Dijkstra – shortest path with weights, SplMinHeap, e-commerce applications
Dijkstra’s algorithm finds the shortest path in a weighted graph – the generalisation of BFS for graphs where edges have costs. It is the foundation of GPS navigation, network routing, and in e-commerce it appears in warehouse routing, delivery zone assignment, and shipping cost calculations. I implement it in PHP with SplMinHeap and show practical applications.
PageBuilder – custom content type, XML config, JS preview, frontend rendering
PageBuilder is Magento 2’s drag-and-drop content editor that replaced the plain HTML textarea in admin. A custom content type lets merchants create complex layouts without HTML knowledge while giving developers full control over the output. I show the complete implementation: XML configuration, JavaScript preview in admin, and frontend rendering.
- Published in Magento / Adobe Commerce
State pattern – order state machine, serialisation, comparison with Strategy
State is a behavioural pattern that allows an object to change its behaviour when its internal state changes. It looks like the object changed its class. The classic example is an order state machine – an order in “pending” status behaves differently from one in “processing”. I show an implementation in PHP and compare it with Strategy, which it superficially resembles.
- Published in Wzorce projektowe
PHP 8.3 preview – typed constants, json_validate(), array_find(), clone with
PHP 8.3 is due in November 2023 and while it is a conservative release compared to 8.0-8.2, it adds several things worth knowing about before they arrive. Typed class constants close an inconsistency in the type system. json_validate() saves a decode-and-discard pattern. array_find() and array_find_key() replace clunky array_filter() idioms. The readonly amendment allows re-initialisation in cloning.
- Published in PHP