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Exceptions

Errors happen, but how you handle them makes all the difference! In this video we dive into PHP exceptions and how they improve error handling.

We start by manually guarding against invalid data using if statements, then take it to the next level by introducing exceptions, covering:

✅ Throwing exceptions – How to signal when something goes wrong.
✅ Catching exceptions – Gracefully handling errors without breaking your code.
✅ Why exceptions are better than manual checks in many cases.

By the end of this tutorial, you’ll understand how to handle errors cleanly and professionally in PHP.

Exceptions & Errors

When things go wrong in your PHP application, how do you handle it? 🤔 In this video, we dive into the art of exception handling and smart error management! 🎯

🔹 Throwing & catching exceptions—what, when, and why? 🎭
🔹 Best practices for handling errors (logging, notifications, feature toggles) 📝
🔹 When to use try/catch blocks (external APIs, limited resources) 🔄
🔹 The role of a global exception handler 🛑
🔹 Throwing custom exceptions to make your code more meaningful 🏗️
🔹 Why exceptions can be expensive 💰 and how to use error objects instead ⚡

By the end, you’ll know exactly how to keep your application resilient, stable, and user-friendly! 💪 Let’s dive in! 🎬

Extracting Layout Components

In this video, we take a major step toward cleaner, more maintainable code by refactoring our static HTML into reusable layout components. ✂️➡️🧩

We’ll extract repeated sections of HTML into their own PHP partial view files:
• layout/_nav.view.php 🧭
• layout/_page_head.view.php 🧠
• layout/_header.view.php 🏷️
• layout/_page_foot.view.php 👣

This makes our pages easier to manage and sets the stage for a powerful layout system in future steps. 💡

By the end of this video, our project will be refactored and tagged as v3-layout-files—modular, organized, and ready to grow. 🚀

Fetch API Basics

Unlock the power of the Fetch API and take your JavaScript skills to the next level! ⚡️
In this video, you’ll discover how to:


Make lightning-fast GET requests with fetch()
Transform API responses into usable JSON 🔄
Handle errors like a pro (404s, network issues, and more) 🛑
Write cleaner, modern code with Promises and async/await ✨


Whether you’re pulling in jokes, quotes, or real-world data, this lesson gives you the tools to connect your app to the web 🌍 and make it truly dynamic.

👉 Hit play and start fetching like a pro! 🚀

File System - Create, Copy, Move, Link

This video is part of the Linux Crash Course series. This video will continue introducing the Linux File System. In this video you will learn how to create / remove directories, copy / move files, and everything you need to know about links.

Github Repo: https://github.com/rcravens/linux-crash-course

File System - Permission

This video is part of the Linux Crash Course series. This video will continue exploring the Linux File System. In this video you will learn about permissions and how to secure access to files.

Github Repo: https://github.com/rcravens/linux-crash-course

File System - Wildcards, Find, Search

This video is part of the Linux Crash Course series. This video will continue exploring the Linux File System. In this video you will learn how to search the file system for files or content inside those files.

Github Repo: https://github.com/rcravens/linux-crash-course

File System Basics - Navigation

This video is part of the Linux Crash Course series. This video will introduce the Linux File System. In this video you will learn how to navigate the file system.

Github Repo: https://github.com/rcravens/linux-crash-course

File-Based Storage

Ever wondered how to persist data without setting up a full database? In this episode, we explore file-based storage in Node.js — a simple way to read, write, and manage data using the filesystem.

Perfect for small projects, prototypes, or when you just need to get things done quickly ⚙️💾

👉 You’ll learn how to:
- Read and write JSON files asynchronously using fs/promises
- Implement full CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) operations
- Handle data safely and understand file-based storage limitations
- Prepare your app for a transition to a real database later


💡 Relevant Links
Node.js Docs:
- Reading Files: https://nodejs.org/en/learn/manipulating-files/reading-files-with-nodejs
- Writing Files: https://nodejs.org/en/learn/manipulating-files/writing-files-with-nodejs

Previous TekCasts series:
- JavaScript for Beginners: https://tekcasts.com/play/javascript-for-beginners-what-is-javascript
- JavaScript in the Browser: https://tekcasts.com/play/javascript-in-the-browser-browser-runtime-environment

Final Review & Refactor

This video is all about the last layer of polish — a final walkthrough to tidy up code, views, and structure across the project. Here’s what we touched:

🖼️ Views
- index.view.php: added wider screen support with max-w-7xl.
- Removed a duplicate header to clean up the layout.

🧱 Framework Cleanup
- Database.php: fixed IDE issues and added helpful annotations.
- globals.php: minor tweaks to smooth dev experience.
- Model.php: highlighted PHPDoc comments, reviewed skip(), take(), and orderBy() methods.
- Session.php and View.php: both got the “FII” treatment (Fix IDE Issues).

