help getting organized

[Ninjakreborn]

I am wanting to permanently(almost always), build my own custom programs.
But that will be awhile, before I got back. Some things, so far, i like using third party, that is a
Project management system - active collab
Forum - smf(simple machines)
shopping cart(3rd party)
I seem to end up using those when I am needing a systme.
I needed to get organized, and I still do.  I have finally gotten a lot of my projects themselves organized, as far as url's I have my favorite's menu, which it wouldn't be bad later if I had a thing inside my project management system, so I could manage url's, that and a contact manager, I will either request them to build into activecollab or I will program it myself.  I am swearing to myself, after this, I am permanently custom building my own stuff, I was anyway there for a long time, but these 3 things seemed to catch my attention a lot more, and they save a lot of development time, the shopping cart, I would probably try to build myself when I find a client with a good budget, and a decent deadline.
I was wondering about a code managment system, I am finally getting ready to start getting together a system of functions, like for file related function I was going to call it file.php I have all those ideas down, but how do I make it so I can have it somewhere.  I don't know, I am trying to get an idea, of how to organize everything.

[neylitalo]

It took me a solid amount of time to figure out what you were asking - when you ask a question, you generally use a question mark. It'll make it that much easier on the readers and they'll be considerably less upset if they got to read a well-worded question. :)

As to how to include that sort of functionality, I suggest you create classes, and if a class is requested in the script, include the class's file. So, for example, your file class:

file.php
[code]
<?php

class file
{
    public function __construct()
    {
    }
}

?>[/code]

To use that class, you would then call [code]require_once("file.php";)[/code] and then you could use any of the functions embedded in that class.

For automatic inclusion of a class's PHP file, you may want to check out PHP's magic function __autoload.

[Ninjakreborn]

I don't know I am just unhappy right now with my career.
I can't decide on a lot of things, here is hte jist of it.

[quote]To give you an idea of where I am coming from in total, what I really need advice on, read this post, quoted from somewhere, where I explained my issue.  I will also say something specific below that

I am really having a hard time with something.  I want to build my own, I am redoing my entire web development site, I am building a contact management system, link management system, and code management all custom for my site.  I was going to build a project management system custom too, but I see way to many things in here, that would take me awhile to get together.  Especially in my spare time, and one thing I am still have some issues with after all this time, is file handling.

I wanted to ask a few questions about further releases of active collab to decide if I should still with it, or custom build one, if someone could answer these questions I Would greatly appreciate it.

1. I now have version 0.7, are you going to be developing on this permanently.  Meaning is it something you are going to constantly be developing on, from now, until a specific time, or permanently.

2. When is the release date idea for version 0.8, and 0.9, and 1.0

3. Do you have any plans at all for anything after version 1.0

4. Ok, there is something you called plugins, plugins can be considered different things, what do you mean, do you mean being able to hook it to other third party applications, or something else.  If you mean something else, then what does it have to do with.

5. IF the plugins end up being for various components of the same program, are we still gogin to be able to download the entire activecollab program with the plugins and all, or are the plugs all something we have to get seperately, or am I thinking about plugins the wrong way?

6. If I just created a few other custom applications, and simply put one link on the administration page, where all the links are, just add a link to my other application then
  a. Is that going to be something that would ever be overwritten in newer versions, or would it be easy to keep adding it back in here.
  b. What do I need to do, to make sure I am the only one who can see it.  I am a programmer, have been for a long time now, and I was just wondering, because this is a huge system, I don't want to mess something up.  Especially when the owner is always here to ask.

7.  Now for some more of personal advice.
  a.  I can't decide what to base my career around.  I want to say 100% custom programming, and 90% of the time I do everything custom from the ground up.  But when it comes to forum's I always end up using simple machines(smf), if it's a shopping cart, so far it's been third party, but no-one so far needed a e-commerce site, and chances are if they had a fair deadline, and good budget, I would build those from scratch.  I am trying to decide is a project management system any harder to build than a full e-commerce system.
  b. I want to still say 100% custom programming, is it still custom programming if it's a third party app that still matches there needs, like something big, I can still do custom programming to make it what they need.
  c. What do you base it off of, iilja don't remember your name  right off, have you ever used third party apps, I just can't decide.  I want to do everything custom I can, but if I swear 100% custom programming, meaning never third party, then I will end up having triple development time for things like forum's and stuff like that.  I really wanted to program my own project management system but I don't think I would ever be able too. Any advice.

8. What directions are this software going to go, I mean is it always going to be open source.  What other features are you putting in, someone said you shouldn't keep going in and putting in features, but setup to allow people to have there own features, what do you mean, I am confused about that specific part.  Does that mean there's a time when you won't be adding in new features over and over again, and instead you will decide to allow users to create there own module's with no set version releases.  I am confused, just looking to try and hear some input on everything, so I can help solidy my delima in either created one from scratch or sticking to this one?[/quote]

See that is pretty much it, I am unhappy with my own site.
I have the logo, that koolaid man helped me with, and another friend of mine doing the layout idea for me, then I am going to code everything.  THe site will then look good, my friend has done graphic/layoutdesign/content writing for well over 15 years.  He is doing me a favor in exchange for programming. That will get me satisfied with my website as far as the logo, design, layout, and other elements.

