026-04-16T15:17:54+00:00 editor (editor@undisclosed.example.com) 12. Repositories — Where Entities Live https://icontemp.com/wiki/phpprimer/doku.php?id=z_appendix_101:php_repositories_for_the_ai_era&rev=1776352674&do=diff 12. Repositories — Where Entities Live “Now that I have entities… where do they live?” By now, we’ve met: * Entities — long‑lived concepts with identity * Value Objects — small pieces of meaning * Collections — groups of things that belong together text/html 2026-04-16T15:13:28+00:00 editor (editor@undisclosed.example.com) 13. Services — When Behavior Doesn’t Belong to an Entity https://icontemp.com/wiki/phpprimer/doku.php?id=z_appendix_101:php_services_for_the_ai_era&rev=1776352408&do=diff 13. Services — When Behavior Doesn’t Belong to an Entity By now, we've seen how our domain is shaped by concepts: * Value Objects, express meaning. * Entities, express identity. * Collections, group things that belong together. * Repositories, store and retrieve entities. But once we start text/html 2026-04-16T15:09:56+00:00 editor (editor@undisclosed.example.com) 14. Factories — When Object Creation Deserves a Home https://icontemp.com/wiki/phpprimer/doku.php?id=z_appendix_101:php_factories_in_the_ai_era&rev=1776352196&do=diff 14. Factories — When Object Creation Deserves a Home By now, we’ve seen how our domain is shaped: * Value Objects carry meaning. * Entities carry identity. * Services coordinate behavior between objects. * Repositories store and retrieve entities. text/html 2026-04-16T15:05:50+00:00 editor (editor@undisclosed.example.com) 15. A Simple Router — The Shape of a Request https://icontemp.com/wiki/phpprimer/doku.php?id=z_appendix_101:php_router_for_the_ai_era&rev=1776351950&do=diff 15. A Simple Router — The Shape of a Request — how a PHP application decides what to do Before frameworks, before controllers, before middleware, there is something very small and very human: A request comes in. We decide what to do with it. text/html 2026-04-16T15:03:02+00:00 editor (editor@undisclosed.example.com) 16. A Simple Database Query — Safe by Default https://icontemp.com/wiki/phpprimer/doku.php?id=z_appendix_101:php_database_query_for_the_ai_age&rev=1776351782&do=diff 16. A Simple Database Query — Safe by Default — how to talk to a database without losing clarity or safety At some point, every PHP application needs to ask the database a question. And just like routing, the shape is simple: * Prepare a query. text/html 2026-04-16T14:58:55+00:00 editor (editor@undisclosed.example.com) 17. A Simple API Call — Modern HTTP in PHP https://icontemp.com/wiki/phpprimer/doku.php?id=z_appendix_101:php_api_call_for_the_ai_era&rev=1776351535&do=diff 17. A Simple API Call — Modern HTTP in PHP — how to talk to another system without complexity At some point, our application needs to ask another system a question: * “What’s the weather?” * “Is this email valid?” * “Give me the latest exchange rate.”