Member Avatar for Jones_nash

Hello there my friends,

I was looking to the best PHP code generator in the market, i already take a look into some frameworks but before i buy it i wanted to take a look here to know if you guys have any sugestion.

Any of you already have/use/bought any PHP code generator? any sugestion?

Let's discuss!

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by Ezzaral

Dani AI

Generated

This thread highlights the classic tradeoff: commercial PHP "code generators" (examples mentioned by ) can speed up CRUD-heavy admin interfaces, but they are not a silver bullet. ’s reminder to inspect generated output is the most important takeaway; is right that frameworks demand upfront work but give a more sustainable structure; and correctly warn that building a small framework once teaches fundamentals; closed the thread when promotion became the focus.

Practical checklist before buying or adopting any generator: generate a real sample app from your schema and read the code. Look for clear separation of concerns, use of parameterized queries or an ORM, consistent escaping of output, Composer/autoloading and adherence to PSR conventions, and whether modules are testable. Confirm you can customize templates and re-generate without overwriting hand edits. Ask about licensing, upgrade cadence, security patches, and vendor support. If possible, run static analysis and a security scanner on the generated code.

Workflows that scale: use generators for quick prototypes and internal admin tools, then refactor important parts into a framework or hand-written modules for long-term maintenance. Prefer generators that are framework-aware or produce modular, readable code — they reduce technical debt. Insist on a downloadable demo project (not just screenshots) so you can validate maintainability with your own tooling.

If the goal is learning, follow ’s advice and build a tiny MVC once; it clarifies what generators hide. If the goal is speed, use a generator only after the checks above and plan an intentional refactor strategy so short-term gains don’t become future pain.

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Member Avatar for Member #120589

Buy?? What do you mean 'code generator'? A php framework won't write it for you - in fact frameworks will make you write LOADS of stuff to start with.

What exactly are you looking for?

Member Avatar for mschroeder

I don't think I would put much stock in a product that "generated" source code for me, scaffolding like controllers is one thing, but not a whole project.

@ardav
I have to disagree with your comment about frameworks. Frameworks will save you from writing lots of code as they supply the architecture logic. As a developer you end up implementing the business services/models and the UI. Once you're familiar with a framework it can drastically speed up your development processes, especially on large projects.

Edited by mschroeder because: n/a
Member Avatar for Member #120589

@ms - I was making the point that starting with an MVC is a lot of work initially ('to start with'), then of course, I agree, the work is simpler. I usually use a framework myself, due to the advantages after the initial setup is in place.

Member Avatar for Jones_nash

I tested a few, 3 or 4, and can tell you that some of then will realy increse my development speed at least in 50%.

Some will generate PHP code for you, the basic and some of the advanced stuff but of course some of the development will continue made by your own hands and code!

Have you guys tested any of those framework? scriptcase? codecharge? phprunner? or any other?

Member Avatar for mschroeder

While those products seem to create functional projects, I'd be more curious to see what the generated code looks like. It appears that they have a major focus on CRUD with some basic UI on top.

If this is the route you're looking for, I'd highly suggest one of the many open source php frameworks and a CRUD package/component for them. Mostly because in the end you'll end up with a more robust framework, something that is community supported by a lot more users and you'll also have access to resources from users all over the world who may have tackled your problem before.

There are a variety of CRUD/Generator bundles for Symfony2.
I've seen CRUD generator capabilities built for Zend Framework.
I believe this is a feature built into CakePHP, maybe a cake user can confirm this.
I've also seen CRUD generator components for CodeIgniter.
There are lots of other frameworks too, but at the moment I think Symfony2 is the best of the best.

Member Avatar for Sorcher

Ready made frameworks is okay if your an old PHP veteran.
If you haven't done your own "framework" at least once, then you will have holes in your knowledge.

Member Avatar for Shamrocks

Ready made frameworks is okay if your an old PHP veteran.
If you haven't done your own "framework" at least once, then you will have holes in your knowledge.

True, you must know what you want!

Member Avatar for Ezzaral

This thread was just sock-puppet promotion for a particular product by Jones_nash and Shamrocks. Those posts have been deleted, but I will leave the rest of the replies up for the benefit of others.

Closed.

Edited by Ezzaral because: n/a
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