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Bob Cravens

Bob Cravens

Your Instructor

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Owner

TekFoundry

Wisconsin

United States

Short Bio:

Bob Cravens is a seasoned technology leader, software architect, and educator with a passion for empowering others through practical, real-world knowledge. As the founder of TekFoundry, Bob has dedicated his career to designing and delivering innovative software solutions that combine cutting-edge technology with elegant simplicity.

At TekCasts, Bob leverages over two decades of experience in software engineering, application architecture, and team leadership to create engaging, high-impact courses for developers and technology professionals. His instructional style is rooted in practical application, offering insights drawn from his extensive background in industries like medical devices and global technology consulting.

Bob’s expertise spans a variety of technologies and methodologies, including PHP/Laravel, FastAPI, and DevOps, as well as architecture best practices and team dynamics. Whether teaching foundational concepts or advanced strategies, he’s passionate about helping others turn complex challenges into streamlined solutions.

When not crafting elegant code or inspiring the next generation of tech innovators, Bob enjoys exploring the intersection of technology, business strategy, and creative problem-solving.

Videos

Checkout Videos By This Instructor

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Properties and Methods

Unlock the power of Properties and Methods in PHP OOP! In this action-packed lesson, we dive into public and private properties & methods, breaking down the magic of encapsulation 🔒. Watch as we create a class, instantiate objects, and interact with public properties & methods from the outside 🌎. But wait—what about private ones? 🤔 No worries! I’ll show you how to work with them inside the class like a pro. Get ready to level up your PHP skills one method at a time! ⚡👨‍💻

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Publishing Your Package on Packagist

Now it’s time to publish our package and make it available to the world! 🌍 We’ll walk through submitting our package to Packagist and using Composer to install it in a project. 📌 What you’ll learn: ✅ Registering a package on Packagist ✅ Using Composer to install your package ✅ Replacing old code with the new package By the end of this video, your PHP package will be live and ready for developers to use! 🚀 🔔 Subscribe for more PHP tutorials! 🔗 Resources: • Packagist Guide

composer,packagist,php

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Redirection and Pipes - Output & Input, Chaining Commands

This video is part of the Linux Crash Course series. This video will continue exploring the Linux File System. In this video I will discuss redirecting stdin, stdout, and stderr. In addition, we will look a chaining commands together using pipes. Github Repo: https://github.com/rcravens/linux-crash-course

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Writing clean, maintainable code is a key skill for any developer! In this video we take our calculator project to the next level by refactoring it for better structure and reusability. Here’s what you’ll learn: ✅ Refactoring code – Moving related logic into separate files. ✅ require & include – How to properly import and reuse PHP files. ✅ Why structured code matters – Better organization, easier maintenance, and reusability. By the end of this tutorial, you’ll have a more structured, modular, and reusable PHP application—just like professional developers do!

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Setting Up the Package Structure

In this video, we start coding! 🚀 We’ll create the necessary directory structure, initialize a Git repository, and write the initial code for our PHP package. 📌 What you’ll learn: ✅ Setting up the directory structure ✅ Initializing a Git repository ✅ Writing the first version of the package 💡 By the end of this video, you’ll have a solid foundation for your package! 🔔 Subscribe for more PHP tutorials! 🔗 Resources: • GitHub: Getting Started

github,package,php

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Setup a Development Environment

Before you start coding in PHP, you need the right tools! In this video, we’ll guide you through setting up a local development environment step by step. You’ll learn how to install PHP, set up a local server using XAMPP, MAMP, or the built-in PHP server, and explore containerized options like Docker. We’ll also discuss different code editors, from lightweight options like Sublime Text to powerful IDEs like PHPStorm and Visual Studio Code. By the end of this video, you’ll have everything configured and ready to start coding in PHP like a pro! 🚀

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Static Methods and Properties

Ever wondered when to use static properties and methods? 🤔 In this video, we break it all down! 🔍 We’ll start with a quick refresher on normal properties and methods, then dive into their static counterparts. 🏗️ What’s the difference? Static members belong to the class—shared across all instances—while normal members are instance-specific. 🌎➡️📦 But wait—static properties aren’t constants! ⚠️ We’ll explore constant properties using const and discuss real-world use cases where static methods shine. ✨ By the end, you’ll know exactly when and why to use static members in your PHP projects! 💡💻 Let’s go! 🎬

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Terminal - Shells, Basics, Help

This video is part of the Linux Crash Course series. This video will introduce the Linux Terminal and how to efficiently navigate command history, cursor position, and how to obtain help on any command. Github Repo: https://github.com/rcravens/linux-crash-course

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Text Editors - Nano, Vim, Emacs

This video is part of the Linux Crash Course series. This video will continue exploring the Linux File System. In this video I will introduce three common text editors found on Linux systems. Github Repo: https://github.com/rcravens/linux-crash-course

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Ever struggled with duplicate code across multiple classes? What if you can’t put it in a base class? 🤔 PHP doesn’t support multiple inheritance, but fear not—Traits come to the rescue! 🦸‍♂️ In this video, we’ll identify duplicate logic, discuss why it doesn’t belong in the base class, and then refactor using a Trait to keep our code clean, reusable, and DRY! 💡✨ By the end, you’ll be wielding Traits like a pro! 🏆 Let’s dive in! 🎥

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User Permissions - Access Control Lists (ACL)

This video is part of the Linux Crash Course series. This video will cover Access Control Lists or ACLs to apply permissions at a granular level. Github Repo: https://github.com/rcravens/linux-crash-course

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Users and Permissions - Groups, Users, Sudo, Files

This video is part of the Linux Crash Course series. This video will cover user management features. Github Repo: https://github.com/rcravens/linux-crash-course

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Ever felt like your PHP code is a tangled mess of functions, impossible to scale, and a nightmare to maintain? You’re not alone! In this kickoff episode, we dive into why Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) is a game-changer and how it solves common problems found in procedural PHP. We’ll break down the downsides of functional programming—spaghetti code 🍝, duplicated logic 🔁, and function name collisions 💥—and compare it to the structured, reusable, and scalable world of OOP. Through a tabletop comparison, we’ll introduce key OOP concepts like encapsulation, inheritance, and modular design, setting the foundation for everything to come. By the end of this video, you’ll understand why OOP isn’t just a fancy buzzword—it’s a smarter way to write PHP! 💡🔥

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Kicking off our PHP for Beginners series, this video takes you on a deep dive into the world of PHP. From its origins to its modern-day relevance, we’ll explore how PHP has shaped the web—powering everything from WordPress to robust frameworks and libraries. But why do some developers swear by it while others steer clear? We’ll break down the pros, the cons, and why PHP continues to be a powerhouse in web development today. Whether you’re a complete beginner or just curious about PHP’s place in the tech world, this video is the perfect starting point!

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Writing Tests with PEST

Time to make sure our package works as expected! ✅ In this video, we introduce PEST, a powerful and elegant testing framework for PHP. We’ll write automated tests to ensure our package behaves correctly. 📌 What you’ll learn: ✅ Installing and setting up PEST ✅ Writing unit tests for our package ✅ Running and analyzing test results 🚀 Why test? Because a well-tested package is a reliable package! 🔔 Subscribe for more PHP content! 🔗 Resources: • PEST Documentation

package,pest,php