ezSQL

When dealing with MySQL databases, one of the most used PHP class is ezSQL, by Justin Vincent. If you’ve never listen about it, just think that a slightly modified version of this class is used as the core of Wordpress database library, and every time you query the database for a post, ezSQL comes in action.

Despite its effectiveness, ezSQL development seems to have stopped to version 2.04.

Since in my projects i often use this class to work with MySQL databases, i’ve written a small extension to the ezSQL_MySQL adapter to add shortcuts and more efficient functionalities to make further easier to manage databases’ data with PHP. Here you are CRUDités.

CRUDités: MySQL appetizer

Crudités are traditional French appetizers comprising sliced or whole raw vegetables. As of its name, CRUDités is just a set of handy methods to quickly manage many operations of writing, storing and deleting from and to MySQL databases.

Aside from the basic ezSQL methods, it adds some methods to build MySQL queries from strings and data arrays, new methods to retrieve datas from columns and rows, some utility methods and a whole new table binding system, to store table’s fields and quickly update and store new datas.
For example you’ll be able to query a database and get a resulting array of rows just with this code:

$rows = $db->get_data(array(
      'select' => 'id,name,surname',
      'from' => 'customer_names'
));

You can get more informations about the project by visiting its main page, or you can directly download the class file by clicking here: CRUDités (13.5 kB)

Day by day, i’ve understood why so many developers use libraries (or frameworks) such as Mootools or jQuery: It’s a matter of typing.

document.getElementById("test"); //native Javascript
$("#test"); // with jQuery

At the same time i’ve learnt that libraries aren’t always worth their weight. Small projects don’t need them, and just writing a shortcut like:

function id(string) {
   return document.getElementById(string);
}

can make your life better (and more lightweight).

Introducing Bicycle 1.2

That said, here is a new version of Bicycle, my little “JavaScript Collection”. As from the name, it’s a lightweight and load-cost-effective library (about 9Kb minified) with everything is needed to keep your code simple and cross-browser. Here is a sample code:

var el = $getEls("test");  // get the element with id "test"
var input = $TN("nametext");  // get the first element with name "nametext"

Chainability

Anyway, if you need something more, since this new version Bicycle features a convenient chainability wrapper, with even new methods such as mouse and DOM-ready events and AJAX handling.

The chainable structure is bound to the $b namespace, so that you can use it along with other libraries. Here is a sample code:

$b("#test").css("color","red").txt("New text!");

See the documentation for more methods.

Form Handling

Finally, as a bonus, i’ve added a smart piece of code called Telegraph, which is basically a form handling library to quickly get and manipulate form inputs:

$b.getForm("myForm").value("testinput"); // get an input value
$b.getForm("myForm").serialize(); // serialize form data in a JavaScript object

Grab a copy

At last, more code can’t mean same weight, but i suppose you won’t mind it, ’cause  Bicycle core + chainability + new methods + Telegraph is just 22Kb minified.

Head to the main project page to get more infos and documentation, or grab a copy of the source code and “take a ride” with your brand new Bicycle.