Is PHP robust enough for an Intranet application?

Has anybody created one that does a lot of heavy lifting?

[roldar]

I'm just curious if anybody has created a PHP-based Intranet application and what successes they've had. I've used PHP to do a lot of things, but because it partners with HTML I always assumed it was too flimsy to be used in place of C/C++/VB/Java/etc.

The more I thought about it though, I realized that its partnership with HTML could be an asset. It would cut down on a lot of the GUI development time. You could even add a layer of JavaScript to take care of some of the client-side error checking and other stuff that you can't do with PHP alone.

What are some of the downfalls to using PHP for such an application? I hear some people talk about using Object Oriented (OO) PHP design methods, but I really don't see how you can do that. Do they mean using a lot of functions and includes, or did I miss the part where you can create classes and objects in PHP?

Aside from the (at least what I can see) procedural nature of PHP, I'm having trouble pinning down where it's any less capable when used with HTML/database/JavaScript.

[roldar]

I feel like an idiot for not even knowing you could create classes in PHP. None of the books or tutorials I used even mentioned them. Looks like I've got some more learning to do.

[stevenmusumeche]

I've developed tons of internal/intranet applications in PHP and it hasn't let me down yet. Definately read up on the new OOP stuff in PHP5 - it really helps.

[wormsitesAdmin]

PHP is as sold as any other language out there. but choosing the language based on opinion seems like the wrong place to start.

you should complete a language independant design. Is it an N-Tier app? if so, you will have multiple languages to contend with (your DB language, and stored procedures etc) possibly SOAP objects written in the language appropriate to their function, one or more presentation layers written in script like PHP etc, your business logic layer which could also be in multiple languages.

address the BIG issues first... security, scaleability, extensibility, user education requirments, feature requirments, fault tollerance, etc. an intranet application quickly becomes an integral part of a business's workflow, and as such, should be taken seriously.

once you have a set of requirments based on your design, then ask the question "can PHP handle this" my guess is "Sure it can". but the question as to wether or not it is appropriate for your task can only be answered once you can define your requirments in detail.