// similar to print_r(), but dumps to the view and
// is disabled if debug isn't > 0 in config.php
pr($anything); 

// returns the correctly internationalized plural or
// singular depending on locale.
__n($singular, $plural, $count, $return);

If you are working with CakePHP and haven’t figure it out yet, it’s worth looking through basics.php in the API docs.

Why we use cakephp? We can just have our own structure and keep developing projects without making things more complicated. Why cake?

The best answer for this question from the cakephp Cookbook is,

We don’t have to re-invent the wheel. Every time we sit for a new project, we have a more structural way of developing the project with an already installed development environment and we just have to start our rapid application straight a way with the business logic.

Some of the key features the framework provides are,
- MVC structure
- Code generation
- CRUD for database interaction
- Application scaffolding
- Code generation
- Built-in validation
- Data sanitation
- Flexible casching
- Localization

and lot more………

Our primary goal is to enable you to work in a structured and rapid manner–without loss of flexibility – by cakephp org.

What is meant by MVC (Model View Controller)?

MODEL VIEW CONTROLLER, is a software architecture, currently considered an architectural pattern used in software engineering.
This isolates business logic from presentation logic.

1. The Model represents the application data
2. The View renders a presentation of model data
3. The Controller handles and routes requests made by the client