Hello,
I've been programming for a 'few' years now and ofcourse I'm always trying to improve myself. That's why I'm looking for some good books and especially 'best practice' books with things like:
Maybe it doesn't have to be php specific but just programming in general. So far my search hasn't had any good results so I hope you guys can help me!
Thanks in advance
A good book, which is specific to PHP is PHP Objects, Patterns, and Practice by by Matt Zandstra.
And because you're not just looking for a PHP related book, but "programming in general" one, I'd recommend Code Complete, if you haven't already read it.
Also, these questions have some really good titles:
What is the single most influential book every programmer should read? - Programming in general.
What is the best PHP programming book? - PHP only.
If you want general programming advice, this is the best book The Pragmatic Programmer
Some of the authors' nuggets of pragmatism are concrete, and the path to their implementation is clear. They advise readers to learn one text editor, for example, and use it for everything. They also recommend the use of version-tracking software for even the smallest projects, and promote the merits of learning regular expression syntax and a text-manipulation language. Other (perhaps more valuable) advice is more light-hearted. In the debugging section, it is noted that, "if you see hoof prints think horses, not zebras." That is, suspect everything, but start looking for problems in the most obvious places. There are recommendations for making estimates of time and expense, and for integrating testing into the development process. You'll want a copy of The Pragmatic Programmer for two reasons: it displays your own accumulated wisdom more cleanly than you ever bothered to state it, and it introduces you to methods of work that you may not yet have considered. Working programmers will enjoy this book.
As Moayad said, PHP Objects, Patterns, and Practice (2nd edition) is a good start point if you're developing in PHP, but if you haven't read them, I'll go back to the fundamentals. First Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software by the Gang of Four to learn the common patterns (decorator, composite, facade, singleton...) in software development (some of them are also explained in "PHP Objects..."). Then Patterns of Enterprise Application Architecture by Fowler which extends the basic patterns to create more complex patterns like MVC.
Then you could also take a look to some of Misko Havery videos, like Design Tech Talk Series Presents: OO Design for Testability . He is the Agile Coach at Google and his videos about testing are really illuminating not only in why you should code for testability but also why you should do OOP.
By that moment you will realize that your code is not so good and you'll thing about refactoring. The Refactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code also by Fowler is considered the bible for refactoring, but I prefer Working Effectively with Legacy Code by Michael Feathers.