Home/ Questions/Q 3334110
In Process

The Archive Base Latest Questions

Editorial Team
  • 0
Asked: 2026-05-17T23:52:09+00:00

I have a php script that generates php and javascript wrapper classes that handle

  • 0

I have a php script that generates php and javascript wrapper classes that handle json marshalling based on a configuration file.

My initial plan was to have a single config file that generates all the classes used by the application. However, my team lead suggested I use a separate file for each feature, to avoid creating a gigantic config file, and create a directory that defines json objects that are shared by multiple features

I compared it to struts-config.xml where all the definitions are in one file. Another example is a data dictionary that is used to generate DB access classes and the SQL to generate those tables; in previous jobs, there was always a single file that defined all the db tables, so I didn’t even give it much thought since that is what I was used to.

He compared it to idl (it’s a lot like idl), and we do not hold all the idl definitions in one place.

So I’d like arguments for and against using a single file. Here are some:

Single file

  • Good

    • You can see all the json objects in one place (this is the core of our web API and it’s used for documenting the server Ajax calls)
    • You only need a single makefile (or ant target)

  • Bad

    • File can be hard to edit once it gets too big

Multiple Files

  • Good
    • JSON only used for a single feature is not exposed (private to a project)
  • Bad
    • Once a JSON object is used by two features, it needs to be moved to a different file

Any feedback is appreciated and please ask me to clarify if you want to chime in but are not quite sure what I am talking about.

Share

Leave an answer

You must login to add an answer.

Need An Account,

1 Answer

  1. Editorial Team

    To keep configuration separate from code, I created a folder outside of the web folder (htdocs) containing the configuration files, and they mimic the folder structure within htdocs. The files compiled from the configuration files are then moved within the place where they are going to be used. So I think I made everybody happy. All the configuration files are within a separate folder but they are still organized by features. So it’s cohesive that all the config files are in one place, while still grouping each of the config files by feature. Sorry for a confusing question…

    • 0