Using Difference Utilities to Easily Compare PHP Extension Files

PHP is a hypertext preprocessor or a scripting language that is well suited for web development. As a scripting language, the PHP code does not produce stand-alone programs, but instead can control the behavior of other programs and applications. It usually runs on web servers, and converts PHP code to web pages as output. As the PHP scripts get more complicated, sometimes it becomes necessary to compare PHP extension files, or that is, the actual code. Fortunately, utilities exist that can save programmers some labor and tedium.

PHP is used on a lot of web pages with dynamic content and user interaction. For example, the user interfaces of such websites as Facebook, Digg, Wordpress, Tagged, and Wikipedia are written in PHP. As can be expected, these user interactions and forms can sometimes get rather deep and complex. With the various functions that these interfaces serve, a lot of work goes into PHP code maintenance and upkeep.

One task that could be rather tedious without the proper tools is to keep track of changes to a PHP document or code over time. This is a common task because most active websites that use PHP continually change, grow, and improve. PHP programmers would then sometimes find themselves having to look for the differences between two similar versions of the same code. Unless they know exactly where to look, this could be a difficult and tedious process of line by line comparison.

Utilities usually called difference utilities make tasks such as these simple and easy. These programs can take two blocks of code and automatically determine their similarities and differences. A tiny difference that might have been overlooked by human overview would not be missed by these utilities. Hence, by highlighting the differences, these difference utilities can help programmers immediately spot these differences and act on them if necessary.

This ability could be immensely useful when debugging while updating the PHP of a big website. A small typo or error somewhere could have big effects on the entire script, and it could be frustratingly difficult to find. By comparing the newer edited version with the older stable version, these changes could be more easily found. The error or typo could then be immediately put right.

These difference utilities could also be used as a learning aid for PHP programmers who are still starting out. By looking at the source code of a wide variety of web pages and making use of these difference programs in order to better spot the differences, a novice could learn a lot. Figuring out which command or block of code does which becomes easier, and this knowledge could be used in future programming.

All in all, these utilities make it much easier to compare PHP extension files. By saving programmers labor and tedium, these enable them to focus more on the logical structure and efficiency of the PHP code. Hence, the proper use of these utilities can and will result in better, more effective, bug-free, and easier to maintain PHP programs and web pages.