📦 Http Layer
- Policies:
- UserPolicy: FII.
- Controllers:
- AuthenticationController, PhotoController, RegisterController, ReviewController, and UploadController: all reviewed and cleaned up.

🌐 Public Entry Point
- index.php: adjusted try/catch block for better error handling and clarity.


🎯 And that wraps things up at v28-review-refactor — setting the stage for a maintainable, scalable app with a solid foundation.

First Review & Refactor

It’s time to pause and sharpen the tools. In this video, we take a step back to review our progress and clean up our codebase, because maintainability is key to sustainable development. 🛠️

Here’s what we tackle in version v16-framework-refactor:


Emphasize the value of regular review and refactor sessions 🧠
Review our entry point (public/index.php) and extract logic into a new App class 📦
Create Framework/App as a singleton with a start() method to centralize bootstrapping 🚀
Address messy relative paths like '../../' by creating a dedicated Path helper class 🧭
Build Framework/Path as a singleton and introduce helpers like app(), root(), require_app(), and require_root()
Refactor all path-related code to use these clean, expressive helpers 📁
Move globals.php into the Framework directory to keep framework-related code encapsulated
Clean up and clarify all require/import statements 🔄


This refactor sets us up for a cleaner, more organized foundation—making our mini-framework easier to navigate, extend, and love. 💡

Fluent Validation

In this step, we introduced a flexible and expressive validation system.


🧱 Created the Framework/Validation class and added a validate() helper to globals.php.
✍️ The goal was to write intuitive validation logic like:
validate('rating')->integer()->min(0)->max(5)->required();
validate('name')->string()->max(100);
validate('comment')->string()->max(1000);
🧪 This fluent API allowed chaining validation rules for each input field, improving both readability and maintainability.
🔧 We fixed the num_stars constraint in the migration SQL to properly enforce the rating range.
🧹 Ran the migration and reseeded the database to apply the changes.
🕵️ Also refined the reviews logic to default the name to “Anonymous” when one isn’t provided.


This new validation infrastructure enhances data safety and gives us a consistent, clean way to validate user input throughout the application.

Forms & Validation

Your web app just got personal 💬

Until now, your MVC app could display and fetch data — but it couldn’t accept new information from users. That changes today.

👉 In this episode, you’ll learn how to:
🧠 Handle HTML forms and capture user input
⚙️ Parse incoming POST data in Node.js
✅ Add server-side validation for required fields, length, and patterns
🧹 Understand the difference between validation (checking data) and sanitization (cleaning data)
📄 Build your own simple validation rules and validator utility

By the end, your app will safely handle real user input — a huge step toward full interactivity ⚡️

💡 Relevant Links

Previous TekCasts series:
• JavaScript for Beginners: https://tekcasts.com/play/javascript-for-beginners-what-is-javascript
• JavaScript in the Browser: https://tekcasts.com/play/javascript-in-the-browser-browser-runtime-environment

Official Docs & Resources:
• MDN HTML Forms Guide: https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Learn/Forms
• MDN Client-Side Form Validation: https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Learn/Forms/Form_validation
• Node.js Streams: https://nodejs.org/api/stream.html
• Node.js HTTP Module: https://nodejs.org/api/http.html
• EJS Documentation: https://ejs.co/

Framework & Library Overview

In this final video of the JavaScript in the Browser series, we take a step back and look at the broader ecosystem of libraries and frameworks that have shaped modern frontend development.

From lightweight utilities to full-scale frameworks, these tools have enabled developers to build interactive, dynamic, and maintainable web applications.

We’ll cover:

📊 Charts & Data Visualization – Chart.js, D3.js, Highcharts, ApexCharts
🗺️ Maps & Geolocation – Google Maps, OpenStreetMap, Leaflet
⚡ DOM Reactivity & State – Alpine.js, React, Vue, Angular, Backbone, jQuery
📝 Form Validation – Parsley, Validate.js, React
🎬 Animations – Anime.js, Typed.js
🏗️ Frameworks – React, Next.js, Vue, Angular, Svelte, Ember, Backbone


This episode provides the big-picture context of where JavaScript has taken us—from direct DOM manipulation to entire ecosystems of specialized libraries and powerful frameworks.

👉 Wrap up the series with us and see how these tools fit into the modern developer’s toolkit!

Functions

Functions are the building blocks of reusable and efficient code in PHP! In this video we break down everything you need to know to get started with functions, including:

✅ Function keyword & syntax – How to define and call functions in PHP.
✅ Naming functions – Best practices for readability and maintainability.
✅ Parameters & return values – Passing data and getting results.
✅ Type hinting – Writing safer, more predictable functions.

To make learning fun and practical, we’ll incrementally build a simple calculator that supports addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division! By the end of this tutorial, you’ll have a solid understanding of PHP functions and how to use them effectively in your projects.