This will introduce you to various aspects of programming that you will need to know to be a web developer. There are a few things that will be introduced. The first is that PHP will be used as an alternative language to introduce you to more traditional programming concepts. Python is a great language, but it handles certain things differently than most languages, (Java, C++, etc.).
The second is that there will be a focus on unit tests and testing principles in general. Tests are ways of verifying that code works the way that you expect. There are numerous benefits to a good testing strategy.
- Prevents bugs from appearing during a release. (Known as regression bugs.)
- Creates a form of documentation that developers can read easily. In fact, the test code should be written as well, if not better, than the source code.
- Requires a developer to understand how to write clean code. The easier code is to test, the cleaner it is. Code that is difficult to test is known as a code smell, a sign that the code needs to be improved.
- Gives confidence during refactoring. Refactoring is the process of improving code quality while not changing functionality.