Now it comes to programming.
THis activecollab I am not sure if I am going to use it or not, but I am not sure the reason.  He said he started it in january, and it has come this far, but I needed sometihng faster, so I used activcollab instead of building my own.  Most of it though is that my friend aaron the programmer tells me how everything he does is custom programming.  I look up to him more than anything, and he gives me advice, I try to follow him on everything.  He says he builds everything from scratch except for forum's.  HE even has one of those partially constructed, once he is done he is using it.  He said he does that because he can, it's easy for him.  I know enough about php to do almost anything, some things with a little work.  I am having a hard time deciding whether I want to go permanent custom programming, on everything or pick and choose and then on what.  Like my site I have 4 different set's of options I have laid out and I can't decide no matter what(just for the backend programming only
I am definitely having the following systems built in
project management system
personal management system
link management system
code management system
just a note, I am 100% sure I am building the lower 3 systems from scratch.  Just linking them with activcollab, that is my idea so far, but I am trying to decide on what to do with activecollab specifically.
Option 1-
Use activcollab project management system, and hope the new versions are good enough to make me totally happy.  I almost am now, but I have this feeling I didn't build it, that bother's me, but maybe once I build my actual website itself where I am happy, and get those other system's built that problem will go away, and I Will loko at things differently.
Option 2-
Try and keep activcollab for awhile.  Go ahead and get everything else on my site up and runnign, and see how good/well off activcollab is at that point and decide if I want to build one.  If so keep activecollab while I build a skeleton and the features I want.
option 3- try to build the whole project management system from scratch,.

This is where my main problem with my decision lies.

THe other thing that is bothering me, from now on, in general, I am thinking I know if it's anything small or intermediate, I am custom building it.

Actually anything except for maybe forum's, shopping carts(depends), and this project management system.  Anything else I would build from scratch, but should I modify my career goals, and try to even do some of the other 3 from scratch as well, this is the hardest career goal, choice I ever was faced with.

I have ideas on my other 3 systems, those are easy
especially my code management system, to allow me to keep track of the libraries I create, and search functions, that is going to take me awhile, but it'll be fine, it'll be after my website front end, is up and running fully, and out of the way, as far as content.

The only other problem/issue I am dealing with currently is ocming up with a general system for work.
I am wanting to start releasing websites I create for people in versions.  Starting at version 0.1  THen eventually upgrading versions based on functionality.  Then I can have the information in activcolab to help me keep up with the versioning number, and milestones of new versions.

Just so much running through my head, I don't know where to go, or which direction to turn to right now.

[redbullmarky]

sounds like a case of "LearntToMuchAndItsGotBoringitis".

can't say you werent warned. one of the biggest things that keeps coding fun is learning new things all the time - AS YOU GO ALONG, not all in one go. and the fact that you're learning all this stuff by reading up on it instead of getting your hands dirty - no wonder you havent got anything to show for it at the end apart from a head crammed full of knowledge and thinking about what to cram in there next.

why dont you set yourself a "harsh" project that will stretch you and make it fun again. Like build an entire CMS/Framework, with future projects in mind. No doubt you're gonna get involved with OOP heavily, and no doubt you're gonna learn loads - not just about PHP but your own methods and practices. And the end result? well, a CMS/Framework that you can use to develop your own site, for starters.

Less talk, more action.

[b]edit[/b]: i'm actually doing something similar to this at the moment myself, just to have something for the future. Download a few PHP Frameworks and examine the code/structure. I'm looking at CodeIgniter (www.codeigniter.com) at the moment and boy has it tought me a few things... What it's also helped me to do though is to have one 'home' for all my scripts and classes that i've built up over the years, and i've already re-done my company and personal site using it.

[extrovertive]

[quote author=businessman332211 link=topic=110739.msg448264#msg448264 date=1160170981]
I am wanting to permanently(almost always), build my own custom programs.
But that will be awhile, before I got back. Some things, so far, i like using third party, that is a
Project management system - active collab
Forum - smf(simple machines)
shopping cart(3rd party)
I seem to end up using those when I am needing a systme.
I needed to get organized, and I still do.  I have finally gotten a lot of my projects themselves organized, as far as url's I have my favorite's menu, which it wouldn't be bad later if I had a thing inside my project management system, so I could manage url's, that and a contact manager, I will either request them to build into activecollab or I will program it myself.  I am swearing to myself, after this, I am permanently custom building my own stuff, I was anyway there for a long time, but these 3 things seemed to catch my attention a lot more, and they save a lot of development time, the shopping cart, I would probably try to build myself when I find a client with a good budget, and a decent deadline.
I was wondering about a code managment system, I am finally getting ready to start getting together a system of functions, like for file related function I was going to call it file.php I have all those ideas down, but how do I make it so I can have it somewhere.  I don't know, I am trying to get an idea, of how to organize everything.
[/quote]

How about try meditating 30 mins. before you indugle on a huge project? Meditating helps with focusing and concentrating....no kidding.  ;D

[Ninjakreborn]

I have taken care of it, I got aboard a graphic design(logo's, layouts), and he also does flash(actionscript), and content writing, those are most of his skills.  I have someone I can pass some stuff off to, if I need those elements done on something.  I am redoing my whole career goals, and ideas currently.