Use of Design Patterns in PHP-Based Web Application Frameworks Andris Paikens, Guntis Arnicans Department of Computing University of Latvia Raia blvd 19, Rga, Latvia LV-1586 Andris.Paikens@di.lv, Guntis.Arnicans@lu.lv Abstract. It is known that design patterns of object-oriented programming are used in the design of Web applications, but there is no sufficient information which data patterns are used, how often they are used, and the level of quality at which they are used. This paper describes the results concerning the use of design patterns in projects which develop PHP-based Web application frameworks. Documentation and source code were analysed for 10 frameworks, finding that design patterns are used in the development of Web applications, but not too much and without much consistency. The results and conclusions can be of use when planning and developing new projects because the existing experience can be taken into account. The paper also offers information which design patterns are not used because they may be artificial or hard-to-use in real projects. Alternatively, developers may simply lack information on the existence of the design patterns. 1 Introduction The rapid increase in the number of Web users over the last two decades, the expanded opportunities and accessibility of software design, and the greater demand for such applications – all of this has contributed to an enormous increase in the number of people who are working on the design of Web applications. Web applications used to be nothing more than an add-on to some other serious system for a period of time not so long ago; and design of these web applications involved people with a great deal of experience in other areas of software. But today eager young people begin designing Web pages without being aware of even the simplest principles of software design. The complexity of applications has increased, and their use has become more serious. The authors of this paper are interested in the use of design patterns in frameworks related to Web application design, because the true use of design patterns in actual projects has not been yet described to any great extent, which means that it is not yet clear whether this approach is of use for the relevant assignments. LATVIJAS UNIVERSITĀTES RAKSTI. 2008, 733. sēj.: DATORZINĀTNE UN INFORMĀCIJAS TEHNOLOĢIJAS 53.–71. lpp.