The string and meaning of a PHP variable I use

[somdcomputerguy]

I'm using little bits of PHP code to make and update the counters on my vapin' page. One of the variables I have defined is $cigsnot. When I dreamed up this variable name, I was thinking of the phrase cigs not, but whenever I edit the page (to either change the wording of some text, to delete or add something, whatevever..), and I see that variable, I tend to see/read it as the phrase cig snot!

 

[DaveP]

I never got into web programming. Most of what I used to do for a side business I wrote in DBase, Clipper, and Foxpro. I wrote business management programs that accepted all the customer debits and credits and produced reports and bills, filling in data on preprinted forms. I got into Pascal and MS Visual basic for some shareware (that dates me) and I did a large data management program for the international company I worked for. I was a field engineer, not a programmer in my day job.

I learned quickly that variable naming and intelligent construction of called procedures and functions were crucial if you wanted to be able to work through it later to clean up bugs and expand the code to include new features. I'd use some humor and creativeness in my variable names from time to time just for fun.

 

[somdcomputerguy]

Pretty much the only two languages I write with anymore are PHP (and a very small bit of MySQL and J/S. So small, they're not even part of the two..) for internet related things, and AutoIt (because it's so easy to use) for local 'programs'. Back in the late 80's I did participate in a Foxpro (which was way different then than it is now) project, a pc service call/dispatch thing, and a few years later in an unrelated field service tech thing.

 

[retired1]

Most of what I used to do for a side business I wrote in DBase, Clipper, and Foxpro.

Now there are some names from the past. I used to teach dBase classes in the military.

 

[DaveP]

Now there are some names from the past. I used to teach dBase classes in the military.

It was the 80s and into the 90s, right up to the dreaded 2000 bug with two digit years when I was playing with vertical apps for business. I never really chased the business, but one customer would tell the next about my programs and I'd get a call. I was also going to college at night in computer science. One of my Dbase programs allowed me to CLEP a database management class just by bringing the program in and demonstrating it to the professor, who also did Dbase on the side.

I wrote comprehensive application specific programs for several businesses and they usually wanted to add modules from time to time, so I was frequently coding for a weekend or two here and there after writing the initial program. A typical program would include modules with a customer database, billable activity, and printing of bills to fit window envelopes. There was lots and lots of screen design. I eventually went to Foxpro and Clipper.

One that I wrote for a Ford dealer ran his car rental department, printed bills and tracked his fleet availability and the maintenance records of the vehicles. I also did an inventory tracking system for his parts department.

I did several chiropractor offices and a couple of rehabilitation tracking companies who monitored those who were injured on the job and going through some sort of medical insurance tracking with home nursing visits before returning to work.

It was fun for a while, but it began to get tedious and time consuming as a part time activity. I never saw it as a primary income stream, just something that created blow money for expensive computers and cool toys. In my day job I was a tech rep for Xerox and I also played in a weekend band with band practice on Wednesday nights. Something had to go and I kept the day job and the fun stuff.