What is Dev Derby?

The Combine (http://thecombine.org) is a tech event in Bloomington, IN going on from Sept. 9th-12th. On Sept. 11 there will be a "Dev Derby". This is a one-day programming event which challenges teams, representing different programming languages, to build a web-based application for use by non-profits. The code will be released as open source, giving it life after the day has ended. There will be 5 teams competing. My suspicions say that there will be a Rails team and a CF team in addition to the PHP team.

I'm not sure how finalized some of the information I have on the details are but here is what I do know:

• Each team will be limited to 7 people (including myself). Depending on demand by Combine attendees, they may allow up to 3 additional "walk-ons".
• The nature of the challenge won't be revealed until Sept. 8.
• As team leader, I will be participating in the planning of this event, helping shape the challenge scope, defining the technical environment and determining the judging criteria.
• From the sound of things, we will have some sort of requirements spec to work off of and plan the project from.
• A designated team member or myself will be in a panel discussion sharing the team process and debating code with other team representatives.
• The Combine will have a recruiting campaign with a link to an application to collect names of interested developers. (If you're impatient and want to be part of the glorious PHP team, hit me up)
• We will be provided with a food an d beverages that day. NOMS!
• There will be prizes. Some just for participating.

Team PHP

Until I start having to sift through applications for team members, I'm wondering who I'd need to hit up for some elePHPant T-Shirts for Team PHP to have. Also, we need a better pseudonym than "Team PHP" or at least some sort of awesome slogan to bring fear and envy into the hearts of our opponents. Join me and together we shall rule the galaxy in the fun and help crush our enemies, see them driven before us and hear the lamentation of their women show the awesomeness that is PHP.

Seriously though, I hope this book will help me tweak my current team practices. Guess I'll find out after it arrives.

public function setFoo($foo=null) {
	if (is_string($foo)||is_numeric($foo)) {
		$this->foo=$foo;
		return $this;
	}
	throw new Custom_Example_Exception("Please provide a proper string or numeric",Custom_Example_Exception::INVALID_TYPE);
}

public function setBar($bar=null) {
	if (is_string($bar)||is_numeric($bar)) {
		$this->bar=$bar;
		return $this;
	}
	throw new Custom_Example_Exception("Please provide a proper string or numeric",Custom_Example_Exception::INVALID_TYPE);
}

Notice a pattern there? Me too. If all my setters were like this, I could do

public function setProperty($property=null) {
	if (is_string($property)||is_numeric($property)) {
		$this->{$property}=$property;
		return $this;
	}
	throw new Custom_Example_Exception("Please provide a proper string or numeric",Custom_Example_Exception::INVALID_TYPE);
}

with appropriate traps in the __call() and maybe even __set() methods.

However, my situation is that not all the setters for my class follow this pattern so that solution means that I have to make __call() look for specific setters.

public function __call($method,$args) {
	$trapThese=array("Foo","Bar","Baz");
	preg_match('/set(*.?)/im',$method,$matches);
	if (!empty($matches)&&in_array($matches[1],$trapThese)) {
		if(is_string($args[0])||is_numeric($args[0])) {
		$propertyName=strtolower($matches[1]);
			$this->{$propertyName}=$args[0];
		}
		throw new Custom_Example_Exception("Please provide a proper string or numeric.\nException trapped in call to $method",Custom_Example_Exception::INVALID_TYPE);
	} else {
		$this->{$method}($args);
	}
}

And I'm pretty sure that this code snippet ($this->{$method}($args);) is the Wrong Way of Doing It. So I'll just have to settle for the redundant setFoo(),setBar,etc even though a part of me knows that there has to be a Better Way. Or maybe there is just No Way of Doing It Well.

I think it is probably only a matter of preference but in terms of testability, elegance, maintainability, whatever...what do you prefer, doing a magic __call() or making setFoo(),setBar(),setBaz,etc.

Joining the wordle meme late in the game because I just got ff java plugin to work.