Summit Getting Started

Summit is relatively easy to setup and use. The configuration files are stored in the system/config folder. They are separated based on what they are used for. The database configuration is stored in its own file labeled DB.php. Then when there is an updated to your application you don\'t have to overwrite your database settings.

The config.php in the system/config folder does a couple things for us. The first thing is the app_url setting. When you set this, it allows you to use the APP_URL constant in your application. Using APP_URL allows you to not have to worry if the application is stored in the root directory or in a sub folder. The autoload setting allows us to automatically load a class and run the Init function inside of it. Does your application connect to a database on every request? Why not make it automatic. Want to use sessions, have the session class run by itself. The debug setting allows us to use the PHP error output method, or our own.

Controllers
Controllers allow us to build our applications in an organized fashion. They also allow URI routing to be easily implemented. You can map any url inside your application to a specific controller and method.

Views
While PHP itself is a template engine, we have an Output class so you can keep your core code separated. This isn't smarty where you learn a new syntax. This is simple to use and just adds a little separation to your app.