An Empirical Analysis of PHP in Open Source Applications
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Authors
Luk, Patrick
Date
Type
thesis
Language
eng
Keyword
Feature , PHP , TXL
Alternative Title
Abstract
PHP is an open source scripting language mainly used for web development such as building websites. PHP is one of the most popular programming languages, and most websites are programmed using PHP. PHP is constantly evolving by adding and deprecating functions and syntactic features over time. Some of these features appear often in PHP applications, while some others are rarely used.
This thesis examines the usage of PHP features in open source PHP applications in three parts. First, the appearance of PHP features in PHP files and applications is examined. It was found that most PHP features are present in almost all PHP files and applications, while some PHP features rarely appear in PHP applications. Second, the usage frequency of PHP features in PHP files and applications is examined. It seems that some PHP features are not used very frequently, even though they appear in almost all PHP applications. Lastly, differences in how PHP applications use the PHP language are examined. The examination shows major differences in the use of PHP in different PHP applications, and identifies clusters of PHP applications that use the language in similar ways.
The analyses are carried out on a dataset of 20 well-known open source PHP applications, consisting of 51,871 PHP files with 9,501,386 lines of code. The dataset is analyzed using a parser written in the TXL source transformation language, which extracts and counts functions and syntactic features used in PHP applications.
The analyses in the thesis aim to give PHP application developers and language designers a better understanding of the use of the PHP language in open source PHP applications, to better guide the rapid evolution of the language.
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Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States
Queen's University's Thesis/Dissertation Non-Exclusive License for Deposit to QSpace and Library and Archives Canada
ProQuest PhD and Master's Theses International Dissemination Agreement
Intellectual Property Guidelines at Queen's University
Copying and Preserving Your Thesis
This publication is made available by the authority of the copyright owner solely for the purpose of private study and research and may not be copied or reproduced except as permitted by the copyright laws without written authority from the copyright owner.
Queen's University's Thesis/Dissertation Non-Exclusive License for Deposit to QSpace and Library and Archives Canada
ProQuest PhD and Master's Theses International Dissemination Agreement
Intellectual Property Guidelines at Queen's University
Copying and Preserving Your Thesis
This publication is made available by the authority of the copyright owner solely for the purpose of private study and research and may not be copied or reproduced except as permitted by the copyright laws without written authority from the copyright owner.