What is the easiest to use ORM framework for PHP? [closed]

Answer 1

Both CodeIgniter (http://codeigniter.com/user_guide/database/active_record.html) and its PHP5 only fork Kohana (http://docs.kohanaphp.com/libraries/orm) contain implementations of the ActiveRecord pattern.

Answer 2

I would recommend Doctrine with Symfony. Eventhough there is more to learn you will find it has the features you will need once the project grows (CRUD, Form framework, Record Templates, DQL, Plugin support, Behaviours). Both projects have very active community and you shouldn't find yourself in a dead end, because most of your questions have been already answered in official tutorials or in a forum.

If you don't like database definitions in YAML, you can always use ORM Designer or MySQL Workbench.

Answer 3

Zend_Db_Table and Zend_Db_Table_Row are fairly good at what you're describing. You don't need any configuration file, most metadata is "discovered" from the database itself.

Technically these classes don't implement the ActiveRecord pattern. Instead, they implement the Table Data Gateway and Row Data Gateway patterns. Together, these offer similar value as ActiveRecord, and in some ways are more flexible than ActiveRecord.

But as with any ORM, there are inevitably some SQL queries and operations that you can't do through the OO interface. No ORM can serve as one-stop shopping.

Footnote: I worked on the Zend Framework project for a little over a year, especially on the Zend_Db component. But I don't work for them anymore.

Answer 4

Object relational mapper (ORM) for PHP that sits on top of a powerful database abstraction layer (DBAL). One of its key features is the option to write database queries in a proprietary object oriented SQL dialect called Doctrine Query Language (DQL), inspired by Hibernates HQL. This provides developers with a powerful alternative to SQL that maintains flexibility without requiring unnecessary code duplication.

Answer 5

If you want an "on the fly" DB modelisation, where tables auto-fitting with data you push from code, take a look at FoxORM for DataMapper approach or RedBean for ActiveRecord approach

Answer 6

I use a little known orm layer called redbean. you can find it here : http://www.redbeanphp.com. its absolutely unique in the sense that it just creates tables columns and indexes all by itself without any configuration files at all. I find it to be a huge timesaver!